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Reposted by Gaia Marcus

Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 4d

Yesterday the Royal Society held a series of panels & keynotes in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Turing Test. The unanimous critical takes on AGI, big tech's power concentration & the call for urgent action left me w hope things might be turning

Watch here m.youtube.com/live/GmnBTCK...

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

Also. Second quick interruption from the amazing room I'm in

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 13d

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

KD rallying the troops for what will happen next - can't wait to see what these three amazing organisers do next!

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

Marisol calling for the labour, hope, action and redistributive economics needed to challenge narratives of technological inevitability

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

And @ambakak.bsky.social echoing my thoughts - an optimistic, visceral conversation.. which brings these issues to life, which is the most dangerous conversation to be had for big tech and which is what is needed to bring our strategies to life (grossly paraphrased, sorry!)

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

Now @alixdunn.com ending on a note of optimism "meeting you all has been the most uplifting thing that has happened in months"

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

History is such a thread for this conversation "we're failing an open book test ... with AI (cue room laughter)" - we're not learning from what has come before... "We need investment in people.. in clean energy... In health equity.."

Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

Goosebumps from the weight of history and the authenticity emerging in this conversation "community is the centre of New Orleans"...

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

From the mouth of babes, etc enjoyed this from mastodon.social/@Daojoan/115... h/t to @foundationsofthedigitalstate.com

JA Westenberg (@[email protected])

My 9 year old and his classmates have started using “that’s AI” to mean “I don’t believe you.” Me: we’re having dinosaur meat for dinner Kiddo: that’s AI

mastodon.social

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

Marisol calling for citizen panels, dialogue and listening to actually scope out the economic futures local communities want

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

KeShaun Pearson 'it is cruel to use the promise of economic prosperity to advance a project (data centres) that will just bring pain and pollution' to local people... The jobs will be 'janitorial'... Even the construction Jobs aren't for local people - they are being brought in

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

Amazing panel with a cross-section of the people doing grounded, community-centered organising

KeShaun Pearson - Memphis Community Against Pollution

Marisol - No Desert Data Center

KD Minor- Alliance for Affordable Energy

Amba Kak @ainowinstitute.bsky.social

On the panel:
KeShaun Pearson (Memphis Community Against Pollution) will break down how Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer is polluting the air of historically Black neighborhoods in Memphis, and how organizers are fighting back against yet another chapter of corporate extraction in their communities

Marisol (No Desert Data Center) will share about their grassroots coalition’s recent win in Tucson to stop Amazon’s Project Blue data center proposal, which threatened the city’s scarce water supply, and how they’re organizing for future protections.

KD Minor (Alliance for Affordable Energy) will demystify the energy impacts of data centers in Louisiana and share organizing strategies to mobilize community opposition to Big Tech and Big Oil infrastructure.

Amba Kak (AI Now Institute) will talk us through the bigger picture: what’s behind Big Tech’s AI data center expansion, who stands to benefit from this boom, and what we sacrifice in return.

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

Believe you can still sign up to listen here luma.com/l7m3nzzn

Let Them Eat Compute: Computer Says Maybe Climate Week Livestream · Luma

Hearing a lot about AI and data center expansion? That it's happening quickly, behind closed doors, putting huge demands on strained energy grids, leading to…

luma.com

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 13d

Over in Brooklyn for a live @themaybe.org podcast - Let Them Eat Compute: Computer Says Maybe Climate Week Livestream - @ambakak.bsky.social and @alixdunn.com setting the scene for a conversation 'rooted in the material, in the current context, in activism'..

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 19d

(TW)
The past is a funny old thing. Had an excellent conversation ysterday about LLMs & not losing the power of a white page. It brought to mind the time I most viscerally remember a white page - my blog when my @thersaorg.bsky.social colleague Emma Lindley left us 13 years ago tinyurl.com/mbc99yv2

To Emma and to time. : RSA blogs

web.archive.org

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 20d

Thank you!

Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 20d

I know not everyone loves a pdf (html and accessible formats are also available), but she is *pretty*

Strategy excerpt - what we have learnt Our strategy 2025-28

Data is increasingly used, collected and processed in ways that were previously unimaginable, for example, biometrios capabilities which evolved from verification, identification and categorisation systems to emerging systems on cognitive and biometric inference. This means that regulatory and governance regimes can fall out of step with practice on the ground.

In many cases, there is not enough evidence to know whether or in which contexts Al and data-driven systems work as Intended. This is compounded by low levels of transparency and a lack of publicly available evaluations. Society and public services are often over-reliant on industry accounts of innovation and opportunity.

People hold diverse and nuanced views about Al that are not always taken into account by governments, companies and other powerful actors. The tools that have historically emerged to allow people and communities to steer innovation-regulatory checks and balances, civil society and trade union mobilisation, and political leadership from elected representatives - are not always working well enough to protect people and society from the negative impacts of rapid technological change. New participatory mechanisms and deliberative approaches hold promise but require institutional backing and political buy-in to succeed.

