Seminars relevant to Informatics

[Markulf Kohlweiss <markulf.kohlweiss AT ed.ac.uk>]

Dear all,

In addition to our regular teaching, which is partly impacted by the strike, there are teach-outs happening outside the university:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeFclO7jCrM/?img_index=1 

They are often associated with UCU picket lines, see also the Google calendar at the bottom of  

https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/teach-outs-activities

Today at 10:00am in front of Chrystal Macmillar building, 15a George Square, 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/F1hMj58BGgGp8vZz7

I will talk about AI Governance from a privacy and democracy perspective:

• Date: Tuesday, 6th October
• Time: 10:00am
• Location: Main Entrance Steps, Chrystal Macmillan building 
• Online: n.a. the event is low-tech, interactive, and in person

Title: AI governance: How can computer science and cryptography help save humanity?

Abstract: This teach-out was born from my wrestling with the question: What have we done! And what shall we do? An LLM predicts what a person or character fitting the context would write, drawing on patterns it learned from all of humanity's knowledge (or at least that is the aspiration). It generalizes from that data, so situations that resemble its training material are handled best, while post-training further shapes the output toward the persona and behavior its masters wanted.

Two issues seem critical in this description to me, first the exploitation of all of humanity's knowledge by AI, knowledge that is now being sold back to humanity. Second the control of that process by AI’s masters, in a manner where every query both contributes to the harvested knowledge and is an opportunity to exert influence. The deep information asymmetry and power difference are what I find most disturbing about closed-weight LLMs. Open-weight models only partially address these issues. What I believe is fundamentally needed is a different culture of valuing and managing our data. I will make three concrete proposals for technical mechanisms towards this goal: (i) a study of how valuable specific data is for LLM training; (ii) full transparency and end-to-end verifiability of the data-model-output pipeline; and (iii) an open internet for humans, but strict traffic rules for crawlers and agents via proofs of humanity and delegation.

The goal of these measures is not to provide a technocratic solution but to design technical features that empower a more democratic and fair approach to data and AI governance. 

Bio: Markulf Kohlweiss is a cryptographer and privacy researcher at the University of Edinburgh. His background is on privacy-enhancing technology, with a focus on anonymous credentials, zero-knowledge proofs, payment protocols, and other cryptographic protocols. His surname shares the K and SS with the mythological seeress Kassandra. He has no idea what future AI will bring about, but believes that interesting conclusions can be derived from the fate of the Internet and Internet privacy. And most people he talks or listens to seem to share the concern, e.g. Cory Doctorow, when he talks about the enshittification of both the Internet and AI. The critical question seems to be: how can dissatisfaction in the grassroots result in meaningful governance? He sees this question echoed at a local level in the recent strike at the University of Edinburgh.

On 5 Oct 2026, at 08:13, Markulf Kohlweiss <markulf.kohlweiss AT ed.ac.uk> wrote:

Dear all,

In addition to our regular teaching, which is partly impacted by the strike, there are teach-outs happening outside the university:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DeFclO7jCrM/?img_index=1 

They are often associated with UCU picket lines, see also the Google calendar at the bottom of  

https://www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk/teach-outs-activities

Today at 11:00 in front of Informatics Forum we will also have our very own teach-out:

• Date: Today, Monday, 5th October
• Time: 11:00am
• Location: Main Entrance Steps, Informatics Forum 
• Online: n.a. the event is low-tech, interactive, and in person

I am delighted to welcome Nadim Kobeissi, applied cryptographer based in Paris, who will give a talk, in front of Informatics Forum.

Title: Building Cryptographic Intellectual Infrastructure Where It Means Most: Lessons from Teaching Applied Cryptography in Post-Crisis Lebanon

Abstract: This talk presents field reports from teaching applied cryptography to 55 students at the American University of Beirut during 2025, navigating hourly power outages, post-conflict infrastructure, and the constant possibility of renewed violence. Beyond traditional education, this initiative addresses a critical deployment challenge: how to rapidly build local cryptographic expertise in regions where secure communications are essential for civil society, economic recovery, and democratic participation. In effect, this initiative had the goal of training cryptographers where Signal's triple ratchet, iOS's BlastDoor sandbox, and WhatsApp's encrypted backups are lifelines, not conveniences.

Bio: Nadim Kobeissi is an applied cryptographer based in Paris. He audits cryptographic systems at Cure53 and runs Symbolic Software, a boutique cryptography consultancy. He also teaches applied cryptography to students in Lebanon, building on a curriculum he designed from scratch for the American University of Beirut — He has written about why he does this work.

Why I Teach Cryptography in Lebanon

symbolic.software

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th’ ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336.