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Gaia Marcus

@gaiamarcus.bsky.social
11K followers 2.7K following 254 posts

- Director @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social:ensuring data & AI work for ppl & society - Stint in government - led #NationalDataStrategy; roles in Cabinet Office, ONS & MHCLG - Charity roles inc. Samaritans Trustee; staff @ The RSA, Centrepoint, ParkinsonsUK

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Reposted by Gaia Marcus
Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Amidst viral claims and predictions about superintelligence this week, our Associate Director Marta Ziosi spoke to Ben Thompson at BBC News and Andrew Marr at LBC to cut through the hype and provide much-needed clarity on the risks we should be paying attention to, and what we can do about them:
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Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
We are delighted to announce that Associate Directors Imogen Parker and Michael Birtwistle have been appointed as Co-Directors of the Ada Lovelace Institute to cover Director Gaia Marcus’ maternity leave, stepping in from late November 2026–July 2027. www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/news/co-dire...
adalovelaceinstitute.org
Imogen Parker and Michael Birtwistle appointed as Co-Directors to cover Gaia Marcus’ maternity leave
Associate Directors Imogen Parker and Michael Birtwistle will step in as Co-Directors to cover Gaia Marcus' maternity leave.
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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Today, we’re launching Anatomy of an AI Kill Chain with @airwars.bsky.social. AI is rapidly reshaping warfare. This project breaks down how AI is transforming every aspect of war and how militaries are offloading life and death decisions to brittle and flawed technologies: ai-killchain.airwars.org
ai-killchain.airwars.org
Interactive: Anatomy Of An AI Kill Chain
Breaking down how militaries are offloading life and death decisions to flawed technologies
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Here's one we made earlier!" In all the news and late-night reshuffles, you'd be forgiven for missing that an AI Taskforce has already dropped… The London AI and Jobs Taskforce published its recommendations today after an epic three-month sprint. www.london.gov.uk/programmes-s...
london.gov.uk
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Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
In a new blog post, @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social and Ada's @octavia-fr.bsky.social emphasise the importance of ongoing public legitimacy for digital IDs - and the role of good governance, clear redress mechanisms and meaningful public participation. www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/buildin...
adalovelaceinstitute.org
Building public legitimacy for digital ID in the UK
The digital ID consultation must signal the beginning for participatory public input rather than the end
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Digital Futures Institute @ King's College London @kings-dfi.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
📣 Tomorrow: Join @aiatkings.bsky.social for a conversation with Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, on trust and knowledge in the age of GenAI. Featuring @giotita.bsky.social, @elenasimperl.bsky.social, @jamesomalley.co.uk and @gaiamarcus.bsky.social. Last few tickets left 🔽
kcl.ac.uk
Trust and Knowledge in the Age of GenAI: A Conversation with Jimmy Wales | King's College London
A conversation with Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia.org, on trust and knowledge.
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
.@chionwurah.bsky.social on need for coherence on tech 'sovreignty'. "We need to understand what we can own, control, & lead by ourselves; what we can access that is in the hands of allies we trust; & how we manage what we must obtain from those we do not trust" giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
ft.com
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John Rogers @johnrogers.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Bloody hell. Researchers invented a disease, published two fake papers to see if LLM’s would ingest them and kick them up as fact — and then it broke containment and all the major AI’s bought in. Information pollution. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real
Bixonimania doesn’t exist except in a clutch of obviously bogus academic papers. So why did AI chatbots warn people about this fictional illness?
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Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Deeply grateful to the UK AI and Robotics research community for this Leadership Award. So many wonderful researchers were honoured with me tonight - my own award would not be possible without my amazing @braiduk.bsky.social @technomoralfutures.bsky.social @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social colleagues
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Fabulous to hear from @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social board member @shannonvallor.bsky.social at tonight's Responsible AI Robotics and AI awards - I'm always so inspired by her morally crisp and targeted calls for AI that centres people, augmenting our agency and thinking, rather than supplanting it
Shannon Vallor's talk - ' The machine starts: taking stock of the AI and Robotics revolution 'It's a play on E.M. Forster's  The Machine Stops
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“THE MACHINE IS MUCH, BUT NOT EVERYTHING."

