Annette Zimmermann

So cool to see @linamkhan.bsky.social calling out #AIexceptionalism at the recent @theatlantic.com festival—a key concept in my book Democratizing AI! Throwback to my @re-publica.com talk in Berlin earlier this year on how tech oligarchs use exceptionalism to further concentrate power & wealth:

What on Earth..? - Technology as Nature Thurs 29 Oct | 7 – 9 pm At Spore Initiative (Hermannstr. 86, Berlin-Neukölln) Free entry | No registration required Find out more via the link below! @drzimmermann.bsky.social @noortjem.bsky.social #technologyasnature #digitalecology #tacticaltech

💯 #inevitabilitymyths persist not only in AI policy, but in democratic politics more generally. Hugely important to understand the role of #activemobilization in this context, and not to underestimate transformative civic dissent against authoritarianism as merely passive & reactive.

jeez… #ai4good 🙃

In Spain part of Nov for a few talks. Keen to connect with local #philosophers, #computerscientists, #civictech builders, tech journalists & others on an #AIanddemocracy mission! DM me / introduce me to your Spanish colleagues 🤖

We need less ‘news coverage’ that follows a “genius billionaire voiced this policy preference” pattern & more news coverage that reopens our collective political #possibilityhorizon. & We need #structuralremedies that mitigate unchecked concentrations of wealth/power that erode democratic oversight.

Love seeing one of my favorite previous lairs (tower room, @nuffieldlibrary.bsky.social) reposting my book 😍 this triggers immediate @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk nostalgia & makes me think a visit is sorely needed. Many foundational ideas of this book developed during my DPhil at Nuffield.

Visiting Switzerland twice (!) next month to speak in Zurich, Bern, Basel and other places! Pleased to see so much interest in #DemocratizingAI & excited to interact with the exciting Swiss research & policy community. Looking fwd to participating in this panel by @algorithmwatchch.bsky.social ✨

super normal behavior ✍🏻 by super normal company ✍🏻

Over the next few months I’ll be sharing insights from my book #DemocratizingAI with audiences all over the world! Coming up in Oct: 3 talks in the artsy, tech-savvy Baltics, 3 talks in Germany, 2 talks in the US & India. Releasing Nov/Dec dates soon, watch this space 🤖 @manchesterup.bsky.social

💯 another key reason why #AIexceptionalism is so misguided and dangerous. Let’s apply the lessons we can learn from *other* domains of policy-making—about risk, about political accountability, etc—here, without engaging in magical thinking. For more on this, check out my 📚 #democratizingAI #AIpolicy

Ah, are recent public statements of tech oligarchs & their hearts of gold perhaps driven by goals that are… not linked solely to selflessly, singlehandedly saving humanity? At least no media outlets fell for it by slipping into a full blown 2 week panic/fawn response to very earnest tech bros, phew

Wow, reading these words about #DemocratizingAI from @rcalo.bsky.social (@uwlaw.bsky.social) means the world to me—I keep learning a huge amount from the law&tech community & esp Ryan’s absolutely pathbreaking work. I am so inspired by #techlaw scholarship &want #philosophers to be in dialogue w/it!

Gavin Newsom caved to that pressure. So did Xavier Becerra. And eventually, so did Attorney General Rob Bonta, agreeing to a weak settlement that will be exceedingly difficult to enforce. People want champions who are not afraid of rich bullies. Newsom, Becerra, and Bonta did not meet that mark.

Today, billionaires yet again bribed, censored, and bullied their way to the top. As a result, a billionaire media company closely allied with the president will soon own one of its closest rivals, including some of the nation’s critical news outlets. Saudi Arabia will co-own those outlets, too.

Spent an inspiring hour with the absolutely brilliant German journalist @annewill.bsky.social discussing #AIdoom narratives circulating in SV & the media this week, their political context re #midterms & why #techoligarchs’ calls for more regulation aren’t strictly new, surprising, or all that noble

You know what has power? Narratives have power. The richest, most powerful, people in the world know this — they grew up reading sci fi — and have used it to their advantage. They're describing a fictional future that serves their interests, in the hopes that, in believing it, we'll make it happen.

Grateful to receive this kind praise for my book #DemocratizingAI from Brian Berkey (Penn)! Colleagues, DM me if you are teaching #polphilofAI #AIethics #ppe #sts this year & want to teach parts of this book & need a digital instructor copy. @manchesterup.bsky.social #philosophyofAI #philoftech

Amazing feeling to finally unpack a physical copy of #DemocratizingAI! #publicationday Get your anti-broligarchic treatise here: www.amazon.com/Democratizin... @manchesterup.bsky.social #philosophyofAI #AIethics

Learn from recent local wins: Communities have successfully blocked, rolled back, or constrained ALPR deployments; this 2025 retrospective walks through examples and tactics you can borrow. www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

"Flock cameras are just one part of a vast ecosystem," @lastweektonight.com's John Oliver warned his audience last night. "Check out resources like the EFF's Atlas of Surveillance, which catalogs each of the technologies used in your area." www.atlasofsurveillance.org/

Been in this exact situation, except this was by a European beach and the guy in question stormed off, found the tallest possible cliff, jumped off it, came back, announced that he found the tallest cliff, then demanded that I email him “proof” so that he can (you guessed it) “do his own research” 🥰

Happy to be interviewed in @dazeddigital.com about the feminist, anticonsumerist political & philosophical context of the ongoing cyberdeck renaissance on TikTok! Impressed with the young, politically & technologically engaged women at the forefront of this scene.

“While energy projects on nontribal lands can face permitting delays of three to 10 years, projects on tribal land often proceed more quickly because tribes wield sovereign authority to handle their own regulations and permitting.” www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/u...