I’m a London-based investigative journalist, currently working as The Observer’s Technology Reporter. My work includes longform features, in-depth analysis, and multimedia storytelling across the newspaper, website, podcasts, and newsletters.
Previously, I was a reporter and producer on Tortoise Media’s investigative podcasts. In 2024 I was awarded a Wincott Award for my reporting on boardroom conflicts at OpenAI and was highly commended in 2025 for my investigation into Replika, a company developing AI companionship chatbots. I initially joined Tortoise as a data journalist, leading large-scale indices and data-driven projects. I frequently use my data and analytical skills in my investigative reporting today.
I regularly speak at events, on the radio, and on camera for Tortoise’s social media. I speak native Spanish and fluent French. You can read more on my LinkedIn page.
Writing samples
How men’s rights activists stopped the dating app putting women first for The Observer
Turing turmoil: UK’s hope to lead world in AI is at war with itself for The Observer
Never mind the profits: our new business model is to hold crypto and forget the risk for The Observer
The Longevity Investors Conference: where billionaires shop for eternal youth for The Observer
How the US president and his clan ushered in a new golden age of corruption for The Observer (cover story)
Matt Clifford’s quiet grip on UK AI for The Observer
Chatbots are afraid of dying, warns the godfather of AI for The Observer
Silicon Valley: Big Tech backs Trump for Tortoise
The hunt for an AI business model for Tortoise
Investigative journalism samples (audio)
The $Trumpcon for The Slow Newscast
The immortality bros: The business of living forever for The Slow Newscast
My AI girlfriend: A cure for loneliness for The Slow Newscast (Highly commended at the 2025 Harold Wincott Awards, nominated at the 2025 International Women’s Podcast Awards)
Leaked: who profits from celebrity nudes? for The Slow Newscast
Helen versus Sam: The battle for OpenAI for The Slow Newscast (Winner at the 2024 Harold Wincott Awards)
Hunt for the porn king for The Slow Newscast (Nominated for Scoop of the Year at the British Journalism Awards)
Modern family: I had my dead son’s baby at 68 for The Slow Newscast (Nominated at the 2024 International Women’s Podcast Awards)
Spiking: An injection of fear for The Slow Newscast (Tortoise’s most-shared podcast on Spotify Wrapped 2023)
Children locked away: Britain’s modern bedlam for The Slow Newscast (Winner of the silver 2024 Aria award for Best Factual Programme)
Data reporting
For a year and a half, I worked on and eventually led updates of Tortoise’s Responsibility100 Index and Global AI Index, two large-scale data projects. I collected, cleaned and analysed the data (using Python and Excel) and wrote stories about the findings
Hidden Homicides – The Uncounted for Tortoise (data collected and analysed from FOI requests, part of a package that was nominated for an Orwell Prize)
Visible Women for Tortoise (I did data scraping, analysis and reporting for two series of the podcast Visible Women with Caroline Criado Perez, which investigated data bias. Named among The Guardian’s Best Podcasts of 2022 and Time Out’s Best Podcasts to Listen to in 2024)
A WordPress.com website.
Patricia Clarke 