Kean Birch
@keanbirch.bsky.social
Ontario Research Chair in Science Policy
Obsessed with assets & assetization + into science & technology studies, political economy, economic sociology: https://keanbirch.net/
Obsessed with assets & assetization + into science & technology studies, political economy, economic sociology: https://keanbirch.net/
Why is it that our elites have gone insane? I'm thinking specifically about the #genAIbubble
November 26, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Why is it that our elites have gone insane? I'm thinking specifically about the #genAIbubble
Reposted by Kean Birch
Who could see this coming…
November 26, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Who could see this coming…
Reposted by Kean Birch
Call for PhD Student!
I'm recruiting a PhD student to work with me on a project related to my Future Fellowship at Monash University on the political economy of insurance, risk technology, climate governance, and the crisis of uninsurability. Here's the overview of my fellowship.
I'm recruiting a PhD student to work with me on a project related to my Future Fellowship at Monash University on the political economy of insurance, risk technology, climate governance, and the crisis of uninsurability. Here's the overview of my fellowship.
November 25, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Call for PhD Student!
I'm recruiting a PhD student to work with me on a project related to my Future Fellowship at Monash University on the political economy of insurance, risk technology, climate governance, and the crisis of uninsurability. Here's the overview of my fellowship.
I'm recruiting a PhD student to work with me on a project related to my Future Fellowship at Monash University on the political economy of insurance, risk technology, climate governance, and the crisis of uninsurability. Here's the overview of my fellowship.
I do love this sort of information & its framing - UK #universities = more revenue than tons of other sectors far higher up in policymakers minds (same as everywhere else around the world). Prob is universities do a bad job explaining what universities contribute to our economics + societies
"Higher education generated £24bn in export earnings for the UK in 2022-23, far above aircraft manufacturing with £12bn, legal services with £9.5bn and telecoms with £8.8bn."
#HigherEd
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
#HigherEd
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Less than Greggs? Public have no idea of value of top universities, study finds
Belief that snack chain’s revenues exceed those of Oxford’s one of many misconceptions about UK’s HE sector
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I do love this sort of information & its framing - UK #universities = more revenue than tons of other sectors far higher up in policymakers minds (same as everywhere else around the world). Prob is universities do a bad job explaining what universities contribute to our economics + societies
Reposted by Kean Birch
New paper about institutional investors, maintenance of asset values, social struggles and rental housing in Sweden:
MAINTAINING RENTAL HOUSING AS AN ASSET: Exploring Institutional Investors in Sweden’s Rental Market
Institutional investors have asserted significant power over rental markets across the transatlantic. However, their stronghold has been contested after rising interest rates in 2022. In this article...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:15 AM
New paper about institutional investors, maintenance of asset values, social struggles and rental housing in Sweden:
#Cloudflare once again illustrating how dependent we are on digital infrastructure - no journal editing for me today ...
November 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM
#Cloudflare once again illustrating how dependent we are on digital infrastructure - no journal editing for me today ...
Reposted by Kean Birch
THE ASSET CLASS, my first book, will be published by @wnbooks.bsky.social on 9 April 2026. It’s a narrative investigation of private equity, a secretive and relentlessly destructive wing of finance that penetrates almost every aspect of our lives - and it’s available to pre-order now!
November 18, 2025 at 12:00 PM
THE ASSET CLASS, my first book, will be published by @wnbooks.bsky.social on 9 April 2026. It’s a narrative investigation of private equity, a secretive and relentlessly destructive wing of finance that penetrates almost every aspect of our lives - and it’s available to pre-order now!
I'll be in Berlin on 11th December giving a talk at the @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social called "Do artefacts have political economy?"
For anyone interested in the interface of #STS & #politicaleconomy
For anyone interested in the interface of #STS & #politicaleconomy
Save the dates: My research group at
@weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social is starting a new research colloquium this term. We have 4 contributions (2 english speaking) with great scholars: Ingo Schulz-Schaeffer, @keanbirch.bsky.social, Rüdiger Graf and Ruthanne Huising. Zoom participation possible. #sts
@weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social is starting a new research colloquium this term. We have 4 contributions (2 english speaking) with great scholars: Ingo Schulz-Schaeffer, @keanbirch.bsky.social, Rüdiger Graf and Ruthanne Huising. Zoom participation possible. #sts
November 17, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I'll be in Berlin on 11th December giving a talk at the @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social called "Do artefacts have political economy?"
