In recent years, we’ve seen a remarkable shift in the way people use AI chatbots. They are no longer simply tools for answering questions or writing emails. Many people are entering into deep conversations with the likes of ChatGPT and Claude often forming emotional and even romantic relationships with them.

Last year’s controversy surrounding GPT-4o was a striking example: that particular model’s unusually agreeable and flattering responses to user queries raised concerns about AI reinforcing unhealthy beliefs, while its eventual retirement prompted some users to describe a genuine sense of loss. At the same time, lawsuits involving AI chatbots allegedly causing harm to vulnerable young people have raised serious questions about emotional dependency and the responsibilities of the companies developing these systems.

So what is actually happening when we begin to form relationships with machines that can talk to us, remember us and appear to understand us? And what does it tell us about ourselves?

In this episode, Ibrahim Hasan talks to psychologist, academic and award-winning filmmaker Dr. Agnieszka Piotrowska about the profound ways that generative AI is changing human relationships, drawing on the themes of her book AI Intimacy and Psychoanalysis.

We talk about why people form bonds with AI, the potential benefits for companionship, creativity and accessibility, and the risks surrounding privacy, emotional dependency, mental wellbeing and digital amnesia. We also explore the importance of boundaries, education and proportionate regulation as AI grows more personalised and embedded in everyday life.

Useful Links

http://www.agnieszkapiotrowska.co.uk

Relational AI Diaries Podcast

Building Trustworthy AI Systems Podcast

AI Blogs

Phaselaw

This podcast is sponsored by Phaselaw - a purpose-built solution for document disclosures, like subject access requests and FOI requests. Instead of redacting PDFs one by one, or forcing litigation software to do a job it wasn't designed for, with Phaselaw you get collection, review, and redaction in one workflow. Teams across the World are using it to cut response times from weeks to days.

For Guardians of Data listeners, Phaselaw is offering a two-month free trial; run it on live requests, see what it does to your backlog, decide from there. No card, no commitment.

If your organisation is being overloaded with AI generated Freedom of Information requests or GDPR Subject Access Requests (SARs) this podcast episode is for you.

Some would say AI has democratised and powered access to information. Large Language Models, like ChatGPT and Claude, can produce ‘perfectly written’ FOI requests and SARs at the touch of a button. But these are causing problems for over worked information governance departments. Not only are more requests coming through; they are often longer, broader and difficult to interpret.

In this episode we guide you on how to manage and lawfully respond to AI generated information requests. Our guest is Saara Idelbi from 39 Essex Chambers. Saara is recognised by the Legal 500 as a ‘leading junior’ barrister. She practises in administrative law, human rights, data protection and information rights. Saara is a recognised voice on AI and the law and is the co-founder of Advocatr, an AI legal training platform.

Listen now for practical guidance on dealing with AI generated information requests whilst respecting the key principles of information rights legislation; openness, transparency and accountability.

You can also listen to episode 13 where information lawyer, Andrew Latham, gives his tips on AI generated subject access requests. More useful resources below:

ICO Guidance

Building Trustworthy AI Systems Podcast

AI Blogs

FOI Blogs

Phaselaw

This podcast is sponsored by Phaselaw - a purpose-built solution for document disclosures, like subject access requests and FOI requests. Instead of redacting PDFs one by one, or forcing litigation software to do a job it wasn't designed for, with Phaselaw you get collection, review, and redaction in one workflow. Teams across the World are using it to cut response times from weeks to days.

For Guardians of Data listeners, Phaselaw is offering a two-month free trial; run it on live requests, see what it does to your backlog, decide from there. No card, no commitment.

The biggest data protection challenges facing organisations do not stem solely from cyber-attacks or AI deployment; they also arise from employees. Sometimes it’s from an innocent mistake; an email sent to the wrong person, confidential information shared inadvertently or a document uploaded to the wrong system. In other cases, the issues are more serious; employees accessing information they have no business looking at, taking confidential data when they leave, or deliberately misusing personal information.

When those situations arise, employers need to investigate what has happened, decide whether a breach needs to be reported to the ICO and manage employment law issues such as disciplinary action; all the while protect the rights of the individuals whose data is involved, including employees.

