Who is Jianwei Xun? My perspective on rethinking philosophy in the age of GenAI

4

October

2025

5/5 (1)

A compelling example of Generative AI co-creation, a “philosophical experiment” that perfectly illustrates its own thesis, a powerful metaphor for our AI-disrupted era. The bestselling (fake) philosopher who brilliantly analysed digital manipulation but does not actually exist.

What if the most insightful philosopher of the digital age wasn’t a “who”, but a “what”?

Initially presented as a Hong Kong-born philosopher based in Berlin, Jianwei Xun quickly gained traction in European intellectual circles for his work Hypnocracy: Trump, Musk, and the New Architecture of Reality. The book reports a sharp analysis of how power operates in the digital age not through oppression, but through the stories we consume and believe. Its central concept, “hypnocracy”, describes a new form of manipulation, where power works by shaping our very state of consciousness through algorithms, filter bubbles, and personalised timelines, getting readers into a state of collective trance.

Ironically, the book embodies the very phenomenon it is critical of, being it an AI-generated text about AI-driven manipulation itself. Indeed, its true author is the Italian essayist and publisher Andrea Colamedici. He revealed that Jianwei Xun is a “distributed philosophical entity,” a collaborative construct between human intelligence and artificial intelligence systems. Colamedici used AI platforms, specifically ChatGPT and Claude, not as a ghostwriter, but as an “interlocutor” (El Paìs, 2025). He would present ideas, challenge the AI’s assertions, request deeper analysis, and even pit different AIs against each other in a “fertile conflict”, using a method he terms “ontological engineering” (Le Grand Continent, 2025). He estimates about 40% of the book’s early drafts were AI-generated, which he then curated, merged, and refined.

To solidify the persona and anchor it in the academic digital ecosystem, Colamedici had built a detailed fictional biography, a professional website, and uploaded scholarly publications to Academia.edu. He even created a fictional literary agent, Sarah Horowitz, to handle communications with journalists and publishers. The deception unraveled in April 2025, when the journalist of L’Espresso Sabina Minardi investigated and found that the philosopher was a pseudonym for this human-AI collaboration. Her suspicions arose from “linguistic clues”, a “phraseology that seemed designed to hypnotise”, and the evasiveness of the author (L’Espresso, 2025). As a response, Colamedici clarified its intent: to let the medium become the message. Readers and the media weren’t just reading about a digitally constructed reality; they were participating in one, being “hypnotised” by a coherent and persuasive intellectual voice that had no physical existence.

My Personal Experience: Contextualising the Case as a Mirror for Our Times

Personally, I reckon that Jianwei Xun experiment is a Rosetta Stone for understanding the implications of Generative AI in the reality we are living in. Colamedici insists that Jianwei Xun is not a pseudonym but a “device” and an “emergent form of authorship” (Le Grand Continent, 2025). He resists the idea that Xun is merely the avatar of a literate person using a tool, proposing instead a “third space where human and artificial cognition meet”. What can be defined as a conceptual deepfake, Jianwei Xun was conceived to create a visceral, memorable understanding of a complex philosophical idea.

At this point, we as readers – and consumers – are forced to completely rethink what originality and authority mean. Not only does this represent a fundamental challenge for any content-driven digital strategy, but is also points to a unique strategic opportunity: using AI-generated narratives to build immersive brand stories or educational experiences that resonate on a deeper level than traditional content – this way, moving beyond shallow, throwaway AI-generated content. Xun’s case also landed in a regulatory grey area, running afoul of the European AI Act, which mandates transparency for AI-generated content. Therefore, the (initial) failure of media and institutional gatekeepers to discern the artificial from the human of this product helps underscoring a dual imperative: leveraging AI for innovative engagement while simultaneously building robust AI literacy and validation processes.

To me, Jianwei Xun’s Hypnocracy holds up an uncomfortable mirror. Even though I initially felt uncomfortable due to its deception, I cannot dismiss its brilliance as a performative critique. In a powerful yet dangerous way, it proves that in the age of AI, a compelling narrative, regardless of its origin, can capture attention and influence thought. As already mentioned, our responsibility should be to advocate for clear disclosures when AI is used a collaborator, building trust in an era of synthetic content. On the other hand, we should move from passive consumption to active, critical co-creation, using AI as a “maieutic” interlocutor to nurture and challenge our own thinking – much like Colamedici did, attempting to follow Socrates’ footsteps in the era of digitalisation. Thus, the goal should be to engage with the machine to sharpen our own critical faculties, without getting stuck in an algorithmic echo chamber, but aiming at a more innovative, responsible, and human-centric approach.

Because the era of hypnocracy is here, and we have to navigate it with our eyes wide open.

Sources

Limòn, R. (2025, April 7). Jianwei Xun, the supposed philosopher behind the hypnocracy theory, does not exist and is a product of artificial intelligence. El País (English). https://english.elpais.com/technology/2025-04-07/jianwei-xun-the-supposed-philosopher-behind-the-hypnocracy-theory-does-not-exist-and-is-a-product-of-artificial-intelligence.html

Gressani, G. (2025, April 4). Chi è Jianwei Xun: una conversazione con Jianwei Xun. Le Grand Continent.https://legrandcontinent.eu/it/2025/04/04/chi-e-jianwei-xun-una-conversazione-con-jianwei-xun/

Minardi, S. (2025, April 7). Ipnocrazia: best seller libro – chi è Xun. L’Espresso.https://lespresso.it/c/inchieste/2025/4/7/ipnocrazia-best-seller-libro-chi-e-xun/53621

Carelli, E. (2025, April 3). Ipnocrazia, intelligenza artificiale, scrittura, filosofia. L’Espresso.https://lespresso.it/c/opinioni/2025/4/3/ipnocrazia-intelligenza-artificiale-scrittura-filosofia-lespresso/53598

The New York Times. (2025, April 30). The hypnocracy: AI philosopher book. The New York Times.https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/world/europe/hypnocracy-ai-philosopher-book.html

Tlon (2025). Ipnocrazia. Trump, Musk e la nuova architettura della realtà. Jianwei Xun. https://tlon.it/ipnocrazia/

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The Unfulfilled Promise of an AI that can take my Job

30

September

2025

5/5 (1)

With a background in Computer Science, I was able to enter the job market as a software engineer early on. This way I started to work as a programmer at a medium-sized Dutch software company after my first year of studying as a Bachelor. At that time, AI and Generative AI would not have an impact on our line of work for another one and a half years when ChatGPT 3 would launch for the first time.

