ICYMI: Watch @oii.ox.ac.uk researcher Franziska Sofia Hafner explain how friendly AI chatbots make more mistakes and tell people what they want to hear. Find out more and download the full study published in Nature: bit.ly/430LqOD. Watch the video: www.youtube.com/shorts/-IFPP...

ICYMI: In his latest op-ed @carlbfrey.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk @oxmartinschool.bsky.social writing in @nytimes.com, argues that the AI self-service economy is on the rise: as AI tools become better at offering practical guidance more tasks once handled by professionals are shifting onto consumers.

Looking forward to hearing from @blurky.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk in this upcoming @oxfordhistoryofart.bsky.social talk, Friday 15 May, 14.30 BST. Full details below.

Happening today! The movie premiere of the ARTE documentary "Digital Aliens" that also features me & my work. Please do join me today in Berlin for the screening & the QnA with Marcus Fitsch and Geraldine de Bastion. www.yorck.de/specials/spe... @socsci.ox.ac.uk @oii.ox.ac.uk @wzb.bsky.social

Fresh off the press! My new paper: The Fallacy of Sustainable Generative AI: Limitations in EU Environmental Regulation of Data Centres and Paths Forward w/ @bmittelstadt.bsky.social & Daria Onitiu. @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

A new pre-print from the OII finds a significant flaw in the EU's data centre reporting framework. The metrics used to measure energy and water efficiency can be gamed, allowing operators to expand facilities while appearing to meet sustainability benchmarks. www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/...

"The will of the people is a kind of myth," says Prof Helen Margetts of the OII, speaking on BBC Radio 4, not because people are ignorant, but because they are profoundly diverse. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

@oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social @hiigberlin.bsky.social @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social @algorithmwatch.org @ajlunited.bsky.social

ICYMI @shuhbillskee.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk explores why games like PowerWash Simulator feel so good - and why their calming appeal keeps us coming back. Read the full BBC Bitesize article: www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/art...

@oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social @wzb.bsky.social @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social @hiigberlin.bsky.social @humboldtuni.bsky.social @freieuniversitaet.bsky.social @tuberlin.bsky.social @algorithmwatch.org

The purpose of the DSA & DMA is to protect consumers & to revive healthy market competition in the EU. Yet, geopolitics is threatening to jeopardise these goals. We need to ask ourselves who actually benefits from deregulating the tech sector. My interview @euronews.com tinyurl.com/52s9fzjn

What are countries actually racing for in AI? In a new article in International Affairs, Kayla Blomquist, DPhil candidate, argues that international AI competition is producing a three-tier status hierarchy: AI great powers, middle powers, and follower states. Read here: doi.org/10.1093/ia/i...

Amid growing enthusiasm for digital health technology, Dr Ekaterina Hertog, Associate Professor in AI and Society at the Oxford Internet Institute, warns of the hidden risks for the UK's nine million unpaid carers. Read the full article here: www.digitalhealth.net/2026/04/digi...

In case you missed it, OII DPhil student and researcher Lujain Ibrahim discussed why friendly AI chatbots might be less trustworthy on BBC Sounds, following the publication of new OII research on AI chatbot warmth and sycophancy. Tune in here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Missed the latest episode of The Human Interface podcast? Prof. Greg Taylor and Tania Van den Brande from the CMA dig into why digital markets concentrate power, what the UK's new regulatory tools actually do, and why AI is the next big test for competition policy. open.spotify.com/episode/62Dg...

Work led by @lujain.bsky.social with @sofiahafner.bsky.social at @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk. Read the coverage by @iansample.bsky.social: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

NEW: Researchers from @oii.ox.ac.uk have found that AI chatbots trained to sound warm and empathetic are significantly more likely to make factual errors and agree with users’ false beliefs. Find out more ⬇️

New study from @oii.ox.ac.uk researchers finds friendlier chatbots make more mistakes. Lead author @lujain.bsky.social, second author Franziska Sofia Hafner, senior author @rocher.lc. Read more: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New! Friendlier chatbots make more mistakes. Latest Oxford research published in Nature tested 5 AI models and 400,000+ responses. Warm models made 10–30% more factual errors and were 40% more likely to agree with users' false beliefs, even on medical advice and conspiracy theories. 1/2

ICYMI: Listen to @shuhbillskee.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk discussing the complex question of whether social media addiction is a genuine phenomenon with the BBC Radio4 'All In The Mind' programme. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Looking forward to joining this event organised by the Centre for Childhoods and Social Justice at Bristol. Lot's of excellent speakers and an important topic. www.eventbrite.com/e/a-good-dig...

"It has to figure out what listeners want and how artists feel – all while AI is improving, being used more widely and becoming harder to detect", comments @robertprey.bsky.social, @oii.ox.ac.uk, @socsci.ox.ac.uk on why Spotify users can't block AI tracks. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

📣 Speaker Alert! Looking forward to hearing from @katyahe.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk, speaking at the Centre for Childhoods and Social Justice upcoming event. She joins the panel discussion: The Effect of New Technologies on Families & Care. 🗓 Wednesday 6 May 2026 ⏰11:45 BST Register bit.ly/4n5O7rt

For many knowledge workers in Europe and the US, the effect of AI can resemble automation—but the underlying mechanism is AI-enabled offshoring, notes @carlbfrey.bsky.social. bit.ly/47BAkT2

ICYMI: Amid news of UK Biobank data being listed for sale on Alibaba, @rocher.lc, @oii.ox.ac.uk notes this marks the 198th known exposure of UK Biobank data since last summer, warning that data "remains available online for anyone to download today."

