Maybe investigate Amazon's Kindle returns policy?
Tech journalist and author, who increasingly also talks on TV and radio. Interested in the sparks that happen when the online and offline worlds collide @stokel on the other place. Buy my book: How AI Ate the World!
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Maybe investigate Amazon's Kindle returns policy?
"I can pinpoint the moment when my brain refused to take in any more of Nick Clegg’s new book, How to Save the Internet."
Looking at the Times and Telegraph's reviews, it appears I'm not alone in my thinking on this
Excellent headline
I have not read any of his previous books, but in an earlier draft of the review I found it notable that it was co-written by his longtime speechwriter who has followed him from the Lib Dems to Meta
Nick Clegg's new book is absolutely atrocious and I cannot in good conscience recommend you read it. Instead, read my review for @newscientist.com about how bad it is www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
The UK's watering down of EU data protection rules through its Data (Use and Access) Act could - if successful - signal the start of a broader European chipping away at the GDPR. By me for @nikkei.com Digital Governance www.nikkei.com/prime/digita...
Your observational skills are second to none
I can now explain why I found this so funny at the time bsky.app/profile/stok...
Nick Clegg's new book is absolutely atrocious and I cannot in good conscience recommend you read it. Instead, read my review for @newscientist.com about how bad it is www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
What will rail travel look like in 200 years? My latest for IMechE's Professional Engineering casts an eye into the future www.imeche.org/news/news-ar...
Nick Clegg, famously intelligent
There is, in fact, loads of evidence to support this. But let’s just start with this classic study. www.nature.com/articles/nat...
Smartphone bans in schools are a hot-button issue - but what is actually the scientific evidence for them? For @bmj.com, I dug in www.bmj.com/content/390/...
Anthropic's shock settlement in a court case alleging copyright infringement could dictate more than the future of the company - is it an indication of how AI firms see their chances in court? By me for @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/tech/anthrop...
"AI slop isn’t sloppy anymore. It’s photorealistic, convincing and easily producible at scale, by even the average user. With the advent of Nano Banana, the idea that seeing is believing is dead. That has profound implications for our politics and our society."
yeah but doctoring photography at a high level wasn't as easy as typing a prompt into a box IMO
The race towards brain-computer interfaces is hotting up between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, as I covered for the London Standard www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/br...
Google's new image model is so good it has me worried for the future of facts. My latest for @theipaper.com on what it all means inews.co.uk/opinion/than...
The race towards brain-computer interfaces is hotting up between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, as I covered for the London Standard www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/br...
Google's new image model is so good it has me worried for the future of facts. My latest for @theipaper.com on what it all means inews.co.uk/opinion/than...
🚨 BREAKING: Russia has struck the EU delegation building in Kyiv. Read the developing story: ow.ly/N2RW50WNllP
This is an incredible story from @stevedineen.bsky.social www.cityam.com/mass-halluci...
I read and reviewed a new book about carbon dioxide for @newscientist.com that was super - read all about it here www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
Shona I don't need to know your music tastes tysm
In which I get very cranky. (Use reader view ;)
"Every app except WeChat that tries to become an everything app ends up as an anything app—a junk drawer of half-ideas. Spotify’s new feature feels like more clutter, more cruft, dumped onto an already junk-filled smartphone notification screen."
Very glad to say my latest @fastcompany.com story - on the risks AI agents pose when let loose in the wild - is out and supported by a Tarbell Center grant www.fastcompany.com/91392109/eve...
With Love, Meghan just dropped on Netflix and you can binge it all (if you really want). But the release schedule is uniquely Netflix's - and could only be done by them, as my latest for @fastcompany.com explains www.fastcompany.com/91392137/meg...
We're expecting a decision on remedies from Judge Amit Mehta in the Google antitrust trial any day now. For @fastcompany.com, I sketched out the potential options we could see from the judge's decision www.fastcompany.com/91392973/goo...
Sam Altman and Elon Musk have been at loggerheads for nearly a decade now - but their latest conflict involves brain-computer interaction tech. For @the-independent.com, I looked at their competition - and what it means for us all www.the-independent.com/tech/elon-mu...
Could ChatGPT act as an investment advisor? For @theipaper.com I spoke to someone who had utilised it - and cashed in inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
Spotify is adding chat features to its app. We're in the "chuck every feature you can think of into a single product" era and I hate it. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91393161/spo...
Is tech making the world better or worse? In the latest issue of @newscientist.com's Business Insights newsletter, I recap the discussion at a recent New Scientist event. Sign up for future issues here link.newscientist.com/click/413083...
Could ChatGPT act as an investment advisor? For @theipaper.com I spoke to someone who had utilised it - and cashed in inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
Sam Altman and Elon Musk have been at loggerheads for nearly a decade now - but their latest conflict involves brain-computer interaction tech. For @the-independent.com, I looked at their competition - and what it means for us all www.the-independent.com/tech/elon-mu...
