Professor Tom Crick
proftomcrick.com
Professor Tom Crick
@proftomcrick.com
Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport; incoming Professor of Digital Society and Policy at the University of Bristol. All views my own, etc.

https://www.gov.uk/government/people/tom-crick
Pinned
2026 job news: alongside my role as Chief Scientific Adviser for DCMS, I'll be joining @bristoluni.bsky.social in the New Year as Professor of Digital Society and Policy, based in @soebristol.bsky.social and working closely with the Bristol Digital Futures Institute...
Reposted by Professor Tom Crick
Guys guys guys, I found the archive of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (it's not an achievement, they've not hidden them) - you can watch every single one since they started televising them in the 60s:

www.rigb.org/christmas-le...

I love watching them every year, now I can see them all!
Watch the Royal Institution CHRISTMAS LECTURES archive
Watch all the Royal Institution CHRISTMAS LECTURES back to 1966, when the lectures were first televised.
www.rigb.org
December 30, 2025 at 6:03 PM
It’s my 7th Parkrun anniversary today — I’ve managed to enjoy 160 so far, at 45 different locations (with Newport Parkrun being my local). Try one on New Year’s Day: www.parkrun.org.uk/special-even...
Special Events | parkrun UKFacebookXInstagramYouTubeTikTokLinkedIn
parkrun organise and provide free, weekly, 5k timed events around the world
www.parkrun.org.uk
December 29, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by Professor Tom Crick
Seeing as the call for submissions is now open, what would you select as a part of 'intangible cultural heritage' in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland?
livingheritage.unesco.org.uk/get-involved...
View Submitted Elements | Browse Living Heritage EOIs
Browse expressions of interest submitted to the UK living heritage inventories. Search by nation or category, spot what's missing, connect with similar groups, and avoid duplicate submissions.
livingheritage.unesco.org.uk
December 28, 2025 at 8:36 PM
They might be “companions” but they don’t bring “companionship”…
December 28, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Professor Tom Crick
“By reading this plaque, you have made a valuable addition to the number of people who have read this plaque” … an important heritage moment on the streets of Toronto (by artist Sarah Lazarovic).
December 27, 2025 at 1:01 PM
“[Cloud Dancer] is not just a colour, it's a mindset" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Blank canvas or tone-deaf? Pantone’s white Colour of the Year sparks backlash
Some critics have labelled the decision as
www.bbc.co.uk
December 20, 2025 at 10:18 AM
2026 job news: alongside my role as Chief Scientific Adviser for DCMS, I'll be joining @bristoluni.bsky.social in the New Year as Professor of Digital Society and Policy, based in @soebristol.bsky.social and working closely with the Bristol Digital Futures Institute...
December 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Open call for evidence: Regulation of AI in Healthcare --> "The MHRA is seeking evidence on the regulation of AI in healthcare to inform the recommendations of the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare." www.gov.uk/government/c... (deadline: 2 February 2026)
Regulation of AI in Healthcare
The MHRA is seeking evidence on the regulation of AI in healthcare to inform the recommendations of the National Commission into the Regulation of AI in Healthcare.
www.gov.uk
December 18, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Lessons from Roomba: sometimes being first mover sucks www.ft.com/content/44e0...
Lessons from Roomba: sometimes being first mover sucks
In the consumer products space, rulers are dethroned with alarming speed
www.ft.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:48 AM
"Are you in TikTok’s cat niche? What 121,000 videos reveal." www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i... (no, I am not)
Are you in TikTok’s cat niche? What 121,000 videos reveal.
We re-created TikTok’s algorithm based on 1,100 users’ feeds. Explore which topics are in your feed and see what the algorithm is least likely to show you.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Artificial intelligence research has a slop problem, academics say: ‘It’s a mess’ www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Artificial intelligence research has a slop problem, academics say: ‘It’s a mess’
AI research in question as author claims to have written over 100 papers on AI that one expert calls a ‘disaster’
www.theguardian.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:04 PM
December 2, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Professor Tom Crick
Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Professor Tom Crick
1. Pausing new submissions about AI topics for 90 days. That is, papers about AI models, testing AI models, proposing AI models, theories about the future of AI, etc. We will make exceptions for papers that are already accepted for publication (or published) in peer-reviewed scholarly journals
/2
November 27, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Professor Tom Crick
The @designcouncil.bsky.social is looking for a new CEO. They are focused on using the design economy to help address the climate crisis and achieve net zero. £130k
www.designcouncil.org.uk/who-we-are/j...
Chief Executive
The role of the Chief Executive The main purpose of the role is to lead Design Council, to ensure the strategy is robust and the operations will deliver all ...
www.designcouncil.org.uk
November 14, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Very much enjoyed speaking at the 2025 Sport Performance Summit London at the Kia Oval today, with a talk entitled: “Beyond the Algorithm: Data, Ethics and the Future of AI in Performance” leadersinsport.com/performance-...
Agenda - Performance Institute
leadersinsport.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Bug in Springer Nature metadata may be causing ‘significant, systemic’ citation inflation retractionwatch.com/2025/11/11/b...
Bug in Springer Nature metadata may be causing ‘significant, systemic’ citation inflation
Millions of researchers could be affected by a “dramatic distortion of citation counts” likely caused by flaws in how the academic publishing giant Springer Nature handles article metadata, accordi…
retractionwatch.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Reposted by Professor Tom Crick
UPCOMING 📚 The Impact of GenAI on the Novel

Join us for the (online) launch of a new report from Dr @clemicollett.bsky.social @braiduk.bsky.social (in assoc with @ifow.org) on how generative AI is impacting novelists and the publishing industry.

Book your spot ➡️ www.mctd.ac.uk/events/gener...
November 3, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Da iawn Aberystwyth! www.aber.ac.uk/en/news/arch...
October 31, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Nvidia Is Now Worth $5 Trillion as It Consolidates Power in A.I. Boom www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/t...
Nvidia Is Now Worth $5 Trillion as It Consolidates Power in A.I. Boom
www.nytimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by Professor Tom Crick
🚨Breaking Dsit funding news🚨

UKRI allocated £39bn budget over next four years.

National funder will receive around £9.2 billion next year, as Dsit plans “more agile” R&D funding.

More details: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-p...
UKRI allocated £39bn budget over next four years - Research Professional News
National funder will receive around £9.2 billion next year, as Dsit plans “more agile” R&D funding
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Nexperia: The Small Company in Europe Caught in the Big Trade War Between the U.S. and China www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/b...
The Small Company in Europe Caught in the Big Trade War Between the U.S. and China
www.nytimes.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:11 AM
STFC launches powerful new AI supercomputer for industry www.ukri.org/news/stfc-la... <— “From new medicines to clean energy, the Mary Coombs supercomputer will help UK industry make breakthroughs through AI and advanced computing...” @ukri.org
STFC launches powerful new AI supercomputer for industry
From new medicines to clean energy, the Mary Coombs supercomputer will help UK industry make breakthroughs through AI and advanced computing.
www.ukri.org
October 20, 2025 at 2:18 PM
NCSC calls for action after rise in ‘nationally significant’ cyber incidents www.computerweekly.com/news/3666326...
NCSC calls for action after rise in ‘nationally significant’ cyber incidents | Computer Weekly
National Cyber Security Centre says businesses should take action now as the number of nationally significant cyber incidents doubles.
www.computerweekly.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:49 PM