Nic Fox
@foxnic.bsky.social
Research: missing children, harm, vulnerability (exploit’n, exclusion, SEND) w/ ML+NLP, policing, matricide, women’s road safety
Papers:
https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2024.2333561
https://doi.org/10.1080/30679125.2025.2612199
Ex IT consultant. DMs ⛔️
Papers:
https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2024.2333561
https://doi.org/10.1080/30679125.2025.2612199
Ex IT consultant. DMs ⛔️
Reposted by Nic Fox
Palantir’s stated mission is to defend America. Peter Thiel is a radical libertarian who does not believe ‘freedom & democracy are compatible’.
Yet, the UK is overwhelmingly dependent on Palantir’s services. As a national security threat, this is off the charts.
@thenerve.news
2/
Yet, the UK is overwhelmingly dependent on Palantir’s services. As a national security threat, this is off the charts.
@thenerve.news
2/
January 28, 2026 at 11:35 AM
Palantir’s stated mission is to defend America. Peter Thiel is a radical libertarian who does not believe ‘freedom & democracy are compatible’.
Yet, the UK is overwhelmingly dependent on Palantir’s services. As a national security threat, this is off the charts.
@thenerve.news
2/
Yet, the UK is overwhelmingly dependent on Palantir’s services. As a national security threat, this is off the charts.
@thenerve.news
2/
Reposted by Nic Fox
NEW: Our investigation for @thenerve_news reveals not only that Peter Thiel’s Palantir is completely enmeshed in our critical national infrastructure.
It’s also the ‘cloud support’ for our nuclear weapons system 🤯
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
It’s also the ‘cloud support’ for our nuclear weapons system 🤯
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
January 28, 2026 at 11:32 AM
NEW: Our investigation for @thenerve_news reveals not only that Peter Thiel’s Palantir is completely enmeshed in our critical national infrastructure.
It’s also the ‘cloud support’ for our nuclear weapons system 🤯
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
It’s also the ‘cloud support’ for our nuclear weapons system 🤯
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...
Reposted by Nic Fox
Kitchen knives in children's care homes in Doncaster and Sheffield are to be replaced with utensils with rounded tips to improve safety.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Sharp knives removed from children's care homes
Police project aims to reduce knife-related incidents in care settings in South Yorkshire.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 28, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Kitchen knives in children's care homes in Doncaster and Sheffield are to be replaced with utensils with rounded tips to improve safety.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Nic Fox
This is worth paying attention to particularly for those who have concerns about Palantir's involvement in NHS data.... www.bmj.com/content/392/...
ICE and Palantir: US agents using health data to hunt illegal immigrants
US immigration agents are using an app developed by Palantir that draws on the health records of millions of Americans to find and detain illegal immigrants.
The revelation comes as the US’s Immigrat...
www.bmj.com
January 28, 2026 at 2:35 PM
This is worth paying attention to particularly for those who have concerns about Palantir's involvement in NHS data.... www.bmj.com/content/392/...
Reposted by Nic Fox
There is still time to register for this event on school absences and crime!
We're organising a webinar on 18 February to mark the end of my @adr-uk.bsky.social Fellowship on school absences and crime. With talks from top-notch colleagues including @iainbrennan.bsky.social, @foxnic.bsky.social, Mark Mon-Williams, and many others!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-schoo...
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-schoo...
From School Absences and Exclusions to Crime: Evidence and Implications
This webinar marks the conclusion of an ADR UK Fellowship examining the longitudinal relationship between school absences and crime.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 20, 2026 at 3:28 PM
There is still time to register for this event on school absences and crime!
The 2nd* paper from my PhD has been published as an open access Brief Report! :)
Topics: SEND, exclusion, exploitation, missing children, machine learning ("AI")
Paper: doi.org/10.1080/3067...
The thread below attempts to explain what its about in a way that's accessible
*first solo author paper
Topics: SEND, exclusion, exploitation, missing children, machine learning ("AI")
Paper: doi.org/10.1080/3067...
The thread below attempts to explain what its about in a way that's accessible
*first solo author paper
January 20, 2026 at 2:38 PM
The 2nd* paper from my PhD has been published as an open access Brief Report! :)
Topics: SEND, exclusion, exploitation, missing children, machine learning ("AI")
Paper: doi.org/10.1080/3067...
The thread below attempts to explain what its about in a way that's accessible
*first solo author paper
Topics: SEND, exclusion, exploitation, missing children, machine learning ("AI")
Paper: doi.org/10.1080/3067...
The thread below attempts to explain what its about in a way that's accessible
*first solo author paper
“GPS’s remarkable accuracy rests on years of meticulous mathematical labor done behind the scenes by scientists like West, who pursued the work not for recognition, but because it mattered”
❤️
❤️
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away
thezebra.org
January 19, 2026 at 6:23 PM
“GPS’s remarkable accuracy rests on years of meticulous mathematical labor done behind the scenes by scientists like West, who pursued the work not for recognition, but because it mattered”
❤️
❤️
Reposted by Nic Fox
Reposted by Nic Fox
"Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them."