Do you know the meaning of the ‘silicon gaze’?  Coined to describe AI’s response to certain prompts that rate wealthier, western regions as ‘better’, ‘smarter’, ‘happier’ and ‘more innovative’- the new term refers to how AI systems reproduce long‑standing global biases.  #SSDWords  @oii.ox.ac.uk

This week marks the start of Trinity Term 👋 Wishing all our students the best in the weeks ahead, especially during exam season. 🎬 Instagram | UmairAtOxford

Amid news of UK Biobank data being listed for sale on Alibaba, Dr Luc Rocher @rocher.lc notes this marks the 198th known exposure of UK Biobank data since last summer, warning that data "remains available online for anyone to download today." @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

New from OII Research Associate Johanna Ballesteros: Europe's digital sovereignty debate is missing a crucial distinction, between securing existing technologies and building the ones that don't yet exist. Read more: www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/...

NEW EPISODE of The Human Interface: "Too few choices, too much power?" Prof. Greg Taylor and Tania Van Den Brande from the UK's CMA on how digital markets concentrate power, what the new regulatory toolkit actually does, and why AI is the next major test. open.spotify.com/episode/62Dg...

AI is reshaping the music industry, but many musicians say they’re not afraid of it. In Somewhere on Earth: The Global Tech Podcast, Robert Prey @oii.ox.ac.uk explains the “streaming paradox” & why artists still struggle to earn from platforms like Spotify. 🎧 www.spreaker.com/episode/ai-m...

Research from @oii.ox.ac.uk shows that conversational AI can shift political attitudes through dialogue at scale. #SSDWords “We really need research like this to understand the real-world effects of LLMs on democratic processes.” Prof Helen Margetts. More ➡️

As AI use grows, new data from @data.ft.com suggests high earners are pulling ahead, with divides along gender and pay lines. Prof. @carlbfrey.bsky.social draws a parallel with the personal computing revolution. Read the piece here: giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Professional science organisations have reached different conclusions and policy recommendations on social media, despite examining similar research. Sophie Lloyd-Hurwitz and Andrew Przybylski (Oxford Internet Institute) identified six good governance practices in Ch4 #WHR2026.

Here's what we're up to this term! If you're a @ox.ac.uk researcher or work in research support do join us at some (or all) of these events! www.ox.ac.uk/research/col...

New! Excited for #ICLR 2026, with several @oii.ox.ac.uk researchers heading to Rio tomorrow where they will contribute to a range of presentations and workshops on AI and deep‑learning research. Find out more about the OII delegation: www.oii.ox.ac.uk 1/2

ICYMI: Latest @soeptech.bsky.social episode features an interview with Dr Robert Prey @oii.ox.ac.uk talking about how AI is reshaping the music world and sharing findings from his new report ’Musicians at Work in the Platform and AI Era’. Download the report: bit.ly/42lKVOM

What can AI governance learn from the movie Jurassic Park? Find out @ox.ac.uk @torchoxford2013.bsky.social new Pulse Series. Thanks for feat my work on AI's impact on equality, misinformation, work & climate change @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk tinyurl.com/3h67h3x8 tinyurl.com/yt2wkmsr

ICYMI: New report from @robertprey.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk reveals musicians worldwide are caught in a "streaming paradox": platforms are essential, but the pay isn't. www.yahoo.com/news/article...

ICYMI: Interesting @theguardian.com piece on why people are turning away from big tech with new commentary from @rocher.lc @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk.

Struggling to find the policy-relevant research you need? The Oxford Briefing is a monthly round-up of the latest policy-relevant research,events & news from @ox.ac.uk offering opps to collaborate with researchers, tailored to your policy preferences? newsletters.socsci.ox.ac.uk/k/Ouc/oxford...

AI is reshaping the music industry, but not always in the ways people expect. In the latest episode of the @soeptech.bsky.social podcast, Dr Robert Prey shares how musicians are navigating a rapidly changing industry, from streaming royalties to AI tools. www.spreaker.com/episode/ai-m...

'Younger, less-experienced workers are already feeling the impact of AI disruption.' Why are some jobs disappearing while others are more in demand than ever, and how do we avoid work becoming standardised so that it can be automated away? @oii.ox.ac.uk's Dr Fabian Stephany explains ⬇️

@mattsharpe.bsky.social and I want to test a cool idea and we are looking for datasets including: (a) Depression, (b) Objectively logged social media time, and (c) Subjectively estimated social media time. We've found some from @cjsewall9.bsky.social & @dougaparry.bsky.social but want more!

New BMJ Editorial out today from @rocher.lc and me: www.bmj.com/content/393/... - Biobank's response to the news that researchers have accidentally uploaded data to GitHub multiple times is insufficient & risks trust in the UK's health data ecosystem. Everyone needs to feel responsible for privacy.

New! Dr Fabian Stephany, @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk explores why some jobs are more likely to be automated by AI than others in his latest article writing for @uk.theconversation.com. Read the full piece: theconversation.com/the-more-com...

ICYMI: New report from @robertprey.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk reveals musicians worldwide are caught in a "streaming paradox": platforms are essential, but the pay isn't. More here: ioplus.nl/en/posts/mus...

@oii.ox.ac.uk charts changes to the job market in light of #AI. Jobs like writing and translating have seen demand drop by 20-50% ✏️ ‼️But, ChatGPT is not the big job killer feared: net demand for freelancing jobs increased after ChatGPT's launch. #SSDChanges www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/...

Missed the latest episode of The Human Interface? We discuss the often-invisible human workforce powering AI, from content moderation to data labelling, and why global standards in AI supply chains must be enforced to protect worker safety. open.spotify.com/episode/7vwE...

As geopolitical tensions reshape global tech governance, where does Europe stand, and where should it be heading? Join the OII & @blavatnikschool.bsky.social on 14 April for a roundtable on Europe's digital trajectory in a fragmenting world. www.bsg.ox.ac.uk/events/europ...