Oxford Internet Institute

The OII Halloween Lecture returns. On 30 Oct, Prof @josswright.bsky.social presents Paranormal Distributions: A statistical investigation of hauntings in the United Kingdom. 17:30 to 18:30, Rewley House or Zoom. Learn more and register: www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/...

Happening this week! 👻👻🎃 Ghosts. Ghouls. Graphs. Join @josswright.bsky.social for the @oii.ox.ac.uk Halloween Lecture. Paranormal Distributions: A Statistical Investigation of Hauntings in the United Kingdom. 📅 30 Oct | 🕠 17:30 GMT | 📍 Rewley House Book your place today: bit.ly/4snZlud

My new paper "Optimizing for happiness in EU tech policy to repay public subsidies for AI" is published @royalsociety.org @royalsocietypublishing.org People are shareholders of frontier AI & should demand tech that improves their lives in return tinyurl.com/v76kaufh paper tinyurl.com/4yun6end

fresh off the press! SO excited to see my new paper "Optimising for Happiness in EU Technology Policy to Repay Public Subsidies for AI" out!

Join us for a discussion on Tuesday 27 Oct on 'The Smart Machine and the ‘Almost Said'’ What can smart machines express, and what remains just beyond what they can say? tinyurl.com/3dudta78 🎤 Speaker: Willard McCarty @oii.ox.ac.uk

ICYMI: In their @foreignaffairs.com essay, Niall Ferguson, Eric Schmidt and @oii.ox.ac.uk's Lisa Klaassen argue that AI is an imperial technology, not just a commercial one, and that Washington and Beijing are building rival empires of intelligence. More: www.foreignaffairs.com/china/empire...

Brent Mittelstadt, Daria Onitiu, Sandra Wachter and Netta Weinstein propose happiness and well-being as a third goal of EU AI policy, alongside economic growth and risk mitigation. The authors are linked to the Weizenbaum Institute and Oxford Internet Institute. @oii.ox.ac.uk, @swachter.bsky.social

New study from @oii.ox.ac.uk researchers calls for AI that delivers meaningful public benefit. Lead author @swachter.bsky.social. Read the piece in @theregister.com. www.theregister.com/offbeat/2026...

New! The labour market is weird sometimes. Making sense of it shouldn’t be. In his new book, SKILLED, Dr Fabian Stephany, @oii.ox.ac.uk explores how to thrive in the future of work. 📘 One month to go to launch! Pre-order your copy of SKILLED today: www.iconbooks.com/ib-title/ski...

📢 Join @swachter.bsky.social, @oii.ox.ac.uk for the 7th Heilbron Lecture: Is Artificial Intelligence Humanity’s Hope or Doom? 📅 24 Nov 2026 | 🕕 6:00–9:00pm Secure your place and join this essential discussion on the future of technology, law and society: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-artific...

This is tomorrow! Join us! Tickets: uppcinema.com/show/if-oxfo...

Oxford, tomorrow! IF Oxford presents Ghost in the Machine at the Ultimate Picture Palace, Tue 20 Oct, 6pm, followed by an in-person Q&A with director Valerie Veatch and Dr Ana Valdivia (Oxford Internet Institute). 🎟 uppcinema.com/show/if-oxford-ghost-in-the-machine

🤝 Our invitation to attend these talks extends to everyone– whether you’d like to attend in-person in Oxford, or remotely via Microsoft Teams! 📩 However, please first sign up to our mailing list so we can keep track of numbers! 🔗 forms.cloud.microsoft/e/wPfZFvsben

💡 Topics range from hidden political cues on everyday media, to data visualisations' effects on partisan preferences, to identifying risk-factors of violence in online communications.

🗣️ We’re excited to announce our Guest Speaker Series, part of the Oxford Social Media Observatory’s weekly Lab Meetings, for Michaelmas Term 2026! 📲 From Nov–Dec, OSMO will welcome 6 academics from a range of institutions to deliver research presentations related to social media + politics.

“Back in 2015, one of my professors made us realise that, although there was no clear picture of AI at the time, a very transformative technology was emerging that would have a major impact on society and the economy.” - Lofred Madzou, OII alumnus and Board Advisor #OIIat25

How do children in care and care leavers build the digital skills and confidence they need, and who supports them? Join the OII's Dr Andrew Brown and Dr Ekaterina Hertog for a webinar hosted by @corambaaf.bsky.social, Tuesday 10 Nov, 12.00-13.00 GMT: corambaaf.org.uk/events/explo...