We're expecting a decision on remedies from Judge Amit Mehta in the Google antitrust trial any day now. For @fastcompany.com, I sketched out the potential options we could see from the judge's decision www.fastcompany.com/91392973/goo...
With Love, Meghan just dropped on Netflix and you can binge it all (if you really want). But the release schedule is uniquely Netflix's - and could only be done by them, as my latest for @fastcompany.com explains www.fastcompany.com/91392137/meg...
Very glad to say my latest @fastcompany.com story - on the risks AI agents pose when let loose in the wild - is out and supported by a Tarbell Center grant www.fastcompany.com/91392109/eve...
The US is putting a full-court press on EU tech regulations, including commanding diplomats to make the case for weakening rules in European capitals. My latest for @nikkei.com Digital Governance www.nikkei.com/prime/digita...
This is wild - singling out regulators for implementing EU-wide tech rules www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
My latest for @economist.com 's Espresso is on the surprising drop in people reading for pleasure
How much does it cost to build a data centre? A lot more than it used to, thanks to the geopolitical situation. My latest for @tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com/tech-industr...
Maybe I should write it for you?!
Is this the point at which I feel smug and say I’ve been trying to land a story going to countries where they already use AI across million-plus, government-subsidised populations for about six weeks? If you’re an editor suddenly interested, lmk www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
I now umm and aah about fixing any I find in stories and caught myself thinking twice about fixing a couple in emails this week
It's a privilege to have helped out with some of the @inc.com 5000 entries this year - take a read of my profiles of past listed companies including Pandora, Qualcomm and Zoom here www.inc.com/chris-stokel...
I also don't know what the solution to this is beyond only commissioning journalists you've met or worked with before (which would suck) because the economics and timescales of journalism don't allow for the kinds of checks that could prevent this
This story of a fictional journalist writing made up AI stories is WILD. Combining the reported fees in the piece and what I know of what the others pay, it's also a very low-paying trick - maybe £1,500 max over four months pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/d...
Between 2023 and 2024 a slew of AI companies signed up to voluntary commitments with the White House. Only half of them have been met so far, a new study I wrote up for @fastcompany.com shows www.fastcompany.com/91389117/bid...
I reviewed a new book about noise's impact on our lives, while subtweeting two of my annoying neighbours, for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
This is incredible - the Bundesliga has made a deal with *a streamer* for rights to 20 matches this season www.thetimes.com/sport/footba...
VPNs aren't just useful for avoiding the age verification checks that are increasingly edging into our lives. For @theipaper.com, I explained how they can save you money, too inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...
I agree. And the 79% of UK parents who refuse to talk to their kids about porn or sex ought to be taking more responsibility so that I don't have to jump through hoops because they're embarrassed cease.org.uk/british-publ...
The whole point of VPNs is to avoid having to hand over vast volumes of unrequired data to people you don't want to...
Agreed (and thank you for what you do, if you are a foster parent). Should millions of people be banned from accessing VPNs to account for that?
Conjugate the verb after me: I can't parent my kids You must do something about it He/she/they are accessing porn We are in trouble You all must suffer intrusion into your life because of it They must be saved
Big "My child found the hidden store of sweets in the cupboard so let's blame kitchen manufacturers" energy
A lot of shifting responsibility for parenting to large tech companies going on here www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The Premier League is back, which means one thing - fantasy football is back. But is AI here to ruin that, too? My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91387505/ai-...
The ease of creating AI-generated responses to questions on crowdsourced platforms like Prolific is tanking academic research. My latest from the coalface of our changing world for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2492...
Good to know that skibidi is popular with those “born between 2010 and 2024”, according to the six o’clock news, meaning the BBC has presumably polled some one year olds about their language
GLENN: You look fabulous in that suit TRUMP: That's the one that attacked you last time ZELENSKYY: I remember that. You're in the same suit. I changed mine.
My latest for The Current looks at how AI companies are now looking at retailers' information as a potential treasure trove of training data www.thecurrent.com/retail-publi...
I wrote about the Online Safety Act and the UK's response (to charge to VPNs) for @nikkei.com Digital Governance www.nikkei.com/prime/digita...
This is W I L D www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcar...
Synthetic data has been heralded as a route forward to improve LLM performance. But cynics (who are often creatives) say its a cop out for alleged copyright infringement. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91385285/syn...
I applied so long ago I literally can't remember when it was, but glad to be verified On Here now
I filed a FOIA request with the FTC to get user complaints about ChatGPT. In one case from Utah, a mother reports her son was experiencing a delusional breakdown and ChatGPT told him to stop taking his medication. The AI bot also told him that his parents were dangerous.
