Ben O'Loughlin
@benoloughlin.bsky.social
Prof. of IR. Director, New Political Communication Unit, Royal Holloway | Co-Editor: Media, War and Conflict journal | Co-author: Strategic Narratives | Book series editor: AI Politics
Pinned
Ben O'Loughlin
@benoloughlin.bsky.social
· Apr 24
www.intellectbooks.com
Invitation to potential authors - AI Politics: new book series by @intellectbooks.bsky.social / @uchicagopress.bsky.social edited by @andrewhoskins.bsky.social & I. View the full call here>>
www.intellectbooks.com/asset/2536/a...
www.intellectbooks.com/asset/2536/a...
Students have bought pizza 🍕 to give to staff on my department corridor. This is a first, and should happen every day. They are lovely students.
November 26, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Students have bought pizza 🍕 to give to staff on my department corridor. This is a first, and should happen every day. They are lovely students.
I was asked to give a keynote on the future of soft power and strategic narrative, in a room in DC in 2025 where the intensity and stakes could not be higher. Please read here: blogs.gwu.edu/ipdgcsmartpo...
25 Year Anniversary Special Blog Series: The Future of Soft Power and Strategic Narratives
Written By: Ben O’Loughlin …it is a national security imperative for the United States to achieve and maintain unquestioned and unchallenged global technological dominance. (Trump, cited in 2025 US AI...
blogs.gwu.edu
November 25, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I was asked to give a keynote on the future of soft power and strategic narrative, in a room in DC in 2025 where the intensity and stakes could not be higher. Please read here: blogs.gwu.edu/ipdgcsmartpo...
My MSc students today: “COP30 isn’t in the news because climate is a topic for peaceful times.” Discuss.
November 19, 2025 at 10:30 AM
My MSc students today: “COP30 isn’t in the news because climate is a topic for peaceful times.” Discuss.
Excited our department seminar tomorrow is @duncanbell.bsky.social on #Socialism and #Telepathy: Group Minds and Freedom in Interwar British Political Thought. The talk takes place 1-2pm in McCrea 2-01, all welcome.
November 18, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Excited our department seminar tomorrow is @duncanbell.bsky.social on #Socialism and #Telepathy: Group Minds and Freedom in Interwar British Political Thought. The talk takes place 1-2pm in McCrea 2-01, all welcome.
Who has control of the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings if survivors are now dead? AI #memorybots? Should there be moral worth for forgetting rather than assuming all memory is valuable? New by Luli van der Does and @andrewhoskins.bsky.social: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Fall of Living Memory
It has been over 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Luli van der Does and Andrew Hoskins pose the question of what can fill the place and function of human testimony, and...
www.tandfonline.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Who has control of the memory of Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings if survivors are now dead? AI #memorybots? Should there be moral worth for forgetting rather than assuming all memory is valuable? New by Luli van der Does and @andrewhoskins.bsky.social: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Ben O'Loughlin
Big CfP: ICA preconference in Cape Town, 3 June 2026, for our Media, War and Conflict journal. Theme: Challenges to Contemporary Conflict Reporting bit.ly/mwcpreconfer... - any questions can be emailed to the organisers at: [email protected]. Thanks to @icahdq.bsky.social!
Challenges to Contemporary Conflict Reporting Preconference
The journalism of war and conflict is facing extraordinary threats. Israel's ongoing assault in Gaza has killed a historically unprecedented number of journalists at a time when the norms protecting t...
bit.ly
November 3, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Big CfP: ICA preconference in Cape Town, 3 June 2026, for our Media, War and Conflict journal. Theme: Challenges to Contemporary Conflict Reporting bit.ly/mwcpreconfer... - any questions can be emailed to the organisers at: [email protected]. Thanks to @icahdq.bsky.social!
Big CfP: ICA preconference in Cape Town, 3 June 2026, for our Media, War and Conflict journal. Theme: Challenges to Contemporary Conflict Reporting bit.ly/mwcpreconfer... - any questions can be emailed to the organisers at: [email protected]. Thanks to @icahdq.bsky.social!
Challenges to Contemporary Conflict Reporting Preconference
The journalism of war and conflict is facing extraordinary threats. Israel's ongoing assault in Gaza has killed a historically unprecedented number of journalists at a time when the norms protecting t...
bit.ly
November 3, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Big CfP: ICA preconference in Cape Town, 3 June 2026, for our Media, War and Conflict journal. Theme: Challenges to Contemporary Conflict Reporting bit.ly/mwcpreconfer... - any questions can be emailed to the organisers at: [email protected]. Thanks to @icahdq.bsky.social!
New book by @jamessloam.bsky.social: young people and politics ‘involves a move from citizens as simply voters, volunteers and consumers, to citizens as problem-solvers and cocreators of public goods’ (Boyte 2005: 536). Read intro for free: bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/turning-yout...
Turning Youth Voice into Sustainable Public Policy
Turning Youth Voice into Sustainable Public Policy - The Promise of Urban Democracy; Offering a rare policy-based and youth-centred approach to young people and democratic participation, this book rec...
