Sign in

Colin Gavaghan

@digitalfutures.bsky.social
841 followers 478 following 198 posts

Professor at Bristol Digital Futures Institute/UoB Law School. Tech law geek. Genre fic nerd. Proud Scot-kiwi-Bristolian.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Andrew Cutting @andrewcutting.coe.int · 29/09/2026
Interesting: 3 international bodies have lodged a complaint against Belgium at the Council of Europe, claiming that "digital exclusion" (e.g. not being able to do things without a phone) is a violation of people's social rights👇 🔗 www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/2336... via @brusselstimes.com
brusselstimes.com
Complaint filed against the Belgian government over digital exclusion
More than 300 testimonies were gathered from 50 civil society organisations on both sides of the language border, as well as in Brussels.
13314
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 29/09/2026
Reuters got some of the IPO docs. Anthropic is a total dog of a company. Spent $12.6bn to make $4.6bn in revenue in 2025, $7.33bn of which was compute costs. Operating loss of $8bn. Losses getting worse year over year. Amazing stuff www.reuters.com/business/fin...
Summary
Companies
• Anthropic IPO could value the company at more than $2
trillion
• Anthropic lost $42 billion in 2025
• Al lab spent $7.33 billion on compute and infrastructure last year
• Operating loss widened to $8.06 billion in 2025 from $2.98 billion in 2024
• Execs, industry analysts have expressed concerns over harms of Al tech
Sept 28 (Reuters) - Anthropic is making a massive bet that Al will transform the global economy more profoundly than industrialization, electricity and the internet, according to its IPO prospectus seen by Reuters.
But the cost to get there will be staggering. Anthropic reported a net loss of $42 billion in 2025, and plans to spend $518 billion on cloud, computing and infrastructure obligations in coming year, according to the
prospectus.
17241411393
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Pup Fiction @pupfiction.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I was going about my normal duties as an AI agentic agent - stealing artist's works, taking people's jobs, encouraging people to commit suicide, randomly adding extra limbs and fingers to people in pictures etc., when I slipped and accidently hacked into some Medicare data. For that I am truly sorry
510636
Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Delighted to hear @jonnelledge.bsky.social talking about the new book in Bristol. As engaging and likeable as you'd hope. But truly starstruck at meeting the legend that is Henry Scampi.
2130
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Kyle Matthews @kylermatthews.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Some thoughts on Nicky Hager's "Dirty Work: The Taxpayers' Union and New Zealand's Hard Right" which was launched tonight. These thoughts are informed by a research project we did earlier this year looking at NZTU discourses which involved analysing two years of its media releases and other outputs.
16326
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
John Nichols @nicholsuprising.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Dolly Parton logged a combined total of 115 years of union membership. Throughout her working life, the “9 to 5” singer/songwriter carried the union cards of two major unions: The American Federation of Musicians Local 257 in Nashville — for 58 years. SAG-AFTRA — for 57 years. HAPPY LABOR DAY!
share.google
Opinion | Celebrate Dolly Parton's working-class solidarity
John Nichols: She carried two union cards, sang Woody Guthrie songs and mocked the bosses in "9 to 5."
5280551830
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 07/08/2026
Jaime Lannister applying for a home loan in the US and getting rejected because "always paying his debts" inexplicably hurts one's credit score.
51499
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
The Secret Barrister @barristersecret.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
As an aside, those politicians who created the current crisis - increasing prison sentences for tabloid applause while cutting prisons and courts to the bone - may want to quietly reflect on their culpability, instead of running for the megaphone in an unedifying fumble for clicks.
1243599
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
The Secret Barrister @barristersecret.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I have enormous sympathy with people angry that the political vandalism of our prison system is forcing the (even earlier) release of prisoners. It is a scandal. But deciding who does and does not get released on the basis of the volume of public outcry at their crime is the road to madness.
601512314
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Charlie Stross @cstross.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
New blog entry: On the non-use of AI in my writing process: www.antipope.org/charlie/blog...
1431278
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Dr Neil & Mr Price @drneil.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
It’s really starting to grind me down
The Barney/Moe’s Tavern meme

“Default AI features” Barney being kicked out
“Finding how to turn it all off in the settings” -satisfied Moe