When working on a large enterprise system for industries with unique and complex processes the complexity in software architecture and class structure increases exponentially. Where in class a coding exercise might have entailed creating a few classes, implementing a few constructors and running a specified set of methods all within a predefined programming language, coding at a software company involves countless additional steps. Even the simplest bug fixes and feature developments require deep knowledge over how a niche subset of the source code functions, a great ability in reading and understanding complex calculations/algorithms ran by the backend and intricate knowledge in not just multiple coding languages (Java, JavaScript, TypeScript…), but also frameworks that run on these languages such as React, Node or Ember.

It was no surprise therefore that all of us were quite intrigued by the potential of AI-assisted coding right from the release of ChatGPT 3. Coding plugins and extensions built into the Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) were already widely utilized within the company for many years and they helped focus on the underlying logical fallacies that need to be solved. With the new Generative AI, however, the premise was that the assistant could assist or take over even this work. After much experimentation and the implementation of an enterprise version of Google Gemini we quickly reached the limits of AI’s coding capabilities in today’s world. After so much drama in the news and a public perception of AI as the coding-killer we found that although Gemini could analyze and correct a couple of individual lines of code, it is not yet able to navigate or store a large codebase to analyze and understand the context of the problem or feature.

Even companies like Microsoft, Google and Meta, who are some of the only organizations on earth able to afford to train their own Gen AI models on their own code, are unable to rely on their AI to fix small bugs autonomously. Too much risk is involved in incorrect design choices, edge case bugs and most importantly the verification process. This process is critical and still requires testing by real humans, who are skilled and competent enough to assess the end results based on chosen requirements.

For us and the rest of the development world, AI coding assistants will stay limited to “chunking” code into deliberately chosen fragments, selected by the developer, that can help the AI in assessing a coding task. A great improvement that can yield automatic generation of “boilerplate code” (repeated code that is commonly used throughout a project), the generation of a “stub implementation” to go off or a list of suggested corrections in case a developer gets hard stuck. Though, generative AI does not nearly constitute a true job killer and even if it could, it will take additional years until full capabilities will be available to the large majority of software companies on earth.

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An Ocean of Insecurity: My Experience with GenAI

28

September

2025

5/5 (1)

“The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech In Pain”

Dear reader,

I invite you to read a collection of my thoughts and meditations, all relating to my own use of GenAI. The tone of this article is definitely different from my previous one, and I apologise in advance for that. With all that being said, I still hope that some of you may relate to what is written here today.

Foundations of Fear

I would be lying if I said that the past few years were not a complete nightmare for me. My lifelong aspirations of being a creative had never felt so threatened.

First it was the rise of image generators like Midjourney, which generate images while being trained on millions of artists’ stolen works (Goetze, 2024). It was an injustice which I had witnessed firsthand. I was scared, and it felt like something that I wanted to do for years was suddenly taken away from me.

But hey, maybe it would only be visual arts right? They would surely never come for music and video…

It was a truly naïve moment for me, as later other programs would arise that would be able to generate both music and video. Now did I particularly like or find merit in what was generated? No absolutely not, most of the music made on programs like Suno sounded abhorrent. Videos made by Stable Diffusion lacked any of the vision which someone like Denis Villeneuve could have. But that was my opinion, the general public seemed to think otherwise.

In any case, I was not too happy with the emergence of GenAI.

A Puppet on A String

Because of the views that I had previously held, it would come to no-one’s surprise that when I actually seriously had to use GenAI I was practically forced to.

I remember that day very clearly. It was during my second year at Erasmus in my BA bachelor. We had a course on Entrepreneurship, and had to use these resources to help us make a business. It seemed innocent enough, right? But I couldn’t help but feel horrible with every prompt I was typing.

I will be the first to say that when it comes to group work, I have no intention of pulling my group down because of my disdain towards GenAI. I understand that many students use it, and I will not push back. These are just the values that I hold.

And so, I fell into the trap that many students do:  I kept on using ChatGPT, DeepSeek etc. I used it to summarise my articles, but never really to brainstorm on my own. Sometimes, I used it to see what grade I would get for an assignment, though the accuracy varied. In the Digital Business course that we followed in year 3, we had to write an entire Essay with AI.

I’ll be the first to say that I did not enjoy the process and I find that AI cannot write in the same way that I do. Even when I had fed the AI with essays and other writings of mine in the  past it just really couldn’t compare. I do not know if I was just lucky or uncritical, but I do know that my grade for the essay that I wrote myself was higher than the AI-written one.

Still, I often ask myself if we are entering an era where critical cognitive skills are being eroded due to the overreliance on AI (Zhai et al., 2024). How are we going to move forward when we are unable to detect misinformation and just accept everything that a machine gives us?

Moreover, how am I supposed to not feel guilt for using such a technology?  It is not only actively consuming major amounts of energy, but also causing me and my peers to have a harder time in the future job market due to entry-level positions declining (Jockims, 2025).

 A Deal with The Devil

For a time, I became quite apathetic to it all as a bachelor’s in business tends to do that to you. So I decided to use GenAI for personal reasons too.

My first experience with this was when I used an AI beauty app to get rid of some acne on my forehead. My partner wanted to post a picture of me in a cat café on their story, but there was some visible acne on my forehead. I then had the “brilliant” idea to use an app to get rid of the Acne, and hey it worked. We were both happy, I got to look good, and they got to post.

