Lauren Beukes
@laurenbeukes.com
Novelist, scriptwriter, imaginative futurist, recovering journalist. Winner of the Arthur C Clarke and the University of Johannesburg Prize. Author of The Shining Girls (now on Apple TV), Zoo City and Bridge.
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
I know we're all seeing 87 unhinged things per day, but "guys if our multi billion dollar product doesn't start being useful for something, literally anything, the people might not appreciate us wrecking the planet over it anymore" is a truly bananapants thing to say out loud
Delicious to me
January 22, 2026 at 6:29 AM
I know we're all seeing 87 unhinged things per day, but "guys if our multi billion dollar product doesn't start being useful for something, literally anything, the people might not appreciate us wrecking the planet over it anymore" is a truly bananapants thing to say out loud
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Finished season 2 of Silo last night. Today's AppleTV free trial choice is the adaptation of @laurenbeukes.com 's Shining Girls.
January 17, 2026 at 8:54 AM
Finished season 2 of Silo last night. Today's AppleTV free trial choice is the adaptation of @laurenbeukes.com 's Shining Girls.
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
crazy to think how i struggle to ask for any kind of help but the president of the united states asks "can i have your nobel peace prize?"
January 16, 2026 at 10:38 AM
crazy to think how i struggle to ask for any kind of help but the president of the united states asks "can i have your nobel peace prize?"
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Cancel your Spotify subscription.
In April 2024, Spotify implemented a new scheme: songs with less than 1k streams per year would no longer receive royalties.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
January 16, 2026 at 5:33 AM
Cancel your Spotify subscription.
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits.
AI poses a grave threat to students' cognitive development.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
AI poses a grave threat to students' cognitive development.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
www.npr.org
January 14, 2026 at 11:09 PM
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits.
AI poses a grave threat to students' cognitive development.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
AI poses a grave threat to students' cognitive development.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
[interrogation]
DETECTIVE: tell us the truth!
ME: [smugly] I am.
DETECTIVE: I'll have you know it's a crime to give false information to a police officer!
ME: oh really? What if I told you my name was... MICROSOFT CO-PILOT???
DETECTIVE: [quietly] oh shit he's got us, that's completely legal
DETECTIVE: tell us the truth!
ME: [smugly] I am.
DETECTIVE: I'll have you know it's a crime to give false information to a police officer!
ME: oh really? What if I told you my name was... MICROSOFT CO-PILOT???
DETECTIVE: [quietly] oh shit he's got us, that's completely legal
January 14, 2026 at 11:35 AM
[interrogation]
DETECTIVE: tell us the truth!
ME: [smugly] I am.
DETECTIVE: I'll have you know it's a crime to give false information to a police officer!
ME: oh really? What if I told you my name was... MICROSOFT CO-PILOT???
DETECTIVE: [quietly] oh shit he's got us, that's completely legal
DETECTIVE: tell us the truth!
ME: [smugly] I am.
DETECTIVE: I'll have you know it's a crime to give false information to a police officer!
ME: oh really? What if I told you my name was... MICROSOFT CO-PILOT???
DETECTIVE: [quietly] oh shit he's got us, that's completely legal
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
💯 "Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This. If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists." www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
www.theatlantic.com
January 14, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
🚰 New EU-wide protections against PFAS in drinking water are now in force!
This is a win for people, our waters and strong EU rules! 🎉
But for harmonised monitoring, we must defend the EU's Water Framework Directive - the cornerstone of water protection✊
More ⬇️
#ProtectWater #OneHealth #BanPFAS
This is a win for people, our waters and strong EU rules! 🎉
But for harmonised monitoring, we must defend the EU's Water Framework Directive - the cornerstone of water protection✊
More ⬇️
#ProtectWater #OneHealth #BanPFAS
January 14, 2026 at 10:39 AM
🚰 New EU-wide protections against PFAS in drinking water are now in force!
This is a win for people, our waters and strong EU rules! 🎉
But for harmonised monitoring, we must defend the EU's Water Framework Directive - the cornerstone of water protection✊
More ⬇️
#ProtectWater #OneHealth #BanPFAS
This is a win for people, our waters and strong EU rules! 🎉
But for harmonised monitoring, we must defend the EU's Water Framework Directive - the cornerstone of water protection✊
More ⬇️
#ProtectWater #OneHealth #BanPFAS
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Sharing, or threatening to share, a deepfake intimate image without consent is a criminal offence.