In case you missed the last episode of The Human Interface podcast, hear more about how the OII gave alumnus Maknoon Wani a broad worldview, shaped by the people he met and the global outlook of the curriculum. Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/4QXS... #OIIat25

🎉The Festival of Social Science is back for 2026, and our packed programme activities takes place 29-31 Oct, covering a multitude of topics relating to this years’ theme 💷 ‘Money, finance and the cost of living’ – and it’s all FREE! 🆓 For more info: www.socsci.ox.ac.uk/festivalofso...

Science comes to life at #IFOx2026 this October 🔬 Join Oxford researchers to: 🧲 Watch levitating superconductors 🎨 Explore colourful chemistry 🩺 Try your hand at surgery 🌌 Discover dark matter through dance Find out more ⬇️

On this day in 1920, women were awarded degrees from the University for the first time. 📷 | St Anne’s College

“The bigger question is whether these will become decent jobs. The danger is that we’re reproducing the worst features of the gig economy in the AI supply chain", said @geoplace.bsky.social @towardsfairwork.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk told @thetimes.com. Read more: www.thetimes.com/business/com...

New! AI has the power to transform lives, but who really benefits? Writing for Mindshift magazine, @tum.de, @geoplace.bsky.social, @towardsfairwork.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk explores the hidden human labour behind AI and why we need fairer systems that put people first. www.yumpu.com/en/document/...

New commentary! Speaking to @theguardian.com, @geoplace.bsky.social @towardsfairwork.bsky.social @oii.ox.ac.uk discusses how AI is changing digital work for refugees in Kenya, with discretionary ‘rewards’ replacing guaranteed wages. Read the full article: www.theguardian.com/technology/n...

New! When US labs train AI models, it’s ‘fair use’. When Chinese labs do the same, it’s a ‘malicious attack’.Can Washington have it both ways? Lisa Klaassen, doctoral researcher at @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk explores the double standard in her latest piece for Lawfare.

“The biggest question is: are they replacing human relationships, or are they working alongside them?” Dr Florence Enock, @oii.ox.ac.uk speaking to @olifranklinwallis.bsky.social about companion AIs. “That’s just something we don’t really have the data on yet.” More: bit.ly/4yaK6Gi

'Over 2 billion people worldwide are using or benefiting from a piece of research that came from Oxford… That’s impact.' In her 2026 Oration, Vice-Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey reflects on Oxford’s impact and looks to what comes next. Read more ⬇️ https://bit.ly/4yD9i9k

@oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @datasociety.bsky.social @universitypress.cambridge.org @oxfordlawfac.bsky.social @univie.ac.at @hiigberlin.bsky.social @wzb.bsky.social @weizenbauminstitut.bsky.social @algorithmwatch.org @ainowinstitute.bsky.social

As countries roll out their own privacy laws, teen social media bans and age checks, Dr @vickijnash.bsky.social speaks to POLITICO about where the UK's Online Safety Act fits in an increasingly fragmented internet. Read the full article here: www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Who is accountable when an AI agent working for government breaks the rules? OII DPhil candidate Jonathan Rystrom maps three risks agentic systems pose to the state, along with five principles for keeping humans in charge: www.oii.ox.ac.uk/are-governme...

Ghost in the Machine, Valerie Veatch's documentary on the history of AI, comes to Oxford's Ultimate Picture Palace on 22 October. The OII's Dr @anavaldi.bsky.social, who features in the film, joins Valerie for a Q&A after the screening. Screening 6pm, Q&A 8:30pm. uppcinema.com/show/if-oxfo...

New! Dr Fabian Stephany, @oii.ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk argues vocational GCSEs could help tackle skills shortages as AI, net zero and an ageing workforce reshape the labour market. Read the full @uk.theconversation.com article below.

NEW: Oxford has been named the world's number one University for a record-breaking 11th consecutive year in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. Oxford has held the top spot since 2017 – the longest run at number one in the rankings' history. [1/3]

ICYMI: Watch Kayla Blomquist, doctoral researcher @oii.ox.ac.uk's , interview with @cnn.com about the recent Trump-Xi Summit. She reflects on how recent AI discussions point to opportunities for practical cooperation on shared AI risks. video.snapstream.net/Play/a4deQcJ...

New! Prof Mariarosaria Taddeo, Professor of Digital Ethics and Defence Technologies at the Oxford Internet Institute, joins Matteo Flora on Tgcom24's "Artificial Intelligence: In Our Midst" to discuss AI and existential risk. mediasetinfinity.mediaset.it/video/intell...