By Sally Campbell. Featured image credit: John Campbell
Bregman pleads to mobilise against the big tech companies; don’t trust AI “Just look at what the first wave of big tech has already done to us” he writes “literacy and numeracy are plummeting. Teenage depression, anxiety and suicide attempts are rising….Solitude is becoming the hallmark of our age”. If the first wave captured our attention, this next one wants our affection. Think of AI companions that whisper back exactly what we want to hear. Think ~AI porn that is hyper personalised. AI could be for relationships what junk food is for nourishment. Today we face the next addiction industry- not of wine and whiskey but of apps and algorithms. Big tech should increasingly be seen as big alcohol and big tobacco. It will dictate news, of course to support its ideals, or its masters’ ideals. That could be political, support for dictators, if there is a financial spin-off. Look at cosy Silicon Valley chiefs and Trump, President of the USA.
As I wrote earlier in this piece, the resistance starts now.
I was so reminded of these words at a talk today organised by Arran for Palestine.
Phillipa Whitford, Trustee of MAP (Medical Aid for Palestinians), former Member of Parliament for Central Ayrshire and senior breast cancer surgeon at Crosshouse Hospital, who first volunteered with MAP in Gaza in the 1990s and returned to Gaza to support the breast cancer programmes since 2016 was the guest speaker at this weekend’s Arran for Palestine public meeting on Gaza and the destruction of the Palestinian communities, hospitals and schools. The Ormidale Hall was packed, and a collection was taken for MAP. Phillipa and her husband Hans Pieper worked as medical volunteers for MAP in Gaza for 18 months in a UN Hospital in 1991 and 1992 just after the first Gulf War and during the first Intifada and assisted in the training and development of staff in the breast cancer clinic. They also provided regular zoom meetings from the UK to provide support for training staff and expertise in the treatment of patients, especially for women with breast cancer. I was so saddened and moved by the horrendous problems for women with breast cancer and the low survival rates due to an absence of facilities and any support from Israeli hospitals to assist. As a near 26 year survivor of breast cancer, it reminded me once more to be so grateful for the NHS and peace in our time.
Phillipa’s talk gave an overview of the history of Israel and the Palestinian Territories from Balfour onwards but also a lot of facts and figures on the past 3 years and how our media, yes, our media, has been short of diligence in reporting fairly and with balance on the situation in Gaza; the destruction, the deaths, the lack of hospital care, drugs, amputations in children etc. We need to ask more questions of our government at Westminster to be realistic in shaming Israel’s behaviour, the genocide in Gaza and the total destruction of Gaza and intimidation in the West Bank, and the UK must stop supplying arms and spare parts for planes etc and be clear in what are the hidden agendas of the Israeli government and Trump. It was a clear and moving presentation and many of us just wondered why, oh why had so much reporting in the UK been so biased towards the Israeli position, aided by social media, apps etc. Even the BBC was short of balance.
We all want to trust our media, whether that be reading a newspaper, following stories on the net, hearing politicians explaining their position. Truth matters. Perhaps every TV info show, computer, mobile phone. app, and social media piece should come with the warning…the lack of transparency and truth here may damage your health.
Sally Campbell, 30 November 2025