Kate Devlin
@drkatedevlin.bsky.social
Academic; writer. Professor of AI & Society, Chair-Director @kings-dfi.bsky.social, King’s College London. Eye-rolling at AI nonsense on a daily basis. #academicsky . Norn Irish in Norwich.
Pinned
Kate Devlin
@drkatedevlin.bsky.social
· Dec 9
Turned On
'Illuminating, witty and written with a wide open mind' - Sunday TimesAn exploration of humans, sexuality, interaction and technology through the lens of the se…
www.bloomsbury.com
Wondering what to get the person who has everything for Christmas? Might I suggest my book: a pop-sci foray into love, sex, history, psychology, philosophy, AI, and robots? Still timely, still relevant. Described by one reviewer as “not enough tentacle porn”.
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/turned-on...
www.bloomsbury.com/uk/turned-on...
Reposted by Kate Devlin
📢 We are delighted to announce our new Editorial Board, featuring some of the UK’s most prominent thinkers across science, politics, the arts and philosophy.
Together, they'll help New Humanist - and our readers - navigate the big questions of our times:
Together, they'll help New Humanist - and our readers - navigate the big questions of our times:
Leading voices in journalism, science, and culture join New Humanist Editorial Board
Humanists UK has announced a new Editorial Board for New Humanist magazine, bringing together some of the UK’s most prominent thinkers in science, politics, the arts, and philosophy.
humanists.uk
February 12, 2026 at 10:45 AM
📢 We are delighted to announce our new Editorial Board, featuring some of the UK’s most prominent thinkers across science, politics, the arts and philosophy.
Together, they'll help New Humanist - and our readers - navigate the big questions of our times:
Together, they'll help New Humanist - and our readers - navigate the big questions of our times:
Reposted by Kate Devlin
The way I look at this is whether or not the hype winds up bearing out—or even a fraction of it—we need to prepare for a long future in which bosses + management are incentivized at every level to proceed as if it's true; cutting labor costs, automating tasks, killing jobs.
I understand why people are exhausted by AI hype, and why those of us squarely in the corner of "human dignity uber alles" see AI doomerism as self-serving hype, but I *really* think people on the left broadly need to start thinking seriously about the possibiltiy of the hype being...true.
February 11, 2026 at 6:00 PM
The way I look at this is whether or not the hype winds up bearing out—or even a fraction of it—we need to prepare for a long future in which bosses + management are incentivized at every level to proceed as if it's true; cutting labor costs, automating tasks, killing jobs.
Delighted to be a part of this!
We’re super excited to announce a new Editorial Board for @newhumanist.bsky.social, bringing together some of the UK’s most prominent thinkers in science, politics, the arts, and philosophy. A bright future for humanist publishing 🧵
humanists.uk/2026/02/11/l...
humanists.uk/2026/02/11/l...
Leading voices in journalism, science, and culture join New Humanist Editorial Board
Humanists UK has announced a new Editorial Board for New Humanist magazine, bringing together some of the UK’s most prominent thinkers in science, politics, the arts, and philosophy.
humanists.uk
February 11, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Delighted to be a part of this!
Reposted by Kate Devlin
The UK's "free AI training for all" program may offer free courses, but there is a cost to society for the government's approach. Elinor Carmi, Tania Duarte, Mark Wong, Susan Oman & Tim Davies argue it deepens Big Tech dependency while sidelining critical AI literacy and community organizations.
The Real Cost of the UK’s ‘Free AI Training for All’ is Democracy
Researchers argue the UK's 'AI Skills Hub' should be re-thought with input from civil society groups and public interest organizations.
buff.ly
February 10, 2026 at 5:54 PM
The UK's "free AI training for all" program may offer free courses, but there is a cost to society for the government's approach. Elinor Carmi, Tania Duarte, Mark Wong, Susan Oman & Tim Davies argue it deepens Big Tech dependency while sidelining critical AI literacy and community organizations.
Reposted by Kate Devlin
This is a really fucking stupid and irresponsible thing for a widely-read magazine to publish. Claude is a large language model with an unusually large context window. It is not self-aware, nor is it a new entity. It's a set of rules which run really fast and produce a predictable outcome. Software.
Researchers working with the A.I. system Claude have come to understand that the model’s selfhood, like our own, is a matter of both neurons and narratives. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/kEX1vV
February 11, 2026 at 7:26 AM
This is a really fucking stupid and irresponsible thing for a widely-read magazine to publish. Claude is a large language model with an unusually large context window. It is not self-aware, nor is it a new entity. It's a set of rules which run really fast and produce a predictable outcome. Software.
Reposted by Kate Devlin
📘 My new book, The #WebofKnowledge, is on its way. tinyurl.com/encylop
It follows the long arc from encyclopedic institutions to digital platforms and emerging AI systems — not to mourn lost expertise, but to ask how authority is reorganised, governed, and contested under platform capitalism.
It follows the long arc from encyclopedic institutions to digital platforms and emerging AI systems — not to mourn lost expertise, but to ask how authority is reorganised, governed, and contested under platform capitalism.
