#ICYMI Calling all #Vienna peeps! Next weekend #ChristChurchVienna will host its annual #Midsummer #StreetParty! Yours truly is in charge of #books. Come #celebrate the #summer season with us. Food. Beats. Books. Bric-a-brac. The countdown starts now! 🎉

With the #WorldCup around the corner, #FIFA is extending its use of #artificialintelligence to #protect players from abusive messages on #socialmedia. Similar #technology is already used by #PremierLeague clubs with some success.The #beautifulgame shouldn't just be smarter, it should also be safer.

#POV With the release of the #Pope's first #encyclical, #AIEthics is more than a #moral imperative, it takes on #religious overtones.By framing #AI through the lens of #humandignity, the text goes beyond #technology to hint at an #existentialcrisis facing humanity. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...

#POV #Visualstorytelling is vital for #nonprofits and #humanitarian organisations, yet images of suffering have long raised #ethical concerns. Could #AI-generated imagery offer a more responsible alternative? This article explores the emerging debate around #AI and #photography. tinyurl.com/ngo-ai

#POV The positive effects of #coffee on #cognition, #digestion, and #mood are well known, but new research now looks beyond #caffeine. Coffee is rich source of #polyphenols, plant-derived compounds linked to enhanced #brainfunction and #anti-inflammatory effects. Instant or roast-and-ground,anyone?

Humans have developed sophisticated ways of collaborating in #group #decision-making - but do these systems always lead to what’s genuinely best for everyone?And what role does #diversity play? Professor @helenmargetts.bsky.social offers insight into the complex dynamics that shape political groups.

#ICYMI: Forget about #algospeak, some of us are still trying to get our heads around the appropriate use of #emojis. An irreverent must-read for those who remember the heady days of #IRC and #Internetslang.

#POV In the old days, #Lego was all about developing #learning, #creativity, and #problemsolving through #play. Recently, supercharged by #artificialintelligence and #socialmedia, this iconic #toy seems to have become a vehicle for highly sophisticated #propaganda. www.bbc.com/news/article...

#POV It is a truism that #language shapes #politics through strategic #rhetoric, #metaphors, and #wordchoice. But does invoking entrenched national #stereotypes make #armedconflict inevitable?Whether one is on the side of the “mad mullahs” or the “Great Satan”, the point is simple: watch your words.

#PublicationAlert My lovely colleagues from @pubgovman.bsky.social, @AngelaSamuel and @jurgenwillems.bsky.social , have just #published a new #researcharticle! Do #citizens hold the #publicsector more #accountable for #failures in #crosssectoral #collaborations? Read on below to find out more!

Understanding how #youngpeople use #AI is vital. But the gap isn’t just about #technology, it is also about #awareness. Without open #conversations and #curiosity, parents risk making assumptions that could either expose children to #psychologicalharm or stifle #creativity. BBC: shorturl.at/BvZO7

"War is a place where young people who don't know each other and don't hate each other, kill each other, based on decisions made by old people who know each other and hate each other, but don't kill each other." - Anon. #StopWar #NotInMyName #BringBackDiplomacy

#CfP #EDDY2026, 21-22 September 2026 (+ tutorial day,23 September) 📍WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) 📅Submission deadline: 03 June 2026 🔗 Submit here: tinyurl.com/eddy-subm 🌐 More information: tinyurl.com/eddy-2026 👥Jan Maly, Arianna Novaro, Frederik Van De Putte, Shefali Virkar

#OnThisDay It is exactly a decade since #AlphaGo defeated 9-dan #Go champion #LeeSedol in a best-of-five encounter, marking the first time an #AI defeated a top-ranked human professional in a full-sized #boardgame. Was this moment the symbolic start of the modern AI arms race? Only time will tell.

The battle for control over #AI systems has been seemingly turned on its head.Indeed, it is the companies who should call for greater #oversight and #safeguards, if #Washington pushes these aside.Sounds strange? As the article says, this is a maverick government, and AI is an unorthodox #technology.

🚨 #CfP: #IFIP #EGOV2026 in #Athens, #Greece Track 8 #SmartCities ( #Government, #Districts, #Communities & #Regions) 📜Track description: tinyurl.com/egov-conft 📅 Deadline: 16 March 2026 ✍️Conference: 30 Aug-3 Sept 2026 Track Chairs: Shefali Virkar, Manuel Pedro Rodriguez Bolivar, Joep Crompvoets

For those of us who grew up with the #socialbrainhypothesis, and #DunbarsNumber: new research on #cephalopods suggests that larger brains do not necessarily imply a larger number of social connections.Even #Dunbar appears to acknowledge that his theory applies more to #mammals than to other species.

#ThatsMe Delighted to share that I have joined the European Digital DemocracY Network (EDDY) as part of the Core Committee (www.eddy-network.eu/about/who-we...)! My first task is to co-host the network's flagship #conference, #EDDY2026, in #Vienna later this year. Watch this space!

With the #AIImpactSummit2026 now underway, all eyes are on host nation #India, and the implications of holding the event in the #globalsouth. The country could emerge as a strong advocate of #AIforsocialgood, and of a more #peoplecentric approach to #AI #development and #implementation. But will it?

Bought this book quicker than you could say " #PrinceAndrew". This #ValentinesDay, let's remember the #survivors of #trafficking, #exploitation, and #abuse across the world, and stand with them as they rebuild their lives. #EpsteinFiles #GrokAI #GiselePelicot #Weinstein #MohdAlFayed

#ThatsMe Last November,I had the honour of being featured as part of the @idealdemocracy.bsky.social Project’s Women in ICT series.It has been three years since I joined the team at @pubgovman.bsky.social,and I have grown both as a person and a professional.Grateful always for life's many blessings.

An outright #ban on #socialmedia is less the act of a confident #government, and more a scramble to regain #control over a #technology and an #industry in the wake of a #failure of traditional top-down #policymaking. Effective #regulation involves rather #stakeholderconsensus and #digitalliteracy.

📢The #IFIP #EGOV2026 CfP is out! Delighted to be chairing the #SmartCities track (tinyurl.com/egov-conft) with @mprguezbolivar.bsky.social and Joep Crompvoets. 📅 Deadline: 16 March 2026 🔗 Submission: tinyurl.com/egov-subm ✍ 30 Aug-3 Sept 2026 🌐 Conference website: tinyurl.com/egov-26 Join us!

How does #language shape the way we #perceive and interpret the world? What are the #consequences for the life-changing choices that we make? And how can we take back the use of language to protect the most #vulnerable and at-risk in #society? Today's #WUMattersWUTalks event made me stop and think.

#Deliverable writing on a wintry afternoon in an empty office for the @idealdemocracy.bsky.social project. This, the second #report of WP1, focuses on #politicalparticipation from the perspective of experts and beneficiaries. So satisfying to see raw data turn into text! #researcher #worklife

Now is the time to examine how students engage with #ArtificialIntelligence tools in both academic and non-academic settings, explore the cross-over of competencies, and to harness this deeper understanding to support traditional teaching methods and foster critical thinking.

#HotOffThePress The first IDEAL Project newsletter is out! Read further to find out what our diverse and multi-talented team has been upto for the last 12 months. Subscribe to keep abreast of the very latest project developments as we continue to build a truly inclusive deliberative space in Europe.

Hello World! Starting something new ✨ This space is for sharing ideas, exchanging news, reviewing books, challenging accepted wisdom - and having a bit of an intellectual adventure along the way. Glad you are here. ❤️