Anna Dent
@annadent.bsky.social
Research and policy adviser www.abdconsultancy.co.uk
Futures of work, digital welfare state, tech ethics, public sector innovation
Also cats, telly, general silliness
Now with added newsletter! https://www.abdconsultancy.co.uk/digital-welfare-state
Futures of work, digital welfare state, tech ethics, public sector innovation
Also cats, telly, general silliness
Now with added newsletter! https://www.abdconsultancy.co.uk/digital-welfare-state
Pinned
Anna Dent
@annadent.bsky.social
· May 20
Digital welfare state: origins, controversies, research — ABD Consultancy
How are governments worldwise using AI and other tech to administer the welfare state? Find out about research, policy and investigations into the digital welfare state, including digital surveillance...
www.abdconsultancy.co.uk
I've done a NEW page on my website 🖥️
And I'm starting NEWSLETTER ✉️
If you are interested in the use of AI and other tech in how govts the world over administer the welfare state you should sign up!
Monthly-ish insights, analysis, gossip, thrills and more ⤵️
And I'm starting NEWSLETTER ✉️
If you are interested in the use of AI and other tech in how govts the world over administer the welfare state you should sign up!
Monthly-ish insights, analysis, gossip, thrills and more ⤵️
Reposted by Anna Dent
Large language mistake
Cutting-edge research shows language is not the same as intelligence. The entire AI bubble is built on ignoring it.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... great read from @benjaminjriley.bsky.social
Cutting-edge research shows language is not the same as intelligence. The entire AI bubble is built on ignoring it.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... great read from @benjaminjriley.bsky.social
November 25, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Large language mistake
Cutting-edge research shows language is not the same as intelligence. The entire AI bubble is built on ignoring it.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... great read from @benjaminjriley.bsky.social
Cutting-edge research shows language is not the same as intelligence. The entire AI bubble is built on ignoring it.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... great read from @benjaminjriley.bsky.social
Reposted by Anna Dent
The timeline cleanse you need
November 25, 2025 at 3:58 PM
The timeline cleanse you need
More 'cracking down' on welfare fraud.
Is tackling genuine fraud a good thing? Of course.
Is this crackdown likely to usher in some new opaque and possibly shonky AI? Probably.
Sigh.
Is tackling genuine fraud a good thing? Of course.
Is this crackdown likely to usher in some new opaque and possibly shonky AI? Probably.
Sigh.
Reeves to launch crackdown on benefit fraud alongside lifting two-child limit
Move aims to bring in extra £1.2bn of savings as government seeks to head off criticism over welfare spending
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:24 PM
More 'cracking down' on welfare fraud.
Is tackling genuine fraud a good thing? Of course.
Is this crackdown likely to usher in some new opaque and possibly shonky AI? Probably.
Sigh.
Is tackling genuine fraud a good thing? Of course.
Is this crackdown likely to usher in some new opaque and possibly shonky AI? Probably.
Sigh.
Reposted by Anna Dent
I’m not doing Black Friday this year.
I’d rather be honest with you than try to compete with big brands.
Every purchase genuinely makes a difference to my tiny business.
Shop independent this Christmas.
www.gailmyerscough.co.uk
I’d rather be honest with you than try to compete with big brands.
Every purchase genuinely makes a difference to my tiny business.
Shop independent this Christmas.
www.gailmyerscough.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 2:51 PM
I’m not doing Black Friday this year.
I’d rather be honest with you than try to compete with big brands.
Every purchase genuinely makes a difference to my tiny business.
Shop independent this Christmas.
www.gailmyerscough.co.uk
I’d rather be honest with you than try to compete with big brands.
Every purchase genuinely makes a difference to my tiny business.
Shop independent this Christmas.
www.gailmyerscough.co.uk
Chatbots = mansplainers
November 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Chatbots = mansplainers
If you were in any doubt about this guy being the worst
November 22, 2025 at 3:54 PM
If you were in any doubt about this guy being the worst
Reposted by Anna Dent
Reposted by Anna Dent
Walter de Staplecat, Simpkin IV, Teabag, Balthasar and Benny D Cat take the stage as we meet the college cats of Oxford. And, of course, Magdalen’s Ozymandias. Read on for our photo special. (Includes a cat map.) oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
College cats of Oxford
Once upon a time, we featured an image of Magdalen's kitten, Ozymandias, in our newsletter. We figured it might be a gentle contrast to our regular diet of planning and local politics.
The grey ball ...
oxfordclarion.uk
November 20, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Walter de Staplecat, Simpkin IV, Teabag, Balthasar and Benny D Cat take the stage as we meet the college cats of Oxford. And, of course, Magdalen’s Ozymandias. Read on for our photo special. (Includes a cat map.) oxfordclarion.uk/college-cats...
