BCS has published our response to the government's consultation on growing up in the online world. www.bcs.org/articles-opi...
Growing up in the online world: a national consultation | BCS
bcs.org
Dan Howl
@danhowl.bsky.social
Director of Policy and Public Affairs, BCS | former Labour HQ | #AVFC | https://danhowl.substack.com | www.linkedin.com/in/dan-howl/
Datacentres now consume 6% of UK electricity, double the global average. The queue to connect to the national grid grew 460% in the first half of 2025 alone. ... and 13% of that energy goes on 'zombie' services - apps nobody uses that were never switched off. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Datacentres using 6% of electricity supply in UK and US, research says
Industry body says energy consumption driven by AI up 15% globally in two years as it warns of societal backlash
theguardian.com
Pleased to be quoted in @politicshome.bsky.social today on tech sovereignty. Really good piece by @matildamartin.bsky.social, asking whether Britain has left it too late, and I think the answer is that we're behind but not out. www.politicshome.com/news/article...
We're Going To Need A Bigger Stick: Britain Seeks AI Sovereignty
Britain has now made clear that it wants AI sovereignty, of a kind. But there are numerous hurdles in the way, reports Matilda Martin. For a seat a...
politicshome.com
NHS England announced this week that digital, data and technology staff will need professional registration. So it was good to speak on a panel about the NHS AI workforce on Wednesday.
With the idea of tiered membership being discussed relating to Ukraine (and others) - might there be an easy third way option for Britain - one that didn't exist in 2016...?
European Movement UK@europeanmovement.co.uk · 5mo agoToday, The Business and Trade Committee questioned Trade Minister Chris Bryant MP on whether Britain can afford to continue 'straddling the Channel and the Atlantic'. The answer is clear, we have the largest trading bloc in the world on our doorstep: it's time to rejoin the single market.
I am in @labourlist.bsky.social today talking about online safety. Yesterday, MPs debated the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill including whether under-16s should be banned from social media. labourlist.org/2026/03/a-th...
'A third way approach is needed to protect children online' - LabourList
Protecting children online is not just about bans but building something better. And that has to start with the people behind the systems.
labourlist.org
I've written in Public Technology today about a notable shift to higher standards in tech. www.publictechnology.net/2026/02/05/e...
Professionalism must be the foundation for trust and adoption of new technology
With public services at the forefront of the deployment of AI, Dan Howl of BCS explains why ‘trust must not only be done, it must be seen to be done’ A noticeable shift is taking place across t...
publictechnology.net
Poland is standing up to both Russia and the US. Necessity is forcing it to make decisions that other European countries haven't faced up to yet. open.substack.com/pub/danhowl/...
Polish Courage in the Digital Age
Poland continues to press ahead with a 3% Digital Services Tax (DST), despite pressure from Washington D.C. A public consultation launched this week signals a sense of urgency.
open.substack.com
A new dashboard released today by 10 Downing Street and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology shows the progress made on AI in the last year. It's interesting and interactive (link below).
Britain is parking its AI tanks on the White House Lawn. Some thoughts after listening to Liz Kendall yesterday. open.substack.com/pub/danhowl/...
The Politics Behind Britain’s New AI Push
How geopolitics, state power and workers shape the UK’s AI strategy
open.substack.com
Given his 27 year sentence, Bolsonaro just needs to read 2,464 books and then he can go home. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Brazil’s Bolsonaro finds novel way to reduce 27-year sentence: reading books
Former president convicted for coup plot to take advantage of law that knocks four days off jail term for each book read
theguardian.com
Professionalising AI is how we turn promise into impact, and how we drive standards so that AI abuse can’t happen. I’m in LabourList today talking about how we do that. labourlist.org/2026/01/trus... #AI #Tech #Grok
'Trust, not speed, will decide whether Britain’s AI ambitions succeed' - LabourList
Without clear accountability and trusted assurance, AI innovation risks losing public confidence before it can deliver lasting value.
labourlist.org
Great to hear from the Minister for AI & Online Safety, Kanishka Narayan MP last night at Labour Tech, discussing not least the importance of tech sovereignty. Thanks to Lewis Bailey (@lewisbailey.org), Adam Allnutt @adamallnutt.bsky.social)and the rest of the team for putting on a great event.
Very interesting polling out today - Starmer very well placed when compared to named alternatives. This is far more relevant than looking at the simple polls on Starmer’s (relative) unpopularity in a vacuum - you can’t vote for ‘Not Starmer’.
YouGov@yougov.co.uk · 7mo agoWho would make the best PM? Starmer 36% vs Farage 29% Starmer 28% vs Badenoch 28% Starmer 21% vs Polanski 19% Badenoch 31% vs Farage 21% Badenoch 28% vs Davey 25% Badenoch 28% vs Polanski 22% Davey 33% vs Farage 27% Davey 23% vs Starmer 19% Davey 20% vs Polanski 15% Polanski 28% vs Farage 27%
7 million people in the UK used X daily in May 2025 (down from 9 million two years earlier) for an average of 6 minutes a day (down from 10 minutes two years earlier) Government ministers are misinformed so dramatically overestimate/exaggerate its reach & usage compared to other media
“In the UK, the social media site recorded a 58.3% fall in revenues from £69.1m in 2023 to £28.9m last year Pre-tax profits plunged from £2.2m to £767,000 year-on-year.”
One of the most powerful Trade Unions in the US is proposing a wealth tax on billionaires in California. A one off 5% tax on those worth more than $1Bn. That's ~200 people who hold $2 trillion in wealth. It's supported by the representative for Silicon Valley but opposed by Governor Gavin Newson.
The Grok issue was so dangerous because so many users on Twitter didn’t sign up to be on that kind of site. Millions of people signed up over the years to engage with friends, follow celebrities and be part of something normal. And now they’re being exposed to content that can cause real harm.
Adam Bienkov@adambienkov.bsky.social · 7mo agoIf a new app was produced which had, as its core features, the generation of sexual deep fake images of children and calls for a violent global far-right revolution, then not only would it be swiftly banned, but you wouldn't have a single mainstream politician willing to associate themselves with it
It’s good to see (some) European solidarity today. My solitary Substack was about why Britain should look to Europe, not just California for tech answers. Beyond Silicon Valley: substack.com/@danhowl/not...
Beyond Silicon Valley:
Why Starmer should look to Europe, not just California, to secure Britain’s digital future.
substack.com
