I had so much fun talking about the mundane datafication that is modern life with @melhogan.bsky.social. Thanks again for having me on!

And keep listening to Mel's pod! 🎧

What makes data sticky? And why are they a human rights issue?
📢 Come find out on Saturday! 📢
Virtual tickets are still available! 🎟️ 💻

🧵 3/3 Mirrored States asks how we should—and can—keep Big Tech accountable through effective governance. More to come. Stay tuned.

🧵 2/3 The Sloan Foundation's Public Understanding program supports books bringing rigorous thinking on science and technology to broader public audiences. Honoured to join that tradition with a $60,000 award. 📖

Grants | Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Our mission is to make the world a better place through the advancement of scientific knowledge.

🧵 1/3 Thrilled to share that I've been awarded an @sloanfoundation.bsky.social grant in support of my forthcoming book, Mirrored States: How We Should Govern Big Tech (Penguin Random House, 2027). 🎉

🧵 4/4
Homegrown resources already reach tens of thousands of Canadians and could be amplified. Toronto Public Library and @mediasmarts.bsky.social are leading the way in building communities that don't just use, but *understand* AI and digital technologies.

#libraries #literacy #AI

🧵 3/4 Funding AI and quantum computing isn't enough. We must invest in people. Canada should act swiftly on a national digital literacy strategy, in cooperation with provinces, and look beyond peer countries like Australia and the UK.

🧵 2/4 I argued Canada ought to focus on the right to digital literacy, as part of the international right to education—a foundational right enabling freedom of expression, conscience, opinion, and the right to work.

Meetings - Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights

🧵 1/4
📢 On human rights and AI: I testified before the Senate's Standing Committee on Human Rights (RIDR) on Jan 23. Full session:

How much did Open AI know about potential violence in Tumbler Ridge? B.C., Ottawa want to know The company met with Minister Rick Glumac the day of the Tumbler Ridge shooting and a key adviser of Premier David Eby the day after

🗞️The Tumbler Ridge tragedy raises difficult questions about platform responsibility, threat reporting, and the balance between public safety and privacy.

Grateful to contribute perspective @vancouversun.bsky.social on the broader governance challenges as policymakers consider next steps.

🧵(3/3) ✍ Big thank you to the wonderful research assistants who helped us on this piece, including Michael Monclou, Elisa Ehrenburg, Karyn Kao, Aleksandra Ristova-Sanyal, and Tony Wu.

🧵(2/3) Professional licensing is an alternative that provides public protections based on privately developed standards that ensure the safety of AI prior to their release—placing the responsibility of acting ethically on the group that knows the tech and can anticipate its effects: AI developers.

🚨New #OpenAccess piece out in Ethics and International Affairs with David A. Lake! @cambup-polsci.cambridge.org

🧵(1/3) Beyond private and state regulation for AI, what about regulating the actual professionals who develop AI?

Opinion: Big Tech companies effectively govern our lives. It’s time they’re held accountable for it These companies govern, unelected, through data-intensive platforms. It’s time we acknowledge that governance explicitly

Big Tech doesn’t just sell services — it governs daily life.

In a new @theglobeandmail.com op-ed, SRI Faculty Affiliate @profwhw.bsky.social argues that platforms function as unelected governors and, accordingly, must be held accountable.

🔗 Read more: www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Promotional image for a new issue of "Ethics & International Affairs" featuring a white and blue design with text overlay.

#OpenAccess from the new issue of Ethics & International Affairs -

Governing Artificial Intelligence: Designing Professional Structures for the Predictive Age - https://cup.org/4kSYa24

- @profwhw.bsky.social & David A. Lake

#AI

Opinion: Big Tech companies effectively govern our lives. It’s time they’re held accountable for it These companies govern, unelected, through data-intensive platforms. It’s time we acknowledge that governance explicitly

🗞️ ICYMI: When Big Tech systems fail, everyday life grinds to a halt. That’s not just a tech problem, it’s a governance problem.

My recent op-ed in @theglobeandmail.com offers a sneak peek at the argument in my forthcoming book, Mirrored States.

🔗

Opinion: Big Tech companies effectively govern our lives. It’s time they’re held accountable for it These companies govern, unelected, through data-intensive platforms. It’s time we acknowledge that governance explicitly

🧵5/5 This op-ed is a sneak peek at the arguments I develop more fully in Mirrored States, forthcoming.

🔗 Read the piece here: www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

🧵4/5 When those systems fail, the absence of governance is felt immediately.

In this piece, I argue that it’s time to stop treating Big Tech as simply “big business” and start recognizing it as Governance—with corresponding responsibilities, accountability, and public oversight.

🧵3/5 In the digital age, Big Tech doesn’t merely provide services. Through data-intensive platforms and cloud infrastructure, technology companies increasingly govern the conditions under which we live, work, and connect.

🧵2/5 Last summer’s CrowdStrike outage grounded flights, froze hospitals, and disrupted everyday life worldwide. The lesson is not just about cybersecurity—it’s about governance.

Opinion: Big Tech companies effectively govern our lives. It’s time they’re held accountable for it These companies govern, unelected, through data-intensive platforms. It’s time we acknowledge that governance explicitly

🧵1/5 I have a new op-ed in The Globe and Mail that offers a preview of my next book.

@profwhw.bsky.social is super sharp on the state of big tech, so read her G&M piece www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti... We need to regulate the tech companies.

Opinion: Big Tech companies effectively govern our lives. It’s time they’re held accountable for it These companies govern, unelected, through data-intensive platforms. It’s time we acknowledge that governance explicitly

(Paywall): Big Tech companies govern, unelected, through data-intensive platforms. It’s time we explicitly acknowledge that, writes @profwhw.bsky.social

via @theglobeandmail.com

© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.

Over the holidays, I had the pleasure of chatting with CBC's Chris Walker on Daybreak South.

For me, the most significant development in AI in 2025 was the sensation surrounding LLMs—their promise and their limitations. Listen to the segment on CBCListen's website 🎧

This whole convo is fantastic - 1.5 hours of very informative chat on climate justice vs the gross economics of tech

Ft @naomiaklein.bsky.social @profwhw.bsky.social @profhvdv.bsky.social, hosted at @ccj-ubc.bsky.social

youtu.be/27BHQhkK52I

More Battle Rhythm!! I talk with Linna Tam-Seto about CAF personnel stuff and then @profwhw.bsky.social interviews @madisonschramm.bsky.social about her work on democracies fighting dictators. open.substack.com/pub/cdsn/p/e...

Give a listen - I know you'll enjoy learning from @madisonschramm.bsky.social as much as I did!

AI and the Politics of Extraction | Centre for Climate Justice YouTube video by Centre for Climate Justice

🚨The video recording of the AI and the Politics of Extraction panel is now live! Watch this fascinating 1.5 hour discussion with @naomiaklein.bsky.social, @profwhw.bsky.social, @mysdick.bsky.social, and @profhvdv.bsky.social as they explore the risks of unfettered AI implementation.

💬 Reminder to save your spot for "AI and the Politics of Extraction" at UBC's Centre for Climate Justice. I'm on a panel moderated by Carol Liao, and we will be discussing the complex political and legal issues raised by AI-enabled resource extraction.

🗓️Nov. 20
🕰️2-3:30pm
📍In-Person & Zoom

This is happening Wednesday! Come join us at UBC's School of Law, where I will be arguing that we have to move beyond “monopoly” to characterize Big Tech’s outsize influence on modern society. Details about registration at the link below 🔗