I see many people (including in my house) are on the cricket rollercoaster this morning. Productive days ahead 😆
November 21, 2025 at 8:22 AM
I see many people (including in my house) are on the cricket rollercoaster this morning. Productive days ahead 😆
New profile pic
November 20, 2025 at 5:49 PM
New profile pic
I feel like many people won't be surprised by this, but it's still shocking to see it in black and white
‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response
Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of ‘toxic and chaotic’ culture inside Boris Johnson’s No 10
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:11 PM
I feel like many people won't be surprised by this, but it's still shocking to see it in black and white
DWP ramping up their investment in AI
AI funding as proportion of DWP IT budget grows sixfold in FY25
Having had no dedicated money set aside as recently as 2023, government’s benefits agency now commits tens of millions of pounds for emerging tech each year, after an investment increase
The pr...
www.publictechnology.net
November 20, 2025 at 4:25 PM
DWP ramping up their investment in AI
Reposted by Anna Dent
“The Sam Altman-founded company behind the ‘Orb,’ a volleyball-sized metal sphere that scans irises to prove people's humanity, had a message for employees: work weekends and ignore anything outside your job — for the good of humanity.”
Sam Altman's eye-scanning Orb startup told workers not to care about anything outside work
Tools for Humanity CEO Alex Blania said that "if you should care about something else, and if you want something else, you should just not be here."
www.businessinsider.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:51 PM
“The Sam Altman-founded company behind the ‘Orb,’ a volleyball-sized metal sphere that scans irises to prove people's humanity, had a message for employees: work weekends and ignore anything outside your job — for the good of humanity.”
Happy to report that the NHS in Bristol is still functioning, staff lovely and appointments timely. Plus biscuits.
November 19, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Happy to report that the NHS in Bristol is still functioning, staff lovely and appointments timely. Plus biscuits.
Reposted by Anna Dent
"The Minister states that “the chatbot was tested extensively...checking responses to “55 questions out of which 53 were deemed successful"
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Our investigation into Irish Department of Justice use of chatbots. The department hides behind disclaimers while deploying misleading chatbots.
@iccl.bsky.social @abeba.bsky.social @johnnyryan.bsky.social
www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
@iccl.bsky.social @abeba.bsky.social @johnnyryan.bsky.social
www.iccl.ie/news/irish-d...
Department of Justice chatbots mislead people seeking information
Irish Department of Justice internalises the AI hype and takes no responsibility for misleading chatbots.
www.iccl.ie
November 19, 2025 at 12:36 PM
"The Minister states that “the chatbot was tested extensively...checking responses to “55 questions out of which 53 were deemed successful"
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
Wendy Lyon, an immigration & human rights solicitor at Abbey law, found that many of these 53 “successful” responses were wrong, unhelpful & misleading."
He "has been described as “geographically monogamous” – he has two concurrent female partners in different parts of the world."
Yeah sounds about right
Yeah sounds about right
‘Fear really drives him’: is Alex Karp of Palantir the world’s scariest CEO?
‘Fear really drives him’: is Alex Karp of Palantir the world’s scariest CEO?
His company is potentially creating the ultimate state surveillance tool, and Karp has recently been on a striking political and philosophical journey. His biographer reveals what makes him tick
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:40 PM
He "has been described as “geographically monogamous” – he has two concurrent female partners in different parts of the world."
Yeah sounds about right
Yeah sounds about right
Reposted by Anna Dent
I like how these guys get to have it both ways
they get to inflate the bubble via broad product misrepresentation and bogus math
then dole out sage warnings about a looming problem they created as if they played no role in it
they get to inflate the bubble via broad product misrepresentation and bogus math
then dole out sage warnings about a looming problem they created as if they played no role in it
Google boss says trillion-dollar AI investment boom has 'elements of irrationality'
In an exclusive BBC interview, Sundar Pichai hailed artificial intelligence as an "extraordinary moment" but said no company would be immune if bubble burst.
www.bbc.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM
I like how these guys get to have it both ways
they get to inflate the bubble via broad product misrepresentation and bogus math
then dole out sage warnings about a looming problem they created as if they played no role in it
they get to inflate the bubble via broad product misrepresentation and bogus math
then dole out sage warnings about a looming problem they created as if they played no role in it
This is tailor made for Bluesky
Someone has made a slightly-shonky Wordle ripoff where you have to guess a different sitting parliamentarian (surname only) each day. VERY niche, but there will definitely be a subset of weirdos on here for whom this is catnip: www.fantasyparliament.co.uk/partle
November 18, 2025 at 1:05 PM
This is tailor made for Bluesky
Reposted by Anna Dent
“This was a cynical strategic manoeuvre to avoid losing voters to the far right, but it seems, based on polling, that all they have done is prime their own voters to join the far right rather than stay with the Social Democrats.”
Perhaps Mahmood should have waited a couple of days with her new flagship policy on immigration, modelled on Denmark?
Centre-left tipped to lose Copenhagen for first time in electoral history
Political rivals say PM’s divisive politics have encouraged voters to ditch the Social Democrats for the far right
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:20 AM
“This was a cynical strategic manoeuvre to avoid losing voters to the far right, but it seems, based on polling, that all they have done is prime their own voters to join the far right rather than stay with the Social Democrats.”
