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Colin Gavaghan

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

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

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Reposted by Colin Gavaghan
Dr Dean Burnett @drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"By using AI, tasks like essays that used to take hours can be completed in minutes!" Sure, like how if I arrive at the gym and immediately go for a shower, my workout is done in record time. And if I throw my sandwiches straight in the bin, I can finish my lunch in under 10 seconds.
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michael veale @michae.lv · 01/10/2026
The proposed social media ban, the EU KIDS Act, is perhaps the most chaotic law I have ever read! New paper: Are EU Kidding Me? Notes from a Poorly Drafted Social Media Ban. files.michae.lv/papers/veale_areEUkiddingme.pdf In the spirit of the proposal I have stayed offline and read no takes.
In September 2026, the European Commission published a proposed EU KIDS Act, responding to the demand for restrictions and further design obligations applying to digital services accessible to children, including social media. This Article argues that regardless of what one believes about the merits of this policy direction, the EU KIDS Act is not the legislative text we need. The scope and drafting are little short of chaotic, full of holes, enormous ambiguities, and unintended consequences. Recitals contradict articles. The use of scope borrowed from other pieces of legislation not designed for this purpose brings services into scope that should not be subject to the relevant provisions, like book-recommendation websites, music services, or exercise trackers. The infrastructural requirement for assurance of age and parental responsibility attestation simply omits enormous issues of complex families and childhoods. Complex design obligations are written in ways that can be plausibly interpreted as implicitly prohibiting entire swathes of products, such as voice assistants. This Article outlines these issues, and many more. The Commission should withdraw this proposal and reissue a workable and realistic text.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Get him to do powerpoint karaoke! What could possibly go wrong ... 🫣
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
And a Very Good Boy in general. No, I'm not at all clear which of you I'm talking about either.
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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.
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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.
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
My other challenge us remembering details of long running series, meaning I often end up going back to the start! Adrian T is pretty good on the memory-jogging summaries though.
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
He writes faster than I read!
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Current and former DUP MPs had a lot to say on this, in both houses. We can speculate as to why...
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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."
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Yup, that's about half the population ruled out.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
😸
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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”
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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.
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Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Just embrace it
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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
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
The county of my ancestors. 🥳
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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?
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Pōneke @archivesrock.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
My level of commitment to today:
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
'Oh, this south facing deck will be lovely in summer.' Summer...
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Dr Dean Burnett @drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
18 months on, this post has aged *terrifyingly* well
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
If they get France in the final, it could be 1066!
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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?
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
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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.
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I was pretty shocked that she was 'only' 78. That means when she first became a Cabinet minister and public figure, she was only in her 40s. Somehow that's pretty mind-blowing
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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.
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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.
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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
On my way, Clacton.
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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
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Colin Gavaghan @digitalfutures.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I didn't stay up for it, but I have an alert system that notifies me whenever England score. It's called All The Damn Neighbours!🙉🥱 Acht well, they had the same from me, that one time Scotland scored ... 😁
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
This…
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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.
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Emily✨ @emilyoram.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Aaah the live broadcast from Cape Verde being interrupted by the goal
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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.
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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.
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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.
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