The Hidden Democratic Cost of Cognitive Offloading 

We increasingly let machines think for us, not just in everyday choices, but in how we navigate reality itself. Cognitive offloading describes this process of delegating mental tasks to external systems. What begins as a tool for convenience can quietly erode our ability to notice, remember, and decide for ourselves.
Blurred human face partially obscured by strands of glowing lights, symbolising cognitive overload, digital entanglement, and the loss of mental clarity in the age of algorithmic influence.

Why Emotional Intelligence is a Democratic Skill

In an age where outrage is monetised and emotional manipulation is engineered at scale, emotional intelligence is no longer a wellness trend, but becoming a democratic necessity. This article explores why individual emotional resilience should be recognised as a key pillar of democratic resilience in the 21st century and how
Person holding up a rectangular mirror that replaces their face, reflecting only blue distortion. The background shows a metallic shutter in digital blue tones. A metaphor for emotional loss of self in the age of social media.

Empowering Youth: AI and the Right to Development

AI is transforming the foundations of global development. But while policies are written and principles debated, youth — especially from the Global South — remain systematically excluded from the rooms where decisions are made. In this article Irfan Pullani traces the Right to Development from the 1986 UN Declaration to
Photograph featuring four teenagers sitting closely together on a rooftop, focused on a laptop, symbolising access to AI and the right to development. The setting appears urban, with weathered buildings and a tree in the background.

We Need to Talk About Data Again.

Data is the defining resource of the 21st century, but the question of who owns, controls, and benefits from it has become strangely opaque. This article revisits the idea of digital sovereignty in light of three technological frontiers: the Internet of Things, Brain-Computer Interfaces, AI and its acceleration through quantum
A black-and-white photo of a lamppost covered in worn stickers, one of which reads “BIG DATA IS WATCHING YOU.” The blurred city lights in the background create a dystopian feel, underscoring the urgent need to reclaim digital sovereignty.

How IoT Security Risks Enable Modern Cyberwarfare

The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming the invisible infrastructure of modern life: deeply integrated but wildly insecure, and increasingly inescapable. This article explores the escalating security risks of a connected world, where everyday devices like baby monitors and smart meters can be weaponised. It asks what happens when digital
A high-resolution aerial photograph of a modern city at dusk, featuring illuminated highways with streaks of traffic lights and a subtle digital network of softly glowing lines and nodes, visually representing IoT connectivity across buildings and infrastructure beneath a fading sunset sky.

Food For Thought

Abstract black scratch-style illustration resembling a mushroom cloud explosion, evoking the oppenheimer test, drawn with chaotic charcoal-like lines on a light background.

The Oppenheimer Test

Every system reaches a point where its makers lose the ability to contain it. Oppenheimer faced it in 1945. Artificial intelligence is moving toward the same line, where control slips and responsibility spreads to those forced to live with the consequences.
Black ink sketch of a atlas figure under chaotic strokes, symbolising the weight of AI in warfare and the loss of human hesitation.

No Target, No Trigger, No Mercy

In 1943, a German pilot spared a shattered Allied bomber, choosing mercy where orders demanded execution. AI in warfare would not have paused. It would have scanned, confirmed, and fired, not from hatred but from code. Humans still draw fragile lines in war: a flag, a hand, a refusal. Machines do not see lines, only patterns, and once flagged as enemy, context collapses.
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