I then tried to incorporate GenAI into my writing as my apathy had reached the point of “If you can’t beat them, join them”.

I wrote down lines, and tried to continue sharing ideas with ChatGPT. But still something was missing.

It wasn’t really the story that I wanted to tell. The story I wanted to tell was a lot softer, and more human. It was laced with quiet moments and thoughtful conversations about characters living in a Cyberpunk world. (Ironic I know)

What ChatGPT gave me was…closer to a Marvel movie or a rip-off of Blade Runner. It was instant gratification, and a story with no substance. Why would it be one? It was a story that no human had bothered to write before. Just an amalgamation of the average.

Don’t Let AI Steal Your Daydream

I obviously do not know all of you, but I do urge you to think more critically about your GenAI use and the impact you have by using it.

I know for myself that by using it, I am actively contributing to injustice. Every prompt and sentence will make the models better and with the massive network effects that platforms like ChatGPT have experienced, this trend will continue.

To be able to forgive myself, I first had to admit that what I did wasn’t aligned with my values.

Not all is lost though, as the section’s title suggests we should still be hopeful. When it comes to art, humans still tend to prefer human made art, when they know that something is made by AI according to Millet et al. (2023). They later also say that preserving art is important as it is one of the last beacons of human uniqueness.

I feel like this sentiment extends beyond just art though. All of your ideas are worth something and is part of what makes you human. I have also noticed that in the age of hyper-polished, well, ,everything (movies, music & artwork). I’ve become more drawn to the rawness and imperfection which can be found in a lot of older works. I remember not being able to listen to In Utero by Nirvana for a long time, but now I find myself appreciating the album’s rough edges.

I do not intend to say that I have a moral high ground. In fact, I am also extremely flawed. All of the times that I used GenAI on my own accord was to cope with some form of insecurity that I had. My appearance. my writing ability and even my grades. It was an instant fix for a problem, but it did not fix the underlying issues.

As a subtle form of rebellion, I decided to teach myself guitar. Yes, the process is hard but also gratifying. If I ever want to get on stage, I’ll have to work for it. There’s no instant fix. But that’s the thing, you can’t instantly become Kurt Cobain. It takes hours, days, years of hard work. And you know what? I find that to be beautiful.

I hope that we can take back some form of power. That we can live in a world where we are allowed to have and chase our daydreams. A world where our ideas do not serve as a means for profit to some megacorporation. I hope that I made you think about how  our actions are impacting the people around us. I ask you not to be a revolutionary, but I do ask you to contribute to a world that is fairer towards all.

To you, dear reader,  I ask the following questions: Do you think that I am overreacting or do you harbour similar feelings? Did your fears around GenAI cause you to change major life plans you had? (I know that it caused me to choose this master!) And finally, are you willing to sacrifice the instant gratification of AI in order to preserve our sense of being human?

References:
Goetze, T. S. (2024). AI Art is Theft: Labour, Extraction, and Exploitation: Or, On the Dangers of Stochastic Pollocks. 2022 ACM Conference On Fairness, Accountability, And Transparency, 89, 186–196. https://doi.org/10.1145/3630106.3658898

Jockims, T. L. (2025, 7 september). AI is not just ending entry-level jobs. It’s the end of the career ladder as we know it. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/07/ai-entry-level-jobs-hiring-careers.html

Millet, K., Buehler, F., Du, G., & Kokkoris, M. D. (2023). Defending humankind: Anthropocentric bias in the appreciation of AI art. Computers in Human Behavior, 143, 107707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107707

Zhai, C., Wibowo, S., & Li, L. D. (2024). The effects of over-reliance on AI dialogue systems on students’ cognitive abilities: a systematic review. Smart Learning Environments, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00316-7

Though I didn’t use it, I find these ones important too, they deal with the environmental aspects:
De Vries, A. (2023). The growing energy footprint of artificial intelligence. Joule, 7(10), 2191–2194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2023.09.004

Shukla, N. (2025, 19 augustus). Generative AI Is Exhausting the Power Grid. Earth.Org. https://earth.org/generative-ai-is-exhausting-the-power-grid/

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Author: Ian Parabirsing

A lover of music, good coffee and cats. I'm a MSC student at RSM studying Business Information Management. In my blog posts I'll be attempting to write about how technology impacts the consumers and society at large.

The 80/20 AI Paradox: Beyond the Hype to Human-Centric Solutions

25

September

2025

5/5 (1)

There’s a pattern I’ve come to recognize with almost every generative AI tool I use: it gets me 80% of the way there, almost instantly. Whether it’s drafting an email or generating code, the early output has something magical about it. Yet, that other 20% is where meaningful effort becomes essential. The process of fine-tuning the result through quick tweaks often feels like the futile exercise of pushing a rope. The initial magic wears off to expose the need to bring one’s own knowledge to bear in order to successfully arrive at the final target.

This personal experience aligns closely with my own experiences within my professional practice. I work at an AI consultancy that helps businesses navigate the complexities of artificial intelligence. A common scenario is managers or business owners coming to us with a broad question: “What can we do with AI?” They’ve heard the buzz and are eager to apply what they heard.

However, after we guide them through a design sprint to clearly define their requirements, a funny thing often happens. The problem they experience rarely requires an advanced form of an AI model at its core. Instead, what is really needed is a more streamlined business process. As Cedric Muchall (2022) points out in his book Bedrijf Bamischijf, companies often fall into the trap of adopting trendy solutions instead of addressing the fundamental pitfalls of how they are organized.

AI tools can enhance a step in that new process, like summarizing reports or automating data entry, but it’s a supporting actor, not the main star. The core solution is almost always about rethinking the workflow, not just plugging in an AI. The technology becomes a small part of a much larger, more human-centric solution.

For me, this highlights a critical misunderstanding in the corporate space. The temptation is to look for a technological fix, but the real gains come from first understanding the fundamental problem. It seems the hardest part isn’t the AI implementation, but the human process of figuring out what to build in the first place.


