A small thing – a courtesy wave, a brief nod, a moment of acknowledgement. Not required. Not always returned. Still meaningful. A short reflection on why such small gestures – with people or even AI – still matter. 🔗 www.nevillehobson.io/a-gesture-of...

“Little by little, month by month, Britain and Europe are sidling closer.” A silver lining indeed www.theguardian.com/commentis…

A NYT book review, an AI tool, and a missed check. The issue isn’t using AI – it’s not checking what it produces. If AI touched it, you must verify it. A reflection, and an account of consequences. 👉 www.nevillehobson.io/the-risk-isn...

Forget about AI for a minute. Instead, this: www.theguardian.com/science/ng-i...

Translation: "I started something I can't finish and broke something I can't fix so I'm going to walk away and pretend it's your fault"

AI writing – helpful or harmful? In FIR 507, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz look beyond the LinkedIn backlash. For many professionals, writing isn’t their skill – it’s a task. AI can help. But voice, judgement, and trust still matter. Where do we draw the line? 🎧💻 bit.ly/41wX578

Communication is no longer just shaping how we understand conflict – in the Iran war, it’s becoming part of the conflict itself. A new post on how information warfare is evolving, and what it means for communicators working in the same system. 🔗 www.nevillehobson.io/when-communi...

Wikipedia bans AI-generated content: “it shows the Wikipedia community is less optimistic about the benefit of AI-generated content, and [is] taking a stand against it.” www.404media.co/wikipedia…

Closely guard your Zoom meeting passwords! cybernews.com/ai-news/webi...

Next month, @silviacambie.bsky.social and I will be repeating our #IABC member-only webinar on AI and ethics at a time suited to Australia & SE Asia: 🗓 Wed 15 April 2026 🕗 08:00 UTC | 16:00 SGT | 18:00 AEST 👉 Details & registration: iabcondemand.learnupon.com/store/500072...

A CEO with a personal AI agent. It sounds amusing. There's a serious point, though. If AI can brief, prioritise, and answer on behalf of leaders, what happens to management itself? A short, slightly tongue-in-cheek take on a serious shift. 🔗 www.nevillehobson.io/the-ceo-who-...

AI is changing communication – and the assumptions behind it. In FIR 506, @nevillehobson.xyz & @shelholtz.bsky.social cover: Billable hours • Observed work • PR budget hype • Misinformation risk • Bots vs humans • Are humans still central? Plus, @danyork.bsky.social on tech. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4t270x8

Twenty years after Twitter began, I’ve been reflecting on how much has changed – not just the platforms, but how I choose to use them. And why I stepped away from X in 2023. 🔗 www.nevillehobson.io/the-long-arc... Are you still on X? How has your relationship with social networks evolved?

Is social media still “social”? In #FIRpodcast 505, @shelholtz.bsky.social and I explore Hootsuite’s 2026 Trends report, addressing social as search, AI vs authenticity, and more. Plus a darker question – what if AI starts to dominate the conversation? 🎧💻 bit.ly/4bhc7DJ

Terrific read. The Huw Edwards drama airs on Channel 5 at 9pm on 24 March. www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-r...

Good assessment of Axel Springer’s swoop to snatch the Telegraph from the Daily Mail’s grasp. I read the Guardian and the Telegraph on Saturdays, for the opinions, lifestyle, culture, etc. Not the news. I don’t see that changing. bit.ly/3NAjdKu

If this isn't profiteering, I don't know what is! Gulf station in Sloane Avenue, Chelsea www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

Pretty good assessment by Jeremy Bowen. It looks like the U.S has learned little from previous efforts from the 1990s onwards. www.bbc.co.uk/news/arti…

🤖 Are companies using AI as a convenient explanation for layoffs? In #FIRpodcast 504, Shel and I discuss “AI washing” – when organisations blame workforce cuts on AI even when the reality is more complicated. A difficult ethical space for communicators. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4davVtO

Petrol prices certainly have jumped in the past week. Today at Tesco in Yeovil, E10 petrol is £1.36/litre, up from £1.32 last week. Not far behind E10 at the BP station: £1.38/litre. Topped up the tank with 20 litres, first purchase since 23 Feb (hybrid helps). I expect prices to keep going up.

AI agents promise autonomy. But when they reach the limits of the digital world, they still need humans to observe reality for them. In my latest post, I reflect on the idea of humans becoming the “sensors” of agentic AI – and what that might mean for human-centred AI. 🔗 bit.ly/4lBM6ml

This is brilliant. Will it win #Eurovision? Er, probably not, it's totally bonkers. But it oughta! youtu.be/niMKvJ-Itq8?...

Human-centred AI puts people before technology. But what happens when AI begins shaping decisions in war? A short reflection on ethics, responsibility and human judgement in an age of AI-assisted warfare. www.nevillehobson.io/when-human-c...

