Sign in

Helen Margetts

@helenmargetts.bsky.social
2.1K followers 353 following 28 posts

Professor at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford and the Alan Turing Institute, trying to make sense of governance and democracy in a digital world #public policy #digital government #data science #AI #democracy #behavioural science

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Time to arrest this guy and charge him.
531147
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Henry Farrell @himself.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
"The artist is believed to be Trish Duggan, a major Trump donor. The center declined to comment. Ms. Duggan did not respond to multiple requests for comment."
2422463
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Edward Hopper @edwardhopper.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Still Life with Wine Bottle and Glass - 1899 botfrens.com/collections/173/conten…
011120
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Oxford Internet Institute @oii.ox.ac.uk · 16/07/2026
"There are loads of AI institutes springing up everywhere, but the OII remains rather unique." - Professor @helenmargetts.bsky.social at the OII's 25th Anniversary Founding Stories Panel.
162
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Oxford Internet Institute @oii.ox.ac.uk · 13/07/2026
ICYMI: Study: 38% open up to AI about relationships, finds new research from @oii.ox.ac.uk. Lead author Dr Florence Enock. Co-author @helenmargetts.bsky.social. Read the piece: www.thedeepview.com/articles/stu...
thedeepview.com
Study: 38% open up to AI about relationships
Emotional support and advice have long been difficult to come by, prompting a growing number of people to turn to AI for more help. The Oxford Internet Institu...
111
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Two TT jobs in technology and democracy at Northeastern’s Dublin Innovation Institute with the great @davidlazer.bsky.social urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
urldefense.com
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor, Dublin Innovation Institute
About the Opportunity Job Summary: Northeastern’s Dublin Innovation Institute invites applications for two open-rank faculty positions at the Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor...
01516
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Oxford Internet Institute @oii.ox.ac.uk · 20/02/2026
"My hope would be that policymakers would look at this report and start to think about where they should put resources, commission research, to make good policy and regulation," says Prof. @helenmargetts.bsky.social. Learn more about the report here: internationalaisafetyreport.org
internationalaisafetyreport.org
International AI Safety Report
002
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Political Quarterly @politicalquarterly.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
The notion that child sexual abuse imagery is on a par with “woke” political criticism is patently absurd. Regulating sexual content online "will be a game of catch-up, like every technology spiral before, but it will have to be played." By @helenmargetts.bsky.social
politicalquarterly.org.uk
Regulating Sexual Content Online has Always Been a Challenge. How we got Here
It takes something really horrible for policymakers to take swift action.
012
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Political Quarterly @politicalquarterly.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
The notion that child sexual abuse imagery is on a par with “woke” political criticism is absurd. Regulating sexual content online "will be a game of catch-up, like every technology spiral before, but it will have to be played." @helenmargetts.bsky.social politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/regulat...
politicalquarterly.org.uk
Regulating Sexual Content Online has Always Been a Challenge. How we got Here
It takes something really horrible for policymakers to take swift action.
002
Reposted by Helen Margetts
LSE British Politics and Policy @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
💡New! Regulating sexual content online has always been a challenge – how we got here, by @helenmargetts.bsky.social and Cosmina Dorobantu of @lsedatascience.bsky.social. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Regulating sexual content online has always been a challenge – how we got here | LSE British Politics
Finding ways to regulate sexual content online has always been a challenge. But Artificial Intelligence platforms like Grok have supercharged the challenge.
021
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Where Cosmina Dorobantu and I discuss how free speech arguments are so often used as an excuse for not controlling the enduring problem of sexual content takeover of tech innovations @oii.ox.ac.uk @lsedatascience.bsky.social theconversation.com/regulating-s...
theconversation.com
Regulating sexual content online has always been a challenge – how we got here
Policymakers have generally been extremely slow to do anything about the problem.
050
Reposted by Helen Margetts
The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 10/01/2026
In 2012, an anti-Obamacare law enshrined that “each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions” in Wyoming. That language just inadvertently saved abortion in the state. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/oO9Vxs
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
How an Attack on Obamacare Saved Abortion in Wyoming
In the most conservative state in the U.S., libertarianism can lead in surprising directions.
520057
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Oxford Internet Institute @oii.ox.ac.uk · 06/01/2026
ICYMI: Catch @helenmargetts.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk's interview with Mustafa Suleyman, guest editor of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, reflecting on the human dimension of AI and how it affects our everyday lives. Listen now: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/.... (Interview at 2hrs 50mins).
bbc.co.uk
Today - Mustafa Suleyman Guest Edits Today - BBC Sounds
AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman is the fourth Today guest editor this Christmas period.
011
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
The audience have won #bbcqt
150
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
AI needs social science. Cosmina Dorobantu and I explain why in a new blog post @lsedatascience.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Why AI needs social science | British Politics and Policy at LSE
AI is about humans, that's why it needs to be shaped not just by computer science, but by social science.
1166
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Political Quarterly @politicalquarterly.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
"The risk of inequity is always there, wherever you've got AI" Anya Pearson asks @helenmargetts.bsky.social, Professor of Society and the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute, about digital government and the opportunities and challenges of AI.
politicalquarterly.org.uk
"The Risk of Inequity is Always There, Wherever You've Got AI": Interview with Helen Margetts
Anya Pearson interviews Helen Margetts on the relationship between digital technology and government, politics and public policy.
031
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
AI needs social science. Cosmina Dorobantu and I explain why in a new blog post @lsedatascience.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Why AI needs social science | British Politics and Policy at LSE
AI is about humans, that's why it needs to be shaped not just by computer science, but by social science.
1166
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
What can AI do for policy making and public services? Cosmina Dorobantu and I @oii.ox.ac.uk forward key possibilities in this new blog - great to be at the Labour Party Conference to discuss @lsedatascience.bsky.social @labourlist.bsky.social labourlist.org/2025/08/arti...
labourlist.org
'From passports to policymaking: where AI can boost the public sector' - LabourList
The public sector in the UK employs almost six million people. The sheer size means that, in theory, the scope for benefits from AI-driven innovation is huge.
