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The AI listening to 'We the People'

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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 21d

What happens when thousands of Americans from every congressional district share their views on freedom and equality, with the help of an AI?

That’s the promise of We the People, a new initiative from Jigsaw and the Napolitan Institute.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-ai-lis...

Jigsaw is deploying Gemini AI to listen to over 2,500 Americans in a historic experiment to make sense of where Americans stand—and what they share.

More people trust chatbots than elected leaders

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 24d

Trust in chatbots is 30% higher than in elected officials — and 38% of people feel that AI could make better decisions on their behalf than government representatives.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/more-peopl...

What new research reveals about our evolving relationship with AI—and how chatbots are filling the trust gap in the social contract.

Custom AI chatbots are supporting peacebuilders in Sudan and offering Congolese audiences an antidote to bias.

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Aug 20

Normsy.ai blends human judgment with AI speed—empowering users to counter toxic speech at scale and build healthier civic dialogue online.

Hear more in @civichealthproject.bsky.social’s episode of Outrage Overload on the topic: Is There Still Hope for the Internet? 🎧

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Aug 20

Should peacebuilders consider using AI for mediation? Two chatbots—Akord AI in Sudan and Cocorico in the Democratic Republic of Congo—show that customization and ethical guidelines can transform AI into effective peacebuilding tools.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/peace-by-p...

Peace by Prompt

Can AI break the engagement trap?

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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Aug 17

📣 Can AI finally break the engagement trap? At #TrustCon2025, Integrity Institute’s Jeff Allen saw signs of hope.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/can-ai-bre...

Integrity Institute Co-Founder Jeff Allen reflects on TrustCon 2025, the evolution of trust and safety, and why regulatory pressure—and transparency—still matter most.

How local digital platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook are fraying the fabric of neighborhood trust — and what we can build instead.

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Aug 13

On Nextdoor, crime posts dominate your feed thanks to engagement-driven algorithms. In Vermont, Front Porch Forum updates just once a day—fostering trust and civic engagement instead of fear.
www.afterbabel.com/cp/170467486

The Algorithm Next Door

www.afterbabel.com

How AI-Driven Search May Reshape Democracy, Economics, and Human Agency | TechPolicy.Press

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Aug 12

Google’s AI Overview puts summaries at the top of search results. Helpful? Maybe. But it also makes AI an unaccountable gatekeeper—shaping what we see, and what we don’t. What’s your take?

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · Aug 11

"As AI overviews become the default gateway to information, we risk creating a generation of users who consume knowledge without question, publishers who cannot sustain quality journalism, and a public sphere increasingly shaped by the statistical patterns embedded in large language models."

Cameron Pattison, Vance Ricks, and John P. Wihbey see differences in kind, as well as in degree, from the pre-generative model-based online search environment.

www.techpolicy.press

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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Aug 11

The data is in: bridging works. 📊

From SCIM to the Peace Impact Framework, we can measure reduced polarization & stronger trust offline — and now bring those same indicators into tech design.

If we can measure it, we can design for it.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-scienc...

The Science of Trust

Bridging work delivers measurable results. Now let’s use these metrics and design tech to scale it.

Join us for the global EXPO on Technology and Social Cohesion

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Jul 22

There’s no shortage of ideas to make social media better.
But testing them? Still way too hard.

We need real support for independent experimentation into what actually improves online behavior.

Make it easier to do — and harder to ignore.
🔗 techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/testing-be...

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Jun 18

What if tech didn’t divide us—but helped rebuild trust?

On June 26, the Global EXPO on Tech & Social Cohesion. Demos, policy convos, tools for healthy online spaces, and more.

Join in DC, Kathmandu, or online.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/join-us-fo...

Practical tools, emerging evidence and global insights will be featured in this HYBRID event on June 26

HUMAN TECH WEEK 2025 | Home

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Jun 12

EXPO 2025: Two Hybrid Events, Global Programming
📅 June 26 | 🌎 Americas | EMEA | Asia Pacific
How can tech foster trust, cohesion, and collaboration—instead of fueling division and violence?
Join global voices shaping the future of prosocial tech.
techandsocialcohesion.org/ctsc-expo

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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Jun 11

🌍✨ How can we use AI to support—not replace—what makes us human?

