The Liar’s Dividend
The age of deepfakes is not only an epistemic crisis. It is an autonomy crisis. The Grok nudify scandal surfaced a brutal reality: when convincing sexual imagery can be generated in seconds, consent becomes irrelevant and coercion becomes ambient. This post maps the harms, the governance gaps, and the regulatory priorities needed to protect dignity and democratic participation in a synthetic media environment.
The Autonomy Ledger, 2025
2025 sharpened a difficult truth: the biggest threats to autonomy are increasingly ambient. Not only what we see, but how we feel, what we trust, and what we can know together are now optimisation targets. The Autonomy Ledger, 2025 maps the year’s key autonomy losses and hard-won gains, and argues that the next frontier is not “content moderation”, but system governance that protects both individual agency and democratic choice.
“Vibe Hacking”
When algorithms can read our moods and subtly tune what we see, hear, and feel, our “vibe” becomes just another optimisation target. This piece explores emotional manipulation or “vibe hacking” as an emerging digital harm, and argues that protecting autonomy today means defending not only our data, but the mental and emotional environments we live in.
Epistemic Collapse?
“In an age of deepfakes and synthetic media, it’s not just facts that are under attack – it’s our ability to know what’s real, to trust anyone, and to choose freely. This post explores how ‘truth decay’ has become a frontline threat to human autonomy.”
The AI Companion Crisis
AI companions are entering our lives as confidants but emerging international cases show they can also deepen vulnerability and, in rare tragic circumstances, contribute to self-harm. This piece explores why Ireland must act now.
Terms of Extraction
What happens when we start paying for digital services with pieces of ourselves? This post explores how EU law is beginning to treat personal data as a form of payment and what that means for autonomy, dignity, and the commodification of selfhood.