And then there's the inevitable employee Data Subject Access Request, or DSAR to deal with. Often made alongside a grievance or before Employment Tribunal proceedings, DSARs can present significant legal and practical challenges for employers trying to balance transparency with confidentiality and legal privilege.

In episode 13 of the Guardians of Data podcast we explore:

• what happens when employees are involved in personal data breaches;
• the legal and practical issues arising when employees misuse personal data;
• how employers should approach workplace investigations involving personal data; and
• how to respond effectively to employee Data Subject Access Requests.

Our guest is Andrew Latham, a partner in the Public Law team at Capsticks, who specialises in data protection and privacy law.

Click the play button to jump in.

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Useful Links

Phaselaw

Capsticks

ICO Employment Practices Code: Supplementary Guidance

Employee DPA Prosecutions

The Morrisons Vicarious Liability Case

This podcast is sponsored by Phaselaw - a purpose-built solution for document disclosures, like subject access requests and FOI requests. Instead of redacting PDFs one by one, or forcing litigation software to do a job it wasn't designed for, with Phaselaw you get collection, review, and redaction in one workflow. Teams across the World are using it to cut response times from weeks to days.

For Guardians of Data listeners, Phaselaw is offering a two-month free trial; run it on live requests, see what it does to your backlog, decide from there. No card, no commitment.

In this episode we discuss something that sounds like science fiction, but is already part of everyday policing in the UK; predictive policing. These are tools that use data and algorithms to help the police forecast crime, where it might happen and sometimes who might be involved. The idea is to use resources efficiently and cut crime. And there are reports that councils are also starting to use these systems (The Think Family Database.)

But a recent report by Amnesty International, “Automated Racism” argues that predictive policing tools aren’t neutral; they may be reinforcing and scaling existing inequalities. The report argues that the data they use is biased, particularly against black and racialised communities in deprived areas.

In this conversation, we unpack what these tools actually are, how they’re being used, whether they work, and what the risks are, especially when combined with other technologies like facial recognition.

Our guest is Ilyas Nagdee who is a human rights campaigner and the Racial Justice Director at Amnesty International UK. He has also written for The Guardian and is the co-author of a book entitled, Race to the Bottom: Reclaiming Antiracism, a critical study of anti-racist politics in the UK.

Useful Links

Phaselaw

Amnesty International

Automated Racism Report

The Think Family Database

This podcast is sponsored by Phaselaw - a purpose-built solution for document disclosures, like subject access requests and FOI requests. Instead of redacting PDFs one by one, or forcing litigation software to do a job it wasn't designed for, with Phaselaw you get collection, review, and redaction in one workflow. Teams across the World are using it to cut response times from weeks to days.

For Guardians of Data listeners, Phaselaw is offering a two-month free trial; run it on live requests, see what it does to your backlog, decide from there. No card, no commitment.

In this episode we discuss how AI is reshaping trust, identity, cybersecurity, and organisational accountability.

In recent weeks, governments, regulators and cyber security professionals have been gripped by the emergence of Mythos, the powerful AI model developed by Anthropic. Touted as capable of identifying software vulnerabilities at a level that rivals some of the world's most skilled human researchers, the model has generated excitement, concern and intense debate.

Against this backdrop, our guest on this podcast is an internationally renowned cybersecurity leader, educator and technology strategist. Caroline Wong is Chief Strategy Officer at Axari and the author of The AI Cybersecurity Handbook.

In this conversation, Caroline explains how cybercriminals are using AI to launch sophisticate cyber-attacks. We also discuss how organisations can use the same technology to strengthen their cyber defences.

But this conversation goes beyond the technical. We discuss why trust is becoming the central battleground in cybersecurity, how deepfakes and AI-generated content are reshaping the way we verify information, and why human judgment remains critical despite rapid advances in automation. We also take a closer look at Mythos itself and what it means for the future of cybersecurity.

Useful Links

LinkedIn Learning Cybersecurity Courses

Wake Up Podcast Series

Phaselaw

This podcast is sponsored by Phaselaw - a purpose-built solution for document disclosures, like subject access requests and FOI requests. Instead of redacting PDFs one by one, or forcing litigation software to do a job it wasn't designed for, with Phaselaw you get collection, review, and redaction in one workflow. Teams across the World are using it to cut response times from weeks to days.