We’re excited to see events like Human + Tech Week 2025 (June 14–20, San Francisco) leading the conversation around wellness, innovation, and the intersection of human potential with the future of AI.

🔗 Learn more: humantechweek.com

Join Human Tech Week 2025, the premier event uniting innovators, investors, and thought leaders to explore the latest in human-centric technology.

www.humantechweek.com

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Jun 6

🚨 We know what we want to stop: disinformation, polarization, exploitation. But naming the harms isn’t enough.

New Blueprint for Prosocial Tech Design Governance lays out how we can shift the deeper systems—governance + design—that shape our digital lives.

techandsocialcohesion.org/wp-content/u...

techandsocialcohesion.org

Simply WATCHING respectful conversation can depolarize us, new research finds

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · May 30

Most people online aren’t arguing—they’re watching.

Our latest piece explores how vicarious contact—simply watching respectful political dialogue—can reduce polarization. Civility can be contagious.

📖 Read Contagious Civility: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/contagious...

Contagious Civility

Will the peace deal hold? Ask the digital twins

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · May 25

What if we could simulate peace deals before they’re signed—and see how groups respond? Digital twins, once used to model engines and cities, are now applied to divided societies, giving peacebuilders a powerful way to forecast conflict dynamics.
techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/will-the-p...

Digital twins are transforming industries. Now they’re being used to understand—and help resolve—real-world conflicts.

Register & Contribute | Build Peace

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · May 6

📣 Mark your calendars for this upcoming Webinar on TFGBV and Platform Design!

Join us for an engaging solutions-based webinar to discuss our latest report, Prevention by Design: Tackling TFGBV at the Source.

May 14 11:15 EDT (New York)
Registration link: lu.ma/gagkjlbf

Reposted by Council on Tech and Social Cohesion

Integrity Institute @integrity-inst.bsky.social · Apr 29

Join II, Search for Common Ground, & @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social for a webinar on how platforms can prevent TFGBV.

We’ll unpack insights from our report, Prevention by Design, exploring behavioral and design strategies to build safer digital spaces for women.

🗓️ May 14, 2025
🔗 lu.ma/gagkjlbf

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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Apr 25

If you’ve ever thought about how technology and creativity can build peace instead of deepen divides, this is a space for you.

Details + proposal link here:
howtobuildpeace.org/attend-the-conference/register

howtobuildpeace.org

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Apr 25

Right now they’re accepting proposals for:
🎤 Short talks (share wins and lessons learned)
🛠️ Workshops (tech tools, movement sessions, guided walks, maker spaces)
🎨 Art installations + performances

Deadline: April 30, 2025

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Apr 25

🌍 If you're working at the intersection of tech, creativity, and conflict transformation — Build Peace 2025 is worth a serious look. 🌍

This year's theme: "Towards a Pluriverse of Peace." Happening this November near Barcelona.

Social Media Experiences Across Nearly 2 Years Since Launching the Social Media Index

Reposted by Council on Tech and Social Cohesion

Civic Health Project @civichealthproject.bsky.social · Apr 24

Americans are spending less time on social media—
but when they stay, they want more than noise.
📉 Use is down
🧠 Learning is up
🤝 Real connection is rising

The message is clear: Design for trust, or lose it.

psychoftech.substack.com/p/social-med...

With new data through January 2025, we find that social media use is decreasing, bad experiences are mostly holding steady, and positive experiences are increasing on some platforms

psychoftech.substack.com

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Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Apr 21

“Friends without friction” might sound nice—but at what cost?

A new paper by Kim Malfacini asks what happens when AI chatbots always agree with us. Are they helping us connect—or slowly deskilling our ability to handle disagreement?

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/friends-wi...

Friends without friction

Companion chatbots may weaken our ability to navigate conflict and difference—unless we make key design choices, says a new report

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · Mar 24

This isn’t just a moderation issue—it’s a design issue.

Our new report with @integrity-inst.bsky.social and Search for Common Ground highlights upstream solutions: nudges, filters, privacy-by-default, and better platform architecture.

👉 techandsocialcohesion.org/prevention-b...