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk
October 31, 2025 at 4:14 PM
New book by @jamessloam.bsky.social: young people and politics ‘involves a move from citizens as simply voters, volunteers and consumers, to citizens as problem-solvers and cocreators of public goods’ (Boyte 2005: 536). Read intro for free: bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/turning-yout...
Three PhD studentships available if you want to work-study with @andrewhoskins.bsky.social on his brilliant new WARSHARE project on Telegram and the Russia-Ukraine war: www.sps.ed.ac.uk/study/prospe...
#memory #trauma #participation
#memory #trauma #participation
WARSHARE PhD Scholarships | School of Social and Political Science
Applications for the 3 PhD scholarships close at 23:59 GMT on Thursday 11th December 2025. Late applications cannot be accepted.Following a European Advanced Grant Award funded by UKRI to Professor An...
www.sps.ed.ac.uk
October 31, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Three PhD studentships available if you want to work-study with @andrewhoskins.bsky.social on his brilliant new WARSHARE project on Telegram and the Russia-Ukraine war: www.sps.ed.ac.uk/study/prospe...
#memory #trauma #participation
#memory #trauma #participation
"Delusion is the solution. Be delulu." One of my students today.
October 29, 2025 at 12:03 PM
"Delusion is the solution. Be delulu." One of my students today.
Empire of AI by @karenhao.bsky.social. I'm fortunate to be leading a seminar on power next week, and this will be in it, as this basic, fundamental question has been bubbling under the surface with my students all term; it can go in many directions:
www.penguin.co.uk/books/460331...
www.penguin.co.uk/books/460331...
October 25, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Empire of AI by @karenhao.bsky.social. I'm fortunate to be leading a seminar on power next week, and this will be in it, as this basic, fundamental question has been bubbling under the surface with my students all term; it can go in many directions:
www.penguin.co.uk/books/460331...
www.penguin.co.uk/books/460331...
New by @nataliejester.bsky.social in Media, War and Conflict: Great Britain? Constructing great power status through online news reporting of foreign conflict -- our news thinks the UK has a duty to intervene, despite its hard power declining. Read here:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:33 PM
New by @nataliejester.bsky.social in Media, War and Conflict: Great Britain? Constructing great power status through online news reporting of foreign conflict -- our news thinks the UK has a duty to intervene, despite its hard power declining. Read here:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Thread:
Our new book — Greening the International Monetary Fund (Cambridge University Press, 2025) — examines how climate change has become embedded within the IMF’s operations, and what this means for global economic governance.
📖 Open access: doi.org/10.1017/9781...
📖 Open access: doi.org/10.1017/9781...
Greening the International Monetary Fund
Cambridge Core - American Government, Politics and Policy - Greening the International Monetary Fund
doi.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Thread:
@andrewhoskins.bsky.social has a sense #AI won't be good for #memory, collective or otherwise. We are sharded and swimming alone in slop:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
October 20, 2025 at 3:18 PM
@andrewhoskins.bsky.social has a sense #AI won't be good for #memory, collective or otherwise. We are sharded and swimming alone in slop:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New special issue by @luissimonn.bsky.social and @danielfiott.bsky.social very much gets at the complexities over time of how great powers do wedging or binding, to themselves and others. Here: China, EU, US. A great analytical framework I hope others use: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Player and playground: Europe in US–China competition
The intensifying great power competition between the United States and China is having a profound effect on global order and Europe’s place in the world. Sino-American competition affects multiple ...
www.tandfonline.com
October 20, 2025 at 2:49 PM
New special issue by @luissimonn.bsky.social and @danielfiott.bsky.social very much gets at the complexities over time of how great powers do wedging or binding, to themselves and others. Here: China, EU, US. A great analytical framework I hope others use: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Ben O'Loughlin
Very much enjoyed talking to the smart folks @cvtrc.bsky.social. Was grateful to @benoloughlin.bsky.social for chairing & @akilnawan.bsky.social for inviting me.
Was very pleased to get questions from distinguished scholars like @lizzypearson.bsky.social as well several undergrads.
Was very pleased to get questions from distinguished scholars like @lizzypearson.bsky.social as well several undergrads.
October 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Very much enjoyed talking to the smart folks @cvtrc.bsky.social. Was grateful to @benoloughlin.bsky.social for chairing & @akilnawan.bsky.social for inviting me.
Was very pleased to get questions from distinguished scholars like @lizzypearson.bsky.social as well several undergrads.
Was very pleased to get questions from distinguished scholars like @lizzypearson.bsky.social as well several undergrads.
How will advanced AI systems impact democracy?
@summerfieldlab.bsky.social et al.
'AI may provide an opportunity to update the social contract underlying rep. democracy, by expanding the role of citizen input... including the design of democratic institutions and processes'
arxiv.org/abs/2409.06729
@summerfieldlab.bsky.social et al.
