ai
Whose freedom is it anyway?
Artificial Intelligence and the old promise of the emancipatory machine, from the washing machine, the personal computer, the internet, and social media.
ai
The semiophage
There's an entity that feeds on meaning and leaves something that resembles meaning without carrying it. It consumes the original, the rare and unrepeatable thing, and circulates the degraded copy in its place. Strange things are happening on the internet, so be careful!
ai
A (short) critical history of artificial intelligence from a computational fallacy to tech fascism
Just before we wrap up 2025, we take a dive into a critical history of AI. This is an extended version of a short talk I gave in Helsinki at an event called Critical AI.
critical design
Don't panic! Designing against dread
What is critical design and can it provide the lead for better sensemaking? We explore how critical design as cultural cartography makes visible the social relations that commercial design naturalizes, creating entry points into complex discussions about values, power, and futures.
algorithms
Platform capitalism always destroys what it claims to enable
Substack's latest steps illustrate a predictable trend for venture-backed platforms. Migrating from Substack to Ghost despite the real costs demonstrates a refusal to adhere to platform discipline. Writers must choose between optimizing for audience size and keeping ownership of their work.
tech workers
Synthetic fears
And the deskilling of knowledge workers
attention economy
AI & transactional relationships
How technology monetizes the allure of and need for human connection
attention economy
Three signals to the future 005
On the dawn of regenerative leadership, the roots of Generative AI, and the platform enshittification