For Guardians of Data listeners, Phaselaw is offering a two-month free trial; run it on live requests, see what it does to your backlog, decide from there. No card, no commitment.

This episode is a fascinating and deeply human conversation with one of the most thoughtful voices in the world of privacy and information governance. Emma Martins served as Data Protection Commissioner for the Bailiwick of Guernsey for over a decade.

In our conversation, Emma reminds us that data protection is about far more than compliance checklists, privacy notices, or subject access requests. At its core, data protection is about people, power, democracy and human dignity.

We explore the historical roots of data protection law, including the lessons Europe learned from surveillance and authoritarianism after World War Two, and why those lessons matter now more than ever in the age of AI, predictive policing, algorithmic bias and mass data collection.

Emma also shares her reflections on:

• The need for data protection professionals need to reconnect with their “why”
• The importance of diversity, curiosity, and collaboration in the IG profession
• And how we can all move from being seen as blockers to becoming trusted cultural leaders inside our organisations

This is not a conversation about technology or the minutiae of data protection law; it’s a conversation about humanity and why we are here as data protection professionals.

Be sure to check out below, Emma’s recommendations for books and films about data protection and privacy.

Emma’s Watch List

• Can’t Look Away
• The Social Dilemma
• Citizen Four
• Terms and Conditions May Apply
• The Great Hack
• The Circle
• Ex Machina
• Coded Bias
• Mr Bates vs The Post Office
• The Social Network
• Minority Report
• Capture - BBC

Books

• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism - S Zuboff
• Nothing to Hide - D Solove
• Beyond Data - E Renieris
• Your Face Belongs to Us - K Hill
• More than a Glitch - M Broussard
• You are Not a Gadget - J Lanier
• The Political Philosophy of AI - M Coecklebergh
• Technology is Not Neutral - S Hare
• Data Ethics of Power - G Hasselbach
• Logging Off - A Zeynap Walton
• Unmasking AI - J Buolamwini
• Privacy is Power - C Veliz
• Human Rights, Robot Wrongs - S Alegre

This podcast is sponsored by Phaselaw - a purpose-built solution for document disclosures, like subject access requests and FOI requests. Instead of redacting PDFs one by one, or forcing litigation software to do a job it wasn't designed for, with Phaselaw you get collection, review, and redaction in one workflow. Teams across the World are using it to cut response times from weeks to days.

For Guardians of Data listeners, Phaselaw is offering a two-month free trial; run it on live requests, see what it does to your backlog, decide from there. No card, no commitment.

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) is an essential tool for the journalist seeking to hold public institutions to account. But for those handling FOI requests from journalists, the challenge is to balance minimising the resource burden on the organisation with maintaining openness and transparency. This requires a good understanding of the journalist’s motivation, tactics and pressures.

In this episode we are joined by Martin Rosenbaum. Martin spent 16 years at the BBC as the organisation’s leading specialist in using FOI for journalism. He is the author of Freedom of Information: A Practical Guidebook - a comprehensive, hands-on guide that explains the law, the process, and the tactics for using FOI effectively.

We talk about:

• How journalists use FOI to uncover the truth and inform the public
• The tactics that make the difference between a successful request and a dead end
• How FOI has evolved since its introduction
• And what information professionals can learn from the media’s use of this powerful tool

If you like this podcast, please listen to Episode 3 where Maurice Frenkel of the Campaign for Freedom of Information (CFOI) reflects on 20 years of the Freedom of Information Act.

Useful Links

Phaselaw

Martin’s Blog

Freedom of Information: A Practical Guidebook

Act Now FOI Blogs

This podcast is sponsored by Phaselaw - a purpose-built solution for document disclosures, like subject access requests and FOI requests. Instead of redacting PDFs one by one, or forcing litigation software to do a job it wasn't designed for, with Phaselaw you get collection, review, and redaction in one workflow. Teams across the World are using it to cut response times from weeks to days.

For Guardians of Data listeners, Phaselaw is offering a two-month free trial; run it on live requests, see what it does to your backlog, decide from there. No card, no commitment.