Jack Stilgoe

@jackstilgoe.bsky.social

4.4K followers 1.5K following 1.6K posts

Professor in Science and Technology Studies, UCL @stsucl.bsky.social. Science policy, responsible innovation, emerging technologies. Book https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-32320-2. Responsible AI UK (www.rai.ac.uk) .. more

Videos

Political science 18%

Sociology 17%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

Armando Iannucci @aiannucci.bsky.social · 3h

I see various people posting this up. Here’s me from 2001 talking about AI. Dunno how accurate it is. I hope it isn’t. youtu.be/6mvUqM2Ty5c?...

Conference "A.I." from the Armando Iannucci Show

YouTube video by Simon Kidd

youtu.be

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 4h

Song for today open.spotify.com/track/3yplSO...

The Night Before

open.spotify.com

Reposted by Andrew L. Whitehead, Jack Stilgoe

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 11 more Marc Lynch, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce, Fabián Muniesa, Daniel W. Drezner, Rebecca Tushnet, Alan Richardson, Michael Jones‐Correa, Kate Starbird, Alfie Kohn, Mark Rice, Ann Bartow, Jack Stilgoe, David Darmofal

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 1d

The “free speech” and “cancel culture” panics have led to overt state censorship because that was always their purpose. (Gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

The reason so many of yesterday’s free-speech champions transitioned so easily into today’s pro-Trump censors is that their definition of free speech never included the right of others to talk back. They were not defending a universal right to freedom of speech; they were defending a right to monologue. They could say what they want, and you could shut up and like it. The cynicism of the effort can be known by its fruits: an administration that issues executive orders “protecting” free speech while engaging in the most sweeping campaign of state censorship since the Red Scare.

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 1d

With some thoughts from me @ucl.ac.uk @stsucl.bsky.social

Uber and Lyft partner with China's Baidu to trial UK robotaxis

Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxis have already accrued millions of driverless rides in cities worldwide.

www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Greg Linden, Jack Stilgoe

Rodney Brooks @rodneyabrooks.bsky.social · 3d

Much of SF lost power last night. Waymos blocked intersections across the city, even though they are Wayless than 1% of cars on the roads. They accumulated at their failure points--intersections with no green lights, in busy areas, and shut down traffic there.

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 3d

A reminder of the myth of autonomy journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Reposted by Victor Pickard, Jack Stilgoe

Pepper Culpepper @pculpepper.bsky.social · 4d

Political scientists should pay attention to concentration of media ownership as a key challenge for democracy.

Victor Pickard @victorpickard.bsky.social · 4d

Excellent piece by @sulliview.bsky.social in @theguardian.com. Grateful that she references our recent @rooseveltinstitute.org report on the media crises facing US democracy. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The tug-of-war over CNN shows how dysfunctional US media has become | Margaret Sullivan

The network’s fate has become a battle of corporate ownership, not a question of what benefits Americans

www.theguardian.com

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 4d

The style is more memestonk than dusty history of science, but the revelation that Newton and Darwin were almost the equivalent of billionaires is 😮 www.ft.com/content/5d21...

Which genius from history would have been the best investor?

FTAV goes hedge fund headhunting through the ages

www.ft.com

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 5d

Stop it! That's an AI dog, surely?

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

Sarah Emily Duff @sarahemilyduff.bsky.social · 5d

‘the life of Adolphe Sax … show[s] that his power of innovation … was matched by an ornate capacity for having accidents: he drank a bowl of acidic water…, fell onto a cast-iron frying pan, was knocked out with a cobblestone, … and asphyxiated when he slept in a room where varnish was drying.‘

Susannah Clapp · Not Quite Music

In The Madman’s Library, Edward Brooke-Hitching asked if a work of literature written on a shirt could be called a...

www.lrb.co.uk

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 5d

The hats?

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d

Thinking of starting a PR consultancy where I only represent people thinking of talking to journalists about their tax grumbles and I just say “don’t”

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.bsky.social · 7d

i'm hiring a postdoc to map the age-verification space and do some audits

if you’ve worked in this area, pls apply: aial.ie/hiring/postd...

pls share widely

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d

I tried to do the same recently, but couldn't get past the inescapable conclusion that 'GPT is a GPT' was just a naked way to avoid any accountability for actual impacts and purposes. GPTs are normally diagnosed in retrospect by economists, not by inventors

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d

Unimportantly, NCAR also has a most excellent building, in the foothills above Boulder. Designed by IM Pei.

USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 7d

Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.

Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado

The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.

bit.ly

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d

Interesting development. Will TECHFORCE become something like DARPA or something like McKinsey?

Tech Force

Building technology for the American people. Join the Tech Force and use your skills to serve your country.

techforce.gov

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d

If you're a white male writer writing one of those 'meritocracy is dead, people are biased against white men' pieces, it's a good idea to not write a really bad boring piece

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Jack Stilgoe

Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 7d

My review of the year in science for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social, including an optimistic view that we might finally start to reconsider our tolerance of AI slop.
www.thenewworld.co.uk/philip-ball-...

2025 could have been the year of peak AI

Maybe we have decided to restore it to being a mere useful tool for data analysis, and not to let it run and ruin our lives

www.thenewworld.co.uk

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 7d

Absolute truth

John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 7d

People make fun of him for Lady In Red but forget that Chris de Burgh wrote what is hands down the single greatest UFO nativity Christmas anthem of all time. And what the hell have you ever done?