Shannon's call: WE NEED NEW AND BETTER AI/R STORIES:

Stories about Al and robots beyond GenAl chatbots and agents

Stories about humans using their own brains more with Al

Stories about Al and robots that tread lightly on our lives and minds

Stories about Al and robots that help mend social ties & trust

Stories about Al and robots that repair parts of our world & institutions

Stories about Al/R researchers and builders who ask and listen

Stories about people enabled to choose the kind of Al/R they want
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
I yet again would like to propose that we all carry (privacy preserving, on device, non data retaining) decible monitors on our person. Especially when conducting - often sensitive - business meetings in open plan and public places.
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
🧵 I recently spoke with Taylor Owen @theglobeandmail.com Machines Like Us podcast about an urgent question: How do you make a technology safe when the political will to govern it has evaporated? And what happens if we don't? www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/mac...
theglobeandmail.com
When did common sense AI policy become radical?
How do you make a technology safe when nobody seems particularly interested in regulating it – and what might happen if we don’t?
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Modi offers his MANAV (or human) Vision for AI @ #AIImpactSummit M: moral and ethical AI systems A: accountable AI governance N: national AI + data sovereignty A: accessible and inclusive AI V: AI should be valid and verifiable What these principles mean in practice in India remains to be seen.
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
So excited about our new board appointments.l: Ed Humpherson, @mmitchell.bsky.social and @geomblog.bsky.social With expertise ranging across AI research, computer science and public statistics, they are Ada values aligned w a shared focus on the public interest, accountability, fairness and rigour
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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Governments regulate AI and deploy it across public uses. This AI Policy & Governance Working Group panel @ #AIImpactSummit examines accountability, procurement and safety when the state is both regulator and user. @gaiamarcus.bsky.social @ruchowdh.bsky.social @futureoflife.org impact.indiaai.gov.in
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
For people who care about that sort of thing, the membership of the National Data Library Expert Advisory Group has been published today - including me www.gov.uk/government/g...
gov.uk
National Data Library Expert Advisory Group
Information about the National Data Library (NDL) Expert Advisory Group including its role and members.
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Listenng to BBCTodayProgramme - grt to hear thoughtful discussion frm parents on consequences & pitfalls of social media ban - & why we should be worried about adults screen time, too (or maybe more). Very live to the qstn of where are YP supposed to be going now, w reduction of third spaces fr thm
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Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 21/01/2026
if you’re passionate about AI accountability research and enjoy working in a vibrant lab with a multi-disciplinary team but not interested in doing traditional academic work, this position might be for you
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
I can choose my bank, I can choose my online supermarket, I can pick where I buy books and clothes and watch TV. I cannot choose whether or not to interact with the state, it is not the same as going shopping.
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
"One of the most interventionist approaches to technology governance in the United States in a generation has cloaked itself in the language of deregulation."
science.org
The mirage of AI deregulation
One of the most interventionist approaches to technology governance in the United States in a generation has cloaked itself in the language of deregulation. In early December 2025, President Donald Tr...
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
In a new commentary in Science that I think I'll be referencing a lot on Tech Policy Press, Alondra Nelson (@alondra.bsky.social) says while the Trump's approach to AI is widely understood as "deregulation," when you zoom out, that's not really what's going on. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The Trump administration is engaged in norm destruction—breaking expectations about transparent governance and public oversight while installing new assumptions about how technological development should be directed. What it has advanced is not the absence of AI regulation but its rearrangement, often by caprice: intensive state intervention operating through industrial policy, trade restrictions, immigration controls, equity stakes in private firms (selected by the state), the redirection of research funding, and the strategic preemption of state authority. Many of these actions face legal challenge, and some may not survive judicial review. But the pattern itself—the systematic preference for executive discretion over deliberative process—reveals an approach to governance that will shape AI policy regardless of how individual cases are decided. This is not deregulation. Not in the least. It is hyper-regulation by other means.
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Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 15/01/2026
are you displeased with today’s AI safety evaluation landscape and curious about what greater conceptual clarity, methodological soundness, and rigour in AI evaluation could look like? if so, consider coming to Dublin to pursue a PhD with me apply here: aial.ie/hiring/phd-a... pls repost
About the PhD: 
Audits and evaluation of AI systems — and the broader context that AI systems operate in — have become central to conceptualising, quantifying, measuring and understanding the operations, failures, limitations, underlying assumptions, and downstream societal implications of AI systems. Existing AI audit and evaluation efforts are fractured, done in a siloed and ad-hoc manner, and with little deliberation and reflection around conceptual rigour and methodological validity.