I've cracked the reason why people use AI and go "What's the big deal?" - and Sam Altman told me so. You're all using it wrong. My latest for @fastcompany.com www.fastcompany.com/91385268/mos...
New edition of @newscientist.com's Business Insights newsletter just hit inboxes - focusing on how to prepare your business for AI. Sign up to get future editions here www.newscientist.com/sign-up/
Leningrad isn't a thing anymore
Couples who met through online dating report lower satisfaction and feelings of being in love with their partners, a new study I wrote up for @newscientist.com shows - but the scale of the issue is disputed www.newscientist.com/article/2492...
When I repeatedly say the government isn't intellectually intelligent enough to understand tech, "delete your emails to save the environment" is what I mean btw www.gov.uk/government/n...
The battle against bot scraping doesn't just involve legal squabbles. Some website owners are fighting back with AI scraper-trapping mazes and ways to poison training data. My feature for @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/2490...
Not going to happen which is why it's big/bold
Wow - big bid www.reuters.com/business/med...
For years we've thought that the problem with social media was the algorithms pushing us to more extreme content. But this fascinating new study I wrote up for @newscientist.com suggests it's the sharing behaviour - and us who share things - that's the root of it www.newscientist.com/article/2492...
This is great www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
The hilarious thing about the age verification and online safety industry in the UK is that they're not very subtle about their defensive messaging when they swarm the replies to your posts sharing links to your stories
Wikipedia losing its court case against the Online Safety Act is a blow for them, but the Wikimedia Foundation believes the fight isn't over (and piled pressure on Ofcom to categorise platforms correctly) www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
The government’s new bill is hopeless, writes @stokel.bsky.social. We do need protections for children, so don’t repeal it – rewrite it www.independent.co.uk/voices/onlin...
"We’re used to politicians telling us up is down and night is day. But don’t be fooled: this isn’t working and it never will. We do need protections for children, so don’t follow Farage’s advice. Don’t repeal it. Rewrite the law." By me for @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/voices/onlin...
Our judges have been through literally HUNDREDS of websites and selected their shortlist for the Tiny Awards 2025 - voting's open now, so take a few minutes to check out some of the best, most beautiful, oddest, silliest websites of the past year, pick your favourite, TELL THE WORLD!: tinyawards.net
Despite being given identical code snippets to review, work purportedly written with the help of AI was rated 9% worse on average, and 13% less if submitted by a female colleague. @stokel.bsky.social on that fascinating @hbr.org study: leaddev.com/career-devel...
Give the exact same bit of Python code to a developer and ask it to assess the person who produced it, and they'll say the person is 9% worse at their job if they admit to using AI. For @leaddev.com, I dug into the AI competence penalty leaddev.com/career-devel...
Experts - including those profiting from the boon in VPNs - tell me they see the Online Safety Act as a risk to privacy and free information access. My latest for @standard.co.uk.web.brid.gy www.standard.co.uk/news/tech/on...
Really interesting report by @stokel.bsky.social in @newscientist.com The time of day a student takes an oral exam correlates with different pass rates This is not a good thing One for #ltheChat
The Online Safety Act is rubbish, in a take that I'm sure will allow listeners to @podsavetheuk.crooked.com to respond in as rational a way as they did when I was last on talking about AI's environmental impact. Listen now! www.crooked.com/podcast-seri...
Boris Johnson, Danny Finkelstein and Edwina Currie (based on me listening to them on Times Radio Breakfast last week) all seem to think that AI can do WAYYYY more than it can
Morning! It's a fun one
In my first piece for @tomshardware.com's newly-launched Premium section, I wrote about the battle between the US and China for chip supremacy www.tomshardware.com/tech-industr...
One expert told me "Perplexity seems determined to fuck around and find out". For @fastcompany.com, I looked at Cloudflare's eye-popping allegations about the AI answer engine www.fastcompany.com/91380448/clo...
Your acronym of the day, as we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Donald Trump "banning" TikTok (which still exists, and which he's now loathe to ban), is TACO. Trump Always Chickens Out, as I've written for the i paper inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
In my first piece for @tomshardware.com's newly-launched Premium section, I wrote about the battle between the US and China for chip supremacy www.tomshardware.com/tech-industr...
got a link?
Your acronym of the day, as we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Donald Trump "banning" TikTok (which still exists, and which he's now loathe to ban), is TACO. Trump Always Chickens Out, as I've written for the i paper inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
One expert told me "Perplexity seems determined to fuck around and find out". For @fastcompany.com, I looked at Cloudflare's eye-popping allegations about the AI answer engine www.fastcompany.com/91380448/clo...
404 Media follows up on my report for @fastcompany.com last week about private ChatGPT conversations being indexed by Google (though - if you're the researcher in question, you can always contact me, too) www.404media.co/nearly-100-0...