Algorithmic social media is an existential threat to democracy
Failure to push back against the current trajectory of social media platforms could be dire for democracy.
AI might be seemingly everywhere, but there are still plenty of things it can’t do – for now
From ChatGPT to Lensa, it feels like AI is here to take over. But despite some impressive results, such systems still have plenty of limitations.
ChatGPT and generative AI
This week: Our ChatGPT and generative AI special. What is it? How does it work? What to do with it? Where to next?
State of the Digital in 2022 (and the future) with Simon Kemp
This week: don’t believe the hype – the surprising truth about what is really going on online.
Instagram, are you TikTok?
This week: as Instagram tries to become more like TikTok, small businesses protest.
Every move you make, every step you take
How do facial recognition systems work and what does it mean when anyone can access these artificial intelligence driven platforms?
Wrong, Elon Musk: the big problem with free speech on platforms isn’t censorship. It’s the algorithms
There’s a tension between facilitating free and fair debate on social media, and businesses’ bottom line. And it must be resolved with the public interest in mind.
Is technology making it harder for individuals to act morally?
When social media companies employ opaque algorithms to capture and keep our attention, what power does the individual have to resist?
Why automation makes your job harder: unlearn automation
We discuss why it’s no longer true that automation and AI will make all our jobs easier.
5 ways to help prevent AI from deepening social inequality
If the historical data used to train an AI system disadvantages certain minority groups, the system can be swayed to follow these patterns in its own decision-making process.
The Social Dilemma and platforms on The Future, This Week
This week: The Social Dilemma, our first movie review on The Future, This Week. We bring in everything we’ve learnt about social media over the past three years.
GPT-3 AI and clean meat on The Future, This Week
This week: the media hype around AI writing essays, and how to make clean meat innovation palatable.