Chris Pitcher
@cpitcher.bsky.social
Doing NHS digital stuff. Interested in building things, data, coding, and public policy. Previously an apprenticeship coach, school data manager and teacher.
Reason 954 why a whole bunch of hypothetical AI data centres just ain't going to get built.
The construction industry, where more than a quarter of workers are foreign-born, has long struggled to find enough workers. Now, industry officials say Trump's immigration crackdown is making it worse.
ICE is sending a chill through the construction industry
The construction industry, where more than a quarter of workers are foreign-born, has long struggled to find enough workers. Now, industry officials say Trump's immigration crackdown is making it worse.
n.pr
November 9, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Reason 954 why a whole bunch of hypothetical AI data centres just ain't going to get built.
Interesting article for lots of reasons. For me it shows some key issues with trying to use LLMs in the real world. The main one being: we all MUST remember these models are NOT intelligence... they do not use "logic" in the human sense, certainly not in the way we would want from a juror. 1/n
ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok make very squishy jury members
ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok make very squishy jury members
All three acquitted a teen in a mock trial based on a case where a judge ruled guilty
Law students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law last month held a mock trial to see how AI models administer justice.…
dlvr.it
November 8, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Interesting article for lots of reasons. For me it shows some key issues with trying to use LLMs in the real world. The main one being: we all MUST remember these models are NOT intelligence... they do not use "logic" in the human sense, certainly not in the way we would want from a juror. 1/n
There were certainly hints yesterday. Now this
November 6, 2025 at 8:09 PM
There were certainly hints yesterday. Now this
If the US Supreme Court in their hearing tomorrow about Trump's tariffs even *hint* to a majority of Justices declaring them unconstitutional - combined with the ongoing govt shutdown - these "jitters" could look a whole lot bigger in 24 hours time
Breaking news: US stocks have dropped as jitters over highly elevated valuations for many artificial intelligence companies intensified and top Wall Street executives said markets were vulnerable to a pullback. on.ft.com/4hIMmhj
November 4, 2025 at 10:21 PM
If the US Supreme Court in their hearing tomorrow about Trump's tariffs even *hint* to a majority of Justices declaring them unconstitutional - combined with the ongoing govt shutdown - these "jitters" could look a whole lot bigger in 24 hours time
Part of getting older I didn't anticipate is this sort of creeping realisation that there's a huge amount of stuff out there written by people that don't have the first clue what they are talking about. On like, *everything*
November 2, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Part of getting older I didn't anticipate is this sort of creeping realisation that there's a huge amount of stuff out there written by people that don't have the first clue what they are talking about. On like, *everything*
Excellent thread about the very real-world issues we face in the NHS. Wish there was more analysis like this and less hot air from certain quarters and their pals in the press.
Can't pass judgement on most of this, but the estimated savings in the NHS of £11bn are incredibly dubious and the proposed shift to a social insurance model is an infuriating zombie idea that is not supported by evidence
Some thoughts on the NHS proposals in this paper...
Some thoughts on the NHS proposals in this paper...
I keep being told spending cuts are easy. Honest proposals such as those recently outlined by Policy Exchange show they are not
My column www.ft.com/content/f086...
My column www.ft.com/content/f086...
October 31, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Excellent thread about the very real-world issues we face in the NHS. Wish there was more analysis like this and less hot air from certain quarters and their pals in the press.
Reposted by Chris Pitcher
There's been endless talk about an AI bubble, but less about exactly how, why, and how much it's a bubble. So I turned to the framework put forward by scholars Brent Goldfarb and David A. Kirsch, authors of "Bubbles and Crashes," for assessing tech bubbles.
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
AI Is the Bubble to Burst Them All
I talked to the scholars who literally wrote the book on tech bubbles—and applied their test.
www.wired.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:58 PM
There's been endless talk about an AI bubble, but less about exactly how, why, and how much it's a bubble. So I turned to the framework put forward by scholars Brent Goldfarb and David A. Kirsch, authors of "Bubbles and Crashes," for assessing tech bubbles.
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
Spoiler: On a scale of 1 to 8, AI is an 8
If we throw another hundred billion dollars or so at all this we might get a system that can recognise a packet of crisps!
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
US student handcuffed after AI system apparently mistook bag of chips for gun
Baltimore county high schools have gun detection system that alerts police if it sees what it deems suspicious
www.theguardian.com
October 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
If we throw another hundred billion dollars or so at all this we might get a system that can recognise a packet of crisps!
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
This is a superb article about how democracy works in 2025. Focus is on US politics but contains myriad lessons for UK here also.
After 2024, pundits brushed off the Resistance as cringe. I submit: Yes, it was. And cringe is good. Cringe, in fact, will save democracy.
Resistance Is Cringe
But it’s also effective.
www.theatlantic.com
October 19, 2025 at 11:33 AM
This is a superb article about how democracy works in 2025. Focus is on US politics but contains myriad lessons for UK here also.
Reposted by Chris Pitcher
The more you learn at the moment the more you realize that so much of what’s going to pop the bubble is straight up physics and resources. It’s not clear if you can even build a gigawatt data center campus let alone power one, and GB200s have a negative 100% gross margin. Oracle bought 400,000!
October 18, 2025 at 6:52 AM
The more you learn at the moment the more you realize that so much of what’s going to pop the bubble is straight up physics and resources. It’s not clear if you can even build a gigawatt data center campus let alone power one, and GB200s have a negative 100% gross margin. Oracle bought 400,000!
Feel similar is true in the NHS right now (just replace "sold for actual profit" with "deliver actual better service")
Perhaps the *real* opportunity with Generative AI is for businesses who take advantage while all their competitors are distracted, and solve an actual problem with a solution that actually works and can be sold for actual profit.
