Reposted by Starling CentreDan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026New preprint from me: 'Beyond AI: Infrastructuring the Common Good'. The paper treats AI as diagnostic of deeper contradictions, and argues that convivial practice can reclaim vital systems from the collapse of the technopolitical regime. doi.org/10.5281/zeno... 15918
Reposted by Starling CentreLuke Stark @lukestark.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Its actual, ongoing harms then! 0102
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 08/06/2026Canada's draft AI strategy sets ambitious goals but can public trust be built through adoption alone? The Starling Centre contributed to a recent @thewalrus.ca discussion on AI governance, accountability, and public trust 👇 starlingcentre.ca/canadas-ai-s...starlingcentre.ca Canada’s AI Strategy Prioritizes Adoption. But What About Accountability? 010
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Deadline is tomorrow!! Looking forward to reading all the proposals ❤️ 010
Reposted by Starling CentreCynthia Khoo @cyn-k.bsky.social · 18/04/2026If you live in Toronto and work on or care about critical approaches to AI, and want to connect with others who do too, @savasavasava.myatproto.social and I have organized an upcoming event that you're invited to! RSVP here: cryptpad.fr/form/#/3/for... More details in next post >> 12413
Reposted by Starling CentreMeghan Voll @meghanvoll.bsky.social · 06/04/2026New piece with the @starlingcentre.bsky.social on #Yondr pouches: Locking devices away doesn’t solve the problem—it reveals it. We’ve built a culture where being present means proving it. So why respond to a cultural issue with a tech fix? starlingcentre.ca/this-is-a-no... #dataharms #techstarlingcentre.ca This is a No Phone Show: Why “Out of Sight” is not the Same as Addressed 011
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 01/04/2026C4P for the @4sweb.bsky.social Conference in Toronto this October! Starling invites papers for our panel: "Critical AI Literacy: Power, Governance, and Social Futures". Deadline April 30 More info on submitting an abstract can be found here: starlingcentre.ca/event/call-f...starlingcentre.ca Call for Papers 4S 2026 022
Reposted by Starling CentreGhost in the Machine @ghostdoc2026.bsky.social · 13/03/2026Check out the trailer for GHOST IN THE MACHINE, coming soon to PBS and your screen! This feature documentary features 40 generous and brilliant AI experts, historians, philosophers, sociologists, journalists and thinkers discussing their work with @valerieveatch.bsky.social.youtube.comGHOST IN THE MACHINE (2026) OFFICIAL TRAILERYouTube video by Ghost in the Machine 410349
Reposted by Starling CentreLuke Stark @lukestark.bsky.social · 12/03/2026The @starlingcentre.bsky.social @westernufims.bsky.social is delighted to co-sponsor an online lecture by @danmcquillan.bsky.social next Friday, March 20 at 1pm ET. Registration is free, and you can tune in from anywhere on Al Gore's Internet! Register here: westernuniversity.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 11811
Reposted by Starling CentreMeghan Voll @meghanvoll.bsky.social · 27/02/2026📚🤖 Just published my second post with @starlingcentre.bsky.social AI in libraries might sound niche — but it raises bigger questions about who controls visibility, how discovery is shaped, and what gets amplified (or erased) in digital systems. #AIethics #ResponsibleData #PublicLibraries 022
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 27/02/2026In her latest post, @meghanvoll.bsky.social explores the backlash to AI features on @libbyapp.com from #inspireme recommendations to AI-assisted texts. It's a thoughtful deep-dive into AI, autonomy, and the future of public libraries. Read more here👇 starlingcentre.ca/an-inventory...starlingcentre.ca An Inventory of the Unseen Consequences of AI in Libraries 020
Reposted by Starling CentreDan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 15/02/2026What we see operating through AI is an attempt to re-legitimise centralised power despite a polycrisis of its own making, & to do so by invoking the aura of high tech and the material force of energy politics. Decomputing advocates instead the infrastructuring of the common good. 06117
Reposted by Starling CentreMeghan Voll @meghanvoll.bsky.social · 05/02/2026Check out my first blog post as a researcher and contributor at @starlingcentre.bsky.social! In this blog post, I talk about why Smartphone Nation by Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr is a must read for anyone curious about how to protect their data, well-being, and learn more about their digital health! 021
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 05/02/2026@meghanvoll.bsky.social explores redress in digital life, and why Smartphone Nation is a must-read for families & anyone curious about digital well-being, in a new Starling Centre blog post. Protect your data, your time, and your peace of mind: starlingcentre.ca/what-smartph...starlingcentre.ca What Smartphone Nation Teaches Us About Approaching Life in a Data-Driven World 030
Reposted by Starling CentreDan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 02/02/2026Belatedly sharing this longer 'Resisting AI' interview with McMaster Uni which ranges across the politics of AI, the failure of the usual remedies, forms of self-organised resistance, moves towards decomputing, and a focus on the role of universities. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nva...youtube.com'Resisting AI' with Dan McQuillan | Critical AI TalksYouTube video by McMaster Humanities 05718
Reposted by Starling CentreCharles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 01/02/2026As these teens describe, AI can diminish human relationships; devalue art; threaten the environment; lead to laziness; give unreliable results; pose privacy concerns; and be misused. So, please, stop with the narratives of inevitability and let's embrace a pedagogy and politics of refusal.wsj.com7 Reasons Teens Say No to AISome young people only turn to artificial-intelligence chatbots as a last resort, citing concerns about relationships, creativity, the environment and more. 6324127
Reposted by Starling CentreArs Technica @arstechnica.com · 26/01/2026arstechnica.comEU launches formal investigation of xAI over Grok's sexualized deepfakesElon Musk's company faces fines of up to 6 percent of its daily turnover. 310435
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 12/01/2026 Only four more days until @oddletters.bsky.social comes to @westernu.ca to speak @westernufims.bsky.social on the right wing history of venture capital! Register here: uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... 111
