It’s True: The Internet Skews the Reality of Women (and Men) in the Workforce – Bhargav Desikan in Mother Jones
Age and gender biases are baked into what we see online, a large new study in Nature confirms.| mctd.ac.uk
Our Research Associate Timothy Charlton co-authors a new paper in Field Methods analysing the effects of different sampling frequencies in the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) The study compares the effectiveness of different ESM sampling frequencies and uses an innovative mobile Experience Sampling Measurement (mESM), using smartphones to repeatedly collect real-time data on a person’s thoughts, feelings, […] The post Bursting Self-reports? Comparing Sampling Frequency Effects of Mobile...| mctd.ac.uk
Gina Neff responds to the Technology Secretary’s announcement of AI Growth Labs Our Executive Director Professor Gina Neff was invited to this morning’s BBC Radio 4 Today programme to give her view on the Government’s announcement of AI Growth Labs. The Labs are pitched as regulatory “sandboxes” where innovative companies may test potentially high-risk AI […] The post LISTEN: AI Growth Labs are an opportunity for the UK to strike the right balance between AI innovation and regulat...| mctd.ac.uk
Gender and age are distorted throughout the internet, revealing critical challenges in the fight against inequality Although few deny that stereotypes, or generalizations about social groups, are harmful, a fundamental question remains contested: are common stereotypes accurate or socially distorted? A new paper published in Nature – from Douglas Guilbeault (Co-Director of the Berkeley-Stanford Computational […] The post Age and gender distortion in online media and large language models ...| mctd.ac.uk
Age and gender biases are baked into what we see online, a large new study in Nature confirms.| mctd.ac.uk
Louise Hickman’s academic work focuses on the automation of accessibility for disabled people, as well as on questions of social justice and processes of exclusion that are driven by the politics of austerity.| mctd.ac.uk
Alexa Hagerty is an Affiliate at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy.| mctd.ac.uk
Reflections from a workshop on what the AI booms means for climate change This week our friends at Reframe Venture convened a workshop bringing together investors and researchers to wrestle with what the AI boom means for the climate, and in particular the energy and water costs of data and compute. The conversation revealed that […] The post The sustainability challenges at the heart of the AI boom appeared first on mctd.ac.uk.| mctd.ac.uk
The race to exploit online intimacy could reinforce regressive stereotypes and facilitate child sexual abuse material Following this week’s New York Times coverage of xAI’s sexually explicit chatbots and The Guardian’s piece on the troubling rise of AI girlfriends, BBC Woman’s Hour hosted a conversation with our Executive Director Professor Gina Neff and journalist Amelia […] The post AI ‘girlfriends’, Japan’s PM designate, Hope Reese, Musica Secreta – Gina Neff on BBC Woman...| mctd.ac.uk
When your AI friend changes overnight: the complicated relationship between humans and chatbots Imagine spending months or even years building a meaningful friendship with someone – sharing your deepest thoughts, receiving emotional support, and developing genuine affection. Now imagine that person suddenly changing completely, becoming robotic and distant, as if their entire personality had been […] The post The quasi-domestication of social chatbots: The case of Replika appeared first o...| mctd.ac.uk
Our Policy and Impact Manager, Tom Lacy, reflects on his time at Labour Conference 2025 When Liz Kendall, the UK’s newly appointed Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, opened her conference plenary speech celebrating Labour’s ambition to grow the economy with technology, declaring boldly that “the Age of AI is upon us”, I […] The post Getting tech right is vital in Labour’s quest for “national renewal” appeared first on mctd.ac.uk.| mctd.ac.uk
Will agorithms be accountable to humanity or will they become digital autocrats? Our Deputy Director Professor Ann Kristin Glenster attended this year’s Athens Democracy Forum (30 Sept to 3 Oct) to deliver a lightning talk on algorithms and autocrats. The theme of this year’s forum, New Visions for Hard Realities, took stock of the undeniable […] The post Future Visions: Are Algorithms Better Than Autocrats? – Ann Kristin Glenster at Athens Democracy Forum 2025 appeared first on mctd....| mctd.ac.uk
AI is promising absolute control coupled with unaccountable power Our Executive Director Professor Gina Neff appeared on today’s BBC Radio Ulster Talkback, alongside AI expert Andrew Grill, to discuss how AI will shape the future of politics and democratic governance. Professor Neff emphasises the immense effort that is required for society to reach an optimistic […] The post Is AI a friend to democracy or a potential enemy? – Gina Neff on BBC Radio Ulster Talkback appeared first on mct...| mctd.ac.uk
Our Executive Director Gina Neff spoke to The New Statesman about the Tony Blair Institute's relationship with tech billionaire Larry Ellison.| mctd.ac.uk
We are a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge, radically rethinking the power relationships between digital technologies, society and our planet.| mctd.ac.uk
Sign Language AI systems are being procured across public services without adequate Deaf community involvement, creating institutional risks Authors: Dr Louise Hickman, Dr Alexa Hagerty, and Rose Powell The rapid deployment of AI across UK public services presents both opportunities and significant risks for equality and inclusion. This tension is particularly acute in the emerging […]| mctd.ac.uk
Professor Gina Neff speaks to ABC News Australia about a recent ruling in a landmark Google antitrust case.| mctd.ac.uk
In this report we map the existing and future harms of tracking menstrual cycles by Femtech companies and suggest ways to mitigate the risks to individuals and society.| mctd.ac.uk
