1. This one’s a bit nerdy, a bit late, and a bit important. The Open Data Institute is launching its European Data and AI Policy Manifesto at 16:00 UK time tomorrow, Wednesday 23^rd July. More info and registration here https://theodi.org/news-and-events/events/odi-european-data-and-ai-policy-manifesto-launch/

Join the Open Data Institute (ODI) for the online launch of our ODI European Data and AI Policy Manifesto. This event will explore the rapidly evolving data and AI landscape in Europe and the regulatory challenges shaping its future. The webinar takes place as we launch the ODI’s EU Data and AI Manifesto, based on its six core principles for open, trustworthy data ecosystems: strong data infrastructure, open data, trust, independent oversight, a diverse and inclusive data ecosystem, and support from skilled, knowledgeable data leaders. The discussion will examine and discuss the divergent policy approaches emerging across the EU, UK, and US, and explore how legislators can strike the right balance between enabling innovation, maintaining global competitiveness, and ensuring regulation remains proportionate and socially beneficial.

2. Three recent pieces from Engelsberg Ideas that I’ve enjoyed:

A paean to the Paris Métro by Agnès Poirier https://engelsbergideas.com/notebook/a-paean-to-the-paris-metro/

Paris, 1900. There was seldom a city and a year that better defined modernism and style. It was the year of the Exposition Universelle, attended by a record 50.6 million people, and the year of the Métropolitain, Paris’s first underground line, running trains from Porte de Vincennes to Porte Maillot, a 13-kilometre straight line from the east to the west of the French capital. London, followed by Budapest and Chicago, was first – a good thing for Paris engineers and town planners. As Andrew Martin, author of Metropolitain: An Ode to the Paris Metro, explains: ‘The London Underground was the world’s first metro, and Paris, having taken a long, cool look at it, decided to do the opposite.’ Le Métro would be the antithesis of the London Underground.

The West in the age of Westlessness by Samir Puri https://engelsbergideas.com/notebook/the-west-in-the-age-of-westlessness/

What does it mean to defend Western values when the power of the West is in decline?

A window into Hitler’s soul by Samuel Rubinstein https://engelsbergideas.com/notebook/a-window-into-hitlers-soul/

Reading Mein Kampf, 100 years on from its first appearance, can help us understand a historical moment which, as it fades into the distance, still profoundly structures our world.

3. A new TeachingEnglish online course, Teaching English in primary, started earlier this month. Three modules, each of which will take you 3 to 4 hours to complete, and a certificate at the end. PDF of the course workbook attached to give you an idea of what to expect. More info and registration (if you don’t already have an account) here https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/training/courses/teaching-english-primary

Discover how primary children learn and apply this understanding to your classroom practice. Explore the role of assessment in the primary classroom and learn engaging, age-appropriate strategies for learner evaluation.

More information on the whole of the TeachingEnglish programme for July, August & September here https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/community/top-stories/july-september-2025-assessing-learning

4. Two different perspectives, both very readable, on the use of AI in education:

An editorial for TechTrends by David Wiley, Asking a More Productive Question about AI and Assessment https://tinyurl.com/yuzu5pw6

A post by Dan McQuillan on his blog, The role of the University is to resist AI  https://danmcquillan.org/cpct_seminar.html

5. And, finally, a piece from The Equality Trust on the ever-increasing concentration of wealth in ever fewer hands in the UK https://equalitytrust.org.uk/evidence-base/billionaire-britain-2025/

From The Equality Trust’s mission statement: UK income inequality is among the highest in the developed world and evidence shows that this is bad for almost everyone. The Equality Trust works to improve the quality of life in the UK by reducing economic and social inequality. People in more equal societies live longer, have better mental health and have better chances for a good education regardless of their background. Community life is stronger where the income gap is narrower, children do better at school and they are less likely to become teenage parents. When inequality is reduced people trust each other more, there is less violence and rates of imprisonment are lower.