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Q&A Meet Joel Bailey: The AI Expert Making Social Media Social Again

What if social media could be a force for good again? That’s the question driving Joel Bailey, co-founder of Arwen AI, whose platform now protects over 750 million social media users worldwide from online abuse.

On 16th of October, Joel will take the TEDxTeesside stage with his talk “Let’s Make Social Media Social Again” - sharing how we can reclaim online spaces that have become increasingly hostile and transform them back into places of genuine connection.

What’s the most unexpected path that led you to this work?

I never set out to work in AI or online safety. My background is in service design, helping organisations build services that work better for people. But in 2020, after Caroline Flack’s death and the racial abuse after the Euros, I and a few colleagues saw that social media wasn’t working as well as it used to. That pulled me into a new mission: to help fix it.

Your TEDx talk is called “Let’s Make Social Media Social Again” — what sparked this idea for you?

I saw too many people leaving social media, or suffering in silence, because the spaces had become hostile. That felt like a betrayal of what social was supposed to be. I wanted to help people take back control, not by yelling louder, but by protecting the space and lifting up what’s good.

Have you always wanted to do a TEDx talk?

Kind of. I’ve always watched them with admiration, but never had active plans to get on the TEDx stage. But the mission we’re on is big and important, and TEDx is the perfect platform to share it with people who care about where the internet goes next.

What made you want to share your idea at TEDxTeesside rather than anywhere else?

There’s a real spirit in the North East: pragmatic, creative, community-minded. It’s exactly the kind of place that understands the value of building better spaces for people. This feels like the right stage.

Why is this conversation so important right now?

Because we’ve reached a tipping point. Social media is increasingly unsafe, yet it’s also setting more and more of the news agenda, all whilst the platforms have stepped back from moderation. If we don’t act now, we risk losing something that once held so much promise. But the good news is: we can fix it. Not with rage — with action.

What’s your favourite TED talk and why?

Susan Cain’s talk on The Power of Introverts changed the way I see myself. It helped me understand how I’m wired and, honestly, it took away a load of shame I’d been carrying for years. It gave me permission to stop pretending to be an extrovert and start valuing quiet strengths.

If someone walks away from your talk with just one thing, what would you want that to be?

That social media isn’t broken beyond repair. It’s just waiting for us to start looking after it again.

What’s something about your field that would surprise most people?

That only around 5% of social media comments are actually toxic. It just feels like more because algorithms promote drama. The internet isn’t full of bad people - like the real world, most people are mostly nice, most of the time!

What are you most looking forward to about being part of TEDxTeesside?

The conversations after the talk. I’m excited to hear how other people are thinking about tech, community and the future, and hopefully to give them something useful in return.

Joel Bailey will be speaking at TEDxTeesside on 16th of October at Digital Life, Teesside University.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by TEDxTeesside .