The Web of Knowledge: Encylopedias and Authority in the Digital Age
The Web of Knowledge: Encylopedias and Authority in the Digital Age, The encyclopedia—a medium rooted in enlightenment visions of intellectual rationality—has expanded in scope, scale, and popularity ...
tinyurl.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:59 PM
📘 My new book, The #WebofKnowledge, is on its way. tinyurl.com/encylop
It follows the long arc from encyclopedic institutions to digital platforms and emerging AI systems — not to mourn lost expertise, but to ask how authority is reorganised, governed, and contested under platform capitalism.
It follows the long arc from encyclopedic institutions to digital platforms and emerging AI systems — not to mourn lost expertise, but to ask how authority is reorganised, governed, and contested under platform capitalism.
Reposted by Kate Devlin
robots now make desire paths
February 10, 2026 at 3:59 PM
robots now make desire paths
Reposted by Kate Devlin
Remind me: was this the company that stole my work?
And the work of thousands of other writers?
And the work of thousands of other writers?
“She compares her work to the efforts of a parent raising a child. She’s training Claude to detect the difference between right and wrong while imbuing it with unique personality traits.”
This Philosopher Is Teaching AI to Have Morals
The tech company has entrusted the philosopher to endow its chatbot with a sense of right and wrong.
www.wsj.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Remind me: was this the company that stole my work?
And the work of thousands of other writers?
And the work of thousands of other writers?
"Meanwhile, over on social media, the price of freedom is eternal vigilantes – particularly those posting video doorbell footage on neighbourhood group chats, flagging anyone who walks past their house, often on suspicion of being foreign in a built-up area." www.perspectivemedia.com/youre-on-cam...
You’re on camera | Perspective Media
There’s a quotation by American historian Timothy Snyder currently circulating on social media. It comes from the opening of his pamphlet, On Tyranny, and i ...
www.perspectivemedia.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:50 AM
"Meanwhile, over on social media, the price of freedom is eternal vigilantes – particularly those posting video doorbell footage on neighbourhood group chats, flagging anyone who walks past their house, often on suspicion of being foreign in a built-up area." www.perspectivemedia.com/youre-on-cam...
Reposted by Kate Devlin
Yeah I’m looking for my dog (girlfriend who has a restraining order against me and she has a dog) and here’s the picture of the dog (she walks this dog and I can use it to figure out her schedule) thanks for sending all footage my way
February 9, 2026 at 4:13 AM
Yeah I’m looking for my dog (girlfriend who has a restraining order against me and she has a dog) and here’s the picture of the dog (she walks this dog and I can use it to figure out her schedule) thanks for sending all footage my way
If you'd like a glimpse into my marriage, the current argument is that the order of service for my funeral, if it contains a colon, should not directly be followed by a word beginning with capital letter, which for some reason my husband feels is appropriate if it is a complete sentence. I disagree.
February 7, 2026 at 5:15 PM
If you'd like a glimpse into my marriage, the current argument is that the order of service for my funeral, if it contains a colon, should not directly be followed by a word beginning with capital letter, which for some reason my husband feels is appropriate if it is a complete sentence. I disagree.
Reposted by Kate Devlin
Trust me, the woman of academia are not at all surprised by the number of academic men orbiting Epstein.
February 7, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Trust me, the woman of academia are not at all surprised by the number of academic men orbiting Epstein.
The rain has stopped in Norwich. I'm off to London, though.
February 7, 2026 at 10:40 AM
The rain has stopped in Norwich. I'm off to London, though.
Reposted by Kate Devlin
These bans are short-sighted and inhumane and pushed by people who do not understand the complexity of social media
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
‘I’ve lost my friends’: advocacy groups warn Australia’s social media ban risks isolating kids with disabilities
Despite the ban’s aim to protect young people, experts are concerned that those in marginalised communities or living with disabilities could lose vital support networks
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:56 AM
These bans are short-sighted and inhumane and pushed by people who do not understand the complexity of social media
Reposted by Kate Devlin
Bezos burning the Washington post to the ground is as firm a reason for the continued bbc licence as ever there was. Eventually everything that can be owned by a billionaire will be owned by a billionaire and at that point its future will be determined by the whims of a man making 166k per minute.
February 6, 2026 at 9:17 AM
Bezos burning the Washington post to the ground is as firm a reason for the continued bbc licence as ever there was. Eventually everything that can be owned by a billionaire will be owned by a billionaire and at that point its future will be determined by the whims of a man making 166k per minute.
People writing "I hope this email finds you well" and me reacting by playing the first verse of Gloria by Laura Branigan on endless repeat.
February 6, 2026 at 12:41 PM
People writing "I hope this email finds you well" and me reacting by playing the first verse of Gloria by Laura Branigan on endless repeat.
Reposted by Kate Devlin
How is technology reshaping the way we connect, love, and desire?
