Gavin Freeguard
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Gavin Freeguard
@gavinfreeguard.com
Data/govt etc freelancer gavinfreeguard.com

Starting sotf.org.uk

@connectedbydata.org, Data Bites @publicdigital.bsky.social, @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, Think Digital Partners, @kinship.works, @transformgovtalks.bsky.social

Pic @paulclarke.com
And please help us shape the future of the Data and AI Public Engagement community of practice 👇

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We have been running the Data and AI Public Engagement Community of Practice since July 2024, to allow people to share their work and learn from others on engaging the public around data and AI, work through common challenges, and bring together practitioners from different sectors.

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February 11, 2026 at 10:14 AM
(It's a Gus O'Donnell reference, for avoidance of doubt!)
February 10, 2026 at 12:43 PM
God...
February 10, 2026 at 11:57 AM
(My old history teacher, lecturing on the late 18th/early 19th century, started one class by asking if we were a Burke or a Paine)
February 10, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Always the Case, tbf
February 10, 2026 at 11:35 AM
(from www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/ca... - and you might notice two actual trends: they're all men; and terms are getting shorter)
Cabinet secretary | Institute for Government
The cabinet secretary is the most senior civil service adviser to the prime minister and cabinet.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
February 10, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Thanks Debbie! And to echo Dave, these are all qs I've been pondering as well. There's a q in the survey about which groups people would like to attend - eg policy people in other sectors as well as other govt disciplines (eg digital). V conscious of current civ s sensitivities around openness, too
February 10, 2026 at 10:37 AM
I've also added a line to the MS Form to clarify where the idea came from - thanks for raising, @pubstr.at, and I'd echo Dave's points and that the survey etc is an open opportunity for people to help shape what comes next!
February 10, 2026 at 10:32 AM
And reason for setting it up in the first place is very much based on the sense that there's some really interesting work going on, new approaches etc - but much that could be better. The purpose of the event is very much to surface those conversations
February 9, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Thanks for these comments. As we say on the website/survey, this is a chance to shape what Policy Camp looks like - even though it's primarily aimed at policymakers, personally I would definitely welcome a broader audience (that's one of the questions)
February 9, 2026 at 5:14 PM