Richard Whittle

The Price for Promises: The Generative AI Pricing Problem and the Role of the Public Sector <div> Since 2022, the AI industry has pursued a blitzscaling strategy. Supported by venture capital (VC) funding, many AI companies have charged substantially

Is generative AI profitable? Probably not.
Would businesses pay more for it? Also no.
Is it politically useful? Yes.
Would politicians pay a lot for it? Also yes.

New paper with @richardrwhittle.bsky.social

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

11.10.2025 19:56 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

What could burst the AI bubble? The value of many tech firms has soared – but some observers are now worried.

Some thoughts on an AI bubble and what might prick it

With @stuartmills.bsky.social

theconversation.com/what-could-b...

10.10.2025 10:44 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Why yes, I do have two dice, a pencil, an eraser, and a full Saturday afternoon!

14.12.2024 15:21 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

YouTube Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

I spoke to @unlearnecon.bsky.social a couple of days ago about AI and other things. You can watch our conversation here:

www.youtube.com/live/geYkzVz...

07.12.2024 08:47 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

The financialisation of car consumption This paper investigates the growth of new forms of personal finance used in purchasing motor vehicles – a development which it characterises as ‘financialisation’. It focusses on the case of the ri...

Finally had time to read Tom Haines-Doran on car finance, financialisation and what is clearly an unsustainable boom. Well worth a read:

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

06.12.2024 08:23 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Great to be invited to BBC Radio Manchester to talk
about the behavioural drivers of Black Friday Scams.

There is a hype of scarcity and urgency which scammers can exploit.

Avoid subscription traps where a Black Friday offer entices you to subscribe and later proves to be very hard to cancel!

29.11.2024 14:19 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

<em>Public Administration Review</em> | ASPA Journal | Wiley Online Library Libertarian paternalism (LP) draws on behavioral economics to advocate for noncoercive, nonfiscal policy interventions to improve individual well-being. However, growing criticism is encouraging beha...

I have a new paper out in Public Administration Review. I argue that behavioural science can (and maybe should) advocate for more fiscally impactful policy. I show why both Simon and Keynes have important contributions to behavioural policymaking.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

29.11.2024 12:57 — 👍 9    🔁 4    💬 1    📌 0

Mapping SHAPE provision in UK higher education

With university departmental closures are we seeing the emergence of geographical 'cold spots' for social science/humanities/arts (SHAPE) subjects? We've developed a new beta mapping tool using HESA data to enable you to explore the situation by subject www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/policy-and-r...

20.11.2024 08:35 — 👍 129    🔁 80    💬 8    📌 4

People need to learn the difference between a million ( a lot to me, not to the government) and a billion (just a lot)

15.11.2024 22:47 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Lots of things went well today. That is all.

I think - in the world as is - a positive post is useful.

15.11.2024 22:45 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Tech firms like to make cancelling subscriptions infuriatingly hard – but regulators are starting to crack down It could become as easy to drop out as it was to sign up.

I'm not sure how long the 'click to cancel' rule will last given the US election and republican opposition. However in the meantime @stuartmills.bsky.social and I have written a little piece about difficulties in cancelling subscriptions and coming regulation

theconversation.com/tech-firms-l...

13.11.2024 13:17 — 👍 3    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0

Dark patterns: how online companies strive to keep your money and data when you try to leave Why it’s so much easier to sign up to a service than it is to leave.

theconversation.com/dark-pattern...

11.10.2023 20:41 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0