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Anna Hirschfeld

@annahirschfeld.bsky.social
742 followers 474 following 111 posts

Senior Director at @PublicDigitalHQ Formerly @DWPDigital. Expect a lot of digital transformation, politics and West Wing. She/her.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Anna Hirschfeld
Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 27/09/2026
Four days ago, a scientist was surprised by the news that Anthropic discovered new virus genes for making DNA. He says he’s been studying them for years—and feeding his data to Anthropic’s AI as part of his own research. Coincidence? Here’s my story. nyti.ms/3VSWayc
nyti.ms
Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)
An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
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Viktor Winetrout @viktorwinetrout.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Might fuck around and do unto others as I would have them do unto me
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Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just helping with editing here. These bots aren’t sentient. They’re doing what they’re programmed to do. OpenAI, a private company supposedly bound by laws, committed federal crimes.
Screenshot of BBC article: OpenAI bots (struck through) meddled with multiple US government agency sites
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Anna Hirschfeld @annahirschfeld.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Well this is addictive
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
‘This is playing into his hands’/‘this will allow him to play the martyr card’/‘this will help with his fundraising’ are all really bad takes. Criminals should be arrested and charged with crimes.
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Iain Porter @iainkporter.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The first benefit cap stats have been published since the 2-child limit was scrapped. 165,000 families - containing over 370,000 children - are now hit by the benefit cap. That’s 50,000 more families than before. 1/4
Chart from the DWP showing the number of benefit capped households in Great Britain over time. It shows that 164,000 families receiving Universal Credit were affected by the benefit cap in May 2026, up from 115,000 families in February 2026. (These figures are slightly different from those quoted in this post because we have added the separate benefit cap statistics for Northern Ireland into the DWP’s statistics for Great Britain.)
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Technology Connections @techconnectify.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"Are you selling me a solution or a dependency?" is a question I think more people should ask.
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Jason Kint @kint.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Eye popping. Court just unsealed Summary Judgment motions in New York Times v OpenAI / Microsoft. Easy to see why the AI companies had so many redactions (pink). Their own people wrote the lede for NYT, the "largest theft of labor in human history"... "more and more substitutive..." /1
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Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 17/09/2026
Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!
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Lucy Prebble @lucyprebblish.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Not so smug about the believability of them continuing to build Jurassic Parks now are we
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Ciaran Martin @ciaranm.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
My latest on the AI and cyber stuff www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-pac...
linkedin.com
AI pacing: the call and the claim
The Anthropic boss chose a very sloppy, easily dismantled example from cyber security with which to lead his call to pace the frontier. That was a mistake, but shouldn't undermine the force of the int...
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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
If you made software not intended to kill everyone and now you think it might kill everyone that sounds like a product liability issue. You should go fix it and stop bothering me
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 09/09/2026
AI* has a >10%** chance to kill us all *not the AI we're working on but some other AI that we'll build for sure if you keep funding the company I work at **number I made up based on a still-theoretical technology that nobody has but we all love talking about
Evan Hubinger & @EvanHub • 10h
9 ...
To be clear, as we say in our latest Risk Report (x.com/AnthropicAI/st...), | think the risk from present models is low. What I am worried about is superintelligence arising from recursive self-improvement, as we have said is happening faster than we thought
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Anthropic @AnthropicAI • Aug 14
As part of our Responsible Scaling Policy, we publish regular Risk Reports. These share detailed information on the risks of our systems and how prepared we are to address them.
Our second Risk Report is now available: anthropic.com/aug-2026-...
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Charles Fourier @charlesfourier.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Bill Bryson’s words seem appropriate to post right now
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 05/09/2026
This is a foreign funded attack on Critical National Infrastructure. They should all be immediately detained under Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023 and the ringleaders investigated for collusion with a hostile foreign power... Oh hang on, I'm being told they have "legitimate concerns"
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Wonder if they'll be dealt with as harshly by the criminal justice system as the various environmental activists jailed after blocking roads etc. 🧐
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Adam Drummond @adamdrummond.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Helpful reminder that the vast majority of middle England home-owning "Con15/15/19" voters who think immigration is too high will also see these guys as thugs and their anger at the state response will likely be at how slow and ineffective it is.
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Once Upon A Time On The Internet @newgroundsdoc.newgrounds.com · 01/09/2026
23 YEARS AGO TODAY, @mrweebl.bsky.social posted BADGERS to @Newgrounds.com
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Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
This thread hurts my heart to read. I have known three children who transitioned in my life, all who suffered profoundly until they were made free to live as they knew themselves to be. Once you have seen the difference it makes to be supported in that, you will never forgive those who strip it away
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Cal Horton (they/them) @fiercemum.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Just had meeting with kiddo's school. She has been fully supported, treated with full equality & dignity for years. All of that changes from September. Full segregation & humiliation across the board. The school staff cried in the meeting. This will absolutely lead to children's deaths 1/2
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Roderick Gadellaa @rgadellaa.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
JFC people.kernel.org/monsieuricon...
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Adam Rosenberg's Net-Force @geminibros.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
No better day to share my absolute favorite piece of writing about Tim Curry EVER. RIP to one of the best to ever do it.
vice.com
An Oral History of Tim Curry’s Escape to the One Place Uncorrupted by Capitalism
How an unforgettable performance in Red Alert 3 became legend.
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Hadley Beeman @hadleybeeman.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Buy a book for a child in Dolly’s memory. donate.imaginationlibrary.com And the wonderful story of her Imagination Library: www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
donate.imaginationlibrary.com
Home
Make a donation and support Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in communities around the world and help put more books into the hands of more children.
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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 25/08/2026
see you're going to read the headline and you're going to think "hmm, but how bad can it be" and then you're going to click on the link and go OH, OH QUITE BAD YEAH
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James O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 22/08/2026
Reneging on open data would be an utter disaster. Don’t do this, government.
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Very, very good stuff from @sarahoconnorft.ft.com engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-r...
The message that I really want to get across is please don’t cede the fight before it’s even begun. Don’t imagine that the technology itself, or the people making it, are these powerful forces that can’t be stopped. Technological change has always required society writ large to step in and say: ‘We have these new tools, now we need to figure out how to make the best of them, without costing us things that we don’t want to lose.’ The worst-case scenario would be that all those worst-case things do happen because we all just think that the battle’s already been lost. It’s only just beginning.
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Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
sending this to everyone at work
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
The right's attempts to turn empathy into a negative have to be fought hard.
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Richard Smyth @rsmythfreelance.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Bede's World! Bede's World! Party time! Venerable!
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Betty C. Jung @bettycjung.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Google pauses AI satellite images, after fears of deepfakes in the sky www.npr.org/2026/07/31/n...
npr.org
Google pauses AI satellite images, after fears of deepfakes in the sky
Journalists, human rights advocates and open source analysts recoiled in horror at the initial decision: "The opportunities for abuse and disinfo are literally boundless," said one.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Google Earth, a tool often used as a source of satellite imagery to verify photos and videos, has added a feature that allows you to alter satellite imagery with AI, for reasons. blog.google/products-and...
blog.google
Transform any place with Nano Banana in Google Earth
Custom images — generated from Google Earth satellite, aerial, and 3D imagery — help you redesign any location.
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Wagatwe Wanjuki @wagatwe.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
oh my god
Chad’s Foreign Ministry shared a statement on its official website saying that the decision to quit follows a request by Washington.