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun @eaterofsun.bsky.social · 7d

The system shouldn't discriminate against young white men, says Mr Douthart
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/o...
The system is discriminating in favour of young men, says Dr Mounck
www.persuasion.community/p/the-quiet-...

Opinion | There’s a Simpler Explanation for the Rightward Shift of Young Men

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

John Gallagher @earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 7d

People make fun of him for Lady In Red but forget that Chris de Burgh wrote what is hands down the single greatest UFO nativity Christmas anthem of all time. And what the hell have you ever done?

Reposted by Jack Stilgoe

Chris Addison @mrchrisaddison.bsky.social · 7d

17. Christmas isn't Christmas without at least one rose carol. 'There is No Rose' has been set more times than your nana's hairdo, but perhaps this is the most recent version, by the brilliant young composer, Lucy Walker. Made it into the latest Carols for Choirs. So fancy.

youtu.be/jFYb4-_glZw?...

There is no Rose

YouTube video by St Martin's Voices - Topic

youtu.be

Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 7d

NSF is about to dismantle NCAR at Russell Vought's direction to protect the fossil fuel industry. It's hard to communicate just how much NCAR does, so let's take a look: I've never worked at NCAR, and I've worked with NCAR researchers once ever. What scientific discoveries has NCAR made possible? 👇

Russ Vought (piss man) tweet about doing piss man shit: The National Science Foundation will be breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. This facility is one of the largest sources of climate alarmism in the country. A comprehensive review is underway & any vital activities such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location.

Reposted by Katharine Hayhoe, Elizabeth Saunders, Rebecca Solnit , and 66 more Katharine Hayhoe, Elizabeth Saunders, Rebecca Solnit, Richard S.J. Tol, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Scott C. Doney, Brian J. Enquist, Joel A. Thornton, Kimberly A. Prather, Simon L. Lewis, David M. Schultz, Brigitte Nerlich, Will Jennings, Peter Thorne, Brendan Nyhan, Timon McPhearson, Arthur Geßler, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Wim Thiery, Elizabeth A. Barnes, Ed Hawkins, Mathias Disney, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, Baylor Fox‐Kemper, Julie L. Lockwood, Patrick A. Jansen, Rosie A. Fisher, Flavio Lehner, Jonathan A. Foley, Joshua S. Weitz, Scott L. Greer, Steve Peers, Alan de Brauw, David Johnson, Rosemary A. Joyce, Michael J. Allen, Fabián Muniesa, Gernot Wagner, Adam Gamoran, Daniel W. Drezner, Smith, Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Robert Wolfe, Holger Hestermeyer, Dominique Meurs, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Bessma Momani, Suzanne de Cheveigné, Michael D. McDonald, Erol Akçay, David Murakami Wood, Kate Starbird, Jennifer A. Johnson, Mathias Frisch, Alessandro Rigolon, Leah Stokes, Larry W. Hunter, Jack Stilgoe, Nathan Richardson, Xavier Molénat, Kate Jackson, Carlos Carroll, Jeannette Sutton, Clark Gray, Annalee Newitz, David Darmofal, Peter Jacobs, Jesse R. Lasky, Anne Hilborn

USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 7d

Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado

The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.

bit.ly

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 8d

As someone who has recently used Qualtrics panels of, I hope, humans, I have THOUGHTS

Sabrina Norwood @sabrinanorwood.bsky.social · 8d

Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?

Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"

Text reads: About synthetic panels
Recruiting the right participants for a study can be difficult. You may not get the exact demographics you need, and the shorter the deadline, the less sure you can be that everyone will answer on time. One possible solution can be to use synthetic panels.

Synthetic panels are powered by a first party proprietary AI model developed here at Qualtrics. Our synthetic panel is trained on thousands of responses from a variety of demographic backgrounds in order to more accurately predict how certain populations would respond to a survey.

Our synthetic panel is based on the United States General Population, and is only available in English. This panel comes with ready-made quotas and target breakouts in order to represent your chosen population and make it easy to launch your survey right away.

Text reads:
Discussion
The current study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the TPB when applied to health behaviours which addressed the limitations of previous reviews by including only prospective tests of behaviour, applying RE meta-analytic procedures, correcting correlations for sampling and measurement error, and hierarchically analysing the effect of behaviour type and sample and methodological moderators. Some 237 tests were identified which examined relations amongst model components. Overall the analysis indicated that the TPB could explain 19.3% of the variance in behaviour and 44.3% of the variance in intention across studies. This level of prediction of behaviour is slightly lower than that of previous meta-analytic reviews which have found between 27% (Armitage & Conner, 2001; Hagger et al., 2002) and 36% (Trafimow et al., 2002)
of the variance in behaviour to be explained by intention and PBC.

Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 8d

samesies

Reposted by Catherine J. Frieman, Jack Stilgoe

Stephen Hughes @stephenhues.bsky.social · 8d

Just published a book review in PUS where I critique how scholarship in Science and Technology Studies "has a habit of sidestepping the answer to its own political questions" alongside its "tendency to twist political questions into ontological ones".

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...