Newsletter Issue #6 - 23rd April 2025
New LLMs, new social networks, and 100 days of DOGE
Editor’s Note
Dear readers,
After a short week (and a long weekend) that will have inevitably wrought havoc on the calendars (and livers) of this country, TPT is back in your inbox with a minor delay for another whimsical whistle stop tour of the front lines of political technology.
Since we were last in touch, a flurry of new product launches seems to have the AI arms race hotting up. OpenAI has released GPT 4.1, along with two smaller developer-friendly models, touting larger context windows and improvements in following users’ instructions. Google has continued the release of its Gemini 2.5 models, with their enhanced capabilities for “reasoning” and image understanding. And Meta has also released Llama 4, with its Whatsapp integration and its curious approach to navigating the implications of the EU’s AI act: accepting that their model may not meet EU standards and, rather than addressing regulators’ concerns, simply stating that no entity based in the EU is allowed to use it, blaming the unpredictable nature of EU law instead. Nifty. (Apparently on a roll with their cautious approach, the EU also just banned AI bots in meetings, too).
Amid all the noise and haste, though, might the quickening pace of model releases be inadvertently fuelling the backlash against exaggerated claims of AI’s superpowers? Undeterred by the hype merchants, a growing chorus of critics is increasingly resisting the notion that LLMs are intelligent agents at all, instead understanding them as strictly deterministic social technologies that merely reconfigure pre-existing human knowledge, arguing that any claims to the contrary are simply peddling snake oil and in fact risk derailing important debates about AI’s real impact on society. Hmm.
In other news, Britain’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-her ex-PM Liz Truss, announced recently that she will be launching her own social network in the UK this summer. Well, thank goodness. The platform, which remains nameless for now, will be focused on facilitating the “free speech” she is apparently so deprived of elsewhere, and as such, lands as the British counterpart to Trump’s very own Truth Social (Trump’s latest post on which, incidentally, will have delighted Meta by calling the EU “one of the most hostile” authorities in the world, aww). Truss made the announcement in Bedford (a place she called “the home of free speech” for no apparent reason, although this may have been another “just… say… something…” moment for the famed orator), complaining about how — violins at the ready now — she was ousted from No. 10 by big meanies who simply “didn’t want change”. In what is both a thrilling revenge plot twist and an unwelcome import from US conspiracy culture, Truss described the project as a means to expose and undo “the deep state” in the UK. Sorry, Whitehall, the game is up.
Not to be outdone by those in and around public office, OpenAI has also announced the launch of its own social network. Although this might be just the latest jibe in CEO Sam Altman’s tech bro rivalry with Elon Musk (*yawn*). And that brings us back to US politics. For this week’s newsletter, we asked Andy to give us his take in miniature on the political technology dimensions of the first 100 days of Trump 2.0, to which I’ve addended some further reading, for those that really need more chaos in their lives.
In light of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the interpretation of the word ‘woman’, following a legal case funded by JK Rowling which has left trans* folks in the UK feeling even less safe than they already were, some readers might be interested to check out this new book by Oliver Haimson, which “describes what happens when trans people take technology design into their own hands”.
And finally, in tribute to the passing of the least queer-bashing Pope in ages (it’s a low bar), perhaps you’ll be surprised to revisit the legacy of this controversial-but-influential champion of institutional reform, and vocal critic of both “technocratic tyranny” and fossil fuel capitalism, by skimming through his administration’s surprisingly poetic and politically astute take on artificial intelligence (yep), in which we’re reminded, albeit from an unusual perspective, of the real risk that AI exacerbates a “growing crisis of truth in the public forum”. Thanks Jorge.
Stay classy nerds,
Ollie on behalf of the editorial board
P.S. We welcome any feedback, suggestions or additional expressions of love in the form of messages and comments on Substack. Or better yet, send us an email at thepoliticaltechnologist@proton.me
Musk makes a DOGE’s dinner of government
by Andy Twelves
As Trump’s 100 day marker approaches, the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE for short, chaos for long, has become the biggest bureaucratic bin fire since Liz Truss met an iceberg lettuce. Handed to Elon Musk like a shiny new toy, DOGE was meant to turbocharge government. Instead, it’s replaced public service with misjudged Silicon Valley swagger. Congress is fuming. Civil servants are fleeing. Clowns are in control.
To name but two of the recent political technology nightmares Musk has unleashed on the US so far, we have the suspiciously sentient AI named Grok snooping on federal workers like a sinister Roomba (with Musk even looking to embed DOGE staff in independent nonprofits too) and DOGE working with Palantir to quietly build a mega API to centralise everyone’s IRS data — because what could possibly go wrong when you hand taxpayer info to a man who thinks moderation is censorship, and a roman salute is subtle? It’s like The West Wing if it was written by Reddit.
Elon wanted to bring “efficiency” to Washington. What he’s delivering is a tech dystopia powered by memes and mass layoffs. If this is the future of government, someone hit Ctrl+Alt+Del — because this DOGE has well and truly gone walkies.
