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Samuel Woolley

Headshot of Samuel Woolley

Samuel Woolley is the research director of IFTF’s Digital Intelligence Lab and research associate at the Oxford Internet Institute, an expert on information warfare, political communication and automation and their impact on the future of governance.

February 2026

  • Moltbook ExplainerMoltbook, a social network built exclusively for AI agents, is shown on a computer screen Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kaitlyn Huamani)

    double quotation markNo, the human-robot singularity isn’t here. But we must take action to govern AI

    Samuel Woolley
    Moltbook, a social media site for AI agents, is nothing new. Still, the marriage of big tech and politics demands we take a stand

October 2025

  • People vote in the 2024 US presidential elections in Nevadaepa11703466 People cast their ballots at the Galleria At Sunset in Henderson, Nevada, USA, 05 November 2024. Voters across the country are casting ballots today for President of the United States in a tightly contested race between Republican presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and Democratic presidential candidate US Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as for candidates in congressional and local races. EPA/CAROLINE BREHMAN

    double quotation markWe research AI election threats. Here’s what we need to prepare for

    Samuel Woolley and Dean Jackson
    Artificial intelligence endangers democracy – but it’s less about specific deepfakes and more about a bigger transformation

July 2025

  • Grok XAI Photo Ilustration, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia - 12 Jul 2025<br>Mandatory Credit: Photo by Algi Febri Sugita/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock (15396197j) In this photo illustration, the xAI Grok logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. Grok is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by xAI. Grok XAI Photo Ilustration, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia - 12 Jul 2025

    double quotation markGrok’s behavior isn’t surprising – but we needn’t settle for Musk’s vision of the future

    Samuel Woolley
    We can have social media platforms that are sensibly and systematically moderated – without accepting overt censorship

December 2018

  • Congressional hearings with Facebook, Twitter and Google executives have failed to solve digital deception.

    double quotation markWho will protect us from digital deception? Not tech companies

    Ann M Ravel and Samuel Woolley
    Technology companies have not found an adequate solution to the problem of digital deception – they must be regulated

October 2017

  • Two people exchanging information via smartphone

    double quotation markSocial media bots threaten democracy. But we are not helpless

    Samuel Woolley and Marina Gorbis
    Ever-more sophisticated Facebook and Twitter bots can sway political opinions. We have the technology to counter this – we need the will to use it
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