Our questions of the year

Hey there—

I know this is likely one of many year-end reflection emails in your inbox, so thanks for even opening!

In our final newsletter of 2024 we wanted to center the questions we were most driven by this year, and we’ll wrap this up with our 2025 plans and opportunities to work with you.

What’s been on our radar in 2024?

The question: Who are the dominant voices in AI coverage, and how are they shaping the narrative?

The action: We dug deep into this with our report, Selective Perspectives: A Content Analysis of The New York Times’ Reporting on Artificial Intelligence. We looked at who gets to tell the stories around AI — whose voices are elevated, and whose are sidelined. We found that The New York Times’ coverage was heavily influenced by voices from the commercial tech sector, while experts from academia, civil society, and other fields were often pushed to the background or dismissed. This sparked some big conversations within the New Protagonist Network (NPN) about media accountability and how to build a more inclusive, well-rounded dialogue about tech’s future.

The question: How can we shift this imbalance and bring more expert & diverse voices to the table?

The action: In June, we launched our first media training cohort. Ten AI politics thought leaders worked on honing their messaging, boosting their profiles, and engaging directly with the media. Check out their work here.

The question: Over the years, I’ve had some fascinating conversations with experts at so many intersections of technology and politics, many of them from the New Protagonist Network (NPN). How can we package and share the insights from these conversations so more people can benefit from them?

The action: We took these conversations online with our podcast. We’ve been tackling the big questions — everything from the intersection of AI and labor to open-source AI with Mark Surman of Mozilla. Most recently, we explored the tech industry’s role in the climate crisis with our Net0++ miniseries, hearing from activists, researchers, and even experts in concrete (yes, really).

The question: How do we support this network of experts — activists, policy advocates, researchers, technologists – to work together as a community to drive action?

The action: We hosted an event on data center resistance and launched a commissioned research project focused on the environmental and social impact of data center expansion. With AI’s environmental footprint growing, these conversations have never been more urgent.

Looking ahead to 2025

We’re excited for what’s coming in 2025, starting with a Computer Says Maybe rebrand at the start of next year. The rebrand will reflect a more intentional, connected approach to how we engage with all of you — and how we focus on collective impact.

Our vision is simple: We want a world liberated from the relentless hype cycles surrounding new technologies. A world where new innovations are carefully evaluated for their true costs and benefits, with public interest at the forefront. Through our media studio, the New Protagonist Network, and our consulting agency, we’re working to catalyze action and spark critical conversations about the power and politics of tech. Our goal? To help you stay ahead of the curve and create a platform for change agents who are driving the conversation.

Of course, none of this is possible without you and yours. We’re curious:

Anything else? Just reply to this email to share your thoughts or ideas.

Alix & the Computer Says Maybe team

Don’t miss our other recent conversations…

• The Happy Few: Open Source AI part one & part two​
• ​The Age of Noise w/ Eryk Salvaggio​
• ​A $20bn Search Engine w/ Michelle Meagher​
• And finally, on Friday we’ll publish our last podcast of 2024 looking back at our favourite episodes of this year. Subscribe here to get the episode when it’s published.

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