Join us online for @kings-dfi.bsky.social 'Digital Futures of Desire' event
www.kcl.ac.uk/events/digit...
with @rikkeamundsen.bsky.social Chloé Locatelli & Samuel Douek. Panel chaired by @drkatedevlin.bsky.social
Join us online for @kings-dfi.bsky.social 'Digital Futures of Desire' event
www.kcl.ac.uk/events/digit...
with @rikkeamundsen.bsky.social Chloé Locatelli & Samuel Douek. Panel chaired by @drkatedevlin.bsky.social
Digital Futures of Desire | King's College London
This February, join us for a Valentine's-themed exploration of intimacy in the digital age.
www.kcl.ac.uk
February 5, 2026 at 8:57 AM
How is technology reshaping the way we connect, love, and desire?
Join us online for @kings-dfi.bsky.social 'Digital Futures of Desire' event
www.kcl.ac.uk/events/digit...
with @rikkeamundsen.bsky.social Chloé Locatelli & Samuel Douek. Panel chaired by @drkatedevlin.bsky.social
Join us online for @kings-dfi.bsky.social 'Digital Futures of Desire' event
www.kcl.ac.uk/events/digit...
with @rikkeamundsen.bsky.social Chloé Locatelli & Samuel Douek. Panel chaired by @drkatedevlin.bsky.social
I was away for two whole days and my inbox looks like a 15 mile long motorway tailback.
February 4, 2026 at 11:24 AM
I was away for two whole days and my inbox looks like a 15 mile long motorway tailback.
It's my birthday today and the presents keep appearing.
BREAKING: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been formally reported to the police over allegations he was involved in the trafficking of a woman to the UK for sex in 2010
February 3, 2026 at 9:38 PM
It's my birthday today and the presents keep appearing.
Every time I'm tempted to start a podcast I remember why podcasts are terrible.
📢 “A huge amount of men between the age of 15 and 50 will not pass on their genes. They will effectively die out of the gene pool ... Should society intervene?” Steven Bartlett asked last year.
Two top podcasters have identified a global decline. The problem, they say, is women
www.smh.com.au
February 3, 2026 at 4:52 PM
Every time I'm tempted to start a podcast I remember why podcasts are terrible.
I dreamt I was creating a very clear and informative organisation chart and then I woke up and remembered that I do indeed need to create exactly this. You've got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true, etc.
February 3, 2026 at 5:34 AM
I dreamt I was creating a very clear and informative organisation chart and then I woke up and remembered that I do indeed need to create exactly this. You've got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true, etc.
Reposted by Kate Devlin
Morning! Here’s my Op-Ed on self-driving cars to start the week
Self-driving taxis are coming to London – should we be worried? | Jack Stilgoe
Waymo’s cars were first rolled out in San Francisco, but the English capital’s old roads, pelican crossings and jaywalkers may pose issues for AI, says science and technology professor Jack Stilgoe
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Morning! Here’s my Op-Ed on self-driving cars to start the week
Having recently heard the line "we need to think what our research looks like if a Reform government gets in" then yeah, I am simultaneously angry and depressed that people are obeying in advance.
Before anyone gets too angry about this, several things. (1) Universities in the UK, unlike the US, are pretty much under the financial and admin control of central govt. If RefUK moves to wipe them out, as they will, then some will choose life. (1/3) www.timeshighereducation.com/news/univers...
Universities try to woo Reform as party gains ground
Serious lobbying efforts under way, with right-wing party expected to be more sympathetic to elite universities than rest of the sector
www.timeshighereducation.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Having recently heard the line "we need to think what our research looks like if a Reform government gets in" then yeah, I am simultaneously angry and depressed that people are obeying in advance.
Reposted by Kate Devlin
❤️🔥 How is technology reshaping the way we connect, love, and desire?
This February, join us for a Valentine's-themed exploration of intimacy in the digital age, featuring Professor @drkatedevlin.bsky.social, Dr @rikkeamundsen.bsky.social, Dr Chloé Locatelli & Samuel Douek.
Register now ⬇️
This February, join us for a Valentine's-themed exploration of intimacy in the digital age, featuring Professor @drkatedevlin.bsky.social, Dr @rikkeamundsen.bsky.social, Dr Chloé Locatelli & Samuel Douek.
Register now ⬇️
Digital Futures of Desire | King's College London
This February, join us for a Valentine's-themed exploration of intimacy in the digital age.
www.kcl.ac.uk
February 2, 2026 at 11:08 AM
❤️🔥 How is technology reshaping the way we connect, love, and desire?
This February, join us for a Valentine's-themed exploration of intimacy in the digital age, featuring Professor @drkatedevlin.bsky.social, Dr @rikkeamundsen.bsky.social, Dr Chloé Locatelli & Samuel Douek.
Register now ⬇️
This February, join us for a Valentine's-themed exploration of intimacy in the digital age, featuring Professor @drkatedevlin.bsky.social, Dr @rikkeamundsen.bsky.social, Dr Chloé Locatelli & Samuel Douek.
Register now ⬇️
Reposted by Kate Devlin
Thinkinge of askinge Chat GPT a questioun about your plannes, thoughtes, ideas? Trye a tarot deck ynstead. Cheaper, bettir for the environment, bettir resultes, not evil.
January 31, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Thinkinge of askinge Chat GPT a questioun about your plannes, thoughtes, ideas? Trye a tarot deck ynstead. Cheaper, bettir for the environment, bettir resultes, not evil.