Editor’s note: If you’re struggling to keep up with the mayhem across the pond, and to reflect on its myriad possible implications in the UK (and who could blame you?), you might find Tracking the Crisis useful for its weekly rundown of the Trump administration’s efforts to “flood the zone” — yet another humble email newsletter positively brimming with useful political insight. We like those. You might even want to pop in to journalist Cory Doctorow’s upcoming talk in London on the tech oligarchy. If London’s too far to go, or if you simply can’t stand to leave the house (in this economy?!) check out these four pieces on the role of tech in Trump 2.0 instead:
Clearview AI, Surveillance & Trump’s Immigration Crackdown: “Thousands of newly obtained documents show that Clearview AI’s founders always intended to target immigrants and the political left. Now their digital dragnet is in the hands of the Trump administration.”
The “De” In “Decentralization” Stands For “Democracy”: “There’s a certain dark irony in watching tech billionaires who built their empires on the “democratizing power of technology” now actively working to dismantle democratic institutions. The same figures who once championed connection and openness are now the architects of the most dangerous centralization of power in modern history.”
What DOGE Means for Personal Data Rights: “The administration is directing all federal agencies to modify or rescind any regulations preventing the sharing of unclassified data and records with other parts of the U.S. government, as well as to ensure “unfettered access” to comprehensive data from all state programs that receive federal funding, including those stored in third-party databases.”
A practical guide to digital security when attending protests in the US: “Protecting your electronic devices and digital assets before, during, and after a protest is vital to keeping yourself and your information safe, as well as getting your message out... At the same time, those engaging in protest may be subject to search or arrest, or have their movements and associations surveilled.“
On the horizon
Looking for the chance to find your tribe, your next adventure, or that dream job? Check out the following events and opportunities!
Upcoming events
[TODAY] Digital Degrowth: Technology in the Age of Survival | 23.04.2025 — Online
[TODAY] Pause AI London Social | 23.04.2025 — London
AI Builder Community Event | 24.04.25 — Online
Whatsapp & the World | 24.04.25 — Online
AI Tinkerers London Meetup | 25.04.25 — London
Cory Doctorow – The Fight Against the Big Tech Oligarchy | 25.04.25 — London & Online
Nesta’s Centre for Collective Intelligence Design: Shaping the Public AI Task Force | 30.04.25 — London
TICTeC 2025: the world’s leading summit on pro-democracy technology | 10.06.25 — Mechelen, Belgium
European Tech Summit | 11.06.25 — Brussels, Belgium
Career opportunities
Ada Lovelace - Associate Director | Deadline: 28.04.25
LSE - Innovation Policy Fellow | Deadline: 30.04.25
Ada Lovelace Institute - Local Government AI Taskforce | Deadline: 01.05.25
AI Research Fellowship – Stripe | Deadline: 05.05.25
Bellingcat - Open-Source Investigator and Trainer | Deadline: 10.05.25
MySociety – Digital Service Manager | Deadline: 12.05.25
New Public - various positions | Deadline: 15.05.25
Other opportunities
Survey: Consultation on the Creation of a New “Society for Hopeful Technologists”
Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute | Deadline 25.04.25
SHIFT Grants for projects advancing the “decentralized, democratic, differential, defensive acceleration” | Deadline: 06.05.25
Global AI Strategy Consultation – EU Commission | Deadline: 15.05.25
ELLIS Summer School: AI for Earth and Climate Sciences | Deadline: July
The Zeitgeist
Your digest of what to read to get all caught up on the latest sector news.
AI is Evolving and Changing Our Understanding of Intelligence
AI as Normal Technology: an argument against utopian or dystopian viewpoints
AI Transforming Collaboration and Funding in the Nonprofit Sector
SocialRoots on Intimacy Gradients as the Key to Fixing Social Media
Russia seeds chatbots with lies. Any bad actor could game AI the same way.
ProductRank AI: Understand how the top AI models promote certain products and brands
Tortoise Media’s ‘Hot Air’ Tool: an Interactive Database of Online Climate Scepticism
CDPI’s Whitepaper on User Centric Credentialing & Personal Data Sharing
What have you bookmarked recently and can’t wait to get to consuming it? Share it with us via this form!
Ways to engage with us
Our editorical board are all currently candidate fellows at Newspeak House, a residential college in East London dedicated to all things political technology. The cohort always welcomes engagement from new friends in and around the sector. If you’re interested in connecting with us via the college, here’s how:
Open coworking days: If you’d like to join some of the current and previous generations of fellows for a blend of quiet, focused work and accidental socialising, get in touch with us. Our code of conduct at the space follows.
Coffee roulette: It’s a non-romantic and political-tech-focused Tinder thing. Sign up to be matched with someone with complementary knowledge, skills, and experience to share!
Ration Club: Every Wednesday (almost), for the past 10 years, Newspeak House has been hosting ‘Ration Club’, an informal dinner and drinks event where the political tech community cann come together to eat and put the world to rights. It’s open to anyone who’d like to learn about the college, its work, and its people. If you wish to join us for future dinners, sign up here. If you wish to volunteer as a chef (always appreciated!) sign up here.