Join us for a conversation on how peacebuilding perspectives can inform the regulation and design of digital platforms. 🗓 March 26, 2026 ⏰ 11:00 AM EST | 7:00 PM EAT Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

As deepfakes and disinformation threaten public trust, a new generation of civic technologists is using AI for something different: to help us listen, reflect, and connect. Read the Blog: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/heres-how-...

Here's how AI makes online conversations better

Civic technologists are harnessing AI to foster trust and support healthy public discourse.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

New evidence shows AI’s promise for peace processes — but without steering, it could drive us toward peril. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/ai-hope-or...

AI: Hope or Hazard for Peace?

New evidence shows AI’s promise for peace processes — but without steering, it could drive us toward peril.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

What happens when thousands of Americans from every congressional district share their views on freedom and equality, with the help of an AI? That’s the promise of We the People, a new initiative from Jigsaw and the Napolitan Institute. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-ai-lis...

The AI listening to 'We the People'

Jigsaw is deploying Gemini AI to listen to over 2,500 Americans in a historic experiment to make sense of where Americans stand—and what they share.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

Trust in chatbots is 30% higher than in elected officials — and 38% of people feel that AI could make better decisions on their behalf than government representatives. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/more-peopl...

More people trust chatbots than elected leaders

What new research reveals about our evolving relationship with AI—and how chatbots are filling the trust gap in the social contract.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

Normsy.ai blends human judgment with AI speed—empowering users to counter toxic speech at scale and build healthier civic dialogue online. Hear more in @civichealthproject.bsky.social’s episode of Outrage Overload on the topic: Is There Still Hope for the Internet? 🎧

Civic Health Project@civichealthproject.bsky.social · last yr.

Is there still hope for the internet? 🌐 On Outrage Overload, Civic Health Project’s Kristin Hansen shares how @normsyai.bsky.social uses Human+AI to scale counterspeech, curb toxic conversations, and strengthen our shared civic norms. outrageoverload.net/outrage-70-i...

Should peacebuilders consider using AI for mediation? Two chatbots—Akord AI in Sudan and Cocorico in the Democratic Republic of Congo—show that customization and ethical guidelines can transform AI into effective peacebuilding tools. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/peace-by-p...

Peace by Prompt

Custom AI chatbots are supporting peacebuilders in Sudan and offering Congolese audiences an antidote to bias.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

📣 Can AI finally break the engagement trap? At #TrustCon2025, Integrity Institute’s Jeff Allen saw signs of hope. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/can-ai-bre...

Can AI break the engagement trap?

Integrity Institute Co-Founder Jeff Allen reflects on TrustCon 2025, the evolution of trust and safety, and why regulatory pressure—and transparency—still matter most.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

On Nextdoor, crime posts dominate your feed thanks to engagement-driven algorithms. In Vermont, Front Porch Forum updates just once a day—fostering trust and civic engagement instead of fear. www.afterbabel.com/cp/170467486

The Algorithm Next Door

How local digital platforms like Nextdoor and Facebook are fraying the fabric of neighborhood trust — and what we can build instead.

afterbabel.com

Google’s AI Overview puts summaries at the top of search results. Helpful? Maybe. But it also makes AI an unaccountable gatekeeper—shaping what we see, and what we don’t. What’s your take?

Justin Hendrix@justinhendrix.bsky.social · last yr.

"As AI overviews become the default gateway to information, we risk creating a generation of users who consume knowledge without question, publishers who cannot sustain quality journalism, and a public sphere increasingly shaped by the statistical patterns embedded in large language models."

The data is in: bridging works. 📊 From SCIM to the Peace Impact Framework, we can measure reduced polarization & stronger trust offline — and now bring those same indicators into tech design. If we can measure it, we can design for it. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/the-scienc...

The Science of Trust

Bridging work delivers measurable results. Now let’s use these metrics and design tech to scale it.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

There’s no shortage of ideas to make social media better. But testing them? Still way too hard. We need real support for independent experimentation into what actually improves online behavior. Make it easier to do — and harder to ignore. 🔗 techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/testing-be...

What if tech didn’t divide us—but helped rebuild trust? On June 26, the Global EXPO on Tech & Social Cohesion. Demos, policy convos, tools for healthy online spaces, and more. Join in DC, Kathmandu, or online. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/join-us-fo...

Join us for the global EXPO on Technology and Social Cohesion

Practical tools, emerging evidence and global insights will be featured in this HYBRID event on June 26

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

EXPO 2025: Two Hybrid Events, Global Programming 📅 June 26 | 🌎 Americas | EMEA | Asia Pacific How can tech foster trust, cohesion, and collaboration—instead of fueling division and violence? Join global voices shaping the future of prosocial tech. techandsocialcohesion.org/ctsc-expo

🌍✨ How can we use AI to support—not replace—what makes us human? We’re excited to see events like Human + Tech Week 2025 (June 14–20, San Francisco) leading the conversation around wellness, innovation, and the intersection of human potential with the future of AI. 🔗 Learn more: humantechweek.com

🚨 We know what we want to stop: disinformation, polarization, exploitation. But naming the harms isn’t enough. New Blueprint for Prosocial Tech Design Governance lays out how we can shift the deeper systems—governance + design—that shape our digital lives. techandsocialcohesion.org/wp-content/u...

