Author: Jerry Fishenden
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State of the (AI) “art”
My experience with so-called “artificial intelligence” (AI) goes back to the late 1980s and my research into the application of neural networks in music. This included the design of a system able to learn a musical style and then generate a live accompaniment in the same style—all of which led to my 1996 MPhil thesis,…
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UK to crack down on financial scams
The UK government has announced a ban on all cold calls selling financial products: … last summer, 41 million people were targeted by suspicious calls and texts, according to media regulator Ofcom. UK to ban all cold calls selling financial products. BBC News, 3 May 2023. 41m people targeted in just one summer? Ouch. And…
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Rebooting digital government
I’ve written this article for Computer Weekly. It outlines some of what my new book, Fracture. The collision between technology and democracy—and how we fix it, is all about. Nearly 30 years after the UK’s first pan-government website, what has been achieved in digital government—and how do we make it better? Rebooting digital government to…
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Fracture is now published
My new book, Fracture | The collision between technology and democracy—and how we fix it, has now been published. It’s available from Amazon around the world, and should be available soon to order from your favourite local bookshop in the UK and USA. UK direct Amazon link US direct Amazon link Fracture is available in…
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Fracture—the Foreword
My new book Fracture is being published early 2023. Here’s an early taste—the Foreword as it currently stands (the final edition may differ). Update 7 February 2023: Fracture has now been published. Foreword The Internet provides the means by which citizens can have a direct role in shaping policies and influencing the decisions that affect…
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ChatGPT—inaccurate and derivative
There’s been lots of excited social media chatter about ChatGPT over the past week or so. And at first glance it’s impressive, certainly better than your average chatbot. It uses artificial intelligence to focus on interactive usability and dialogue. But it doesn’t take long to realise it has two big problems: It’s frequently wrong ChatGPT…
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Toxic by design
Digital, data, and technology (DDaT) are increasingly being misused to create a 24×7 surveillance society, behavioural manipulation and, in some countries, institutional discrimination and subjugation. This surveillance increasingly underpins private sector revenue and state control, online and offline. All too often, it can seem like there’s little to distinguish between governments and global businesses as they indulge in…
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A state machine for the state machine
Digital, data, and technology (DDaT) are being used to build shared platforms and infrastructure, and to improve the user experience of government services. But improving services within their current policy and administrative silos won’t achieve the “digital transformation” much spoken of and little delivered. Let’s step back briefly to 1996 to understand why. In July…
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‘Fracture’—an overview
I thought I’d add a bit more detail about my next book exploring the interplay of politics, policymaking, and digital, data and technology. Right now, it’s in three sections: ‘The backstory’, ‘Digital trends’, and ‘Policy and technology’, plus a concluding summary with some ideas for action. Here’s a brief insight into the current scope and…
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Book extract (work in progress)
My book exploring digital, data and technology—and how politicians and policymakers can understand and use them more effectively—is (slowly!) taking shape. It’s currently around 270 pages, but that’s before I give it a severe haircut. Anyhow, here’s a short draft extract from work in progress … I’ll post more raw samples over coming weeks and months.…
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The week in review
Highlights of a few random articles that caught my eye this week … Apple and ID As expected, Apple’s letting users store their driving licences and state IDs in Apple Wallet. It’s a significant improvement over current paper and plastic documents, providing users with more choice and control over what information they release. For example,…
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The policymaking / DDaT divide
I’m making steady progress with my new book. It explores the gap between politics, policymaking, and digital, data and technology (DDaT). More importantly, it looks at how we fix that gap. As it takes shape, I’ll continue sharing odd snippets and thoughts to provide a flavour of what it’s all about. Despite politicians’ grand ambitions…
new tech observations from the UK (ntouk) 