Apparently we're still doing fireworks 😠
November 17, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Apparently we're still doing fireworks 😠
👀👀👀
The AI bubble may be about to bust.
Peter Thiel has sold all of his Nvidia stock.
We all need to say this very clearly:
NO BAILOUTS FOR THEFT-TECH!
Expropriate their asses instead.
They stole from all of us and fully plan to burn the planet.
They owe us - not the other way around. 1/3
Peter Thiel has sold all of his Nvidia stock.
We all need to say this very clearly:
NO BAILOUTS FOR THEFT-TECH!
Expropriate their asses instead.
They stole from all of us and fully plan to burn the planet.
They owe us - not the other way around. 1/3
November 17, 2025 at 1:51 PM
👀👀👀
Emailed my (Labour) MP to express my dismay at their latest hateful nonsense. My constituency has a reasonable chance of going Reform next time - it stretches from reasonably affluent edges of the city centre out to more neglected post-war estates which have had a fair few flags flying recently
November 17, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Emailed my (Labour) MP to express my dismay at their latest hateful nonsense. My constituency has a reasonable chance of going Reform next time - it stretches from reasonably affluent edges of the city centre out to more neglected post-war estates which have had a fair few flags flying recently
Reposted by Anna Dent
![[Scene is a kitchen - a middle aged woman called JANET is boiling peas at the stove. A younger more colourfully dressed woman named LIZ approached her.]
JANET:
Ugh...
LIZ:
What's up?
JANET:
I am so bored of cooking peas!
LIZ:
Have you tried...
AI peas?
JANET:
AI peas?
LIZ:
They're peas with AI!
[Liz holds up to us a packet of peas labelled: Pea-i AI - Peas with AI].
LIZ:
Al-powered peas harness the potential of your peas
JANET:
What
LIZ [Now a voiceover as we cut to a whizzy technology diagram of peas all connected by meaningless dotted lines]
Why not take your peas to the next level with Al Peas' new Al tools to power your peas?
[Show a techno diagram of a pea with a label reading 'AI' pointing to a random zone in it]
LIZ:
Each pea has Al in a way we haven't quite worked out yet but it's fine
[Show Janet and Liz now in a Matrix-style world of peas]
LIZ:
With Al peas you can supercharge productivity and make AI work for your peas!
JANET:
What
LIZ:
Shut up
LIZ:
Our game-changing Pea-Al gives you the freedom to unlock the potential of the power of the future of your peas workflow
From opening the bag of peas
to boiling the peas
to eating the peas
To spending millions on adding Al to the peas and then having to work out what that even means.
JANET:
Is it really necessary to-
LIZ [Grabbing Janet by the collar]:
THE PEAS HAVE GOT AI, JANET
[Cut to an advert ending screen, with the bag of peas and the slogan:
AI PEAS: Just 'Peas' for god's sake buy the AI peas.
[Ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreiayqa37f7kik7l7s7fbtfp2sir5ckb662ry2lylinyjrfa2rkvvka@jpeg)
Reposted by Anna Dent
I need the most Canadian story you have.
No that's too Canadian.
No that's too Canadian.
When a man hijacked a bus in Hamilton, Ontario, on Tuesday, the potentially catastrophic scenario ended happily. It turns out he was a pretty decent bus driver. He made regular stops to pick up passengers, the police reported. At one point someone tried to board with an expired bus pass. No dice.
A Man Took a Bus for a Joyride. Turns Out, He’s Not a Bad Driver.
The incident in Hamilton, Ontario, ended safely with an arrest and no injuries (and all fares paid).
nyti.ms
November 13, 2025 at 4:51 PM
I need the most Canadian story you have.
No that's too Canadian.
No that's too Canadian.
I strongly suspect this MP has no understanding of what EI actually means - it has a particular definition - but is using it as thinly veiled code for 'lazy unemployed people'
And also doesn't understand that e.g. full time caring responsibilities do rather a lot to prop up the economy
And also doesn't understand that e.g. full time caring responsibilities do rather a lot to prop up the economy
What on earth is this nonsense from a Blue Labour MP?
What, you want a policy targeting zero illness, no full time caring responsibilities, no skills mismatches or career breaks and you think we should heavily crack down on migration until we get there?
Just not serious policy/politics.
What, you want a policy targeting zero illness, no full time caring responsibilities, no skills mismatches or career breaks and you think we should heavily crack down on migration until we get there?
Just not serious policy/politics.
November 12, 2025 at 3:14 PM
I strongly suspect this MP has no understanding of what EI actually means - it has a particular definition - but is using it as thinly veiled code for 'lazy unemployed people'
And also doesn't understand that e.g. full time caring responsibilities do rather a lot to prop up the economy
And also doesn't understand that e.g. full time caring responsibilities do rather a lot to prop up the economy