iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

We also argue that digital literacy is a strong safeguarding measure and that it is wrong to consider a generation to be 'digitally native' - real skills, knowledge and understanding need to be present.

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The stronger argument, in our view, is about platform design. Infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendation and autoplay are deliberate choices made by companies. Regulation needs to address what platforms do, not just who can access them.

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Most BCS members support an under-16 social media ban. But most also doubt it would work in practice without significant accompanying measures.

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We polled over 1,200 technology professionals and heard from experts including Prof Victoria Baines and Professor Andy Phippen.

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Growing up in the online world: a national consultation | BCS

BCS has published our response to the government's consultation on growing up in the online world. www.bcs.org/articles-opi...

bcs.org

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Dan Howl @danhowl.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Datacentres now consume 6% of UK electricity, double the global average. The queue to connect to the national grid grew 460% in the first half of 2025 alone. ... and 13% of that energy goes on 'zombie' services - apps nobody uses that were never switched off. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

theguardian.com

Datacentres using 6% of electricity supply in UK and US, research says

Industry body says energy consumption driven by AI up 15% globally in two years as it warns of societal backlash

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Dan Howl @danhowl.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Small comfort for Kemi - Parliament may have finally removed its hereditary peers, but it did at least open today with a speech from a man who inherited his job from his mother.

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Dan Howl @danhowl.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

The answer isn't full sovereignty because there is no country that can go it alone on this. It's about leverage. Finding the parts of the supply chain where the UK can become indispensable, the way Taiwan did with chips or ASML did with lithography equipment.

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Dan Howl @danhowl.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

The real vulnerability isn't that we don't build our own AI (we do, it's good, and it's getting better). It's more that critical national infrastructure including in NHS, MoD, HMRC, policing, runs on foreign cloud services we don't control. That risk isn't being assessed seriously enough.

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An AI system with bias baked in doesn’t work. Diverse teams build better AI systems. As Blair put it: “what matters is what works”.

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Nurses are Britain’s most trusted profession. That trust has to extend into how AI is used in the NHS. But even with high public trust, concerns exist in minority communities — AI that widens equity gaps isn’t good AI.

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We shouldn’t let incomplete digital transformation stop us innovating. We landed on the moon without solving poverty first. You don’t need to finish the old before starting the new.

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AI’s productivity opportunity is real, but productivity isn’t just automation, it’s meaningful work. Automate the tasks people find undesirable, not just the time-consuming ones. Only way to know which is which is to ask them.

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Dan Howl @danhowl.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

NHS England announced this week that digital, data and technology staff will need professional registration. So it was good to speak on a panel about the NHS AI workforce on Wednesday.

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Very solid debut performance.

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Dan Howl @danhowl.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Onana, Barkley and McGinn feels more solid…

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With the idea of tiered membership being discussed relating to Ukraine (and others) - might there be an easy third way option for Britain - one that didn't exist in 2016...?

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With the idea of tiered membership being discussed relating to Ukraine (and others) - might there be an easy third way option for Britain - one that didn't exist in 2016...?

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Digital being one of the first three subjects is a real signal of intent. A generation of young people who genuinely understand both the theory and the practice of working in tech is exactly what the sector needs.

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Not a rhetorical “third way” of triangulation for its own sake, but a practical one: raising professional standards so innovation and protection advance together rather than being seen as in competition.

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But the choice isn’t simply between laissez-faire and prohibition. There is a third way here, one that recognises both the enormous benefits of digital connection and the absolute necessity of meaningful guardrails.

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'A third way approach is needed to protect children online' - LabourList

I am in @labourlist.bsky.social today talking about online safety. Yesterday, MPs debated the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill including whether under-16s should be banned from social media. labourlist.org/2026/03/a-th...

labourlist.org

Protecting children online is not just about bans but building something better. And that has to start with the people behind the systems.

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Dan Howl @danhowl.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Poland is standing up to both Russia and the US. Necessity is forcing it to make decisions that other European countries haven't faced up to yet. open.substack.com/pub/danhowl/...

open.substack.com

Polish Courage in the Digital Age

Poland continues to press ahead with a 3% Digital Services Tax (DST), despite pressure from Washington D.C. A public consultation launched this week signals a sense of urgency.

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The ambition is now to make Britain the “best adopter” of AI in the G7. People need to trust AI first, that’s the baseline. Once they do, they'll expect more: smarter, faster, better services, which will in turn generate adoption.

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She also noted that Britain’s AI sector is growing at 25x the rate of the rest of the economy. In the US, AI investment (mostly in software) already contributes noticeably to GDP growth, so the UK has room to scale, but must avoid hype and build adoption sustainably.

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Listening to Liz Kendall at Bloomberg yesterday, it was also very clear that she thinks being third to China and the US isn't something to settle for.

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A new dashboard released today by 10 Downing Street and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology shows the progress made on AI in the last year. It's interesting and interactive (link below).

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