This week we have a guest post on our substack from @adamc-c.bsky.social Adam looks at why workers have unique leverage over AI adoption right now - and how we use that to shape deep AI transformation. Really recommend giving this one a read!

Workers actually have significant leverage right now

Businesses are desperate for workers to adopt AI, but what offer are they making?

open.substack.com

I wrote something short on the recent discourse about AI being left wing. Nobody is ever going to agree on what "neutral" looks like for AI - just look at any debate about BBC neutrality. So, what can we practically do to ensure AI isn't acting as an opaque persuasion machine?

Of course, AI has a politics. The question is, who is in control?

Making AI neutral sounds like a fair goal, but if it is never fully possible, how can we manage the biases that remain?

modeleconomy.substack.com

Bullish optimism on AI no longer seems to be working

The AI backlash is only getting started

Here is how to deal with it

economist.com

“What should exist? To me, that’s the most exciting question imaginable. What do we need that we don’t have?” Positive visions of a future transformed by AI tend to come from Silicon Valley, but in this new Substack @carsjung.bsky.social explores how we could all have a say.

Carsten Jung@carsjung.bsky.social · last mo.

New AI economics piece out today. As governments are understandably racing to get AI built out and adopted, one question seems missing: What do we actually want to build? open.substack.com/pub/modeleco...

Some news… @carsjung.bsky.social and I are launching a Substack! We will be using this to explore what needs to change for AI to actually work for most people (spoiler: it is a lot) First post is up looking at today’s launch of the AI economics institute and how to predict AI's jobs impact 1/2

AI jobs predictions keep missing the point. Here’s what to measure instead

A government institute to track how AI disrupts jobs is long overdue. But as it officially launches today, will it measure the right things?

modeleconomy.substack.com

Great report from @josephevans.bsky.social And it is not just @ippr.org recommending portable benefits to support workers through the AI transition - even OpenAI have floated the idea. If AI's biggest winners agree, what are we waiting for?

Institute for Public Policy Research@ippr.org · 2mo ago

🤖 | NEW REPORT: AI is reshaping work, and too often workers are paying the price. In this new paper, @josephevans.bsky.social sets out a new generation of worker rights so AI works for people, not just profits. Read more here 👇 www.ippr.org/articles/str...

IMHO possibly the most interesting question in finance and economics right now is the extent to which future AI dominance can retain any monopoly characteristics. People assume because it's "Silicon Valley" that those explosive network effects will necessarily pertain. They really might not... 1/

We won’t know the scale of AI’s jobs impact until late in the day. But if governments wait until then to prepare, state capacity will be grinding into gear just as people need support. I wrote for @politicshome.bsky.social on what government should do now: www.politicshome.com/news/article... 1/3

The Consequences Of Inaction On AI-Driven Job Loss Are Coming Into View

The scale of the disruption to the labour market from AI is becoming clear; we cannot leave it to big tech or populists to frame the debate about w...

politicshome.com

Among Gen Z AI’s net favourability is now minus 44, driven by fears about jobs, the environment, creativity. But there’s another trend that many have missed: AI just isn’t very cool. My latest post explores the trend, the reasons behind it, and the consequences for the OpenAI/Anthropic rivalry:

Does AI have a 'cool' problem?

For young people and artists, AI and its architects are the object of derision. Does it matter?

open.substack.com

Time is running out for the UK to make a clear decision on where in the AI stack we can compete. Great to talk to @matildamartin.bsky.social for this piece on what comes next.

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

This shows just how limited our regulatory leverage is - US tech companies hold all the cards. But not everywhere. Some digital markets are genuinely still competitive. That's why the window to act is so narrow, we need to embed competition now, before AI follows the same path.

Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Scary diagram on how much of our daily lives would fall apart if somehow we were cut off from US tech. Tech sovereignty and resilience is going to be costly! www.ft.com/content/4c3a...

If AI starts to be a major source of information for people - it really matters where it gets information from. It is probably more complicated than AI having a clear political bias, but more transparency from AI companies is the bear minimum we need to understand what is going on here.

Institute for Public Policy Research@ippr.org · 3mo ago

A part of this is due to where AI tools get their sources from. Earlier this year we published a report which found that the BBC and the Guardian dominated on AI platforms. Read more here: www.ippr.org/media-office...