'AI may provide an opportunity to update the social contract underlying rep. democracy, by expanding the role of citizen input... including the design of democratic institutions and processes'
arxiv.org/abs/2409.06729
How will advanced AI systems impact democracy?
Advanced AI systems capable of generating humanlike text and multimodal content are now widely available. In this paper, we discuss the impacts that generative artificial intelligence may have on demo...
arxiv.org
October 12, 2025 at 3:53 PM
How will advanced AI systems impact democracy?
@summerfieldlab.bsky.social et al.
'AI may provide an opportunity to update the social contract underlying rep. democracy, by expanding the role of citizen input... including the design of democratic institutions and processes'
arxiv.org/abs/2409.06729
@summerfieldlab.bsky.social et al.
'AI may provide an opportunity to update the social contract underlying rep. democracy, by expanding the role of citizen input... including the design of democratic institutions and processes'
arxiv.org/abs/2409.06729
If #AI develops values, will it realise some people don't value it, so it will commit suicide? James Meek in the LRB: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
h/t @profmiskimmon.bsky.social
h/t @profmiskimmon.bsky.social
James Meek · Computers that want things
For all the fluency and synthetic friendliness of public-facing AI chatbots like ChatGPT, it seems important to remember...
www.lrb.co.uk
October 8, 2025 at 5:03 PM
If #AI develops values, will it realise some people don't value it, so it will commit suicide? James Meek in the LRB: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
h/t @profmiskimmon.bsky.social
h/t @profmiskimmon.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben O'Loughlin
Hear me now! Well, soon...
'Why do countries publish national security strategies? New insights from AI and global data' a new International Studies and Emerging Technologies working group event 💻
w/ Andrew W Neal on 22 October 🎉
find out more 👉 https://ow.ly/SvGk50X7FJw
w/ Andrew W Neal on 22 October 🎉
find out more 👉 https://ow.ly/SvGk50X7FJw
Why do countries publish national security strategies? New insights from AI and global data- International Studies and Emerging Technologies Working Group (ISET) | BISA
- International Studies and Emerging Technologies Working Group (ISET) Working Group
ow.ly
October 7, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Hear me now! Well, soon...
Reposted by Ben O'Loughlin
Our article on the politics of AI prompts is out now @econsocjournal.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 1/n
Politics of the prompt: Government in the age of generative AI
This paper addresses the politics of the technique of prompting in machine learning, at a time when bureaucratic and democratic government is undergoing transformation. Drawing on the case of the U...
www.tandfonline.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Our article on the politics of AI prompts is out now @econsocjournal.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 1/n
My polcomm class today said emojis are what the previous generation used. They have a different comms toolkit. They are kissing bricks. A genuinely hilarious hour.
October 7, 2025 at 2:12 PM
My polcomm class today said emojis are what the previous generation used. They have a different comms toolkit. They are kissing bricks. A genuinely hilarious hour.
The insightful @andreamedrado.bsky.social is launching the Critical AI Centre @exeter.ac.uk - join for the launch debate here, Oct 8 2pm GMT: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-critic...
The Critical AI Centre Launch Roundtable
Join us in person or online for a discussion with leading voices on AI marking the launch of CrAIC
www.eventbrite.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:45 PM
The insightful @andreamedrado.bsky.social is launching the Critical AI Centre @exeter.ac.uk - join for the launch debate here, Oct 8 2pm GMT: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-critic...
Want to do a PhD in social media and politics? We have a studentship here:
🚨Hiring a fully funded (3.5 years) PhD for the @ldnsocmedobs.bsky.social to research social media and politics. Candidates should have quantitative/computational skills and/or be interested in content curation/moderation. UK home candidates only unfortunately. www.royalholloway.ac.uk/media/hquftp...
www.royalholloway.ac.uk
September 30, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Want to do a PhD in social media and politics? We have a studentship here:
Generative AI might end up being worthless — and that could be a good thing, by Fenwick McKelvey: theconversation.com/generative-a...
Generative AI might end up being worthless — and that could be a good thing
GenAI does some neat, helpful things, but it’s not yet the engine of a new economy — and it might not ever be.
theconversation.com
September 29, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Generative AI might end up being worthless — and that could be a good thing, by Fenwick McKelvey: theconversation.com/generative-a...
Upcoming conference, Shifting Allegiances, Story-Telling, and the #Narrative of Values in the Black Sea Region.
Date and Location: 1-3 May 2026, Batumi, Georgia.
Organized by: Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.
Info here: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-j...
Date and Location: 1-3 May 2026, Batumi, Georgia.
Organized by: Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.
Info here: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-j...
www.jiscmail.ac.uk
September 26, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Upcoming conference, Shifting Allegiances, Story-Telling, and the #Narrative of Values in the Black Sea Region.
Date and Location: 1-3 May 2026, Batumi, Georgia.
Organized by: Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.
Info here: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-j...
Date and Location: 1-3 May 2026, Batumi, Georgia.
Organized by: Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.
Info here: www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-j...