― Frank Herbert, Dune
cassidoo.co/post/good-br...
― Frank Herbert, Dune
cassidoo.co/post/good-br...
Do not give up your brain
It's tempting to just let tools think for you, but you still need to be able to think for yourself and stay sharp.
cassidoo.co
January 17, 2026 at 3:32 AM
"Once men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them."
― Frank Herbert, Dune
cassidoo.co/post/good-br...
― Frank Herbert, Dune
cassidoo.co/post/good-br...
“It’s much more about ‘how can we support you to meet the expectation’”
“a “welcome hub” in which pupils can collect uniform they may need, eat breakfast and receive support from pastoral staff […] open every morning […] partnered with a charity to give parents, carers and children toiletries“
“a “welcome hub” in which pupils can collect uniform they may need, eat breakfast and receive support from pastoral staff […] open every morning […] partnered with a charity to give parents, carers and children toiletries“
🏫 Exclusive: A 'turnaround' trust once criticised for controversial behaviour policies has revealed plans to boost its academies’ 'emotional intelligence'
Suspensions fall as trust embraces ‘emotional intelligence’
Influential turnaround MAT criticised for high suspensions bidding to cut exclusions and 'keep kids in school'
schoolsweek.co.uk
January 17, 2026 at 8:21 AM
“It’s much more about ‘how can we support you to meet the expectation’”
“a “welcome hub” in which pupils can collect uniform they may need, eat breakfast and receive support from pastoral staff […] open every morning […] partnered with a charity to give parents, carers and children toiletries“
“a “welcome hub” in which pupils can collect uniform they may need, eat breakfast and receive support from pastoral staff […] open every morning […] partnered with a charity to give parents, carers and children toiletries“
Reposted by Nic Fox
This analysis of papers from 1980 to 2025 goes beyond LLMs, but notes one challenge that arises when research questions rely on the same tools and datasets: “the adoption of AI seems to induce authors to converge on the same solutions to known problems rather than create new ones.”
AI has supercharged scientists—but may have shrunk science
Analysis of 41 million papers finds that although AI expands individual impact, it narrows collective scientific exploration
www.science.org
January 14, 2026 at 10:25 PM
This analysis of papers from 1980 to 2025 goes beyond LLMs, but notes one challenge that arises when research questions rely on the same tools and datasets: “the adoption of AI seems to induce authors to converge on the same solutions to known problems rather than create new ones.”
Reposted by Nic Fox
"The hardest single part of building a software system is deciding precisely what to build. [...] No other part of the work so cripples the resulting system if done wrong. No other part is more difficult to rectify later."
Fred Brooks, "No Silver Bullet"
Fred Brooks, "No Silver Bullet"
January 10, 2026 at 11:25 AM
"The hardest single part of building a software system is deciding precisely what to build. [...] No other part of the work so cripples the resulting system if done wrong. No other part is more difficult to rectify later."
Fred Brooks, "No Silver Bullet"
Fred Brooks, "No Silver Bullet"
Reposted by Nic Fox
An invaluable new report. A "premortem" is exactly what we need.
The risks of AI in schools outweigh the benefits, report says
A new report warns that AI poses a serious threat to children's cognitive development and emotional well-being.
www.npr.org
January 14, 2026 at 12:09 PM
An invaluable new report. A "premortem" is exactly what we need.
Reposted by Nic Fox
That's not to say LLMs are useless for legal research. You've just got to treat them like a brilliant and extremely fast trainee who is also a psychopath and pathological liar.
January 13, 2026 at 8:40 PM
That's not to say LLMs are useless for legal research. You've just got to treat them like a brilliant and extremely fast trainee who is also a psychopath and pathological liar.
Reposted by Nic Fox
'The Effect of Counting Rules on Cross-National Comparisons of Homicide', by @davidbuil.bsky.social (who came up with the idea & did all of the data analysis and most of the write up), myself & @marcelo-f-aebi.bsky.social, just out at Social Indicators Research (link.springer.com/article/10.1...).
January 8, 2026 at 1:42 PM
'The Effect of Counting Rules on Cross-National Comparisons of Homicide', by @davidbuil.bsky.social (who came up with the idea & did all of the data analysis and most of the write up), myself & @marcelo-f-aebi.bsky.social, just out at Social Indicators Research (link.springer.com/article/10.1...).
“Maybe not everything has to be digital or digitized,
maybe the internet shouldn’t be inserted into absolutely everything,
maybe we shouldn’t be constantly connected in the way we’re now expected to be,
and generative AI certainly does not need to be forced into every facet of society.”
❤️
maybe the internet shouldn’t be inserted into absolutely everything,
maybe we shouldn’t be constantly connected in the way we’re now expected to be,
and generative AI certainly does not need to be forced into every facet of society.”
