Connected by data

Citizens' Track on AI Update - May 8th 2026

Tim Davies ▪ May 8, 2026

Thank you to everyone who has been getting in touch to support the Citizens Track.

We were deeply disappointed not to be able to connect with many of you in person last week due to the troubling cancellation of RightsCon, but I am happy in this update to share news on how you can input to our Case Book to showcase existing public participation on AI, as well as an invite to an online update call next week (Tuesday 12th May, 1pm UTC) where we will be sharing more about plans for activities at the UN Global Dialogue / AI for Good in July.

Why we’re winding up in 2027

Jeni Tennison ▪ Mar 30, 2026

When I set up Connected by Data, I also stated my intention that this organisation would have a maximum lifespan of 3-5 years. We are now at the end of our fourth year, which means we have at maximum one more year to go.

It’s always interesting to see people’s reactions when they learn this. The leaders of other civil society organisations often immediately say, without me providing any explanation, “OMG, you can do that? Amazing!” People we work with often say, “That’s a shame, I wish you wouldn’t.”; other people are simply curious and come to see the rationale once I explain it.

In this post I want to explain why I set up Connected by Data this way, what I’ve learned about the trade-offs that entails, and what we’re thinking about doing next.

Expanding the Visibility of Public Voice on AI - What if?

Tim Davies ▪ Mar 6, 2026

At 1:45 IST on Friday 20th February, at the British Pavilion in Hall 14 of the Bharat Mandapam complex in New Delhi (hosting the India AI Impact Summit), something exceptional happened. For a few minutes, voices of students from a school in Luton played out of speakers, and delegates nearby had a chance to hear their nuanced views about how generative AI in education affects them, and how they want to see it governed in future. This moment formed part of a panel curated by the University of Sheffield sharing work on public voices in AI, and showing videos and photos of everyday citizens sharing their views on AI.

Digital Skills

Tim Davies ▪ Feb 14, 2026

I’m supporting a new open letter on Prioritising AI Literacy for All People.

CWU and AI - Activating members and building towards negotiation

Adam Cantwell-Corn ▪ Jan 22, 2026

Addressing the complex issues surrounding AI at work can be challenging. It touches on personal experiences, professional roles, and charged political views on Big Tech. It often involves vague or technical terminology. It’s a topic that many employers will see as their ‘management prerogative’ and out of scope for collective bargaining or even worker consultation.

Student Voice and the EdTech Product Safety Expectations

Tim Davies ▪ Jan 19, 2026

Alongside the Generative AI for Education summit in London yesterday, the DfE updated their ‘Product Safety Expectations’ for EdTech developers, and for schools to consider when deciding which tools are safe to use.

Many of the updates reflect discussions from the GenAI in Education: Have Your Say process - offering a powerful mandate from students for these expectations. Check out what students had to say in the video here https://connectedbydata.org/ai-in-education/ or the full report.

The thick and thin of public involvement

Jeni Tennison ▪ Nov 18, 2025

“I want to offer another vision of human compatibility in AI: one that embraces a thick and demanding world of human capacity, social complexity, and local politics in place of the thin, pliable, universalizing world of individual preferences.”

Jacob G. Foster; From Thin to Thick: Toward a Politics of Human-Compatible AI. Public Culture 1 September 2023; 35 (3 (101)): 417–430. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/08992363-10742593

The distinction between “thick” and “thin” modes of involving communities around (data and) AI is useful. “Thin” involvement skims off surface-level instincts and data from frictionless transactions, while “thick” involvement demands thoughtful, complex, nuanced and stretching engagement. In reality we need both.

Bit and pieces: assembling a workshop in a box on generative AI in education

Tim Davies ▪ Oct 31, 2025

We’ve been creating a small toolkit to help schools, colleges and informal education settings to discuss Generative AI in Education. This blog post reflects on elements of the development process.

Weeknotes are a combination of updates and personal reflection written on a routine basis