In a world where Meta has more users than most countries have residents, it seems odd to say that digital services aren’t universal – but universal services need to work for everyone, not just for people who are digitally connected. Using the recent UK government announcement of digital ID as a jumping-off point, this blog post explores why universal services need to be much, much more than digital-by-default. 

We are looking for three freelance researchers to conduct literature searches on the topics of AI and worker safety, AI and environmental safety, and AI and infrastructure resilience.

Unpacking today’s digital ID announcements. Can they deliver on the government’s ambitions before the next election, and do they meet public expectations?

Do you work in or with local government, creating or purchasing AI tools and services? Come along to one of our free workshops in June to help test a new version of Consequence Scanning

Malu Villela, Peter Bloom and Anna Dent explain why community businesses — rooted in local places, trading with purpose, and delivering vital services — now stand at a defining moment. As digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshape every sector, these organisations approach the future with a mix of curiosity and caution.

A study with the University of Essex, based on interviews with 28 community businesses, to understand how community technology and AI to support more equitable and sustainable futures.

Can AI really do all of the things people want it to do — and what exactly are people actually talking about when they talk about AI?

Yutong Liu & The Bigger Picture   / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Are you a UK-based technologist interested in joining a body that acts in solidarity against the excesses of extractive platform capitalism?

Complete this survey to help shape the Society for Hopeful Technologists.

Over the last year, Careful Industries has worked closely with hundreds of people who are getting to grips with whether they should, or shouldn’t, use Generative AI in the workplace. This blog post contains seven things to bear in mind and three “responsible-ish” strategies for using Generative AI to generate text.

Image: Yasmin Dwiputri & Data Hazards Project | https://betterimagesofai.org

The UK government’s Blueprint for modern digital government sets out an abundant approach to technology in which joined-up, personalised services combine AI with private-sector design principles. But can AI be trusted to deliver this new version of Big Government against a backdrop of domestic austerity and geopolitical turmoil?

5 ways the Digital Inclusion Action Plan could be a bit more exciting.

The Blueprint for Digital Government suggests that “people expect government services to provide the same convenience and personalisation that they see in private sector services”. But public and private services exist for different reasons.

Reserve your spot at the April and May editions of the Reading Group.

A gentle, shared space to come together as an act of hopeful resistance and solidarity building. Come along to this first reading group to share your thoughts about Ruha Benjamin’s Imagination: A Manifesto.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by AI, five lessons for adopting (or not adopting) new technologies at the speed of trust.

As we look back on 2024 it’s been a year of uncertainty and volatility, at Careful Trouble we have also managed to find some glimmers of hope. This year in review includes a highlight from each month.

An overview of our approach to events at Careful Trouble.

A project for the Royal Academy of Engineering, on the role of engineering in solving wicked problems.

What we achieved this year and things that inspired us

In the evidence which we submitted to the House of Lords Digital and Communications Committee, we identified four key issues and risks associated with LLMs, which we felt required greater scrutiny from policymakers.