Laurel Boxall

All You Need is Love (and AI) From break up messages drafted by AI to Greens ghosting based on your political views, AI and politics are changing the world of dating

Just in time for Valentine's Day, new Public First polling has dropped! Highlights (or lowlights...)

Nearly 1 in 4 UK adults have used AI in some way in their dating lives.

34% of Green supporters have ghosted someone based on their politics!

substack.com/home/post/p-...

Website bio and headshot of a young woman

Officially a Public First employee! (On the website and everything)

Keen to coffee and connect in these first few weeks, Westminster based once more so hmu!

picture through a car windscreen, looking out on the open road lined with trees in various shades of green, yellow and orange.

Hello Bluesky crew!
All and any tips/leads on the job search very much welcome. Tech policy & research space is my general area of experience & interest, but I'm very open to suggestions.

(In exchange I offer this vibey shot from my recent New Hampshire trip!)

Late to the game but @adalovelaceinst.bsky.social ‘s paper on AI & Education is a fantastic intro to the area!

Great work @renatesamson.bsky.social & co!

Person stands looking towards the sea, the beach covered in snow

Woman smiles towards camera, holding up a film camera to take a photo. The background is a snowy landscape

Woman stands in the snow on the pavement

Woman and Icelandic horse, in a beautiful russet colour

Reykjavík 2025! Golden Circle completed, & icelandic nightlife attempted ❄️

AI and countervailing power in the UK Reflections, learnings and take-aways from JRF's November 2024 workshop, aimed at mapping and assessing sources of AI countervailing power in the UK.

Can AI support a world where people & planet flourish? Power is key to this question, both dominant forces & those that resist them.

Last year, I invited @ginasue.bsky.social to host a @jrf-uk.bsky.social workshop on AI & countervailing power. Here, I reflect on what was discussed.

bit.ly/40tOqCO

Happy AI Opportunities Plan day (and appointment of tech advisors in No.10 day!) 🫡

🙌🙌🙌

#5 Inside Labour: Rewiring the state means getting to grips with AI — Labour Together Congratulations to Chris Wormald on his appointment as Cabinet Secretary. As Shadow Health Secretary, I worked with Chris during the Covid-19 pandemic. I am confident he will deliver the "complete rew...

To deliver a plan for change, Keir Starmer needs to reform the way government works.

Rewiring the state means getting to grips with AI.

My latest ‘Insider Labour’ newsletter:

www.labourtogether.uk/insights/ins...

Thank you! iPhone + RNI films ;)

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Two people pose in front of the sunset over the desert

Young person stands in the doorway of an art exhibit

A bar with a band set up in front of a pool

Marrakech Dec 2024. Wonderful to visit (and to photograph!)

Russian threat actors poised to cripple power grid, UK warns | Computer Weekly UK government escalates cyber rhetoric in a speech at a Nato event, saying Russian advanced persistent threats (APTs) stand ready to conduct cyber attacks that could “turn off the lights for millions”...

McFadden revealed that the government will be backing a new AI cyber lab (The Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR)) with £8.22m of public money to give the UK an advantage in the so-called “AI arms race”.

Intriguing!!

While 'Dr Smith' admittedly doesn't narrow things down an awful lot, at least there's now one more attribute for the matching algorithms... I still can't quite believe it but, on Friday, I passed my DPhil viva—with no corrections! 👨🏼‍🎓

Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus Peter’s chapel in Lucerne swaps out its priest to set up a computer and cables in confessional booth

Regardless of take on ‘AI Jesus’, I do enjoy the naming of this project

I reckon it resets 1 Dec - you’re still in the game ;)

You can find Jen @theabb.bsky.social !

Good morning.

Word of the Day is as beautiful as it is underused. ‘Confelicity’ is finding joy in the happiness and success of others.

Defined my childhood (& also translated a lot of it into prose).

*Obviously* I like it, but it also speaks to parents, kids, young adults who grew up in the 2000s, and anyone who just likes a good read #booksky

A stage, lit from above, with a dining table and chairs

The Other Place @ the Lyttelton… still feeling utterly overcome. Emma D’Arcy, a marvel.

We have a Kirsty Innes, Bluesky Edition … @kmeinnes.bsky.social 👀

Defend Digital Me — Defend Digital Me Defend Digital Me is a call to action to protect children’s rights to privacy and family life. We are working towards safe, fair and transparent data, as part of our vision of a rights’ respecting env...

Faculty has said it will work with: ImpactEd Group, Open Education AI & Seldon’s AI in Education initiative on the data store.

In terms of understanding potential risks r.e. pupil data worth checking out Jen's work at Defend Digital Me (which I can't yet find on Bluesky but will link when I do!)

Labour strikes deal to use AI for lesson plans and marking homework £3m contract will develop tools to help ease teachers’ workload

DfE awards Faculty AI £3m contract to build a 'content store', argument for project being the administrative burden which currently keeps teachers 'outside the classroom'.

Proposal suggests the store will enable 'AI to help teachers mark homework, plan lessons' and save teachers hours each week...

Man stands in conference room, in front of a bright green powerpoint slide reading: 'Organiser? Speaker? Sponsor? TransformGovTalks@gmail.com

TransformGov Talk 01 took place yday and wow. Anyone invested in the future of government needs to come along. What a wonderful community already!

Next one is 20 Nov: www.transformgov.org.uk

@gavinfreeguard.bsky.social @derekalton.bsky.social @choltern.bsky.social

New data laws unveiled to improve public services and boost UK economy by £10 billion New Bill to unlock the secure and effective use of data for the public interest has been introduced into Parliament.

Perhaps I am *too* excited about the National Underground Asset Register... but also to see what else the new Bill is going to enable!

www.gov.uk/government/n...

ukgc25 registration + venue search Hello I’m James, lead organiser for UKGovCamp 2025 (ukgc25), an annual event for people in and around the public sector. Last time I blogged about the organiser’s kickoff meeting. Highli

The lovely organisers of @ukgovcamp.bsky.social are looking for a new venue for the next gathering...can you help?

www.ukgovcamp.com/2024/10/08/u...

Hype hype hype

Inside the main stage of the Royal Albert Hall, two women sit on a small stage in front of the pipe organ

Fantastic time at CogX (and the best venue ever??)

Really pleased to be launching this new monthly meet-up with @choltern.bsky.social @derekalton.bsky.social - please come along and spread the word!

Very cute golden retriever

Best part of conference so far …