Sparking new perspectives on the digital good at the MCTD Conference, Julia Sepúlveda and Claudine Tinsman
Digital Good Network researchers Julia Sepúlveda and Claudine Tinsman write about their experience of the 2025 Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy Conference. Published 13 May 2025.
In April 2025, we attended the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy’s (MCTD) Technology and Democracy conference at the University of Cambridge. The event brought together a diverse group of attendees, including academics, industry professionals, policymakers, and civil society representatives. Through panel discussions, workshops, and keynote speeches, the conference explored how technology can support democracy and how it can be governed in uncertain times. Speakers highlighted the atypical nature of today’s digital dysregulation, which is often overlooked or intentionally obscured in regulatory debates. A key takeaway was the importance of shaping digital futures around shared goals and aspirations rather than responding only from a defensive position. This approach aligns closely with the mission of the Digital Good Network.
The conference was framed by three outstanding keynote presentations throughout the two-day conference:
- Zizi Papacharissi explored how generative AI can amplify or pluralise discourse but does not inherently democratise. She emphasised the importance of being mindful with open signifiers. She posed the critical question of whether technology can act as a vaccine against the threats of populism and polarisation in dynamic democratic systems.
- Safiya Noble addressed the deteriorating state of democracy in the United States, offering a powerful reflection on the growing threats to academic freedom.
- Audrey Tang shared insights on building technology that supports democracy and understanding. She described Taiwan’s innovative platforms that enable bridging conversations and help inform consensus-based decision-making.
In addition to the panel discussions and keynote presentations, there were multiple simultaneous working group sessions designed to facilitate informal discussions on various technology and democracy topics ranging from sustainable AI to epistemic security to women’s health and data.
Of particular relevance to the aims of the digital good network was the session ‘How can we do less harm when building tech for the humanitarian sector?’ in which participants discussed how humanitarian organisations might procure or develop technologies that live up to the standards of “tech for good” and meet the needs of the humanitarian sector. The discussion helped us gain new perspectives on how we think about the ‘digital good’ moving forward, both in our research areas and the network more broadly.
Following the two-day conference, we participated in a practical policy engagement workshop hosted by the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) at the University of Cambridge. This one-day session explored effective ways to translate our research and expertise into impactful policy recommendations. The workshop, which included guidance from CSaP and policy experts from government and third-sector organisations, equipped us with valuable resources and strategies for adapting our research into policy-relevant insights.
Our visit to the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy has been tremendously valuable, and we’re eager to share our learnings and insights with the wider DGN team and research community. We extend our sincere gratitude to Professor Gina Neff and the entire MCTD team for their hospitality and to the Digital Good Network for making this enriching opportunity possible.
About the authors
Julia Sepúlveda
Julia Sepúlveda is a Research Assistant, working with Scott Hale, researching what type of digital good people want when using GenAI on private messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Telegram.
She holds an MA in Communication, Media, and Creative Industries and a BA in Humanities and Social Sciences from Sciences Po Paris, as well as an MSc in Data Science (Social Analytics) from the University of Manchester. Her perspectives are informed by Latin American philosophy, queer studies and mad studies.
Claudine Tinsman
Claudine Tinsman is a research associate with the Digital Good Network, based in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of Sheffield. Her research will focus on developing the Digital Good Index with Professor Gina Neff.
Claudine is pursuing her DPhil in Cyber Security at the University of Oxford. Her research explores how individuals use social media platform features to digitally regulate their emotional responses to subjectively harmful content. While working on her DPhil, Claudine was a researcher in the privacy-enhancing technologies group at the Open Data Institute. She also co-created Proving the Negative, a 13-episode podcast series translating cyber security and tech policy research accessible to a general audience.