Daragh Ó Briain
@daraghobrien.bsky.social
Flumping along in the world of data since Long Ago. Posts as @castlebridge-chief here & on Mastodon at https://mastodon.ie/@CastlebridgeChief CEO @ Castlebridge.ie.
Doctoral candidate at UL looking at #DataGovernance. Author of several books on data stuff.
Doctoral candidate at UL looking at #DataGovernance. Author of several books on data stuff.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
OMG, RTÉ is copy-n-pasting the yellow journalism that sane-washes this crime straight onto its website.
January 3, 2026 at 3:11 PM
OMG, RTÉ is copy-n-pasting the yellow journalism that sane-washes this crime straight onto its website.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
It means absolutely nothing to anyone concerned right now but here's what the United Nations says about kidnapping Heads of State.
legal.un.org/ilc/texts/in...
legal.un.org/ilc/texts/in...
January 3, 2026 at 9:45 AM
It means absolutely nothing to anyone concerned right now but here's what the United Nations says about kidnapping Heads of State.
legal.un.org/ilc/texts/in...
legal.un.org/ilc/texts/in...
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
The reason Grok so easily can generate nudes of children is because it is trained on that type of content. It is not using "imagination".
Too few are saying this part aloud. Any face generated using image-gens can be from a situation of abuse.
Too few are saying this part aloud. Any face generated using image-gens can be from a situation of abuse.
January 3, 2026 at 9:26 AM
The reason Grok so easily can generate nudes of children is because it is trained on that type of content. It is not using "imagination".
Too few are saying this part aloud. Any face generated using image-gens can be from a situation of abuse.
Too few are saying this part aloud. Any face generated using image-gens can be from a situation of abuse.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
Bang goes the international rules-based order. Good luck Taiwan.
January 3, 2026 at 9:42 AM
Bang goes the international rules-based order. Good luck Taiwan.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
no one stopped him from buying the US election, so he's doing the same with the UK, French and German elections too. Pretty logical progression. Europe's center-right and center-left are just as delusional and paralyzed in inaction as the Dems here were. They can't even log off the guy's website!
any country that tries to express an opposition to CSAM will be rewarded with musk attempting to incite a far-right terrorist coup
guys, "the judges at the ICC are being sanctioned by the USA and can't access their iphones or bank accounts" and "why aren't any countries banning twitter or prosecuting elon musk for owning a site that manufactures CSAM" stories are the same story
January 2, 2026 at 7:03 PM
no one stopped him from buying the US election, so he's doing the same with the UK, French and German elections too. Pretty logical progression. Europe's center-right and center-left are just as delusional and paralyzed in inaction as the Dems here were. They can't even log off the guy's website!
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
A reminder that I've a book illustration course starting in a couple of weeks in the Irish Writers Centre. You only need basic drawing skills; illustration is a form of communication first, and an art second.
✍️ Finding Your North Star with Anne Tannam
✍️ Book Illustration with Oisín McGann
✍️ BOOKED OUT: Finish Your Novel with Conor Kostick
✍️ The Art of Poetry with Moyra Donaldson
✍️ Book Illustration with Oisín McGann
✍️ BOOKED OUT: Finish Your Novel with Conor Kostick
✍️ The Art of Poetry with Moyra Donaldson
January 2, 2026 at 4:54 PM
A reminder that I've a book illustration course starting in a couple of weeks in the Irish Writers Centre. You only need basic drawing skills; illustration is a form of communication first, and an art second.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
This thing is (justly) blowing up in Grok's stupid face
India orders X to fix Grok to block the generation of obscene content, giving it 72 hours to submit an action-taken report or risk losing "safe harbor" immunity (Jagmeet Singh/TechCrunch)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
January 2, 2026 at 6:47 PM
This thing is (justly) blowing up in Grok's stupid face
In which my company goes one commitment further than OpenAI by signing up to all six things we already try to do.
Didn't get to meet a government minister though. Just filled out a webform.
Didn't get to meet a government minister though. Just filled out a webform.
Pleased to announce that we started 2026 by formally signing up to the Irish Government's Charter on #DigitalInclusion. It wasn't that hard to do and doesn't require us to do anything beyond our core mission to ensure that people are empowered to effectively use data and technology as tools.
January 2, 2026 at 2:07 PM
In which my company goes one commitment further than OpenAI by signing up to all six things we already try to do.
Didn't get to meet a government minister though. Just filled out a webform.
Didn't get to meet a government minister though. Just filled out a webform.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
My first blog post of 2026. Where I discuss Charters, Principles, Manifestos, and New Years' Resolutions, and the parallels translating aspiration into practice.
#DataGovernance #DataLeadership #DataEthics
#DataGovernance #DataLeadership #DataEthics
@castlebridge-chief.bsky.social has written a thing about Charters, Principles, and the challenge of translating that into practice from a #DataGovernance perspective castlebridge.ie/insights/cha...
