The Prospect Interview

Humans have collected data for thousands of years—but now we’re doing it on a whole new level.This week, Ellen and Alona and joined by Roopika Risam, professor of Digital Humanities and Social Engagement at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, whose new book Data Empire explores the ancient roots of data-gathering and the rise of the “data state”.Drawing on examples from the East India Company to Palantir, she explains why advances in technology—and our means to collect, sort and deploy data—have almost always been captured by colonial powers or companies for profit, rather than for public good.She reveals how data is used to monitor and control, and how AI is rapidly accelerating the capacity of states and private companies to surveil populations, including against the Uyghur people of Xinjiang. Roopika also explains the disturbing reason she had to rewrite one section of the book three timesHas the “Data Empire” effectively moved beyond the reach of the democratic social contract? And will the future be dystopian—or is there another way?Roopika Risam’s book “Data Empire: How information shaped human history” is published by Torva. To read to more on this topic, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/technology

Lying, lobbying, and luxury donor gifts—has UK politics gone crooked?This week, Ellen and Imaan are joined by Robert Barrington, professor of anti-corruption practice at Sussex University’s Centre for the Study of Corruption. He argues that corruption is more widespread than assumed in Britain, from politicians to prisons, the monarchy to the Met.Robert discusses the Boris Johnson era misconduct, the “good chap theory”, and his four-part test for corruption. He also analyses corporate scandals from Grenfell to Thames Water sewage.Do conspiracy theorists have a point? What’s at stake if things continue as they are? And, with a new prime minister on the cards, what can be done to tackle the problem?‘Corrupted Kingdom: Britain's Disappearing Integrity–And How We Can Get It Back’ will be published by Profile Books on 16th July. To read more from our website, click here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics.

This month, our Mindful life writer Sarah Collins explains how her OCD had her singing her thoughts, while Second life writer Vitali Vitaliev asks: what’s in a nose? A trip to the Museum of Brands takes actor Sheila Hancock down memory lane, while Alice Garnett asks her parents for advice on uncertainty.

As a heatwave sweeps across Europe, Ellen and Imaan are joined by sociologist Jens Beckert, the author of 'How We Sold Our Future: The Failure to Fight Climate Change'. He argues that the cultural, political and economic structures of capitalist modernity are themselves barriers to fighting the climate crisis. From profit maximisation to short term limits for politicians, is capitalist democracy ill-equipped to tackle climate change? He also discusses the philosophical roots of the problem, stemming from the Enlightenment, and suggests the idea of progress may actually be hindering us. Jens explores geopolitical inequality, the role of corporate power in blocking climate action, and whether renewables are really the answer. He offers a sobering analysis of the situation but also offers solutions, explaining why pragmatism is our best bet, and what we can do next.  How We Sold Our Future: The Failure to Fight Climate Change is published by Polity.

The UK has a maternal mental health support crisis. The leading cause of maternal deaths in the UK is mental health issues, including suicide, with maternal deaths from suicide having risen by seventy-four per cent in the last seven years alone. How can we address this urgent need for improved support? Speaking to Prospect's Alona Ferber, Biogen's medical lead Teresa Shering, consultant adult and perinatal psychiatrist Dr Getrude Seneviratne OBE and Laura Kyrke-Smith MP examine the factors behind these alarming statistics and the practical changes that could help secure positive steps forward. Hosted in partnership with and funded by Biogen UK & Ireland.

What does the World Cup mean to you?This year’s tournament has been highly political so far: as it began, one of the host nations was at war with one of the competitors and referees and staff have been banned from the United States.This week, Philip and Ellen are joined by sports writer and sociologist David Goldblatt, the author of Injury Time: Football in a State of Emergency to discuss the stakes. With eye-watering ticket prices, is this a World Cup of the super-rich? And how much can Trump really make his mark on the tournament?Plus, David makes his predictions—from the most underrated team to the biggest scandal.To read David’s piece ‘How the world cup took over the planet’, click here or head to prospectmagazine.co.uk.

The country feels stuck. But can Britain prosper again? On the Prospect podcast this week, Prospect editor Philip Collins is joined by Ravi Gurumurthy to discuss this question. Ravi is CEO of Nesta, which is a research foundation and “innovation agency”. He is a lead non-executive of the Department for Energy and Net Zero and sits on the board of NHS England. Writing in a personal capacity, he also penned the cover story in this month’s magazine (which you can read in full here.)Phil and Ravi discuss what changes the current government could make to re-energise the country, and debate everything from housing to data. Can the UK get the energy for a transformation?

Would you want to work with a robot? A new technological revolution is underway—but what that revolution looks like, and where it takes us, is still being determined.This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Sarah O’Connor, award-winning reporter and associate editor at the Financial Times, whose new book We Are Not Machines charts how AI is shaping the workplace.Sarah shares her experience working alongside robots in an Amazon warehouse in the midlands, visiting a Swedish mine, and learning from the controllers of driverless lorries. She examines the impacts of technology on workers and asks: what makes a bad relationship between a human and a machine—and what makes a good one?She argues that machines will never be able to replace the rich talents of a human—and explains how we can actively shape the future of AI and its impact on us.Sarah's book We Are Not Machines is published by Allen Lane. To read more on this topic, click here.