October 9, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Feel similar is true in the NHS right now (just replace "sold for actual profit" with "deliver actual better service")
Reposted by Chris Pitcher
From a CTO WhatsApp group I'm in
October 7, 2025 at 5:29 PM
From a CTO WhatsApp group I'm in
How fast must the Royal Mail van have been travelling to hit this wheelie bin so high in the air!?
UK Home Office opens wallet for £60M automated number plate project
UK Home Office opens wallet for £60M automated number plate project
Department eyes new app to tap national ANPR data for live alerts, searches, and integrations
The UK's Home Office is inviting tech suppliers to take part in a £60 million "market engagement" for an application that uses data from automated number plate recognition (ANPR) systems.…
dlvr.it
October 7, 2025 at 9:19 AM
How fast must the Royal Mail van have been travelling to hit this wheelie bin so high in the air!?
Reposted by Chris Pitcher
This is a really key chart. Look at the difference between concern about immigration between Lab to Reform switchers and Lab to LD/Green/don't know switchers.
The latter group is five times larger.
The latter group is five times larger.
September 30, 2025 at 11:15 AM
This is a really key chart. Look at the difference between concern about immigration between Lab to Reform switchers and Lab to LD/Green/don't know switchers.
The latter group is five times larger.
The latter group is five times larger.
Starting to wonder if US govt buying up a share of Intel was rolling the pitch for when (not if) NVIDIA gets in trouble and needs a state bailout as the company is clearly in the "too big to fail" territory where the really bad things happen.
In this scenario NVIDIA would set up an entity to buy its own GPUs and then lease them to OpenAI. This isn’t exactly what Enron did, but it’s sure getting close!
September 24, 2025 at 8:17 AM
Starting to wonder if US govt buying up a share of Intel was rolling the pitch for when (not if) NVIDIA gets in trouble and needs a state bailout as the company is clearly in the "too big to fail" territory where the really bad things happen.
On the one hand the courts are doing a commendable job as the only check and balance left against huge abuses of power in the US. On the other it's the ultimate "pay to play" game where wealth can always turn proceedings into a war of attrition which ordinary people cannot afford.
Zuckerberg has secured a corrupt court order imposing a fine of $50k on Wynn-Williams every time she criticizes Metaa. It's a perfect demonstration of the techbros complete corruption and subversion of legal process to shield their dealings from public scrutiny. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Meta exposé author faces bankruptcy after ban on criticising company
Exclusive: Sarah Wynn-Williams faces $50,000 fine every time she breaches order banning her from criticising Meta
www.theguardian.com
September 21, 2025 at 3:50 PM
On the one hand the courts are doing a commendable job as the only check and balance left against huge abuses of power in the US. On the other it's the ultimate "pay to play" game where wealth can always turn proceedings into a war of attrition which ordinary people cannot afford.
Reposted by Chris Pitcher
September 18, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Looking forward to JD Vance coming out and shouting about freedom of speech in this country once again after this www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Four arrested after images of Trump and Epstein projected on to Windsor Castle ahead of president’s visit
Trump arrived in Britain late on Tuesday for an unprecedented second state visit in which he will be hosted by King Charles
www.theguardian.com
September 17, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Looking forward to JD Vance coming out and shouting about freedom of speech in this country once again after this www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Seriously disappointed by @theguardian.com coverage of recent events in the US. Headline on main page here in UK, live blog up, 10 articles on US politics section of website. Totally disproportionate and very much part of the problem.
September 12, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Seriously disappointed by @theguardian.com coverage of recent events in the US. Headline on main page here in UK, live blog up, 10 articles on US politics section of website. Totally disproportionate and very much part of the problem.
I wonder to what extent people here in the UK are aware that the Trump admin is rapidly sliding into a very dark place.
But guess what time the government began notifying the children’s attorneys about their removal to Guatemala?
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND, WHEN THE CHILDREN WERE BEING PULLED OUT OF BED TO GET ON PLANES
4/
bsky.app/profile/anna...
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND, WHEN THE CHILDREN WERE BEING PULLED OUT OF BED TO GET ON PLANES
4/
bsky.app/profile/anna...
September 7, 2025 at 9:50 PM
I wonder to what extent people here in the UK are aware that the Trump admin is rapidly sliding into a very dark place.
Side note: league tables. I'm old enough to remember the outrage in certain quarters when they were introduced but it's a policy that absolutely worked giving transparency on exam performance which now feels taken for granted.
I think I first wrote about underperformance in this group 13 years ago. Trying to pretend it's some kind of liberal shibboleth is bizarre.
“The group nobody seems to care about” Apart from dominating political discourse since Brexit? That group?
August 31, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Side note: league tables. I'm old enough to remember the outrage in certain quarters when they were introduced but it's a policy that absolutely worked giving transparency on exam performance which now feels taken for granted.
Reposted by Chris Pitcher
This isn't just a political claim, it's an empirical one. If "the problem is not guns" then we shouldn't see any correlation between gun ownership and oh wait platform.vox.com/wp-content/u...
August 29, 2025 at 2:07 PM
This isn't just a political claim, it's an empirical one. If "the problem is not guns" then we shouldn't see any correlation between gun ownership and oh wait platform.vox.com/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Chris Pitcher
As you watch the extraordinary spectacle of Trump's government attempting to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, let's not lose sight of just how lawless and indefensible Trump's misconduct has been all throughout.
Here's a thread recapping all of it. 1/
Here's a thread recapping all of it. 1/
August 25, 2025 at 4:45 PM
As you watch the extraordinary spectacle of Trump's government attempting to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda, let's not lose sight of just how lawless and indefensible Trump's misconduct has been all throughout.
Here's a thread recapping all of it. 1/
Here's a thread recapping all of it. 1/