Charters, Principles, and Resolutions
Daragh O Brien shares some insights on how Charter, Principles, and Policies in a data governance context have a lot in common with New Years' Resolutions and actually doing the reps at the gym.
castlebridge.ie
January 2, 2026 at 1:48 PM
My first blog post of 2026. Where I discuss Charters, Principles, Manifestos, and New Years' Resolutions, and the parallels translating aspiration into practice.
#DataGovernance #DataLeadership #DataEthics
#DataGovernance #DataLeadership #DataEthics
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
There is a strong argument that X and its officers are committing offences by providing Grok's nudifying function in Ireland.
January 2, 2026 at 1:55 PM
There is a strong argument that X and its officers are committing offences by providing Grok's nudifying function in Ireland.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
Please do email the main info address at your local schools and also the DfE and inform them that Twitter is being used to make CSAM as well as sexual images of adults, and that they shouldn’t be using it.
Because I guarantee they don’t know.
Because I guarantee they don’t know.
January 2, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Please do email the main info address at your local schools and also the DfE and inform them that Twitter is being used to make CSAM as well as sexual images of adults, and that they shouldn’t be using it.
Because I guarantee they don’t know.
Because I guarantee they don’t know.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
This was a nice thing to see over Christmas - people planning to travel to #Wexford from quite a way away to attend our #DataLeaderSummit in March.
Some additional international industry 'names' will be there as well - details to be announced over the coming weeks.
Some additional international industry 'names' will be there as well - details to be announced over the coming weeks.
How good is the #DataLeaderSummit in #Wexford? Well, we've got people signing up to attend from Australia. For an *in-person* event. A limited number of All-Inclusive Super-EarlyBird tickets remain on sale dataleadersummit.ie/event/data-l...
a man in a star trek uniform is making a funny face while standing in front of a group of people .
Alt: Data in a star trek uniform is emphatically saying "Yes" while standing in front of a group of people .
media.tenor.com
January 2, 2026 at 11:11 AM
This was a nice thing to see over Christmas - people planning to travel to #Wexford from quite a way away to attend our #DataLeaderSummit in March.
Some additional international industry 'names' will be there as well - details to be announced over the coming weeks.
Some additional international industry 'names' will be there as well - details to be announced over the coming weeks.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
New Guest Gist: 2026, Our already rotting future
Séamas O’Reilly somehow failed to stop AI with his Gist pointing out its many many lies last year. Surely this time he will see it off?
www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-2...
Séamas O’Reilly somehow failed to stop AI with his Gist pointing out its many many lies last year. Surely this time he will see it off?
www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-2...
Guest Gist: 2026, Our Already Rotting Future
Seamus O'Reilly warns of AI maximum bubbledrive this year.
www.thegist.ie
January 2, 2026 at 9:50 AM
New Guest Gist: 2026, Our already rotting future
Séamas O’Reilly somehow failed to stop AI with his Gist pointing out its many many lies last year. Surely this time he will see it off?
www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-2...
Séamas O’Reilly somehow failed to stop AI with his Gist pointing out its many many lies last year. Surely this time he will see it off?
www.thegist.ie/guest-gist-2...
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
call me crazy but it really feels like “World’s Richest Man Creates AI Chatbot That Generates Child Porn” would’ve been a huge international outrage requiring a governmental crackdown not even 24 months ago
January 2, 2026 at 7:06 AM
call me crazy but it really feels like “World’s Richest Man Creates AI Chatbot That Generates Child Porn” would’ve been a huge international outrage requiring a governmental crackdown not even 24 months ago
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
Sorry, but if you let someone say they want a rules-based immigration system *without pointing out that already exist and asking which rules the politician says should be changed*, you are, as a journalist, helping that politician mislead your readers because you haven’t done the reading.
Calling for a “rules-based” immigration system is a “classic left-wing position” for a party that supports the working class, Mary Lou McDonald has said.
Sinn Fein leader contests claim her party is not left wing
www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
Sinn Fein leader contests claim her party is not left wing
www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...
Mary Lou McDonald says left should support ‘rules-based’ system on immigration
‘We are not a kind of a luvvie outfit,’ says Sinn Féin leader of her party’s approach to policy
www.irishtimes.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Sorry, but if you let someone say they want a rules-based immigration system *without pointing out that already exist and asking which rules the politician says should be changed*, you are, as a journalist, helping that politician mislead your readers because you haven’t done the reading.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
A reminder that OpenAI’s chief financial officer, Sarah Friar, met with the Taoiseach in May to push for the use of ChatGPT in schools in Ireland. And many in the government think we can’t face the future without it.
This is the technology our schools are encouraging our children to use.