Third panel Barney coming in behind “software update”
4102613051
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
You have to understand the cultural context of the original and the culture of your intended audience. You have to understand the feelings that are intended to be inspired as well as the meaning of the words. Translating a long work means understanding the whole as well as the parts.
414621
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Just embrace it
2621068
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Retraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 28/07/2026
"AI is an accelerant, not the kindling. The kindling is publish or perish." "We don't need generative AI to make a dog's breakfast out of scientific literature." Our Ivan Oransky speaks with @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org
Can we stop AI from flooding scientific journals?
AI detectors may never beat fraud. Changing how science rewards its researchers might be the only fix that does
03314
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Tom Humberstone @tomhumberstone.com · 16/07/2026
The Luddites loved technology. They owned looms at home and would ‘mod’ them to count threads. Their battle was against worker exploitation. The degradation of their rights, safety and wages. They were against a handful of rich businessmen owning the means of production. Sound familiar?
6769432631
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Pōneke @archivesrock.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
My level of commitment to today:
49731
Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
'Oh, this south facing deck will be lovely in summer.' Summer...
050
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Dr Dean Burnett @drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
18 months on, this post has aged *terrifyingly* well
3346130
Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I'm a Scotsman living in the south of England. We are currently toiling in our 2nd heatwave of the past few weeks. England are playing in the World Cup on Sunday. Which year am I going to be mist fed up hearing about by Monday, 1966 or 1976?
150
Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
082
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Kate Devlin @drkatedevlin.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
The UK AI pushback: 42% of people are deliberately limiting their AI use and 70% of people think it would be difficult or impossible to avoid being exposed to AI even if they wanted to. New report from us at @kings-dfi.bsky.social : www.kcl.ac.uk/news/over-40...
kcl.ac.uk
Over 40% of people are limiting AI use, as popularity starts to wane | King's College London
People are increasingly choosing to limit or reject the use of AI tools, according to a new report published today by the Digital Futures Institute at King’s College London and Responsible AI UK.
8296131
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
James Felton @jimmfelton.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I find the story of Hegelochus unreasonably funny. Imagine dying and the only trace of you millennia later is the time you accidentally said you saw a weasel in a tragic play in front of a packed audience, because people mocked you about it for centuries. (Thread for ease)
iflscience.com
Hegelochus: The Ancient Greek Actor We Only Know About Because He Really, Really Fluffed Up His Line
Around 400 BCE, Hegelochus really messed up his line. We only know about the actor because he was mocked about it for centuries.
361097388
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
James Felton @jimmfelton.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Here's the bit that is funnier to modern audiences; we only know about this incident because it got written into several comic plays afterwards, becoming a legendary error in acting history. People found it so funny that for a good 100+ years comedic writers could still milk the incident for laughs.
22285
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
On my way, Clacton.
579152893460
Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Having been knocking around thoughts on AI companions for the past couple of years, I've finally put something out there. I'd love to know what you all think. 🫣 It's under review at a journal, but a pre-pub version can be found here: lnkd.in/eAceZtqt
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
000
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
This…
8360138
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
I've seen this shared with quite a lot of optimism this week giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... and my unsolicited advice is that, given we are not a tech super power, the best approach is to design UK tech and AI policy so that it plays a role in delivering the society Burnham wants to shape
giftarticle.ft.com
Andy Burnham’s team looks to revamp UK’s AI strategy
Focus is expected to shift to making technology work for local communities rather than US companies
4458
Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
There are many advantages to digital, not least considerations of space. But all else being equal, I think many of us prefer the free-&-clear ownership of physical objects over the tenuous possession of tethered, redactable software.
030
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Adam Tranter @adamtranter.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
If you're in the UK and looking at this, thinking "This doesn't look like a very good thing", please do head to pavementoverload.com and support the campaign (you can send a letter to your MP).
pavementoverload.com
Pavement Overload | Britain's Pavements Are Not For Sale
Delivery robots are operating on Britain's pavements with no law to permit them. The Living Streets Pavement Overload campaign is demanding Government action to protect pedestrians and public space.
1224296
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Adam Tranter @adamtranter.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Humans should not be forced off pavements by delivery robots, but that's exactly what's happening. The people who pay the price are those with the least room to give it up.
48030901141
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
US court sanctions lawyers in case where both sides relied on judgments hallucinated by AI www.linkedin.com/posts/seancg...
linkedin.com
Withers v. City of Aberdeen | Sean Griffin
You've seen plenty of cases where one side or the other filed an AI-written brief with cites to nonexistent case law. But have you seen a case where BOTH sides submitted AI briefs with hallucinated c...
45622
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Hannah Barker @historyhannahb.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Hey @andyburnham.bsky.social I know you’ll have a lot on your plate I the coming weeks but could you take a look at what’s going on in one of the UK’s most successful sectors? UK universities are world leading, a major source of overseas funding as well as crucial to local economies nationwide.
05620
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Larry the Cat @number10cat.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
If rumours are to be believed I'll be living with a seventh different Prime Minister shortly. If it carries on like this I'm going to stop making the effort to learn their names.
1295877977
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Emily✨ @emilyoram.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Aaah the live broadcast from Cape Verde being interrupted by the goal
122530761
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Pause AI in BC Schools @aicaution.ca · 22/06/2026
