A Guide To Monitoring Conflict Amidst a Sea of Misinformation www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of...

New episode of our podcast is out, this time discussing the AI bubble, overinflation & valuations and dot-com comparisons.

Ciarán O’Connor: The Epstein files have become a purity test for MAGA diehards and, unable to substantiate the claims they campaigned on for years, these political figures have found themselves cast as the villains they once promised to oust. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...

I'm going back to the Galway International Arts Festival once again for another fascinating tech-focused conversation, this time chatting to @ciaranoconnor.bsky.social and Cian O'Mahony about conspiracy theories! Dress code: Tinfoil hats optional. www.giaf.ie/festival/eve...

New episode of the Enough About AI podcast with @donalmulligan.com & @ciaranoconnor.bsky.social is out now, discussing alignment, AI being "too sycophant-y" and the risk of letting superintelligence out of the box. Available on all pod platforms & our site: podcast.enoughaboutai.com/2421061/epis...

New @enoughaboutai.com episode with @ciaranoconnor.bsky.social out, covering alignment issues, the problems of powerful AI persuasiveness, AI in academia, and letting superintelligence out of the box. Find it wherever you get podcasts, or on the site here: podcast.enoughaboutai.com/2421061/epis...

DCU's Dr Dónal Mulligan @donalmulligan.com and Ciarán O'Connor @ciaranoconnor.bsky.social discuss key issues related to AI and academia in the latest episode of their podcast 'Enough About AI'. You can listen to the full episode here: launch.dcu.ie/3YHqlHk

Quite an interesting story going on in Derry. Would really like to hear more from anyone in contact with this group. ***** Illicit masses in Derry. The Bishop has issued a warning about services held by fundamentalist group SSPX Resistance. Via @drivetime.bsky.social www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Ireland’s Kate O’Connor wins pentathlon silver medal at World Indoor Championships www.independent.ie/sport/other-...

Disinformation, used to advance the cause of resurgent nativist populism, has succeeded. I wrote something for the @irishexaminer.bsky.social about the last few weeks in disinfoland. www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

A new year and a new season of our Enough About AI pod. This episode takes stock of everything that's happened since November including: Trump, Musk and OpenAi; China and Deepseek; and a runthrough of reasoning models. Available on all the usual platforms.

The 'feeling' that X under Musk is a different place than before is quantified in this new study titled 'Substantial Hate' 1️⃣ hate speech up to 50% higher; 2️⃣ hate speech increase persistent; 3️⃣ no reduction in inauthentic accounts #commsky @polcomm.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

“During COVID … there was a subsection of those interested in wellness who saw it as the "ultimate truth” and their own thinking overlapped with conspiracy theories." I spoke to Brendan O’Connor about 'conspirituality' on @rteradio1.bsky.social on Feb 8th. www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

"A supposedly UK-based network of Telegram channels is hoping to spark civil war in Britain – but the operation appears to be run from Russia. HOPE not hate can reveal that a network of Telegram channels is offering cash to UK citizens willing to commit acts of terror and vandalism"

“We know that the architecture of platforms makes it astonishingly easy for sensationalist allegations to go viral – enragement sadly equals engagement – and platforms often prioritise user attention over accuracy.”

What happened when two Northern Irish journalists reported on a loyalist massacre? They were arrested and spied on by police Plus: Two former Tory ministers and ex chief whip break government anti corruption rules All new on Democracy for Sale: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-police...

Mick O'Keeffe has the same issue Chay Bowes has, except that the former is talking to Americans and the latter to Russians. Both have to say shit like "speaker", "Irish Prime Minister", "The Irish Parliament" etc.

‘Impossible’ to create AI tools like ChatGPT without copyrighted material, OpenAI says

Why did the far right and anti-immigration parties fail to make a breakthrough in the General Election? I went on @johnmooneyirl.bsky.social's Dark State podcast and tease out some potential explanations. www.patreon.com/posts/why-fa...

REPORT: Over the last eight months I've been trying to get to the bottom of why (despite being the ideal candidate) Ireland is not a video game development hub. The answer? A lack of government understanding surrounding the sector. For Shacknews: www.shacknews.com/article/1424...

X is taking legal action against Coimisiún na Meán in the High Court in Dublin. As the European home of some of the major tech players, the State has a crucial role in an area where tensions are likely with the US. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/edit...

