Data privacy

Cognitive Exhaust Fumes, or: Read-Only AI Is Underrated — Šimon Podhajský, Head of AI, Waypoint

Cognitive Exhaust Fumes, or: Read-Only AI Is Underrated — Šimon Podhajský, Head of AI, Waypoint

A deep dive into a "read-only" personal AI system that analyzes your digital footprint—or "cognitive exhaust fumes"—from sources like email, notes, and browsing history. The author argues that this observer approach provides more profound insights and is inherently safer than action-oriented AI agents, by preventing data contamination and mitigating the high-stakes risks of write-access errors.

Privacy-First Research with OpenSAFELY • Eli Holderness & Hannes Lowette

Privacy-First Research with OpenSAFELY • Eli Holderness & Hannes Lowette

OpenSAFELY offers a new paradigm for medical research by bringing analysis code to sensitive patient data, rather than exporting the data itself. This interview explores its secure, privacy-preserving platform, its custom DSL `ehrql`, and how this model enforces reproducible, hypothesis-driven science while navigating the complexities of real-world clinical data.