Reposted by Starling Centrem. r. sauter @oddletters.bsky.social · 08/01/2026if you will be in london, ontario next week, i will also be in london, ontario next week! 1277
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 08/01/2026We're delighted to announce that we're co-hosting M.R. Sauter @oddletters.bsky.social, who will speak @westernu.ca next week on the right wing origins of venture capital. If you're interested in the the political economy of innovation, financial law, & democratic governance -- this one's for you! 152
Reposted by Starling Centresouthpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 02/01/2026AI companies are playing a game wherein these computer programs are presented to the public as autonomous individuals capable of issuing a meaningful apology. The machine is just a machine. Human beings owe the apology for building the machine irresponsibly and unleashing it on the world. 652246596
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 31/12/2025The only New Year's Eve countdown that matters! 000
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 31/12/2025(Re)introducing the "Homework Machine," a 1981 poem by Shel Silverstein that turned out to be strikingly prescient about AI 000
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 29/12/2025"...universities are not tech companies. Our role is to foster critical thinking, not to follow industry trends uncritically" www.ru.nl/en/research/...ru.nl‘Opposing the inevitability of AI at universities is possible and necessary’ | Radboud UniversitySince the widespread release of ChatGPT in December of 2022, AI has taken over much of the world by storm – including academia. Most of this happened with very little pushback, despite a myriad of iss... 000
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 19/12/2025The AI Bubble in a nutshell: WSJ installed an AI-powered vending machine in their office and journalists, via Slack, convinced it to start ordering and giving away anything and everything, including a PS5, wine, cigarettes, and a live fish. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...wsj.comWe Let AI Run Our Office Vending Machine. It Lost Hundreds of Dollars.An AI agent ran a snack operation in the WSJ newsroom. It gave away a free PlayStation, ordered a live fish—and taught us lessons about the future of AI. 030
Reposted by Starling CentreBecca Lewis @beccalew.bsky.social · 17/12/2025Increasingly, I've been interested in understanding the ideas and beliefs that have shaped Silicon Valley and its technologies. "Engagement" is one of them. Far from merely a base economic impulse, the concept did--and continues to do--important ideological work for the high-tech industry 1313
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 18/12/2025This is deeply distressing. futurism.com/future-socie...futurism.comThe Things Young Kids Are Using AI for Are Absolutely HorrifyingA large number of very young users are engaging with violent — and often sexually violent — interactions with unregulated companion chatbots. 000
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 18/12/2025Only two more weeks to go 👀 web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicd...web.law.duke.eduPublic Domain Day 2026 | Duke University School of LawJanuary 1, 2026 is Public Domain Day: Works from 1930 are open to all, as are sound recordings from 1925! By Jennifer Jenkins and James Boyle[1] CC BY 4.0 Please note that this site is only about US l... 000
Reposted by Starling CentreInternet Archive @archive.org · 15/12/2025Planning your week? Add this #booktalk to your list! 📖 THE PUBLIC DOMAIN explores how we can protect the “commons of the mind” & why it’s as vital as intellectual property. 📆 Thurs Dec 18 🕙 10 AM – 11 AM PT 📍 Online 🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/1839697527... @dukelaw.bsky.social @mollysvh.bsky.social 113830
Reposted by Starling CentreKate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 17/12/2025The University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public is looking to bring on new postdoctoral scholars to join our research community starting in 2026-2027. Come collaborate w/ our amazing, interdisciplinary team working to understand & help people navigate our complex information ecosystem! 18664
Reposted by Starling CentreArs Technica @arstechnica.com · 15/12/2025arstechnica.comMerriam-Webster crowns “slop” word of the year as AI content floods InternetDictionary codifies the term that took hold in 2024 for low-quality AI-generated content. 28026
Reposted by Starling CentreThe Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 15/12/2025Analysis: New supersized data centers sprouting across the country are starting to transform landscapes and communities, sparking debates about what our energy systems and environment can sustain.wapo.stAnalysis | Supersized data centers are coming. See how they will transform America.These AI campuses consume more power than major U.S. cities. Their footprints are measured in miles, not feet. 82721
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 15/12/2025This is so well done. Hilarious, if it weren't so devastating. “1,705,947 seconds meditated. Together we’re making no difference." oilwell.appoilwell.appOilwell - Meditate through the meltdownA wellness app to help you embrace climate chaos, created by Edelman, Oil and Gas PR. From Smog Breathing Exercises, to Lifeless Rock Visualizations, to Wildfire ASMR. 000
Reposted by Starling CentreCourtney (Dr. Version) @cakrolik.bsky.social · 08/12/2025Okay #AcademicSky, #HistorySky, etc: There's a lot of chatter abt how we're moving forward with assignments in the "Age of AI." Especially for those of us in writing disciplines. I also want to hear what YOU'RE doing. Let's create a master resource thread-list here! 16309
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 14/12/2025Australia has banned under-16s from major social platforms in a world-first move to curb algorithmic harm. Can blunt restrictions really fix a system designed for addiction? lfpress.com/opinion/colu...lfpress.comGiven: Australia's bold experiment to keep young people safe onlineAfter months of anticipation and debate, Australia’s social media ban for youth is now in force 000
Reposted by Starling CentreRyan Boyd @ryanboyd.bsky.social · 12/12/2025There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom 1055651586
Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 13/12/2025The war on disinformation is being dismantled on purpose. This piece from @theverge.com shows how fact-checking and accountability are reframed as “censorship,” then systematically targeted until the guardrails crack. A must read. www.theverge.com/features/839...theverge.comThe disinformation wars are hereHow Joe Biden’s administration caved to the right in the battle for truth. 010