Missing from the “will AI replace doctors?” debate is that doctors (and lawyers and psychologists and bankers) all vote & form the donor base to political parties & have deep community ties & sit in Congress. The government will largely determine what AI is allowed to do, no matter what it can do.

Liz Kendall is right that our dependence on a handful of US tech companies is a national security risk. Three US tech companies control 80% of UK cloud infrastructure, we don’t have a single frontier AI company in the UK, and AI firms are increasingly deciding who gets access to their models. 🧵

POLITICO Europe@politico.eu · 3mo ago

U.K. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has vowed to work more closely with other “middle powers” to reduce the concentration of power in the AI market — arguing that doing so is in the interest of the U.S., too.

In the US, the Democrats are already making AI a major part of their campaigns. I wrote about what Labour might learn from this, and why it isn't so easy for our politicians to ride any tidal wave of anti-AI sentiment. labourlist.org/2026/04/the-...

AI rose in salience more than any other issue for US voters last year, with backlash from creatives, X-risk activists, parents, workers, environmentalists and more We expect pressure to build in 2026 as AI gets even more capable, and @ippr.org we argue governments need to urgently spread the upside

Institute for Public Policy Research@ippr.org · 4mo ago

🤖 | NEW REPORT: The UK risks a full-blown AI techlash unless the government shows who actually benefits. Our new report sets out a plan to make AI work for the public, not just big tech. Read here: www.ippr.org/articles/acc...

Great to see the UK ditch plans to give AI companies a free-for-all on how they use creators' data. But as government continues to sit on the fence, we are missing opportunities to shape a licensing market that is already emerging by supporting collective bargaining for creatives 1/2

Labour ditches plan to let AI firms use copyrighted works

Ministers abandon ‘opt-out’ policy after backlash from Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney over the ‘theft’ of creative material for software training

thetimes.com

Particularly excited about the AI agenda taking some good shape. IPPR has long called for UK focussing on AI application layer, do more on sovereign AI, use procurement more actively + track AI economic impacts. Eg here: www.ippr.org/articles/the...

The direction of AI innovation in the UK: Insights from a new database and a roadmap for reform | IPPR

With the latest models achieving top scores in scientific and diagnostic reasoning tests, they could usher in a new era of growth. In our previous report w

ippr.org

The BBC is facing a series of lose-lose choices. Partner with Big Tech and risk compromising what makes it unique. Or resist and fail to reach the audiences it exists to serve. @sofiahewson.bsky.social and I consider how Charter Renewal can help change this. 1/5

Institute for Public Policy Research@ippr.org · 5mo ago

📺 | NEW BLOG: How can the BBC compete in a media landscape increasingly dominated by global tech giants? Our latest analysis looks at what it will take to level the playing field - and why it matters for the future of UK public service media. www.ippr.org/articles/lev...

So far, AI companies have held all the power to decide how they use journalists' work. Today, the UK news industry have started to change this with a new coalition that gives journalism a collective voice to push back - exactly the sort of initiative we call for in our latest @ippr.org report. 1/3

NEW: The policies of today will shape AI tools of the future. Let's make sure it improves - not destroys - our news environment. 👇

Roa Powell@roapowell.bsky.social · 6mo ago

AI is transforming our information environment - but is it reliably delivering news content to the public? We tested four AI tools to find out and our results reveal worrying trends:

AI is transforming our information environment - but is it reliably delivering news content to the public? We tested four AI tools to find out and our results reveal worrying trends:

AI is becoming a new front door to the news - 40% of 18-24 year olds use AI for information weekly and Google AI overviews reach 2 billion a month. But we find AI isn't reliably surfacing news content - with implications for public access to information and media plurality. Full report @ippr.org

AI's got news for you: Can AI improve our information environment? | IPPR

Already, 24 per cent of people report using AI for information seeking every week. But there is widespread concern that the information provided will be in

ippr.org

Carsten Jung@carsjung.bsky.social · 6mo ago

New report: AI is certain to transform the way we consume news. If we do nothing it could turn it into slop. We need policy action now, to ensure AI improves news & the public sphere. Guardian coverage: www.theguardian.com/technology/2...