This offence, created by the Data Act last year, will be brought into force this week, and I will make it a priority offence in the Online Safety Act too.
www.gov.uk/government/s...
This offence, created by the Data Act last year, will be brought into force this week, and I will make it a priority offence in the Online Safety Act too.
www.gov.uk/government/s...
Secretary of State statement to the House of Commons: 12 January 2026
DSIT Secretary of State statement after concerns over Grok AI.
www.gov.uk
January 13, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Sharing, or threatening to share, a deepfake intimate image without consent is a criminal offence.
This offence, created by the Data Act last year, will be brought into force this week, and I will make it a priority offence in the Online Safety Act too.
www.gov.uk/government/s...
This offence, created by the Data Act last year, will be brought into force this week, and I will make it a priority offence in the Online Safety Act too.
www.gov.uk/government/s...
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, after authorities said it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and non-consensual images. n.pr/49BPyI1
Malaysia, Indonesia become first to block Musk's Grok over AI deepfakes
Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, after authorities said it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and non-consensual images.
n.pr
January 12, 2026 at 10:12 AM
Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, after authorities said it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and non-consensual images. n.pr/49BPyI1
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Looks like government by 4chan isn't working out so hot.
January 8, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Looks like government by 4chan isn't working out so hot.
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
be the person you were trying to be on tumblr in 2014
January 7, 2026 at 1:27 PM
be the person you were trying to be on tumblr in 2014
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Useful reporting from Translucent. When we’ve suggested that trans women don’t pose a risk, people have argued that’s because of under reporting. These FOI requests suggest that might not be the case
www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/almo...
www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/almo...
Almost no one is complaining about trans women in women's spaces, study finds - LGBTQ Nation
“This is a manufactured controversy, not a documented crisis.”
www.lgbtqnation.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Useful reporting from Translucent. When we’ve suggested that trans women don’t pose a risk, people have argued that’s because of under reporting. These FOI requests suggest that might not be the case
www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/almo...
www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/almo...
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
I am extremely confused as to why the UK government and police are saying Grok’s mass-scale CSAM generation is an issue for Ofcom.
This isn’t about X failing to moderate CSAM, which is an Online Safety Act issue. It is about the company and its technology being actively involved in its generation.
This isn’t about X failing to moderate CSAM, which is an Online Safety Act issue. It is about the company and its technology being actively involved in its generation.
January 7, 2026 at 7:37 AM
I am extremely confused as to why the UK government and police are saying Grok’s mass-scale CSAM generation is an issue for Ofcom.
This isn’t about X failing to moderate CSAM, which is an Online Safety Act issue. It is about the company and its technology being actively involved in its generation.
This isn’t about X failing to moderate CSAM, which is an Online Safety Act issue. It is about the company and its technology being actively involved in its generation.
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
A personal account of the attack on Venezuela and the current situation there, from @globalvoices.org's Venezuelan contributor and social media editor:
globalvoices.org/2026/01/05/a...
globalvoices.org/2026/01/05/a...
A new, terrifying sound: A Venezuelan account of the the attack on Caracas
“I thought Venezuelans had already heard every sound the country’s violence had to offer. But this was something new — terrifying in its unfamiliarity.”
globalvoices.org
January 6, 2026 at 1:32 PM
A personal account of the attack on Venezuela and the current situation there, from @globalvoices.org's Venezuelan contributor and social media editor:
globalvoices.org/2026/01/05/a...
globalvoices.org/2026/01/05/a...
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
"A woman dressed as a pink Power Ranger hacked a dating site for far-right extremists. She deleted the entire site, but first she made users fall in love with AI bots she ran, thus obtaining information about them. Over 8,000 far-right profiles have now been mapped."
En kvinna, utklädd till rosa Power Ranger, hackade datingsida för högerextrema. Hon raderade hela sidan, men först fick hon användarna att bli kära i AI-botar som hon drev och fick på så sätt ut information om dem. Över 8000 högerextrema profiler har nu kartlagts.
cybernews.com/security/inv...
cybernews.com/security/inv...
Investigator breaches white supremacist dating sites, exposes 8,000 users
An investigative journalist infiltrated three white supremacist platforms, including the dating site WhiteDate, exfiltrating over 8,000 user profiles and 100GB of sensitive data.
cybernews.com
January 3, 2026 at 10:27 AM
"A woman dressed as a pink Power Ranger hacked a dating site for far-right extremists. She deleted the entire site, but first she made users fall in love with AI bots she ran, thus obtaining information about them. Over 8,000 far-right profiles have now been mapped."