A leader can build goodwill for days... and lose it in seconds. In #FIRpodcast 503, @nevillehobson.xyz & @shelholtz.bsky.social examine the #IOC press conference moment that turned into a global story about blame, executive readiness & leadership capital. 🎧💻 bit.ly/3OKM3YX

Insightful analysis by Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian of @gavinnewsom.bsky.social, the man who will challenge Trump sooner or later www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Good news for Yeovil and Somerset as a whole, not to mention the wider UK economy www.bbc.co.uk/news/arti…

“It is, of course, only one by-election, and there are all kinds of factors at play here — but the fragmentation of British politics appears to be speeding up.” - @politico news.sky.com/story/gre…

US consulting growth is forecast to hit 7%, driven by AI implementation. But this is “selective acceleration”, not a blanket boom. For independents, the opportunity lies less in AI tools and more in helping organisations interpret change. New post: www.nevillehobson.io/ai-is-liftin...

AI is already shaping decisions in organisations. Are our ethical frameworks keeping pace? On 25 Feb, @silviacambie.bsky.social and I are hosting “AI, Ethics, and the Responsibility of Communicators” for #IABC Ethics Month. A leadership conversation, not a tools session. Details: bit.ly/4rzfBHt

Extraordinary - IOC president threatens to fire PR staff after being blindsided by a journalist in a press conference. Watch the clip, painful viewing. youtu.be/K_gnbJc3gK0?...

In #FIRpodcast 502, @shelholtz.bsky.social and @nevillehobson.xyz unpacked what happened when an AI coding agent's code was rejected by a human developer – and the AI then published a critique of him and his decision. Plus 5 more topics in this long-form episode for February. 🔗 bit.ly/46ou3cR

AI isn’t replacing communicators – it may be increasing their value. In #FIRpodcast 501, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz explore why companies are hiring “chief storytellers” – and why the shift from messaging to meaning could redefine our role. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4aUFj32

The PRCA has proposed a new definition of public relations. It’s modern, strategic, and ambitious. But with CIPR, PRSA and others all defining PR differently, can the profession ever speak with one voice? Maybe the issue isn’t about writing a definition, but agreeing on one. 🔗 bit.ly/4ro8h1g

Challenging times for adland www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

'Gateway timeout' error trying to log in to ChatGPT status.openai.com

New word: #slopaganda www.businessinsider.com/hottest-j…

In #FIRpodcast 500, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz talk about AI-enabled workplace abuse and why it needs to be treated as workplace harm. For communicators, this is about preparation – what to do before anything happens to prevent silence becoming permission. 🎧💻 bit.ly/4tsVU5w

“The viral social network for bots reveals more about our own current mania for AI as it does about the future of agents.” Nailed it! www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/0…

The Mandelson scandal is the headline. But what sticks with me is Gordon Brown’s call for systemic reform – hearings for senior appointments, an anti-corruption commission with teeth, tougher lobbying rules, limits on second jobs. Reform is friction. www.nevillehobson.io/cleaning-up-...

A really good alternative to hosting your newsletter on Substack is @ghost.org. This is the one I use www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

AI is raising leadership & communication questions before technical ones. On 11 Feb, @silviacambie.bsky.social & I are hosting an introductory webinar for #IABC members to launch the AI Leadership & Communication SIG – what it focuses on, & how members can get involved. Details: bit.ly/3Zphqu6

Jeez, this sordid tale gets worse and worse every time I look at the news 🤮 Can they just arrest someone and jail them? And please, mainstream media, stop labelling everything you report as “Breaking News”

We’ve got oddly fixated on one question when reading content: “Was this written by AI?” Hardly a quality judgement. I’ve written about why good content is defined by intent, ethics, and outcomes – and when AI assistance actually does matter. 🔗 www.nevillehobson.io/good-content...

PRSA says staying “apolitical” protects credibility. In #FIRpodcast 499, @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz ask a harder question: what happens to credibility, truth and standards when ethical leadership goes quiet? 🎧💻 bit.ly/4tmraTN Thoughtful discussion welcomed.

When people say they’d rather work with AI than with colleagues, something deeper is broken. New research on generational conflict points to a leadership and communication failure, not an age problem, and not a technology problem. 🔗 www.nevillehobson.io/when-organis...

I’ve joined the waitlist for wsocial.eu beta when it opens in March. “W is built on verified human users, transparency, privacy, and free speech.” I like that start point. Check it out!

Most crises aren’t sudden. AI, trust erosion, and compound risks expose how unprepared organisations still are. @shelholtz.bsky.social & @nevillehobson.xyz host a new #FIRpodcast interview with Philippe Borremans @riskcomms.bsky.social on crisis communication trends for 2026. 🎧💻 bit.ly/45AKdzn

"Oh our Minneapolis, I hear your voice Crying through the bloody mist We’ll remember the names of those who died On the streets of Minneapolis" - @brucespringsteen.net youtu.be/wWKSoxG1K7w?...

FUD about travelling to the US or not continues edition.cnn.com/2026/01/28/t...

ChatGPT can feel like a stable workspace – until it isn’t. After a professor lost two years of work in a single click, the lesson is simple: if the work matters, backups are your responsibility. Convenience isn’t protection. 🔗 www.nevillehobson.io/when-chatgpt...