021
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
This is a huge story. Don't let him get away with it. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Nigel Farage uses private company to pay less tax on GB News earnings
Exclusive: Reform leader’s use of personal services firm is a practice criticised across the political spectrum
35441552328
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 31/08/2025
We’re bears, Margaret, not drunks news.sky.com/video/colora...
news.sky.com
Colorado bear uses handle to open door to house
'Bears can open doors' writes the Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Southwest Region, providing footage to prove it and adding, 'it can lead to a lot of conflict'.
2304
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Oxford Internet Institute @oii.ox.ac.uk · 22/07/2025
New paper alert! ‘The levers of political persuasion with conversational AI’, lead author @kobihackenburg.bsky.social co-author @helenmargetts.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk.
011
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
I am so proud of the brilliant @oii.ox.ac.uk DPhil @kobihackenburg.bsky.social and this wonderful “bees-knees” paper on conversational AI and political persuasion @AISecurityInst - it is a “must-read”, comments welcome!
0153
Reposted by Helen Margetts
UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Earlier today, we hosted Danielle Allen, @helenmargetts.bsky.social and @ciaranm.bsky.social to discuss how AI could affect democracy. Watch a recording of the event 👇
youtube.com
AI and democracy
Artificial intelligence (AI) is predicted to transform many aspects of our lives in the coming years. One of these is the functioning of the democratic syste...
075
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Owl Daily @owldaily.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Those big, beautiful eyes! A tiny owl braving the winter snow, perfectly camouflaged in its snowy perch. Nature's little marvel. 📸 mon_regard_sur_la_nature
A Northern Saw-whet Owl, perched on a snow-covered branch in a close-up view. The owl has large, bright yellow eyes and mottled brown and white feathers, blending into the snowy background.
454752351
Reposted by Helen Margetts
UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
How could AI affect democracy? Are there opportunities as well as dangers? And how should policy-makers respond? On 15 May, our star-studded panel made up of Danielle Allen, @helenmargetts.bsky.social and @ciaranm.bsky.social will discuss just this. Sign up for this free, online event 👇
ucl.ac.uk
AI and democracy
An expert panel discusses how the rise of artificial intelligence could change democracy in the coming years.
023
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 12/04/2025
I just want to tip my hat to the crack team of White House economists who were able to discover--in just a few short days--that the U.S. is dependent on China for smartphones, computers and semiconductors.
387156672909
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
If you are posting about migrants applying for visas, why would you use a stock photo of people arriving on small boats, clearly without visas? Come on guys. This is beneath you.
620731
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
This morning my phone asked me insistently whether I wanted to send a ‘running late’ message to the person I am meeting at lunch time tomorrow. Is that predictive capability - will I be late? Or is it a sign that the age of useful agentification is not quite here?
340
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
A lovely two days @wepsocial.bsky.social Anniversary Workshop, thank you everyone!
041
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Kobi Hackenburg @kobihackenburg.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
📈Out today in @PNASNews!📈 In a large pre-registered experiment (n=25,982), we find evidence that scaling the size of LLMs yields sharply diminishing persuasive returns for static political messages.  🧵:
14020
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Don’t know your DeepMind from your DeepSeek? I’m chairing this upcoming ‘Ask the Experts’ event on AI featuring @amoorelouise.bsky.social, @helenmargetts.bsky.social & Giles Pavey. In person tix all gone but you can still register online www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/the-a...
Ask the Experts: can we trust AI?
25 March at 18.30Image of head with disembodied faces
053
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
It was great fun making this podcast with @uclspp.bsky.social @conunitucl.bsky.social ‘s Alan Renwick @dorobantu.bsky.social & Jonathan Bright talking about our work at the Alan Turing Institute and @oii.ox.ac.uk
053
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Political Quarterly @politicalquarterly.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
We've partnered with @ucl.ac.uk @uclpolicylab.bsky.social for this exciting new episode on AI and Public Services, with @helenmargetts.bsky.social, Cosima Dorobantu and Jonathan Bright. Listen on apple podcasts (or other podcast platforms!) podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/u... @ox.ac.uk
podcasts.apple.com
UCL Uncovering Politics
Politics Podcast · 14 Seasons · Updated fortnightly
021
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
So grateful for @abeba.bsky.social on stage at the AI Action Summit, challenging us to be honest about the fact that we’re moving backward, not forward toward a shared social contract as Big Tech have now walked back nearly every voluntary commitment they once made to be responsible social actors.
Session on Public Interest AI at the Paris AI Action Summit
414458
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Taiwan digital minister @audreyt.org argues that competence should replace digital literacy when tackling disinformation and deepfakes - great panel on AI and Democracy at make.org welcome event to AI Action Summit in Paris
make.org
Make a change in our society with Make.org -
Finding proposals is easier when working together. Make.org helps you share ideas with forward-thinking people like you. Discover a democratic place where you can discuss the big issues you care about...
071
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
A free and frank discussion of open source models in an excellent panel Advancing the Science of AI Safety at the Tony Blair Institute event in Paris w/ @alondra.bsky.social @yoshuabengio.bsky.social @jakobmokander.bsky.social and Prof Fu Ying
1124
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
A brilliant article by the great @dacemoglumit.bsky.social - especially for those, like me, on the way to Paris for the #AI Action Summit - gives us all something to think about, re what is needed for AI to fulfil its promise.
0104
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Lisa Messeri @lmesseri.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
rage re-skeeting
076
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Gaby Hinsliff @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
what an absolutely spectacular waste of everyone's time, energy, and goodwill that was, then. And whether or not the tariffs last, the destabilising effects on alliances & economies do www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
theguardian.com
Trump agrees to postpone Canada and Mexico tariffs by one month
President delays threatened 25% tariffs on US neighbors but China still to face 10% levy on exports to US from Tuesday
1818840
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Patrick Dunleavy @patrickdunleavy.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Wonderful time talking with Stan Grant and Jack Jacobs about our new book “Australia's Evolving Democracy - A New Democratic Audit” On the fabulous Yindyamarra Podcast on Spotify (I am on 3 minutes in!) open.spotify.com/episode/4oZQ...
open.spotify.com
#13 Australia's Evolving Democracy with Prof. Patrick Dunleavy
Yindyamarra · Episode
133
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Guggenheim Collection @guggenheim.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Untitled (Red Painting) by Robert Rauschenberg, 1950 botfrens.com/collections/212/conten…
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
Gift, Walter K. Gutman, 1963

