Technology, data and society
As part of the Academics Stand Against Poverty blog series, Georgia van Toorn, Joanna Redden, Lina Dencik, Jess Brand and colleagues challenge Labour to resist the temptation to rely on technological solutions such as AI to tackle the structural problems of poverty and inequality.…Read more
A migrant, a Brit and a robot walk into a bar. Kostas Maronitis and Denny Pencheva, authors of 'Robots and Immigrants', discuss who will get the job. …Read more
On World Oceans Day, Ryan MacNeil discusses the crucial role that the public sector can play in ocean-saving technology. Such innovations must not be left purely to the private sector. …Read more
Lurking, or reading the comments in an online group without writing a comment, is a common practice. But what does it mean to be a lurker? In this podcast Gina Sipley challenges our assumptions about lurking, revealing it to be a complex and valuable form of online engagement.…Read more
Scott Timcke considers the impact of AI systems on democratic politics, as our lives become managed experiences optimised for efficient data extraction, and our social relations mediated by computer engineering.…Read more
Lars Evertsson, Ann-Sofie Henrikson and Charlott Nyman describe the alarming weapon that a smartphone can become when controlled by an abusive partner. …Read more
Emre Eren Korkmaz, author of 'Smart Borders, Digital Identity and Big Data', considers the use of ‘smart border’ surveillance technology tested on Palestinians for many years and now used in the war on Gaza. …Read more
Listen to authors and editors talking about the key social challenges of the moment in our top ten Transforming Society podcast episodes from 2023.…Read more
Justin Ellis, author of 'Representation, Resistance and the Digiqueer', considers the role of the traditional and digital media, and politicians, in amplifying antagonism towards LGBTQ+ communities. …Read more
Garfield Benjamin considers the AI Safety Summit and asks if it's really about building trust to set a tone for responsible technologies? Or simply a lot of posturing that will only serve to further entrench monopolies and concentrate power?…Read more