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Technology, data and society

Can AI tolerate a disruptive democracy?
by Markus Holdo  |  1st October 2026

Markus Holdo, author of 'The Responsibility to Disrupt', argues that AI’s threat to democracy is its intolerance of thinking and questioning.…Read more

by Jennifer Southard and Gina Sipley  |  25th September 2026

In this practitioner briefing, Gina Sipley, author of 'Just Here for the Comments', and Jennifer Southard, Assistant Director of Adelphi University’s Faculty Center for Professional Excellence, examines how lurking is an active form of digital literacy shaped by algorithms, with significant social and economic impacts despite involving little or no public posting.…Read more

Trump is selling a 50-millisecond head start on Truth Social: Democracy could pay the price

Reed Van Schenck, author of 'The Reactionary Web', argues that Truth Social’s paid Truth API gives wealthy traders advance access to Trump’s market-moving announcements, highlighting how the commodification of information can undermine economic fairness and democracy.…Read more

Faster, not wiser: The rise and risks of military AI
by Luke Moffett  |  21st September 2026

Luke Moffett, author of 'Algorithms of War', discusses how the growing use of AI on the battlefield is reshaping the way life-and-death decisions are made, risking dehumanising civilians by reducing them to data points.…Read more

Do we need a right to repair or do we need to protect repair cultures?

On the eve of the deadline for EU Member States to incorporate the Right to Repair Directive into national law, Declan Murray, author of The Repair Mindset, asks whether legislation is necessary for repairing electrical and electronic devices to flourish. …Read more

Are established democracies really facing a crisis of trust?

Aaron Martin, author of 'The Trust Gap', argues that the perceived "crisis of trust" is overstated: while public trust in politicians is often low, survey data shows that many people continue to have confidence in institutions such as universities, the courts, the police, and scientific experts.…Read more

How can tech make the planet better, not worse?
by Sy Taffel  |  4th June 2026

Sy Taffel, author of 'Postgrowth Digital Futures', argues that digital technology should prioritise sustainability, community wellbeing, and democratic control instead of endless capitalist growth.…Read more

After lockdown streaming, disabled audiences were shut out again

Magda Romanska, author of 'Digital Access to the Performing Arts', highlights how the pandemic proved that digital theatre could dramatically expand access for disabled and marginalised audiences, but most institutions abandoned streaming after reopening, revealing persistent inequalities in cultural access.…Read more

Iran 2026: Why Washington won the strikes but lost the global order

Oz Hassan, author of 'Why the European Union Failed in Afghanistan', argues that despite rapid military success using advanced technology, the 2026 Iran strikes demonstrate that destroying targets does not translate into political victory, instead strengthening adversaries, undermining alliances, and exposing the limits of US global power.…Read more

The sexualisation of restaurant spaces: Food, desire and the male gaze
by Jonatan Leer and Stinne Gunder Strøm Krogager  |  31st March 2026

Jonatan Leer and Stinne Gunder Strøm Krogager, authors of 'Food Porn', discuss how restaurants have long used sexualised imagery, staff roles, and nostalgic or ironic aesthetics to intertwine desire with dining, subtly reinforcing gendered power dynamics as part of the overall experience.…Read more