January 1, 2026 at 7:28 PM
A reminder that OpenAI’s chief financial officer, Sarah Friar, met with the Taoiseach in May to push for the use of ChatGPT in schools in Ireland. And many in the government think we can’t face the future without it.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
It's mind boggling that this product is still out there and the people who made it and promote it are not suffering any consequences
Uh… check out what ChatGPT allegedly told a man before he killed his mother and then himself.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 1, 2026 at 6:41 PM
It's mind boggling that this product is still out there and the people who made it and promote it are not suffering any consequences
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
For 2026, would like to see genAI masquerading as "local and handmade" get the boot from craft/art fairs and anywhere working makers earn their living, and for progressive movements to stop using it - you didn't need it before, and 100% don't need it now. Walk the walk as well as talking the talk.
January 1, 2026 at 2:10 PM
For 2026, would like to see genAI masquerading as "local and handmade" get the boot from craft/art fairs and anywhere working makers earn their living, and for progressive movements to stop using it - you didn't need it before, and 100% don't need it now. Walk the walk as well as talking the talk.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
“While the AI industry claims its models can “think,” “reason,” and “learn,” their supposed achievements rest on marketing hype and stolen intellectual labor. In reality, AI erodes academic freedom, weakens critical reading, and subordinates the pursuit of knowledge to corporate interests.”
AI Is Hollowing Out Higher Education
Olivia Guest & Iris van Rooij urge teachers and scholars to reject tools that commodify learning, deskill students, and promote illiteracy.
www.project-syndicate.org
November 15, 2025 at 5:24 PM
“While the AI industry claims its models can “think,” “reason,” and “learn,” their supposed achievements rest on marketing hype and stolen intellectual labor. In reality, AI erodes academic freedom, weakens critical reading, and subordinates the pursuit of knowledge to corporate interests.”
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
Were 90s kids clamoring for a Batman cartoon with 1930s Art Deco aesthetics? Is that what the market demanded? Or did some really smart creative people have a vision and make a genre-defining hit that sustained 20 years of TV shows? If you want success look for vision, not just metrics.
January 1, 2026 at 12:54 AM
Were 90s kids clamoring for a Batman cartoon with 1930s Art Deco aesthetics? Is that what the market demanded? Or did some really smart creative people have a vision and make a genre-defining hit that sustained 20 years of TV shows? If you want success look for vision, not just metrics.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
In January, we reported that Julia Donaldson surged past JK Rowling to become Britain’s bestselling author since accurate records began – in terms of units sold 👇
#TheBooksellerMostRead
#TheBooksellerMostRead
Julia Donaldson supplants JK Rowling to become the UK’s all-time top author by volume
ebx.sh
January 1, 2026 at 12:32 PM
In January, we reported that Julia Donaldson surged past JK Rowling to become Britain’s bestselling author since accurate records began – in terms of units sold 👇
#TheBooksellerMostRead
#TheBooksellerMostRead
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
They're going to *throw out* one-of-a-kind NASA archives?!
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
December 31, 2025 at 7:55 PM
They're going to *throw out* one-of-a-kind NASA archives?!
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Not even a year since the Inauguration & we're already at the 2nd-time-as-farce version of the burning of the Library of Alexandria.
Reposted by Daragh Ó Briain
Every year, I make 10 predictions about what will happen in the coming 12 months. (Mostly tech and tech-adjacent.)
Here are my 2026 predictions. From AI to dodgy boxes; transatlantic tension to mandatory-but-not-compulsory digital ID for social media.
m.independent.ie/business/tec...
Here are my 2026 predictions. From AI to dodgy boxes; transatlantic tension to mandatory-but-not-compulsory digital ID for social media.
m.independent.ie/business/tec...
Adrian Weckler’s 10 big predictions for the changing world of tech in 2026
How will tech affect the world, and your life, in 2026? Will the EU cave to the US on tech regulation? Will the AI bubble burst? Which big tech companies look likely to thrive or dive? And will dodgy ...
m.independent.ie
January 1, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Every year, I make 10 predictions about what will happen in the coming 12 months. (Mostly tech and tech-adjacent.)
Here are my 2026 predictions. From AI to dodgy boxes; transatlantic tension to mandatory-but-not-compulsory digital ID for social media.
m.independent.ie/business/tec...
Here are my 2026 predictions. From AI to dodgy boxes; transatlantic tension to mandatory-but-not-compulsory digital ID for social media.
m.independent.ie/business/tec...
Oh look: @theatlantic.com has a piece that is basically covering the same ground I covered in several keynote presentations at conferences during 2025 and in my September #TDAN column tdan.com/data-is-risk...
January 1, 2026 at 5:22 AM
Oh look: @theatlantic.com has a piece that is basically covering the same ground I covered in several keynote presentations at conferences during 2025 and in my September #TDAN column tdan.com/data-is-risk...