What we have learned

Over the last seven years, Ada has established itself as a trusted, evidence-based institution.

Independently funded and curious, we have sought diverse perspectives on data and Al and successfully brought together evidence and conversations from across civil society, academia, governments, the technology sector and the public. Our measured and balanced voice provides clarity and rigour in a landscape often dominated by hype, hope or fear.

Our work exploring the intersection between Al, data, people and society has surfaced the following lessons:

Al and data-driven technologies are 'sociotechn…

Our strategy 2025-28

Data is increasingly used, collected and processed in ways that were previously unimaginable, for example, biometrios capabilities which evolved from verification, identification and categorisation systems to emerging systems on cognitive and biometric inference. This means that regulatory and governance regimes can fall out of step with practice on the ground.

In many cases, there is not enough evidence to know whether or in which contexts Al and data-driven systems work as Intended. This is compounded by low levels of transparency and a lack of publicly available evaluations. Society and public services are often over-reliant on industry accounts of innovation and opportunity.

People hold diverse and nuanced views about Al that are not always taken into account by governments, companies and other powerful actors. The tools that have historically emerged to allow people and communities to steer innovation-regulatory checks and balances, civil society and trade union mobilisation, and political leadership from elected representatives - are not always working well enough to protect people and society from the negative impacts of rapid technological change. New participatory mechanisms and deliberative approaches hold promise but require institutional backing and political buy-in to succeed.

What we have learned

Over the last seven years, Ada has established itself as a trusted, evidence-based institution.

Independently funded and curious, we have sought diverse perspectives on data and Al and successfully brought together evidence and conversations from across civil society, academia, governments, the technology sector and the public. Our measured and balanced voice provides clarity and rigour in a landscape often dominated by hype, hope or fear.

Our work exploring the intersection between Al, data, people and society has surfaced the following lessons:

Al and data-driven technologies are 'sociotechnical". This means that technologies do …

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 20d

While the world continues to change, Ada’s core mission has not. As ever, amid the narratives of hype and hope, we ask: do these new technologies work.. Do they work for everyone?"

We will consider the often messy and complex reality of how technologies interact with real people and real services.

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 20d

This is a time of extraordinary geopolitical change & uncertainty, shaping and being shaped by rapid technological change, w/ major shifts in data&AI deployment, capabilities & markets

This risks undoing a period of slow but meaningful steps towards ensuring data and AI work for public benefit.

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 20d

🧵So proud of the team, and thankful to amazing board, supporters & stakeholders

The director's note distills our read on the current situation

For all the hype, hope and fear - AI is people all the way down

There are no magic beans and no crystal balls yet competing visions jostle for dominance

Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 21d

Ada’s new strategy for 2025-28 highlights the need to understand how AI and data could support a positive vision for society, and the policy choices and institutions this will require.

Read our strategy here:
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/about/our-st...

Our strategy

Our strategy highlights the need to understand how AI and data can support a positive vision for society, and the policy choices this will require

www.adalovelaceinstitute.org

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Reposted by Gaia Marcus

Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · Aug 29

How should we assess the credibility of a future UK AI Bill?

In our new blog post, @nualapolo.bsky.social, UK Public Policy Lead, lays out five critical tests for forthcoming legislative proposals.

www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/blog/uk-ai-b...

Will the UK AI Bill protect people and society?

Assessing the credibility of forthcoming legislative proposals

www.adalovelaceinstitute.org

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Reposted by Gaia Marcus

Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · 27d

Our report identifies several important considerations for regulators and policymakers to ensure effective governance. Read ‘Reality check’➡️ www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/report/reali...

Reality check

Key trends in the development and adoption of immersive technologies

www.adalovelaceinstitute.org

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Gaia Marcus @gaiamarcus.bsky.social · 27d

Great to hear from @demos-uk.bsky.social's Elizabeth Seger on their work on epistemic (knowledge) security in the UK Demos share.google/y6a6ktqdoP5x...

Epistemic Security 2029: Fortifying the UK’s information supply chain to tackle the democratic emergency

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

share.google

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Reposted by Gaia Marcus

Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · Jul 10

AI assurance allows us to measure, evaluate and communicate the trustworthiness of AI systems.

But what are the conditions needed for, and potential impacts of, professionalising the AI assurance industry?

Read Ada and @cdt.org's new report:
www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/report/going...

Going pro?

Considerations for the emerging field of AI assurance

www.adalovelaceinstitute.org

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Reposted by Gaia Marcus

Ada Lovelace Institute @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social · Jul 14

The UK government is set to create a governance framework for police use of facial recognition technology.

Ada's @nualapolo.bsky.social discusses these plans in the article below.

computerweekly.bsky.social @computerweekly.bsky.social · Jul 12

Home secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed the UK will seek to regulate police facial recognition, citing police reticence to deploy the systems without proper governance, but declined to confirm whether any new framework will be placed on a statutory footing....
👉 [read]

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