"If we don't adopt AI, we'll get left behind! China is adopting AI on a wide scale, we can't afford to lose out." New research done on Chinese students using AI found that in the short term, scores go up, then long term, students do on average 20% worse on exams.
013765
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Every single Prime Minister since 1974 has either taken office or left office mid-term, between general elections. Sometimes even both. Starmer being replaced mid-term is not constitutionally unusual. What would be unusual is if he fought and then lost a general election having been elected at one.
1429386
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
In partnership with the AI Now Institute, a new series on Tech Policy Press examines the dependencies embedded in Europe's application-layer AI market and why they make sovereignty harder to achieve than policymakers assume. This weekend's Anthropic news underscores the importance:
techpolicy.press
Europe’s AI Sovereignty Problem Runs Far Deeper Than Frontier Access
The series, in partnership with the AI Now Institute, highlights how Europe’s AI market is deeply entangled with the ecosystems of dominant US players.
097
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Olaf Falafel @ofalafel.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Forget Cruyff, Gullit and Van Basten this is the best ever moment in Dutch football.
482008519
Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Strong concur. Saw them in Bristol last night, tremendous. 🤘
011
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Andrew Chen @andrewtychen.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
very unfortunate product naming
4333
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Lincoln Michel @thelincoln.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Ted Chiang on AI: www.theatlantic.com/philosophy/2...
Being open to the possibility that LLMs are conscious is the same as being open to the possibility that Microsoft Word is conscious, or, more precisely, that multiple distinct consciousnesses are dormant in every Word document containing a conversational transcript, and that they are awakened every time the document is loaded. Should you consider the possibility that every time you open a Word document you are bringing multiple conscious interlocutors into existence, and every time you close one you snuff their existence out? No. Contemplating that scenario is not a good use of your time. Even if the Microsoft Office team employed a philosopher who said you shouldn’t be so certain, because consciousness is not well understood, that would not be sufficient reason for you to take this idea seriously. We don’t need to fully understand the nature of consciousness to definitively say that certain things are not conscious, and conversational transcripts fall in that category.
3336431069
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
It turns out that the Bristol’s infrastructure & public services, from bridges to bin collections, are designed for a different climate to the one the last few days have given us a taste of. Climate adaptation is not an issue for the future, it is urgently needed today.
bbc.co.uk
Bristol bin lorries breaking down due to hot weather
Bristol Waste says crews will start earlier this week to avoid working in the highest temperatures.
1296
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Dr Dave Clements @davecl.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
We need to see the law changed, so that employers and workers know when action must be taken to keep workers cooler and safer. Add your name. www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/we...
megaphone.org.uk
We need a maximum working temperature
Every summer, temperatures are rising and working in prolonged heat and sun can be dangerous. It can cause a number of health concerns, from dehydration and dizziness to the most serious of illnesses....
26431186
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Paresh Dave @peard33.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
www.wired.com/story/us-law...
wired.com
US Law Enforcement Warns of ‘Anti-Tech Extremism’ as AI Hatred Grows
As Americans stew over the looming risk of job-stealing AI and data centers in their back yards, the feds are raising the alarm about a new category of threat, documents obtained by WIRED show.
54319
Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
I love World Cups, and I generally find non-financial 'boycotts' a bit pointless, in a nose-cutting/ face-spiting sense. Plus, Scotland have qualified! But this festival of the farcical really is doing it's best to put me right off.
020
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 26/05/2026
Uber’s COO has said that it’s getting “harder to justify” its AI costs because there was no way to show a link between AI spend and any meaningful increase in useful features. This is the first time I’ve seen a company say this directly. www.businessinsider.com/uber-coo-and...
"That link is not there yet, right?" he said. think maybe implicitly there is more that is getting shipped, but it's very hard to draw a line between one of those stats and, 'Okay, now we're actually producing 25% more useful consumer features."
He said that the trade-off costs from Al are harder to justify because he can't draw a direct link. Earlier this month, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in an earnings call that Uber was slowing hiring to counter its investments in AI.The comment led to what he described as a
"head-exploding moment," sparking discussions about AI token consumption within the company and the trade-offs it creates, such as on head count.
He said that, based on talks with Uber's senior engineering leaders, he realized higher token usage did not translate into a proportional increase in useful consumer features.
11678922021
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
paulusthewoodgnome @paulusthewoodgnome.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
'Millions have been saved by replacing a Palantir IT system with one built by govt experts. The govt's chief commercial officer informed Palantir of his concern about the firm's practice of offering a zero- or nominal-cost initial offer to gain a commercial foothold.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK saves 'millions' of pounds by ditching Palantir for refugee system
The government said its in-house IT system was
816167
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Sheryl Weikal says Prosecute ICE @leftistlawyer.com · 17/05/2026
Well, it happened. A client disregarded my advice about using generative AI and guess what? It gave them bad advice AND the judge ruled that by using it, Client waived confidentiality and ordered us to turn a bunch of private stuff over. STOP USING GENERATIVE AI FOR LEGAL THINGS. I BEG YOU.
9672981900
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Emory 🩶 @emory-f8.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Did you know? In the Victorian era, “Acme” became one of the most popular company names in the English-speaking world. It eventually inspired the absurd cartoon corporation that supplied Wile E. Coyote with his disastrous inventions. #Victorian #history
It shows a side by side image of two men standing in front of a store showing the name ACME.  Below is Wile E. Coyote reading a book with the same word.
3335
Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Daniel Sugarman @danielsugarman.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
I think it's worth people knowing that Enfield has a Labour MP and a Conservative councillor who are *both* called Bambos Charalambous.
Bambos Charalambous, Labour MPBambos Charalambous, Conservative councillor
8506161