Ethnography, more important than ever The generative systems that have arrived in the last few years are extraordinarily good at a particular kind of intellectual work. Ask one of them what a body of literature says, and it will -mostly properly- summarize, cross-reference, and organize the written record with a facility no human scholar can … Read more
It was nice to catch up in Poznan, Poland, with my fellow anthropologists. I was here for this presentation: Saka, E. (2026, July 23). Sovereign AI and the Reproduction of Algorithmic Power: Governance Frameworks in the Global South. EASA2026: Anthropology: Possibilities in a Polarised World, Panel P018: Anthropology of Artificial Intelligence and Oppression [org. Sahana … Read more
We have a fresh new handbook, and the first substantive publication in my new research field is out! 11: Localizing the AI: an ethnography of balancing acts between the stakeholders in the periphery You can buy or access the whole handbook here. It is open access. Edited by Sahana Udupa and Peter Hervik This timely … Read more
Last week, I was invited to a conversation by Ziya Taşkent, who organizes monthly talks on “culture.” The talk is in Turkish, but I present a summary of this talk in English: Digital Culture and Everyday Life Digital culture is deeply intertwined with popular culture; both are undergoing transformation in the realms of communication and … Read more
Key Insights by Merlin AI AI Implementation in Fast Food In 2023, Taco Bell deployed AI across over 500 locations in the U.S. with the goal of reducing order errors and speeding up service. Initial feedback revealed that AI sometimes exacerbated issues, as evidenced by a customer receiving incorrect drink prompts. McDonald’s also tested AI … Read more
Seismic Shift in Datacenter Industry – The datacenter industry is undergoing rapid changes, influenced heavily by the rise of AI technology. – Meta’s construction of a datacenter in Temple, Texas, was abruptly halted, indicating a shift toward new AI requirements. – Traditional datacenters are evolving into AI supercomputers, affecting design, power needs, and operational … Read more
“There Is No Neutral Machine: The Necessary Contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities to AI” Keynote Speech — Erkan Saka Critical AI Studies Conference, Istanbul Bilgi University, 9 May 2026 [Formatted by using Claude.ai] To understand AI, we must stop treating it as a purely technical or mathematical achievement. And to explain why this matters, … Read more
I guess I am getting nostalgic. I have started watching my childhood favorite TV show, Knight Rider. It took decades to have self-driving cars. Contemporary critical reception Many mainstream TV critics in the 1980s dismissed Knight Rider as shallow and gimmicky.[2][1] Reviews often called it “silly,” “juvenile,” or “trash TV,” focusing on the implausible talking … Read more
Whose Truth Gets Optimized? AI and the New Epistemic Order This is an edited version of my keynote talk delivered at the IV. International Communication, Digitalization and Society Symposium (ICDS), Istanbul Aydın University, April 28, 2026. The theme of this year’s ICDS symposium — Truth in an Optimized Society: From Democracy to Infocracy — is … Read more
I attended the Artificial Intelligence, Manipulation, and Media Literacy Summit in Cyprus yesterday. Session 3 was in a question-and-answer format, which I prefer to just speaking. I asked Claude.ai to format my answers. I have to highlight that this formatting misses the anecdotes and lively occasions. Well, those who attend get the benefits. Still, for … Read more
Key Insights by Merlin AI Google Maps Evolution – Google has been mapping the world for over 20 years, launching its Street View feature in 2007. – Initial camera systems were bulky, weighing up to 500 pounds, but have since evolved to lighter, more versatile models used on various vehicles including backpacks and even … Read more
Palantir occupies a more extreme place in Silicon Valley but represents a new, growing ethos Big Tech is developing. We have seen the company’s official X message today. A few early comments: This is the nationalist turn. Big Tech now explicitly acts as an agent of a nation-state, which in turn justifies its regulations worldwide. … Read more
I first saw the news at the Guardian and asked Perplexity to do a roundup. Here is the issue: What the investigation actually found An investigation by Investigate Europe, published with the Guardian and others, shows that Microsoft and the lobby group DigitalEurope (representing Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta, etc.) proposed language to classify all individual … Read more
I wanted to collect propaganda content for all sides during the war for the record. Here is what ChatGPT’s deep research found out. It looks like this is not just propaganda in the traditional sense, but a platform-native propaganda system, where states, semi-state actors, and meme producers operate within the same attention economy. How I … Read more
OpenClaw, a viral open-source AI agent launched in 2026, promises to control your computer autonomously—but quickly exposed major security risks. Key Insights by Merlin AI Overview of OpenClaw – OpenClaw emerged in early 2026 as a highly anticipated AI tool, capturing the attention of creators and entrepreneurs. – It was designed as an open-source software … Read more