For anyone interested in the interface of #STS & #politicaleconomy
For anyone interested in the interface of #STS & #politicaleconomy
Reposted by Kean Birch
Why Trump’s team is betting on stablecoins on.ft.com/4p3Irho | opinion
Why Trump’s team is betting on stablecoins
The administration sees these digital assets as a tool in the fight against de-dollarisation
on.ft.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Why Trump’s team is betting on stablecoins on.ft.com/4p3Irho | opinion
Scam stage of capitalism
16 BILLION dollars. Make no mistake about it the market for lies is huge. www.reuters.com/investigatio...
Meta is earning a fortune on a deluge of fraudulent ads, documents show
Meta projected 10% of its 2024 revenue would come from ads for scams and banned goods, and it internally estimates that its platforms show users 15 billion scam ads a day, company documents show.
www.reuters.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Scam stage of capitalism
Upcoming event: I'll be giving a talk at the @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social in Berlin on 11 Dec 2025 @ 5.30pm - come along!
Title: "Do artefacts have political economy?"
www.weizenbaum-institut.de/veranstaltun...
Title: "Do artefacts have political economy?"
www.weizenbaum-institut.de/veranstaltun...
November 6, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Upcoming event: I'll be giving a talk at the @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social in Berlin on 11 Dec 2025 @ 5.30pm - come along!
Title: "Do artefacts have political economy?"
www.weizenbaum-institut.de/veranstaltun...
Title: "Do artefacts have political economy?"
www.weizenbaum-institut.de/veranstaltun...
We've got a logo for the Society for the Social Study of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference to be held in Toronto in October 2026! Theme of "TechnoPower & Technoscientific Futures"
November 3, 2025 at 2:45 PM
We've got a logo for the Society for the Social Study of Science @4sweb.bsky.social Conference to be held in Toronto in October 2026! Theme of "TechnoPower & Technoscientific Futures"
Reposted by Kean Birch
lol what rules Fil!?!?? We are already in the metaverse, where the real and simulated are the same.
Venture capitalists Andreessen and Horowitz invest in startup that sells thousands of AI bot influencers to manipulate social media as a service, clearly violating major platform policies
www.404media.co/a16z-backed-...
www.404media.co/a16z-backed-...
a16z-Backed Startup Sells Thousands of ‘Synthetic Influencers’ to Manipulate Social Media as a Service
Andreessen Horowitz is funding a company that clearly violates the inauthentic behavior policies of every major social media platform.
www.404media.co
November 3, 2025 at 2:39 AM
lol what rules Fil!?!?? We are already in the metaverse, where the real and simulated are the same.
Reposted by Kean Birch
We now have multiple visualizations of this phenomenon from various news organizations. Which one is the best?
October 31, 2025 at 11:01 AM
We now have multiple visualizations of this phenomenon from various news organizations. Which one is the best?
Tech folk have coopted democratization as a way to avoid paying taxes for actual things we might need and enjoy
We keep seeing startups who want to replace something valuable (therapy, counseling, tutoring, artistic expression) with some tech bullshit under the banner of democratization. But why do we need to invest so much in bad tech that doesn't work instead of just giving people access to what they need?
October 28, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Tech folk have coopted democratization as a way to avoid paying taxes for actual things we might need and enjoy
I had a new opinion piece out in @hilltimes.com last week: "Move fast and break things the wrong approach to AI policy" (for Canada) #genAI #generativeartificialintelligence #AI #scipol #sciencepolicy #productivity
www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/1...
www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/1...
Move fast and break things the wrong approach to AI policy
Very few firms or organizations are actually experiencing any productivity benefits from generative artificial intelligence. The political economy of genAI doesn't make sense, nor does rushing AI poli...
www.hilltimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I had a new opinion piece out in @hilltimes.com last week: "Move fast and break things the wrong approach to AI policy" (for Canada) #genAI #generativeartificialintelligence #AI #scipol #sciencepolicy #productivity
www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/1...
www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/1...