This PhD is for a candidate that is passionate about exploring what a conceptually cogent, methodologically sound, and well-founded AI evaluation and safety research might look like. This requires grappling with questions such as:

    What does it mean to represent “ground truth” in proxies, synthetic data, or computational simulation?
    How do we reliably measure abstract and complex phenomena?
    What are the epistemological or methodological implications of quantification and measurement approaches we choose to employ? Particularly, what underlying presuppositions, values, or perspectives do they entail?
    How do we ensure the lived experiences of impacted communities play a critical role in the development and justification of measurement metrics and proxies?
    Through exploration of these questions, the candidate is expected to engage with core concepts in the philosophy of science, history of science, Black feminist epistemologies, and similar schools of thought to develop an in-depth understanding of existing practices with the aim of applying it to advance shared standards and best practice in AI evaluation.

The candidate is expected to integrate empirical (for example, through analysis or evaluation of existing benchmarks) or practical (for example, by executing evaluation of AI systems) components into the overall work.
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
🤔Are these the AI futures you were hoping for?! At Ada towers we've been doing a lot of reflecting on the recent Grok scandal. It shows what happens when AI capabilities outpace our ability to manage their risks, & when people and societal impacts aren't front of mind for those developing tech. 🧵
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
🚂🚂Mind the gap?! The public has (great!) expectations...and doesn't think AI should be seen as being A-Exceptional.🚂🚂 Our nat repr polling shows a growing divide between public expectations and discomfort w the status quo, and govt's lack lack of action lnkd.in/e638XGXU 🧵
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
If you're new here and happen to see this, here's a Critical Tech starter pack, full of interesting folk to follow go.bsky.app/VFxSES6 And if you have a small account (<10k followers) and would like to be added for visibility, let me know! (Although response times may be slow)
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Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
In our last blog for 2025, @gaiamarcus.bsky.social reflects on whether the 'AI train' is on the right track: www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/mind-th...
adalovelaceinstitute.org
Mind the gap: reflections on 2025
Is the ‘AI train’ on the right track?
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
It is incredibly infuriating to hear caesarian birth being positioned as the other option to a 'straightforward' birth. Very very few people are having the latter, especially for first births.
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Laurence D @laurencediver.net · 05/12/2025
"The current lack of oversight departs from established norms: regulatory mechanisms that are standard in other high-impact domains remain largely absent in AI governance" New study on public attitudes to AI regulation, from the Ada Lovelace Institute: www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/policy-brief...
adalovelaceinstitute.org
Great (public) expectations
New polling shows the public expect AI to be governed with far more rigour than current policy delivers
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
AI chatbots are already causing real harm, yet UK law offers almost no meaningful protection. New analysis from Ada Lovelace Institute shows existing regulations don’t cover the risks posed by Advanced AI Assistants, writes Julia Smakman.
techpolicy.press
UK Laws Do Not Provide Effective Protection From Chatbot Harms | TechPolicy.Press
Julia Smakman explores how the UK is falling behind on laws and policies needed to protect people from the growing risks of AI chatbots and advanced assistants.
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Our research v. much shows a growing rift between public attitudes and comfort and the actions of govt. Not for us, maybe, but a similar study contrasting senior decision making in this space (eg @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social 's FOMO is not a strategy) vs public views & comfort wld be v interesting!
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
🚂🚂Mind the gap?! The public has (great!) expectations...and doesn't think AI should be seen as being A-Exceptional.🚂🚂 Our nat repr polling shows a growing divide between public expectations and discomfort w the status quo, and govt's lack lack of action lnkd.in/e638XGXU 🧵
lnkd.in
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
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awo.agency @awo.agency · 01/12/2025
Today, the Ada Lovelace Institute launched their report, The Regulation of Delegation. We at AWO (Alex Lawrence-Archer and Lucie Audibert) carried out extensive legal analysis in support of the report. www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/report/dilem... awo.agency/articles/eff...
awo.agency
Effective legal protections from harms caused by advanced AI assistants
None
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Petter Törnberg @pettertornberg.com · 30/10/2025
Is social media dying? How much has Twitter changed as it became X? Which party now dominates the conversation? Using nationally representative ANES data from 2020 & 2024, I map how the U.S. social media landscape has transformed. Here are the key take-aways 🧵 arxiv.org/abs/2510.25417
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Connected by Data @connectedbydata.org · 25/10/2025
Last week @jenitennison.com appeared in front of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. In this clip she is talking about the the need for central government to engage with the public to build trust around technology, data and AI in order to support adoption. 📺 youtu.be/jed9S0abfgI
Screenshot of Jeni being shown on Parliament TV. She is a white middle aged woman with dark glasses, dark hair and is wearing a teal jumper.
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
A full day of AI and [insert topic] panels, lunch, conference and dinners today, across London and Cambridge. Will I need the sign?! /Via @xkcd.com / @wikipedia.org
Protester holding up 'citation needed' sign, likely at a protest.