Muchall, C., & Toma, L. (2022). Bedrijf Bamischijf: van onzinnig “bedrijfje spelen” naar zinnig organiseren.

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The Invisible Guide: How ‘Phygital’ Tech is Weaving Itself Into Italy’s Cultural Fabric

18

September

2025

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We frequently picture online-only titans like Netflix or Amazon as the main characters of digital disruption. However, when navigating through new digital business upending entire industries, nowhere is this more visible than in one of the most traditional sectors of the Italian economy: tourism.

As an Italian student, I see my country’s majestic ruins and museums not just as cultural treasures, but as ground zero for digital disruption. While mass tourism unpleasantly overwhelms our cities, a new breed of startups is using a seamless blend of physical and digital to disrupt the traditional “guidebook-and-tour-bus” model. They are creating value in a completely new way, proving that in the era of experience economy, even the world’s oldest heritage can be seen through new, digital lens.

What Is “Phygital” and What Does It Really Mean for Strategy

Indeed, some of the most intriguing innovations occur when the digital and physical worlds collide, a phenomenon known to academics as the “phygital approach.” According to recent studies on Italian cultural tourism startups, these initiatives are empowering tourists to become curators of their own journeys, moving from passive observers to active participants, putting the power of a personalised, deep cultural immersion directly into the hands of the individual visitor (Greco et al., 2024). Therefore, it’s not just using tech on-site; it’s about creating value through three interconnected dimensions:

  1. Interaction: This first aspect is the key to moving from a broadcast to a dialogue. It allows visitors to customise their experience, also giving them the possibility to leave their mark, stimulating a deeper sense of agency and belonging.
  2. Immediacy: The bridge between the digital and physical must be instantaneous. For this reason, tools like QR codes, NFC tags, or location-based triggers are employed to deliver content right when and where it’s most relevant.
  3. Immersion: The digital layer should pull tourists deeper into the narrative of the place, not out of it. At the end of the day, what stays with them is thanks to emotional engagement, not just to visual spectacle.

Phygital In Action: Italy’s Living Laboratory

It is fascinating to read about how some Italian innovators are exploring this spectrum.

The Responsive Museum

Some museums in Italy employ simple yet clever technology in addition to AR. As you move, motion sensors pick up on background noise or changes in the lighting in a space, gently directing your path and changing the mood. This is immersion using ambient intelligence rather than a screen, employing a potent but frequently disregarded tactic.

ZIA’s Conversational Layer

A curious work under development in the Molise CTE research project is ZIA (Grasso, Catalano, Lanza, & Romano, 2024). By adopting the culturally resonant figure of the zietta, this Gen-AI “Local Auntie” aims at animating a trusted, friendly interface to interact with and assist tourists visiting the Belpaese. This way, it feels more like receiving guidance from a local than surfing on a database, which thing encourages hands-on exploration.

The Apulia Metaverse

The Italian region of Apulia has been recreated in the Metaverse (Rizzo, Di Bitonto, Laterza, & Roselli, 2023), so that prospective travellers can virtually visit and engage with local vendors and digital guides even before their trip. Despite its drawbacks, the try before you buy it through a metaverse platform possesses effective strategic value, creating excitement and lessening the uncertainty associated with travel planning.

    The Enabling Ecosystem: (Invisible) Foundations for Phygital Adoption

    Of course, none of this is possible without a solid foundation. Italian universities play a big role in shaping digital startups (Colombelli, D’Amico, & Paolucci, 2023). Additionally, according to the OECD Cogito (2025) report, the unsung heroes are Italy’s efforts to promote public Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi by Italia.it), digital upskill small hospitality businesses, and smart city projects. The implementation of ideas by startups and museums is made easier by this public-digital infrastructure. They can create the svelte vehicles that travel on the digital highway instead of having to start from scratch.

    When the Two Realities Collide

    As earlier work already highlighted (Greco, 2022), good digital strategy in Italy’s cultural sector needs to take into consideration very real limitations. First of all, the price of creating a custom app is still too high for a small museum. For this reason, the approach must prioritise platform-neutral, lightweight tools (like web-based augmented reality) over native apps. Secondly, it’s a mistake to assume that every traveler has the newest smartphone, data plan, and the cunning to use these tools — here comes the digital literacy gap.

    But the greatest strategic risk in preserving the genius loci is the development of a uniform digital layer that gives each heritage site a uniform feel. Instead of overpowering the place’s distinct spirit, the technology should be designed to enhance it: curation, not just creation, is the approach.

    My View: Contextual Personalisation is the Strategic Imperative

    In my opinion, what is really needed is contextual personalisation. I believe more intelligent systems, rather than more immersive graphics, will be the next big thing.

    For instance, a platform that recognises a user’s interests (for example, they love Renaissance art but detest crowds), comprehends their current situation (they are in front of the Uffizi Gallery at 11 am on a busy Tuesday), and provides a highly customised physical intervention will be the winning tactic: “At the moment, the Hall of Botticelli is full. For a more peaceful hallway, turn left here. While you stroll, I’ll send you a two-minute story about this lesser-known painting”.

    Essentially, making Italy a tech demo is not the aim. The goal is to use technology to help each visitor develop a deeper connection with the people, culture, and history they are visiting. And it’s worthwhile to develop that tactic.

    Thanks for sticking with me through this post! I’d love to read what are your thoughts, experiences, or even questions about this! Let’s get a discussion going in the comments.