Reposted by Kean Birch
"A market in which behavioural data about users are rare rather than the default will reset prices for all forms of advertising. To achieve this, users must be protected against coercion into RTB via ‘consent or pay’."
Make consumer surveillance rare again.
www.iccl.ie/digital-data...
Make consumer surveillance rare again.
www.iccl.ie/digital-data...
The True Cost of RTB
Our second "Pay or OK" paper for EU watchdogs: not only does the law say "no" to forced consent; the business case is terrible, too. Publishers and advertisers will lose if users are forced to consent...
www.iccl.ie
October 22, 2025 at 1:19 PM
"A market in which behavioural data about users are rare rather than the default will reset prices for all forms of advertising. To achieve this, users must be protected against coercion into RTB via ‘consent or pay’."
Make consumer surveillance rare again.
www.iccl.ie/digital-data...
Make consumer surveillance rare again.
www.iccl.ie/digital-data...
Reposted by Kean Birch
Announcing Antipode’s 10th Institute for the Geographies of Justice (IGJ), "Organizing and Solidarity in a Polycrisis", Toronto, 1-5 June 2026 antipodeonline.org/institute-fo... -- submit your application by 20 December 2025
October 20, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Announcing Antipode’s 10th Institute for the Geographies of Justice (IGJ), "Organizing and Solidarity in a Polycrisis", Toronto, 1-5 June 2026 antipodeonline.org/institute-fo... -- submit your application by 20 December 2025
Reposted by Kean Birch
Pls share: Applications open for Summer Institute in Economic Geography, Toronto, 5-10 July 2026
Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma
Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma
Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Toronto 2026 | Summer Institute in Economic Geography
www.econgeog.net
October 16, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Pls share: Applications open for Summer Institute in Economic Geography, Toronto, 5-10 July 2026
Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma
Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Featuring: Lars Coenen, Karen Lai, Devika Narayan and Stefan Ouma
Early career economic geographers (broadly defined) are welcome to apply. Stipends available. www.econgeog.net/Toronto2026
Reposted by Kean Birch
Want to know more about #syntheticdata #assetization, #blockchain and #cloudinfrastructures in #finance? In this paper for @financeandspace.bsky.social , I talk about those topics, plus how synthetic data might be reworking financial #subjectivities! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
October 17, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Want to know more about #syntheticdata #assetization, #blockchain and #cloudinfrastructures in #finance? In this paper for @financeandspace.bsky.social , I talk about those topics, plus how synthetic data might be reworking financial #subjectivities! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Kean Birch
Call for panels now open until 31 Oct 2025. We invite you to join us for EASST’s Biennial Conference, to be held in Krakow, Poland
easst.net/conference/e...
easst.net/conference/e...
EASST2026 Home
The conference will take place on the main campus of AGH University of Krakow, walking distance from the Krakow’s vibrant city centre.
easst.net
October 16, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Call for panels now open until 31 Oct 2025. We invite you to join us for EASST’s Biennial Conference, to be held in Krakow, Poland
easst.net/conference/e...
easst.net/conference/e...
"Track the asset out of containment" - Jurassic Park Lego
October 14, 2025 at 7:58 PM
"Track the asset out of containment" - Jurassic Park Lego
Reposted by Kean Birch
Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.
If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:
If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:
Help define the next chapter of Canada's AI leadership
Current status: Open from October 1 to October 31, 2025
Canada helped invent modern AI. To stay a leader—and protect our digital sovereignty—we're running a 30-day national sprint to shape a renewed...
ised-isde.canada.ca
October 8, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.
If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:
If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:
Reposted by Kean Birch
Oh what’s that? They will depreciate at roughly 3 times the rate previously touted and require constant replacement and 2-3x the revenue to match initial expenditure?
AI Data Centers Are an Even Bigger Disaster Than Previously Thought
An investment manager realized he made a crucial mistake — and that his grim prediction about AI investments may not have been cynical enough.
futurism.com
October 11, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Oh what’s that? They will depreciate at roughly 3 times the rate previously touted and require constant replacement and 2-3x the revenue to match initial expenditure?