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
I submitted my claim for the Anthropic Copyright Settlement case today.
www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
If AI tech bros violated your coprights work to feed their slop-vomiting machines, sign up for the settlement here.
Burn these fuckers and their empire of AI slop to the ground.
🔥👿🔥
www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
If AI tech bros violated your coprights work to feed their slop-vomiting machines, sign up for the settlement here.
Burn these fuckers and their empire of AI slop to the ground.
🔥👿🔥
Homepage | Bartz v Anthropic Settlement Site
www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:37 AM
I submitted my claim for the Anthropic Copyright Settlement case today.
www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
If AI tech bros violated your coprights work to feed their slop-vomiting machines, sign up for the settlement here.
Burn these fuckers and their empire of AI slop to the ground.
🔥👿🔥
www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com
If AI tech bros violated your coprights work to feed their slop-vomiting machines, sign up for the settlement here.
Burn these fuckers and their empire of AI slop to the ground.
🔥👿🔥
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.
Seems like it's worth posting this one again.
Why Do Historians Still Have To Go To Archives?
Why do historians go to archives? Hasn’t everything already been digitized?
contingentmagazine.org
December 22, 2025 at 1:40 AM
When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
As a professional *human* audiobook narrator, this is a huge help.
The more we can push back against the use of AI becoming "inevitable", because it is no such thing, the better off every single person and the planet will be.
The more we can push back against the use of AI becoming "inevitable", because it is no such thing, the better off every single person and the planet will be.
December 18, 2025 at 2:12 AM
As a professional *human* audiobook narrator, this is a huge help.
The more we can push back against the use of AI becoming "inevitable", because it is no such thing, the better off every single person and the planet will be.
The more we can push back against the use of AI becoming "inevitable", because it is no such thing, the better off every single person and the planet will be.
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
I know many things are awful but here is one genuinely useful and helpful thing you can do. No matter their party, your representative needs to hear that trans people and our families are not alone and this bill is an unjustifiable and extreme threat to criminalize the health care we need to live.
Tomorrow, the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that bans gender-affirming medical care for any transgender person under 18, and threatens any medical professional providing this care to youth with 10 years in prison.
Tell Congress to protect trans youth and vote NO.
Tell Congress to protect trans youth and vote NO.
Protect Trans Care Now
As wave after wave of extreme measures to criminalize and strip trans people of rights and safety continue, tell Congress to act.
action.aclu.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I know many things are awful but here is one genuinely useful and helpful thing you can do. No matter their party, your representative needs to hear that trans people and our families are not alone and this bill is an unjustifiable and extreme threat to criminalize the health care we need to live.
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Behold, if you will, the...astonishing...contract from Shadow Light Press. A rolling 10-year term...payment on profit (but only after costs are recouped)...appropriation of the author's universe if they can't continue the series...and more www.reddit.com/r/Progressio...
From the ProgressionFantasy community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the ProgressionFantasy community
www.reddit.com
December 16, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Behold, if you will, the...astonishing...contract from Shadow Light Press. A rolling 10-year term...payment on profit (but only after costs are recouped)...appropriation of the author's universe if they can't continue the series...and more www.reddit.com/r/Progressio...
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
One of the many reasons AI can't produce good writing is it can't hate its own writing. It can't think to itself "Maybe I'm illiterate" during the writing process. And that's essential
December 9, 2025 at 8:45 PM
One of the many reasons AI can't produce good writing is it can't hate its own writing. It can't think to itself "Maybe I'm illiterate" during the writing process. And that's essential
Reposted by Lauren Beukes
Neurodivergent people can be terrible people .
And there’s a deep need for a convo ( intra community ) about how the discourse around how parts of our divergence are treated .
And how privilege is handled .
Because the fact that this on a table is about control
And there’s a deep need for a convo ( intra community ) about how the discourse around how parts of our divergence are treated .
And how privilege is handled .
Because the fact that this on a table is about control
Palantir's new neurodivergent fellowship is in fact bad because neurodivergent people participating in technofascism will not save us. Latest for @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
The problem with Palantir's new neurodivergent fellowship
Critics have accused the company of being technofascist.
www.motherjones.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Neurodivergent people can be terrible people .
And there’s a deep need for a convo ( intra community ) about how the discourse around how parts of our divergence are treated .
And how privilege is handled .
Because the fact that this on a table is about control
And there’s a deep need for a convo ( intra community ) about how the discourse around how parts of our divergence are treated .
And how privilege is handled .
Because the fact that this on a table is about control