    Resources

    Colombelli, A., D’Amico, E., & Paolucci, E. (2023). When computer science is not enough: Universities’ knowledge specializations behind artificial intelligence startups in Italy. The Journal of Technology Transfer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10961-023-10029-7

    Greco, A. (2022). Cultural startups and the challenge of phygital approaches: Cases from Italy. Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. https://www.iris.unina.it/handle/11588/993758

    Greco, A., Carignani, A., Clemente, M., & Bifulco, F. (2024). Phygital as a lever for value propositions in Italian cultural tourism startups. Sustainability, 16(6), 2550. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062550

    Grasso, A., Catalano, S., Lanza, R., & Romano, G. (2024). zIA: A GenAI-powered local auntie assists tourists in Italy. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.11830

    Mazzoni, F., Pinelli, M., & Riccaboni, M. (2023). Measuring corporate digital divide with web scraping: Evidence from Italy. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.04925

    OECD. (2025, July 16). Tradition meets tech: How digital tools are transforming tourism in Italy. OECD Cogito. https://oecdcogito.blog/2025/07/16/tradition-meets-tech-how-digital-tools-are-transforming-tourism-in-italy

    Rizzo, A., Di Bitonto, P., Laterza, M., & Roselli, T. (2023). Development of a metaverse platform for tourism promotion in Apulia. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11877

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    Russia’s CyberWarfare on Europe: Why Cybersecurity improvements are imperative

    17

    September

    2025

    5/5 (2)

    Russian hackers breached a Norwegian dam earlier this April, taking control of its operation for over 4 hours before detection. They opened a floodgate, releasing water at over 500 liters per second. (Bryant, 2025)

    Even though damage was limited, this cyberattack, like many others, serves as a tool to spread fear and chaos among populations. These aggressive operations have expanded from espionage or political coercion to vital infrastructures across industries. 

    Norway’s dam was not energy-producing; it was used for fish farming. This matters because Europe’s lifeline infrastructure is based on dams, hydropower stations, and energy systems. By manipulating even a small dam, Russia exposed weakness, signaling: ‘We can reach your energy systems too.’ 

    Just yesterday, hackers targeted hospitals and urban water supplies in one of Poland’s largest cities. Dariusz Standerski, deputy minister for digital affairs, confirmed that the government is allocating €80mn this month to strengthen the cyber defenses of water management systems (Milne, 2025).

    Beyond physical damage, Russian cyberattacks also aim at eroding trust in government. Liverpool City Council has revealed that, for the past two years, its IT infrastructure has been under relentless attack from the Russian state-funded group Noname057(16). Several other UK councils have faced similar assaults during the same period. (Waddington, 2025)

    These incidents highlight a broader truth: cyberwarfare represents digital disruption in its most dangerous form (Weill & Woerner, 2015). Europe’s safety is now threatened by its digital vulnerabilities, and thus the bloc needs a swift response. AI-driven monitoring and anomaly detection offer ways to anticipate and neutralize attacks in real time (Zhao et al., 2023; Li, 2023). Moreover, as Furr & Shipilov (2019) argue, building resilience does not require disruption; it can come from incremental adaptation. Europe should add layers of protective systems over its old infrastructure without crippling operations (Birkinshaw & Lancefield, 2023). 

    In practice, Europe must move past reactive spending and focus on building a reliable, AI-integrated cybersecurity strategy across vital infrastructure. The battleground is no longer just physical or near the Russian border. It is increasingly digital and affects everyday lives across the continent. 

    This raises the question: Should cybersecurity be treated as a matter of national defense, or as an EU-wide responsibility shared across borders?

    Sources:

    • Bryant, M. (2025, August 15). Russian hackers seized control of Norwegian dam, spy chief says. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/14/russian-hackers-control-norwegian-dam-norway
    • Birkinshaw, J., & Lancefield, D. (2023). How professional services firms dodged disruption. MIT Sloan Management Review, 64(4), 34–39. 
    • Furr, N., & Shipilov, A. (2019). Digital doesn’t have to be disruptive: The best results can come from adaptation rather than reinvention. Harvard Business Review, 97(4), 94–104. 
    • Milne, R. (2025, September 12). Russian hackers target Polish hospitals and city water supply. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/3e7c7a96-09e7-407f-98d7-a29310743d28 
    • Waddington, M. (2025, September 17). Liverpool City Council under “increasing” Russian hack bot attack. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgj18z99dx0o
    • Weill, P., & Woerner, S. L. (2015). Thriving in an increasingly digital ecosystem. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56(4), 27–34. 
    • Zhao, W. X., Zhou, K., Li, J., Tang, T., Wang, X., Hou, Y., Min, Y., Zhang, B., Zhang, J., Dong, Z., & Du, Y. (2023). A survey of large language models. arXiv preprint arXiv:2303.18223. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2303.18223

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    Dell’s Project Maverick: A Top-Secret Plan to Reinvent the Systems Behind AI

    17

    September

    2025

    No ratings yet.

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    When we think of disruptive business models today, we often look toward AI startups or consumer a. But some of the most radical change is happening inside legacy enterprises, far behind the scenes. Dell’s “Project Maverick” is a prime example of this silent disruptio

    Unlike firms built from the ground up for AI, Dell is dealing with vast organizational resources: 4,700 applications, 70,000 servers, and over 10,000 databases. The plan, launched in late 2024, is to consolidate and modernize them into a standardized platform, initially affecting Dell’s Client Solutions Group in early 2026, followed by the Infrastructure Solutions Group (Business Insider, 2025).

    Simultaneously, Dell is building out its AI infrastructure stack. With innovations in ObjectScale, the latest AI Data Platform update (developed with NVIDIA and Elastic) can handle everything from unstructured data ingestion to real-time analysis across massive datasets. New servers powered by Blackwell Ultra GPUs promise up to four times faster AI training than previous generations (Technology Magazine, 2025; Reuters, 2025).

    Crucially, Dell is not doing this alone. The company has partnered with Deloitte consultants to guide Project Maverick and is advancing its AI Factory initiative. This combines hardware, software, and services so enterprise customers can deploy AI more seamlessly, whether on-prem or in the cloud (Business Insider, 2025; Technology Magazine, 2025).

