The best Technology And Society newsletters

Essays and talk notes on the AT Protocol (Atmosphere) ecosystem and on rebuilding online information networks around ordinary people. It draws on writers such as Ursula Franklin, natural history and field observation to argue for decentralized, community-governed social infrastructure.

Essays and updates exploring how people can live humanely amid rapid technological change, especially AI, with a mix of speculative scenarios, historical analogies and fine art. It also covers news and interviews around the author's dystopian novel The Last Upheaval.

A Substack by Dr. Sean Tobin that reflects on artificial intelligence through faith and psychology, covering topics such as the Vatican's encyclical on AI, machine consciousness and the arrival of personal AI agents. It also includes practical guidance for people who feel overwhelmed and want to start using AI tools.

After Babel is a free weekly newsletter by Jonathan Haidt and his team examining how digital technology is reshaping childhood and society, with practical guidance for parents and others. Recent issues cover ancient wisdom in modern psychology, accountability for Meta's harms to kids, and research from a new NYU Stern lab.

A personal Substack of essays, cultural commentary and fiction by a New York writer and former branding professional. Readers get voicey reflections on screen addiction, corporate work culture and everyday life, plus updates on her first novel.

A book-in-progress by Michael Robbins, serialized as a newsletter, on building AI that represents people and answers to them, opening with a personal account of the Challenger disaster and the engineering-culture lessons drawn from it. Readers get an essay-style argument for 'representational AI' with an emphasis on personal control over data and delegated actions.

Thresholds is a personal essay newsletter reflecting on craft, trust, and the human source behind making things in an age of AI and standardized output. Each issue pairs a reflective personal anecdote with references to thinkers such as Kandinsky, L.M. Sacasas, and Wendell Berry.

Steve Chazin writes a weekly newsletter on practical, non-hype AI for everyday people, mixing personal stories about building his own apps with advice on delegating work to AI assistants. Readers get grounded, human-centred takes on using AI for connection and productivity without needing technical expertise.

The Elysian is a newsletter of essays exploring a utopian future, with pieces on Chinese fantasy fiction as a vehicle for political imagination, e-book access and library reform, and how phones change social life. Readers get thoughtful, opinionated essays that connect culture, technology and society to speculative visions of a better world.

A personal newsletter exploring how AI and technology are changing human relationships, grief, perception and fear, often through the lens of books, film and TV. Readers get reflective essays that tie science fiction examples to current AI products and debates.

A personal newsletter by a wedding photographer and musician reflecting on attention, technology, social media detachment, and creative identity. Issues mix memoir, cultural observation, and humor, including a satirical travelogue of the Florida Gulf Coast.

A short-form newsletter that pairs quotations from authors such as Wendell Berry, Tolkien and Chesterton with brief commentary on technology, attention and living humanely. Readers get occasional reflective prompts rather than reporting or in-depth analysis.

Essays by Duena Blomstrom on AI, organisational execution and what she calls Human Debt, framing unseen human effort and broken continuity as hidden costs of technology adoption. The excerpts mix a passionate open letter, long-form argument about psychological safety and continuity, and promotional lead magnets offering downloadable summaries.

Tim Sommer writes personal essays on agile practice, evolutionary architecture and the impact of large language models, drawing on his experience as a coach and architect. Issues cover embracing failure, deferring design decisions and reflections on LLMs and their societal challenges.