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Starling Centre

@starlingcentre.bsky.social
86 followers 90 following 21 posts

The Starling Centre for Just Technologies and Just Societies I Ethics & Tech I Data Justice I Right to Repair I Anti-Technofascist I Public Education starlingcentre.ca

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Dan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
New 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...
Screenshot of paper title and abstract. 'Beyond AI: Infrastructuring the Common Good': "Rather than taking AI as a central focus, this paper treats it as diagnostic of deeper contradictions. AI intensifies extractivism while being unable to deliver on its promises, and its rampant scaling of energy and resource demands heralds a form of ‘total mobilisation’. This paper proposes decomputing as a programme for pushing back against such technocratic nihilism. Decomputing adopts a degrowth framework and advocates for reclaiming agency through deautomatisation and people’s coun- cils, in order to develop convivial alternatives that centre an ethics of care. It is a philosophical and tactical response to the wider crisis of care induced by the collapse of existing systems..."
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Luke Stark @lukestark.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Its actual, ongoing harms then!
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Canada'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?
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Deadline is tomorrow!! Looking forward to reading all the proposals ❤️
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
Five days left to apply!
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Reposted by Starling Centre
Cynthia Khoo @cyn-k.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
If 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 >>
Poster with black to bright dark blue gradient background, with faded circuitry pattern. Text: Critical AI Happy Hour

Hosted by 
Cynthia Khoo / Tekhnos Law
& sava saheli singh

following Ghost in the Machine documentary 
screening at Hot Docs Festival (Toronto, ON)

1 May 2026  •  4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

RSVP: tinyurl.com/criticalAIhh

Please note the event will be held outdoors, at a restaurant near the theatre. The address will be sent to attendees upon confirmation of RSVP. First come, first served, until event is full!
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Meghan Voll @meghanvoll.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
New 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 #tech
starlingcentre.ca
This is a No Phone Show: Why “Out of Sight” is not the Same as Addressed
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
C4P 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
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Ghost in the Machine @ghostdoc2026.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Check 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.com
GHOST IN THE MACHINE (2026) OFFICIAL TRAILER
YouTube video by Ghost in the Machine
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Luke Stark @lukestark.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
The @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...
You are warmly invited to attend a public talk by Dan McQuillan (Goldsmiths, University of London), jointly sponsored by the Starling Centre for Just Technologies and Just Societies and the FIMS Rogers Chair (as part of the Rogers Chair "New Fascism” theme from 2025-2027). Poster attached. Please share widely!!

AI is a Morbid Symptom of the Interregnum

Friday 20 March 2026
1:00pm – 2:30pm

Online Lecture (Zoom)

Please register here:
https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ELGySAqNR6yYYgNaW3hLHQ#/registration
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Meghan 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
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
In 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
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Dan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
What 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.
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Meghan Voll @meghanvoll.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Check 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!
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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
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Dan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Belatedly 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 Talks
YouTube video by McMaster Humanities
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Charles Logan @charleswlogan.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
As 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.com
7 Reasons Teens Say No to AI
Some young people only turn to artificial-intelligence chatbots as a last resort, citing concerns about relationships, creativity, the environment and more.
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Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 26/01/2026
arstechnica.com
EU launches formal investigation of xAI over Grok's sexualized deepfakes
Elon Musk's company faces fines of up to 6 percent of its daily turnover.
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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_...
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m. r. sauter @oddletters.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
if you will be in london, ontario next week, i will also be in london, ontario next week!
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
We'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!
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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
AI 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.
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
The only New Year's Eve countdown that matters!
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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
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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 University
Since 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...
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
The 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.com
We 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.
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Becca Lewis @beccalew.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Increasingly, 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
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
This is deeply distressing. futurism.com/future-socie...
futurism.com
The Things Young Kids Are Using AI for Are Absolutely Horrifying
A large number of very young users are engaging with violent — and often sexually violent — interactions with unregulated companion chatbots.
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Only two more weeks to go 👀 web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicd...
web.law.duke.edu
Public Domain Day 2026 | Duke University School of Law
January 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...
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Internet Archive @archive.org · 15/12/2025
Planning 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
Promotional graphic for an online book talk about “The Public Domain” by James Boyle. The image includes the book cover.
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
The 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!
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Enshittification has reached academia.
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Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 15/12/2025
arstechnica.com
Merriam-Webster crowns “slop” word of the year as AI content floods Internet
Dictionary codifies the term that took hold in 2024 for low-quality AI-generated content.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 15/12/2025
Analysis: 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.st
Analysis | 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.
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
This is so well done. Hilarious, if it weren't so devastating. “1,705,947 seconds meditated. Together we’re making no difference." oilwell.app
oilwell.app
Oilwell - Meditate through the meltdown
A 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.
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Courtney (Dr. Version) @cakrolik.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Okay #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!
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Australia 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.com
Given: Australia's bold experiment to keep young people safe online
After months of anticipation and debate, Australia’s social media ban for youth is now in force
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Ryan Boyd @ryanboyd.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
There 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
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Starling Centre @starlingcentre.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
The 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.com
The disinformation wars are here
How Joe Biden’s administration caved to the right in the battle for truth.
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