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On the second point, Asimov's Laws of Robotics are very commonly mistaken for serious cybersecurity by the general population, instead of being the seeds for stories they were intended to be. That's a misconception that a mind-reading "AI" might well absorb, not recognizing their many flaws.
On the third point, one example of a context mixup I've seen pointed out: talking about the D&D stats of a scimitar in the middle of a generated archaeology article.
I'm thinking Ecology would likely be very useful for helping to restore areas damaged by the machine revolution -- the worse the damage, the harder the job. Maybe one easy roll to replant after a clearcut, a whole adventure to restore a mechanized town.
As for Academics... the use of that sort of skill in TTRPGs in general is often to enable exposition and determine how extensive that exposition is. (Basically look at how Sally's handheld computer Nicole is used.)
I have never played nor read this game, but the moment I heard about it I was struck with how it was clearly inspired by a specific cartoon from the early 90s which I'd hoped would eventually see inspired-by, serial-number-filed knockoffs: the ABC Saturday morning version of Sonic the Hedgehog. If you're not familiar with "the SatAM", looking into it might help you make some connections (it's obvious to me what an Ecology skill would be good for in a SatAM game, for instance).
This also relates to my mention elsewhere in this discussion of what used to be called "special snowflakes" (before the birdsite ruined the word "snowflake"). Some people want novelty and creativity above all in their RP, and that doesn't always come with a sense for how to balance that with intended theme or tone. And as you point out, if *no one* is playing things remotely straight, things can become farcical, or at least like an "Oops! All Foils" situation with no requisite normal.