Karen Gregory

Hereditary peers to be removed from Lords as bill passes The bill abolishes the 92 seats reserved for peers who inherit their titles through their families.

Good-Bye To All That.

This is a lovely store, in a big, wonderful space. What a dream.

Job Opening: Technology and Work Program Director (Full Specialist) The UC Berkeley Labor Center seeks applications for the position of Technology and Work Program Director.

They Labor Center is seeking candidates for the position of Technology and Work Program Director to oversee, develop, and conduct research, policy analysis, and training related to rapid technological change in the workplace. Learn more & spread the word!
laborcenter.berkeley.edu/job-opening-...

A lot of journalism folks are offering editing advice as Grammarly’s AI “experts” Grammarly's AI-powered "Expert Review" promises "writing feedback by subject-matter experts," and if you write about journalism, there's a good chance that includes you.

Curious who came up with this idea because it really is quite insulting and, yet, somehow not illegal to use people's work in this way?

www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/a-lo...

After work, I had to DoorDash to pay for our motel room. I brought my toddler with me to avoid childcare costs. A South Carolina mom lived in a $60-a-night motel and took her toddler on DoorDash runs to make ends meet. She can afford a mobile home now.

From one perspective, this is a story about grit and determination.

From another, it's a damning portrait of a country where someone working full-time at $11/hour lives in a $60-a-night motel with her toddler—then spends evenings DoorDashing with her kid because affordable childcare is nonexistent.

Reporting back from a timely conversation on building careers in a changing academia.

Grateful to @karengregory.bsky.social, Nelson Oppong and Adam Badger for the candid and thoughtful discussion.

Thanks again for organising-- and writing this up!

👀

I like this quick and pithy infographic for students. (Higher-quality version here: www.jessicacalarco.com/teaching-res...)

Labor scholars and students of the platform economy will want to check out my review of Kathleen Thelen's new book, *Attention Shoppers! American Retail Capitalism and the Origins of the Amazon Economy*

Herewith the link: www.wipsociology.org

Recommended!

‘I wish I could push ChatGPT off a cliff’: professors scramble to save critical thinking in an age of AI As AI has upended the way students learn, academics worry about the future of the humanities - and society at large

I'm one of many professors quoted in this report from Alice Speri. I really appreciate The Guardian taking an angle which has basically eluded every other major outlet.

Congratulations!

Thousands of authors publish ‘empty’ book in protest over AI using their work About 10,000 writers including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman join copyright campaign Thousands of authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Philippa Gregory and Richard Osman have published an “empty” book to protest against AI firms using their work without permission. About 10,000 writers have contributed to Don’t Steal This Book, in which the only content is a list of their names. Copies of the work are being distributed to attenders at the London book fair on Tuesday, a week before the UK government is due to issue an assessment on the economic cost of proposed changes in copyright law. Continue reading...

Thousands of authors publish ‘empty’ book in protest over AI using their work

Current and former Block workers say AI can’t do their jobs after Jack Dorsey’s mass layoffs: ‘You can’t really AI that’ The CEO said he cut the company’s workforce by 4,000 people – almost in half – because of gains in AI productivity

“There’s a distinction between what’s technically possible and just – pardon my French – whatever CEO bullshit will happen based on their own interpretation of how AI works”
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

As I learned writing my ScORSA report:

"42% of the individuals who reported sexual assault were Uber drivers rather than passengers, highlighting a significant concern for driver safety within the ride-hailing industry"

My report is here: workersobservatory.org/resources/re...

Uber's women-only option goes nationwide in the US Uber is launching a feature that will allow both women riders and drivers across the U.S. to be matched with other women for trips, expanding a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its ride-hailing platform.

Uber is launching a feature that will allow both women riders and drivers across the U.S. to be matched with other women for trips, expanding a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its ride-hailing platform.

The dreams keep coming. First, a relatively modest home and now this.

Books/Long Form I write books and long form journalism for public audiences alongside my academic and commentary work. This year sees the release of my second book Drifting North, a climate journey through the Sco…

Which reminds me I need to read @dominicmhinde.bsky.social's book: domhinde.com/2355-2/

Energy at the End of the World The islands of Orkney, off the northern coast of Scotland, are closer to the Arctic Circle than to London. Surrounded by fierce seas and shrouded by clouds a...

Really seems the UK could be generating energy-- becoming more sustainable, building decent jobs (scales of green economy work) and building up communities through local investment-- rather than siphoning off its wealth into data centres. See also mitpress.mit.edu/978026203889...

Revealed: UK’s multibillion AI drive is built on ‘phantom investments’ Exclusive: Rented datacentres and unrealised supercomputer site raise questions for Starmer’s push to ‘mainline AI into veins of economy’

"The money isn’t necessarily real" feels like an understatement:

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

bsky.app/profile/kare...

"One hour in your company is equivalent to smoking five cigarettes."

www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Please now do the entire social structure.

If this barely tolerable universe gets upended, I can't move again. We'll just have to build a new university that functions.

⚠️ In Autumn 2025, multiple incidents took place in Edinburgh that involved food delivery riders being attacked while on the job, bike theft and other issues

🚴 The Workers’ Observatory supported a group of Edinburgh riders in surfacing the severity and the location of the risks they face on the job.

"At a time when the possibilities for social bonds and empathy with workers are often denied to us, this web project gathers courier stories from three European cities to show what lies behind the moving dot." from @cosminpopan.bsky.social and team.

gigwork.city

Congrats, Dr!

Seriously, a home for many years is incredible.

Rigatoni both insults and greets his friend, Fusilli, like all good New Yorkers.

For various reasons, I looked this up and now feel homesick. But, very happy some NYCers are coming to Scotland soon.

preview.redd.it/this-is-hang...

Mr Burns forces tells Smithers to get into the Spruce Moose.

www.reddit.com/r/TheSimpson...

👀