Most people online aren’t arguing—they’re watching. Our latest piece explores how vicarious contact—simply watching respectful political dialogue—can reduce polarization. Civility can be contagious. 📖 Read Contagious Civility: techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/contagious...

Contagious Civility

Simply WATCHING respectful conversation can depolarize us, new research finds

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

What if we could simulate peace deals before they’re signed—and see how groups respond? Digital twins, once used to model engines and cities, are now applied to divided societies, giving peacebuilders a powerful way to forecast conflict dynamics. techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/will-the-p...

Will the peace deal hold? Ask the digital twins

Digital twins are transforming industries. Now they’re being used to understand—and help resolve—real-world conflicts.

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

📣 ​Mark your calendars for this upcoming Webinar on TFGBV and Platform Design! Join us for an engaging solutions-based webinar to discuss our latest report, Prevention by Design: Tackling TFGBV at the Source. May 14 11:15 EDT (New York) Registration link: lu.ma/gagkjlbf

Join II, Search for Common Ground, & @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social for a webinar on how platforms can prevent TFGBV. We’ll unpack insights from our report, Prevention by Design, exploring behavioral and design strategies to build safer digital spaces for women. 🗓️ May 14, 2025 🔗 lu.ma/gagkjlbf

🌍 If you're working at the intersection of tech, creativity, and conflict transformation — Build Peace 2025 is worth a serious look. 🌍 This year's theme: "Towards a Pluriverse of Peace." Happening this November near Barcelona.

Americans are spending less time on social media— but when they stay, they want more than noise. 📉 Use is down 🧠 Learning is up 🤝 Real connection is rising The message is clear: Design for trust, or lose it. psychoftech.substack.com/p/social-med...

Social Media Experiences Across Nearly 2 Years Since Launching the Social Media Index

With new data through January 2025, we find that social media use is decreasing, bad experiences are mostly holding steady, and positive experiences are increasing on some platforms

psychoftech.substack.com

“Friends without friction” might sound nice—but at what cost? A new paper by Kim Malfacini asks what happens when AI chatbots always agree with us. Are they helping us connect—or slowly deskilling our ability to handle disagreement? techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/friends-wi...

Friends without friction

Companion chatbots may weaken our ability to navigate conflict and difference—unless we make key design choices, says a new report

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com

This isn’t just a moderation issue—it’s a design issue. Our new report with @integrity-inst.bsky.social and Search for Common Ground highlights upstream solutions: nudges, filters, privacy-by-default, and better platform architecture. 👉 techandsocialcohesion.org/prevention-b...

Integrity Institute@integrity-inst.bsky.social · last yr.

📣 New Report Calls for Proactive Solutions to Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) We teamed up with @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social on new report advocating for design-focused solutions to TFGBV. Let’s shift the burden off victims and build safer digital spaces. bit.ly/4ixrFo0

The 016 in Worcester blends local news with social networking, enhancing community engagement and social cohesion. A promising model for strengthening local ties through technology. newpublic.substack.com/p/blurring-b...

🗞️📱 Blurring boundaries between local news and social media

Learning from The 016, Worcester’s digital journalism experiment

newpublic.substack.com

New_ Public@newpublic.org · last yr.

Is it a news site? A social media site? Something else? How did The 016, Worcester’s go-to local news aggregator, end up looking like Facebook circa 2014? Ashira Morris delivers a fascinating case study and helps us further our growing taxonomy of local digital spaces

📣 New Report Calls for Proactive Solutions to Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) We teamed up with @socialcohesiontech.bsky.social on new report advocating for design-focused solutions to TFGBV. Let’s shift the burden off victims and build safer digital spaces. bit.ly/4ixrFo0

One solution to mis/disinformation? "Move beyond thinking of platform content moderation policies as 'the solution' and prioritize rethinking design." @noupside.bsky.social in @noemamag.com www.noemamag.com/how-online-m...

How Online Mobs Act Like Flocks Of Birds | NOEMA

A growing body of research suggests human behavior on social media is strikingly similar to collective behavior in nature.

noemamag.com

New podcast! @justinhendrix.bsky.social spoke to @audreyt.org, @iyerland.bsky.social, and @bgoldberg.bsky.social about the opportunities and risks of deploying AI in online spaces. What design options are there to improve collective dialogue? www.techpolicy.press/promising-op...

Promising Opportunities, Distinct Risks: AI and Digital Public Squares | TechPolicy.Press

A conversation with Taiwan Cyber Ambassador Audrey Tang, USC Marshall School Neely Center's Ravi Iyer, and Jigsaw's Beth Goldberg.

techpolicy.press

Shout it from the rooftops! Algorithms can be better! #holdtechaccountable

Council on Tech and Social Cohesion@socialcohesiontech.bsky.social · 2y ago

Algorithms don’t have to be the way they are. The @knightgtown.bsky.social report proves platforms could build feeds that serve users, not just engagement. Transparency, accountability, and user control can create better algorithms—if we demand them techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/yes-we-can...

Algorithms don’t have to be the way they are. The @knightgtown.bsky.social report proves platforms could build feeds that serve users, not just engagement. Transparency, accountability, and user control can create better algorithms—if we demand them techandsocialcohesion.substack.com/p/yes-we-can...

Yes, we can have better algorithms

A new report from recommender system experts highlights practical alternatives to addictive and engagement-driven feeds

techandsocialcohesion.substack.com