This is instructive if you're ever trying to understand how the health budget increased by billions in recent years and yet nothing seemed to improve www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Katherine Keneally joins Sky News’ Daily Podcast to break down the social media reactions to the murder of Brian Thompson that has ignited debates about the state of healthcare in the United States. ow.ly/2HG150UsIKX

"The EU may be taking a step toward a deeper understanding — and potentially stricter oversight — of the algorithmic systems that drive the platforms." - @lizcarolan.com on the ball as per. www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2024/12/17/tiktoks-annus-horribilis-of-2024-creates-problems-for-ireland/

Sally Hayden is truly one of the Irish Times' finest young reporters. I'm proud that an Irish paper a fraction of the size of most big USA dailies often has its own reporters and stringers on the ground covering important world news rather than just relying on wire service copy

The Sean Brown JR is being handed down this morning. Full judgment not yet available, but Humphreys J in the High Court has ordered a FULL PUBLIC INQUIRY as the only way to fulfill the UK's right to life obligation. Hilary Benn had previously directed the family to ICRIR: www.rte.ie/news/ireland...

I recently wrote about use of Cellebrite phone-cracking tech by gardaí, Cellebrite's links to Israel's military, and its use by states that violate human rights. Eitay Mack, an Israeli lawyer, has now written to Cellebrite & Israel's MOD to cease selling to Georgia. thecurrency.news/articles/169...

'I want justice': Victims of Syria chemical attacks speak freely for first time www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Gardaí overwhelmed as anti-immigrant protesters break into asylum camp in Athlone extra.ie/2024/12/10/n...

Social media manipulation, rural discontent and mainstream complacency: Romania’s cancelled elections offer a stark warning for Europe’s democracies www.ips-journal.eu/topics/democ...

New episodes of our podcast, 'Enough About AI,' out now: Episode 5 - Misinformation & Regulation Episode 6 - Doom of humanity? Artificial General Intelligence podcast.enoughaboutai.com Listen wherever you get your podcasts 📻 📡 🤳

Inside the hunt for hidden cells in Sednaya prison, locally known as “the human slaughterhouse”, the most notorious torture complex of the Syrian government’s vast network of detention centres. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

A year ago OpenAI’s own rules banned it from working with the military. Today it announced a deal with Anduril to get AI into the battlefield. www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/04/1...

TikTok recently dismantled several networks of accounts that had tried to interfere with elections in Romania, executives said today, with some removed as late as Friday.

What 10 years of education can do to combat disinformation. The Finland 🇫🇮 case! Education, literacy but also strong media and trustworthy politicians edition.cnn.com/interactive/...

"While immigration was a major issue during the local elections, exit polls showed just 6% of people interviewed cited it as the main issue in the general election campaign" Fractured far-right candidates fizzle out www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

ICYMI: We released a joint investigation with the Hope and Courage Collective documenting 55 incidents of political violence, harassment, intimidation and threats during the GE campaign across a spectrum of activity. @ciaranoconnor.bsky.social @isdglobal.bsky.social www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp...

We've released a joint report with the Hope & Courage Collective that documented over 50 incidents of harassment, threats and abuse against candidates & canvassers during the #GeneralElection2024 #ge24 campaign. | @isdglobal.bsky.social www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp... Some top lines ⬇️

Far-right candidates fail to break through, defying global trends www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

We've released a joint report with the Hope & Courage Collective that documented over 50 incidents of harassment, threats and abuse against candidates & canvassers during the #GeneralElection2024 #ge24 campaign. | @isdglobal.bsky.social www.isdglobal.org/digital_disp... Some top lines ⬇️

This is a really interesting piece, and any of our pols currently sweating over the exit poll should have a read of it #GE24 wapo.st/3ZqqlMH wapo.st/3ZqqlMH

The general election is underway in Ireland. We’re keeping an eye on any viral false, misleading or threatening claims about the election on social media. #ge24 If you see any potentially false claims online, feel free to DM me here 🗳️

TikTok approved Irish election disinformation ads - probe www.rte.ie/news/busines... via @news.rte.ie

I'm on the Indo Daily today speaking about our analysis. Have a listen www.independent.ie/podcasts/the...

If a site is offering advice, it’s crucial that it is transparent about who runs it so that users can make informed decisions. This is especially the case if a site is instructing people on how to vote. We shared some analysis with @dublininquirer.com for this piece ahead of Friday's election #ge24

On the latest ep of the Enough About AI podcast, Dónal look ahead to the future, discuss the prospect of general artificial intelligence and wonder about potential doom of humanity. Available everywhere now 📻

"The use of generative AI surged among the country’s emergent far-right movement after riots in Dublin in 2023." We shared some research w/@theguardian.com about the use of GenAI among FR entities in Ireland. | @isdglobal.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Last go out with the FG Intra-Mortum. Campaign Gist: FG finds the voters revolting “A TikTok Taoiseach who lives by the viral video, can die by the viral video. What is seen cannot be unseen. These are the rules of the medium.” www.thegist.ie/campaign-gis...

Ahead of the Irish local & European elections last June, false, misleading & conspiratorial claims of “voter harvesting” & “foreign interference” emerged online. This was a first for Ireland. The upcoming general election offers new opportunities New report from us www.isdglobal.org/isd-publicat...