From https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:%22Citation_needed%22.jpg
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Will AI solve our woes? At SciTech Committee I highlighted - 🍏 or 🍊? Need specificity when we say 'AI' - 🔬 narrow/specific AI usecases used to justify invsment in Gen AI - 👩‍🔧 Dnt forget the plumbing! AI pilots =\= solving legacy IT & data issues - 🏛️ AI What Work Centres cld help learn real lessons
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Delighted to give evidence to @chionwurah.bsky.social and the UK parliament Science and Technology Committee last week I argued that "the public hold the public sector to a higher account because they do not have the ability to opt out" You can't just 'shop around' when accessing vital services
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
As someone who goes to a lot of events about AI... This was really rather special!
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Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Transcripts for evidence given on Tuesday to Commons SITC's Digital Centre of Government inquiry committees.parliament.uk/event/25253/... Witnesses: @njdavies.bsky.social, Jason Liggins, @gaiamarcus.bsky.social, and @jenitennison.com #govtech #publicprocurement #techpolicy #AIpolicy #digitalID
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Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is taking evidence tomorrow for its Digital Centre of Government inquiry committees.parliament.uk/event/25253/... (video) With @njdavies.bsky.social, Jason Liggins, @gaiamarcus.bsky.social, @jenitennison.com #govtech #techpolicy #datapolicy etc.
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Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 03/10/2025
Yesterday the Royal Society held a series of panels & keynotes in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Turing Test. The unanimous critical takes on AGI, big tech's power concentration & the call for urgent action left me w hope things might be turning Watch here m.youtube.com/live/GmnBTCK...
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Also. Second quick interruption from the amazing room I'm in
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
From the mouth of babes, etc enjoyed this from mastodon.social/@Daojoan/115... h/t to @foundationsofthedigitalstate.com
mastodon.social
JA Westenberg (@Daojoan@mastodon.social)
My 9 year old and his classmates have started using “that’s AI” to mean “I don’t believe you.” Me: we’re having dinosaur meat for dinner Kiddo: that’s AI
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Over in Brooklyn for a live @themaybe.org podcast - Let Them Eat Compute: Computer Says Maybe Climate Week Livestream - @ambakak.bsky.social and @alixdunn.com setting the scene for a conversation 'rooted in the material, in the current context, in activism'..
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
(TW) The past is a funny old thing. Had an excellent conversation ysterday about LLMs & not losing the power of a white page. It brought to mind the time I most viscerally remember a white page - my blog when my @thersaorg.bsky.social colleague Emma Lindley left us 13 years ago tinyurl.com/mbc99yv2
web.archive.org
To Emma and to time. : RSA blogs
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
🧵So proud of the team, and thankful to amazing board, supporters & stakeholders The director's note distills our read on the current situation For all the hype, hope and fear - AI is people all the way down There are no magic beans and no crystal balls yet competing visions jostle for dominance
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Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 29/08/2025
How should we assess the credibility of a future UK AI Bill? In our new blog post, @nualapolo.bsky.social, UK Public Policy Lead, lays out five critical tests for forthcoming legislative proposals. www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/uk-ai-b...
adalovelaceinstitute.org
Will the UK AI Bill protect people and society?
Assessing the credibility of forthcoming legislative proposals
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Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Our report identifies several important considerations for regulators and policymakers to ensure effective governance. Read ‘Reality check’➡️ www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/report/reali...
adalovelaceinstitute.org
Reality check
Key trends in the development and adoption of immersive technologies
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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Great to hear from @demos-uk.bsky.social's Elizabeth Seger on their work on epistemic (knowledge) security in the UK Demos share.google/y6a6ktqdoP5x...
share.google
Epistemic Security 2029: Fortifying the UK’s information supply chain to tackle the democratic emergency
Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.
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Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
AI assurance allows us to measure, evaluate and communicate the trustworthiness of AI systems. But what are the conditions needed for, and potential impacts of, professionalising the AI assurance industry? Read Ada and @cdt.org's new report: www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/report/going...
adalovelaceinstitute.org
Going pro?
Considerations for the emerging field of AI assurance
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