It said the US deputy secretary of state for African affairs had pressed the government to reconsider its membership during a phone call on Thursday.
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David Durant @bowsy.co.uk · 27/07/2026
For unknown reasons the Number 10 media team still doesn't have anything official on Bluesky so I spent 15 mins vibe-coding up this which automatically shares @andyburnham.bsky.social 's Instagram and TikTok posts. @unofficialandy.bsky.social #AndyBurnham Please share away!
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Tom Loosemore @tomski.com · 18/07/2026
Deckchair shuffling is for the unserious. loosemore.com/2026/07/18/d...
loosemore.com
Deckchair shuffling is for the unserious
The FT and Guardian report that the new PM will disband the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSIT), splitting its functions between a beefed-up Department for Business and Trade (D…
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Anna Hirschfeld @annahirschfeld.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
So heartbreaking, particularly after he'd only recently announced he was cancer free. A phenomenal actor and just seemed to be a truly lovely human 😢
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Martin Nutbeem @martinnutbeem.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
If you have never seen The Dish, I urge you to watch it. Warm, funny and based on the true story of an Australian observatory playing a pivotal role in the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon in 1969. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dish
en.wikipedia.org
The Dish - Wikipedia
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CNN @cnn.com · 09/07/2026
Palestinians in Gaza have had the opportunity to collectively watch the World Cup, but the man who had been organizing the watch parties was killed by an Israeli strike ahead of the event.
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Josephine beckbook.com Riesman @josie.zone · 07/07/2026
In better news, John Oliver's three-day stint/stunt as a corporate villain on legendary soap opera "General Hospital" appears to be going... fucking brilliantly?? I have watched this clip on a loop for like 20 mins I really, truly need to see the full episodes NOW
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 25/06/2026
If you want to do something practical then why not sponsor a street tree? Future generations of people, dogs, birds and squirrels will sing your praises I've sponsored one. www.treesforstreets.org
treesforstreets.org
Trees for Streets - Let's fill our streets with trees
It’s our mission to fill our streets with trees. We aim to support planting ¼ million trees over the next ten years. Sponsor a tree today.
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NBC News @nbcnews.com · 24/06/2026
A fuel shortage in Cuba brought about by a U.S. oil blockade has created a new crisis: garbage. Ed Augustin reports that trash has been piling up on streets as trucks are missing parts for repair and fuel to run, which is also raising the risk of mosquito-borne diseases spreading across the country.
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Londoners, there is a webpage for you to see where your nearest "cool spaces" are when the extreme heat hits - places with water, air-conditioning & shade. Have a look and spread the word, especially to those who may need this but might not think to look for it: apps.london.gov.uk/cool-spaces/
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
For those following the saga with the Information Commissioner, and for everyone who has worked in a toxic technology environment, this is an important bit of transparency and leadership from DSIT SoS Liz Kendall
iz Kendall