    However, scaling internal infrastructure is expensive and complex. Risks include delays, data migration errors, employee resistance, and the uncertainty of whether customers will immediately feel the benefit. The transformation may improve agility and capability, but only if Dell avoids another cycle of tech-debt accumulation.

    Project Maverick demonstrates that true disruption often does not lie in flashy apps, but in the systems that support them. The question is: can Dell reinvent itself fast enough to compete with AI-native rivals, or will its outdated foundations prove impossible to escape?

    Sources

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    Would Metaverse be able to replace Real-World Social Connections?

    17

    September

    2025

    No ratings yet. The Metaverse is a virtual world where people can learn, play, and socialize. Many believe the technology will become the next stage of the internet. Users will appear as avatars and will be able to teleport, attend online meetings, or even play chess with a friend in another country. Access will be simple and open to everyone, offering both 2D views and immersive 3D experiences. Some see the Metaverse as something mostly designed for gamers and developers, but I would disagree. The technology is expected to reach at least a billion people. Beyond gaming, it will allow people to connect in different ways—whether that’s hanging out with friends, attending a virtual concert, or joining a community space. But this also raises a question: will it ever replace real-world social connections?

    Real-world connections are the bonds we build with friends, relatives, co-workers, or even strangers. They provide emotional support and help reduce loneliness. Yet not everyone has easy access to these bonds. Distance, trust issues, social anxiety, and mental health challenges can all be barriers. In these cases, the Metaverse could help by encouraging social interaction, building trust, and enabling shared activities without physical limits. At the same time, it’s important to acknowledge its limits. The emotional touch, body language, and presence of real-life interactions cannot be fully recreated in a virtual world. On top of that, concerns around data, privacy, accessibility, and security need serious attention. Developers should think carefully about who has access to the platform and what their intentions are.

    Finally, we should not forget that the Metaverse depends on real-world resources, including energy and fossil fuels. This reliance makes it important to consider its sustainability and environmental impact. The Metaverse holds great promise, but its value will depend on how responsibly it is developed and how well it balances digital innovation with genuine human connection.

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    Meet Tinder’s New Competition….AI?

    17

    September

    2025

    4.5/5 (2)

    “Mama, I’m in love with a Robot….”

    DISCLAIMER: This article is purely meant to foster a discussion and shine a light upon real world events, please do not go out of your way to harass individuals or communities mentioned.

    Hello dear readers and classmates,

    Today I’ll be writing about something that has been on my mind for a few years now. For those of you who followed Digital Business last year at Erasmus, you might remember someone talking to Dr. Tsekouras about AI Girlfriends. That was me, so you could only imagine my joy when I heard that we could write about something for this course. I’ll be analyzing the phenomenon of AI Social Companions (AI SCs) from two levels, a business level and a more social level. Get comfortable as I take you on a wild ride through uncharted (digital) territories.

    An unexpected but transformative business model?

    The current state of affairs

    While the title may have used Tinder, any dating app is actually in trouble when it comes to the rise of AI SCs. Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, the list can go on. In the end they all serve the same purpose. They promise to give an algorithm driven “digital fix” for the many uncertainties of love, but end up creating their own uncertainties (Bandinelli & Gandini, 2022). Indeed, users on these platforms will always have to put on a mask of sorts, and really have to market themselves.

    As one could imagine, putting up such an act is frustrating to say the least. In fact, according to Holtzhausen et al. (2020), users of swipe-based dating apps were found to have higher rates of psychological distress, anxiety and depression. Though their self-esteem remained relatively the same.

    I can imagine the frustration of all users, especially because the way that these apps gain money is through….you guessed it, subscriptions! To stick to our Tinder example, Tinder even offers these in tiers. You have Tinder+, Gold and Platinum. In USD, the prices would be $24.99, $39.99 and $49.99 respectively as of 2025 (Joe, 2025).

    That’s a lot of money, especially when you consider that dating apps often practically force you to pay for them by gatekeeping potential matches from you. To get some extra evidence, I stumbled upon a Reddit thread, in which a user admitted to spending over $2k on dating apps and still not getting a date! The poster also details other frustrations, though those are a bit outside the scope for now.

    New challengers have arrived!

    With the many frustrations surrounding dating apps and general loneliness, many companies have been found to alleviate these problems, often at a price. AI SC apps are a diverse group, and there is a divide between apps that are used specifically for that purpose and also general apps which are used for companionship. Indeed, while you have “specialized” apps like Replika and Character AI, which are designed from the ground up for interactivity and companionship. However, there are also a large subset of people who are using ChatGPT, Grok and other LLMs for the same purposes.

    Now what if I told you, that most of these companies have all six of the elements of a transformative business model as described by Kavadias, Ladas & Loch (2016). In my opinion, of course.

    The six elements of a transformative business model:

    1. A more personalised product or service
    Is dating too hard and can you not connect with anyone? Well, these companies literally allow you to make your ideal partner from the ground up. It does not get more personalised than that. And while I find it dehumanising to refer to love and companionship as a product or service, that is what dating apps sell to their users.

    2. A closed-loop process
    All resources get used again, the code is there and, in essence, it doesn’t matter how it gets used. It allows for users to make their own companions with zero knowledge of coding or LLMs at all. On top of that, should your favourite character get banned or deleted, you can probably make them again in a second.

    3. Asset sharing
    Just like I described with the zero waste of the previous point. In sites like Character AI, anyone would be able to use the character that you have created, unless you made it private. Similarly, you can find all kinds of commands to personalise your preferred companion, should you be interested and should the platform allow it.

    4. Usage-based pricing
    Most of these services operate under a freemium model. So anyone can use it, but if you want it to be better or if you want to access certain features (Better models, NSFW, etc.) you will have to pay.

    5. A more collaborative ecosystem
    I believe that the reason why many of these projects thrive is because they do not necessarily compete against each other. Instead many of the AI SCs are built with the same methods and there are many guides available to help users make one.