Art © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
0467
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Brad Heath @bradheath.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
A new @reuters.com poll finds Americans have a dim view of many of the Trump administration's blizzard of executive actions, including the Jan. 6 pardons and his effort to limit birthright citizenship. But they *really* don't like the Gulf of America thing. www.reuters.com/world/us/ame...
26149631477
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Me (@oiioxford.bsky.social & Alan Turing Institute) talking (a lot) about the government's AI Opportunities Action Plan w/ @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @instituteforgovernment & @pjtheeconomist.bsky.social @theifs.bsky.social - the Expert Factor: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/expe...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
How will Keir Starmer's AI plan change government (and your lives)? | Institute for Government
Helen Margetts joins Hannah and Paul to discuss whether we should be worried about what the future of AI might hold.
062
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
If you would like to hear me (@oiioxford talk about the government’s AI Opportunities Action plan www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/expe...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
How will Keir Starmer's AI plan change government (and your lives)? | Institute for Government
Helen Margetts joins Hannah and Paul to discuss whether we should be worried about what the future of AI might hold.
021
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 19/01/2025
Nothing says serious national security concern than a 90 day extension for people to keep using such an apparently dangerous application. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Trump says he will 'most likely' give TikTok 90-day reprieve from ban
Trump says an announcement will probably come once he takes office on Monday about the app's future in the US.
7369
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 11/01/2025
Good morning, Bluesky! (and pink sky and yellow sky)
080
Reposted by Helen Margetts
Daron Acemoglu @dacemoglumit.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
This is a thread about remaking the tech sector.
1020278
Helen Margetts @helenmargetts.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Bluesky might see a further boost after recent events?
070