❤️
If this year was about getting off US tech, 2026 is the year to reassess the digital revolution — what works, what doesn’t; what to keep, and what to reject.
I’ve only just started to consider what needs to change about how I use digital technology, but I’m excited to learn more next year.
I’ve only just started to consider what needs to change about how I use digital technology, but I’m excited to learn more next year.
We need to reassess our relationship to digital tech
Getting off US tech led me to a wider questioning of digital convenience
disconnect.blog
January 1, 2026 at 6:25 AM
“Maybe not everything has to be digital or digitized,
maybe the internet shouldn’t be inserted into absolutely everything,
maybe we shouldn’t be constantly connected in the way we’re now expected to be,
and generative AI certainly does not need to be forced into every facet of society.”
❤️
maybe the internet shouldn’t be inserted into absolutely everything,
maybe we shouldn’t be constantly connected in the way we’re now expected to be,
and generative AI certainly does not need to be forced into every facet of society.”
❤️
Reposted by Nic Fox
for all the talk about this being the next transformative technology, there is an awful lot of forcing from above. no one ever met with a country's PM to tell them smart phone adoption was too low. what are we doing here?
Fewer Irish people using ChatGPT than in other countries, OpenAI told Taoiseach
Fewer Irish people using ChatGPT than in other countries, OpenAI told Taoiseach
Micheál Martin was told application had been rolled out to all secondary school students in Estonia ‘to complement the curriculum’
www.irishtimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 11:07 AM
for all the talk about this being the next transformative technology, there is an awful lot of forcing from above. no one ever met with a country's PM to tell them smart phone adoption was too low. what are we doing here?
Reposted by Nic Fox
Our new journal @evidencebasejnl.bsky.social will officially be launching its inaugural issue in April. Evidence assessments, cutting edge methodology papers, research commentaries .. www.tandfonline.com/journals/reb...
December 30, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Our new journal @evidencebasejnl.bsky.social will officially be launching its inaugural issue in April. Evidence assessments, cutting edge methodology papers, research commentaries .. www.tandfonline.com/journals/reb...
Reposted by Nic Fox
📢 New publication – and a great way to end the year
In this study, we use MAIHDA (Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy) to study who is most at risk of violence victimisation in England and Wales. Paper: doi.org/10.1177/1748... 1/n
In this study, we use MAIHDA (Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy) to study who is most at risk of violence victimisation in England and Wales. Paper: doi.org/10.1177/1748... 1/n
December 29, 2025 at 11:12 AM
📢 New publication – and a great way to end the year
In this study, we use MAIHDA (Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy) to study who is most at risk of violence victimisation in England and Wales. Paper: doi.org/10.1177/1748... 1/n
In this study, we use MAIHDA (Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy) to study who is most at risk of violence victimisation in England and Wales. Paper: doi.org/10.1177/1748... 1/n
Reposted by Nic Fox
Our work begins with a simple, but bold idea: powerful people using AI to decide our fates is not inevitable. At TechTonic Justice, we’re working for a better today and a better tomorrow. And, we want you to join us!
December 5, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Our work begins with a simple, but bold idea: powerful people using AI to decide our fates is not inevitable. At TechTonic Justice, we’re working for a better today and a better tomorrow. And, we want you to join us!
Reposted by Nic Fox
Big Tech is rapidly building out data centers to power AI—without adequate oversight, transparency, or accountability. @publiccitizen.bsky.social has released a new report revealing who truly benefits from the acceleration of AI across all sectors of society, and who is left to pay the price.⬇️
December 11, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Big Tech is rapidly building out data centers to power AI—without adequate oversight, transparency, or accountability. @publiccitizen.bsky.social has released a new report revealing who truly benefits from the acceleration of AI across all sectors of society, and who is left to pay the price.⬇️
Reposted by Nic Fox
"Nobody is using this responsibly": @kevindeliban.bsky.social's warnings on A.I. and the lessons he took from beating the state of Arkansas in court after it denied benefits to Medicaid recipients because of decisions made by an algorithm.
December 29, 2025 at 2:17 AM
"Nobody is using this responsibly": @kevindeliban.bsky.social's warnings on A.I. and the lessons he took from beating the state of Arkansas in court after it denied benefits to Medicaid recipients because of decisions made by an algorithm.
Someone has messaged me on here but I can’t read it without providing data to KWS which I’m reluctant to do. If you have my contact details please email/text me. If not, perhaps reply to this post.
December 22, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Someone has messaged me on here but I can’t read it without providing data to KWS which I’m reluctant to do. If you have my contact details please email/text me. If not, perhaps reply to this post.
Reposted by Nic Fox
📢 We’re hiring a Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice 📢
Please do share widely 1/3
Please do share widely 1/3
December 20, 2025 at 5:33 AM
📢 We’re hiring a Lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice 📢
Please do share widely 1/3
Please do share widely 1/3