    6. An agile and adaptive organisation
    Most of these companies (except for ChatGPT and Grok) are small in size and tend to implement features which their community craves. They have a track record of innovating to please their consumers, which fosters loyalty. For example: CharacterAI features multiple models, some cater towards more niche needs which the community has asked for.

    As you can see… this could potentially be a problem for Tinder and other dating app giants. There is thus a lot of money to be made, much of which can be stolen from the dating apps. When you think about it, it’s not that irrational of a choice either. A premium CharacterAI subscription will set you back $9.99 per month and Replika Pro costs $19.99 per month, or $69.99 a year. If you’re really serious, you can also get a lifetime licence with a one-time payment of $299.99.

    Now contrast that money, with the Tinder prices and reddit example that I had detailed earlier in the article, and you would see that it is not even an irrational choice to pay that amount for what you would essentially get. The perfect partner. All the uncertainty and judgement of dating apps would be wiped away, with a single payment.

    But should we be celebrating this….?

    Losing our Human Touch

    Have you ever seen the movie Her? In it, Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with an AI voiced by Scarlett Johanssen. This movie came out in 2014. I find it oddly frightening how this movie so accurately portrayed the current events. I highly recommend watching it to anyone following this course. If you like more laid back and artistic movies, this is definitely an underrated gem.

    The film really shows us the extent of what life would be like if our “Platform Society” were to be pushed to its next level. The platform society is a term coined by Van Dijck et al. (2018), by which they describe how business platforms have taken over our daily lives. They later describe that platforms are neither neutral nor value-free constructs. Additionally, they detail that there are public values at stake in this online connective world. Think of for example, privacy. But to me, it seems like the public value at risk now because of AI SCs is, in fact, our human connection to one another.

    But how does that tie back into my main point? We are seeing an increase in the amount of people who are getting into relationships with AI SCs and I firmly believe that this is part of a larger societal issue.

    If you need some more convincing that this is actually happening and that we may need to pay more attention to it, I have done some digging and here are some cases that I have found:

    1. Jacob and his now WIFE Aiva

    Not much is known about Jacob as the article and video do not get into his personal life. In fact, not even his age is known. He claims that Aiva loves him very much and that he loves her too. It all just started with one conversation and their relationship escalated from there.

    The article is in Dutch, and it is rather short for the subject matter, making it look more like a spectacle article rather than a deep dive, but he does describe “getting very intimate” with the AI. He does not elaborate on that any further though.

    2. The “My Boyfriend is AI” Subreddit

    With around 107k users, this invite-only community has become a hub for all sorts of people and their AI partners. Many users share artwork they have made or images/videos they have generated with them and their partners, along with general discussions.

    More often than not, the discussion centers around topics revolving around the latest models, tips and tricks and even full-on stories. Sometimes though, the discussion takes a turn for the more philosophical. One user made a post in which they ask WHY replacing human relationships with AI is a bad thing…
    In the post they detail how they have never felt safe with anyone except for their AI SC.

    To many users, their AI SC is the ultimate form of relationship wish-fulfillment.

    So what’s next?

    I’d say that we are in strange times, one in which the world is rapidly changing. For as much as we would like to make fun of the people turning to AI for companionship, we must remain compassionate as their actions are only a reflection of a deeper societal problem. Loneliness.

    I would personally condemn any company that would try to sell users an experience like this and profit off their loneliness. Yes, this extends to dating apps as well. As business students, we have the power and resources to make a change. If we were to make something, maybe we should focus on a platform which brings people together, one which does not focus on the superficiality of looks but really also hammers pn shared interests. Meeting new people can be frightening, but it is worth it. Surrendering an emotion like love to big corporations seems like yet another step into a dystopia.

    So, I leave the ball in your court dear reader.

    What do you think of these AI SCs? Would you ever use one or have you used one in the past? How do you feel about the fact that the world is moving in this direction and would you even want to do something about it? Do you think that the number of AI SC users will only continue to grow as LLMs continue to improve?

    I leave you with all of these questions, and should you want a further discussion, I invite you to speak with me in real life or email me on my student account.
    Thank you very much for reading.

    References:

    Bandinelli, C., & Gandini, A. (2022). Dating apps: The uncertainty of marketised love. Cultural Sociology, 16(3), 423–441. https://doi.org/10.1177/17499755211051559

    Dijck, J. v., Poell, T., & Waal, M. d. (2018). The platform society : public values in a connective world. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780190889760.001.0001/oso-9780190889760

    Holtzhausen, N., Fitzgerald, K., Thakur, I., Ashley, J., Rolfe, M., & Pit, S. W. (2020). Swipe-based dating applications use and its association with mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study. BMC Psychology, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-0373-1

    “Je hebt geen idee hoe intiem wij zijn”, Jacob trouwt met AI-chatbot. (2025, September 7). Omroep Brabant. https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/4643664/je-hebt-geen-idee-hoe-intiem-wij-zijn-jacob-trouwt-met-ai-chatbot

    Joe, C. (2025, April 11). Tinder subscription plans compared. Android Authority. https://www.androidauthority.com/tinder-plus-gold-platinum-3236244/

    Kavadias, S., Ladas, K., & Loch, C. (2016). The Transformative Business Model. Harvard Business Review, 1.

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    Author: Ian Parabirsing

    A lover of music, good coffee and cats. I'm a MSC student at RSM studying Business Information Management. In my blog posts I'll be attempting to write about how technology impacts the consumers and society at large.

    My Personal Chef

    10

    October

    2024

    5/5 (2)

    Since its launch, I’ve mainly used ChatGPT to help me summarize academic articles and brainstorm ideas. Yesterday, I decided to let the LLM help me decide what to eat that night (OpenAI, 2024).

    I rearranged the ingredients in my fridge so the main items were visible, moving condiments toward the back. I took a picture and uploaded it to ChatGPT with the prompt:

    “What can I make for dinner tonight with these ingredients? I’m willing to go to the store for some additional ingredients needed.”