  • 3rd+

Member of Parliament for Leicester West at House of Commons

11h • 


Following

UPDATE ON THE INFORMATION COMMISSIONER

▶️ John Edwards resigned from his post as the Information Commissioner and Chair of the Information Commission earlier today, following an independent investigation that upheld multiple allegations made against him.

▶️ I have seen evidence of the vulgar and highly sexualised language that was used in his interactions with his staff and am extremely concerned that he continues to describe these incidents as misplaced humour, including on his social media post announcing his resignation. Such conduct does not belong in the workplace, least of all exhibited by the leader of an organisation.

▶️ Multiple women shared testimony to the investigator on feeling offended, shocked and uncomfortable following interactions with Mr Edwards. I am deeply grateful to all who came forward to share their experiences as part of this investigation.
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Tom Loosemore @tomski.com · 15/06/2026
I'm mulling the need to update my definition of digital, given everything. www.linkedin.com/pulse/updati...
linkedin.com
Updating my definition of digital
Back in 2016 I published the definition of digital that I’d been using for several years. Digital: Applying the culture, processes, operating models & technologies of the internet era to respond to pe...
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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
Merits of the under 16 ban aside, I still can’t believe that the plans to introduce a social media curfew for 16-17 year olds. At the risk of sounding ancient, at that age I was out at clubs & gigs in London and driving like a lunatic around Kent. And Starmer would stop my kid from watching Twitch?
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Hannah Graham @drhannahgraham.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
A wee group of angry balaclava and mask-wearing anti-immigration guys tried to stop the good people of Glasgow showing solidarity with migrants and standing up to racism and fascism. Well, the far right are far outnumbered... #RefugeesWelcome #MigrantsWelcome #NeighboursNotStrangers #Glasgow
Photo of a small group of mostly men wearing black, with masks and balaclavas, surrounded by a Police Scotland cordon in the bottom of the photo, in the foreground. In the background, a very large colourful crowd of people with saltires, trade union banners, and hand-made signs in support of migrants and against racism have turned up to gather to show solidarity, and the far right guys were hoping to thwart that. They didn't.
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Sarah Kay @k-interarma.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Aerial PARTIAL view of the anti racist, anti fascist crowd in Belfast right now. City Hall to the left for scale. This - this is the real Belfast. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
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Valerie Ettenhofer @aandeandval.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Huge turnout against racism in Glasgow today - can't even see the end of the crowd. Chants so far include "Nazi scum off our streets" and "Refugees are welcome here."
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Colman O'Sullivan @colmanos.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Thousands have turned out for an Anti-Racism rally in Belfast city centre, organised by United Against Racism and supported by Trade Unions
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