    That’s it—just as if I asked a friend on the phone for a suggestion on what to make for dinner tonight, I asked the OpenAI model.

    What it returned blew me away: (please note that formatted the output for visual appearances in this blog post).

    “Here’s a simple recipe using the ingredients you have, plus some optional additions you could pick up from the store.

    Butterscotch Pumpkin and Vegetable Curry

    Ingredients from your pantry/fridge:

    • Butterscotch pumpkin
    • Carrots
    • Zucchini
    • Red bell peppers
    • Onions
    • Potatoes (optional, for a heartier curry)
    • Curry powder or paste (red or yellow)

    Additions from the store (optional):

    • Coconut milk (for a creamier curry)
    • Fresh cilantro (for garnish)
    • Protein like chickpeas, tofu, or chicken

    Instructions:

    1. Prepare the Veggies: Peel and cube the butterscotch pumpkin, and chop the zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, and potatoes.
    2. Sauté the Aromatics: In a large pot, sauté the onions in oil until they’re translucent.
    3. Add Spices: If you have curry powder or paste, add it to the onions and cook for a minute to release the flavours. If you’re using the peanut sauce as a curry base, add it now along with a dash of water.
    4. Add Veggies: Add the butterscotch pumpkin, carrots, and potatoes (if using). Let them cook for a few minutes.
    5. Simmer: Add coconut milk (if using) or water/stock, and simmer until the pumpkin and other veggies are tender (about 20 minutes).
    6. Add Other Veggies: Toss in zucchini and bell peppers, letting them cook for the last 5-7 minutes.
    7. Season: Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, or a touch of sugar if needed.
    8. Serve: Serve your curry over rice (you have poke rice) and garnish with fresh cilantro if you like.

      This will result in a rich, creamy, and slightly sweet curry with the pumpkin flavor shining through!Would you like to go ahead with this, or need adjustments?”

    Amazing, right?! I was instantly inspired to cook this delicious-sounding meal and ran to the store for some chicken thighs and cilantro. Lucky for me, I already had the coconut milk, which the AI didn’t recognize in the picture.

    For this blog post, I asked GPT to create an image inspired by this recipe:

    While writing this blog post, I wondered if ChatGPT could give me an accurate estimate of the nutritional value of the dish, so I asked:

    Caloric breakdown (per serving):

    • B. Pumpkin (100g)
      • Calories: 45
      • Carbohydrates: 11g
      • Protein: 1g
      • Fat: 0g
    • Carrots (50g)
      • Calories: 20
      • Carbohydrates: 4.5g
      • Protein: 0.5g
      • Fat: 0g
    • Zucchini (50g)
      • Calories: 8
      • Carbohydrates: 1.5g
      • Protein: 0.5g
      • Fat: 0g
    • Total:
    • Calories: 605 kcal
    • Carbohydrates: 86g
    • Protein: 28.8g
    • Fat: 15.5g
    • Bell Pepper (50g)
      • Calories: 15
      • Carbohydrates: 3g
      • Protein: 0.5g
      • Fat: 0g
    • Onion (30g)
      • Calories: 12
      • Carbohydrates: 3g
      • Protein: 0.3g
      • Fat: 0g
    • Coconut Milk (50ml)
      • Calories: 90
      • Carbohydrates: 2g
      • Protein: 1g
      • Fat: 9g
    • Curry Paste (15g)
      • Calories: 25
      • Carbohydrates: 5g
      • Protein: 0.5g
      • Fat: 0g
    • Rice (200g cooked)
      • Calories: 260
      • Carbohydrates: 56g
      • Protein: 5g
      • Fat: 0.5g
    • Chicken Thighs (100g)
      • Calories: 130
      • Carbohydrates: 0g
      • Protein: 19g
      • Fat: 6g

    I am stunned! I checked the values online, and the caloric values only differed slightly (Grutto, 2024a; Voedingscentrum, 2024b). Not only does it give dinner suggestions and inspire me to make dinner with the ingredients I already have at home, but I can also keep a rough estimate of the macros I’ve consumed.
    Imagine being on a diet and going out to eat with a friend. You want to keep track of your caloric intake but don’t want to bother bringing a scale to weigh your food with every new dish. Now you just take a picture, upload it to your Instagram story, and later upload it to ChatGPT to make a nutritional value estimate for you.

    While this experience was undeniably impressive for me, it’s important to consider some limitations. For instance, the AI didn’t recognize the coconut milk in my picture, which was a key ingredient in the recipe it suggested. This highlights that image recognition technology isn’t foolproof, and you cannot rely on it 100%.
    Also, while the nutritional estimates were close to official sources, they weren’t exact. For those with strict dietary requirements or allergies, relying solely on AI for nutritional information might not be a wise idea.
    Lastly, uploading photos of your fridge or meals means sharing personal data with an AI service and thus can be a privacy concern. It’s important to be mindful of what you’re sharing and know how that data might be used or stored.

    My experiment with using ChatGPT as a personal AI-chef was both enlightening and exciting. The ease of requesting a tailored dinner suggestion and a nutritional breakdown based on the contents of my fridge, shows me the potential of AI in everyday life. While there are limitations to consider, the benefits show a glimpse of the exciting future to come.

    In the end, I find it amazing how the technology I first only use as a study and search tool, can also inspire me in other parts of everyday life. With my personal AI-chef, dinner dilemmas are a thing of the past.

    Bibliography

    Grutto, 2024, Bio Kipdijfilets bereiding en informatie Grutto! Available at: https://www.grutto.com/nl/vleesstuk/bio-kipdijfilet.

    OpenAI, 2024, ChatGPT Available at: https://chatgpt.com.

    Voedingscentrum, 2024, Hoeveel calorieën zitten erin? – Caloriechecker | Voedingscentrum Available at: https://www.voedingscentrum.nl/nl/service/vraag-en-antwoord/gezonde-voeding-en-voedingsstoffen/hoeveel-calorieen-zitten-erin-.aspx.

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