FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Introducing CLR:SKY, A New AI-Powered Civility Overlay for Bluesky

Oakland, CA – April 15, 2025. A new AI-powered enhancement for the Bluesky social platform is helping users post with more civility. Introducing CLR:SKY, a tool that gives real-time feedback on the tone and potential toxicity of posts before they’re published—shifting moderation from reactive to proactive.

Instead of relying on platforms to remove harmful content after it's posted, CLR:SKY provides real-time feedback. As users compose a post, a “Weather Report” icon changes dynamically based on tone, offering a subtle nudge to rethink how something might land.

“When the tone of public conversation becomes toxic, we lose valuable voices,” said Fay M. Johnson, Founder of CLR:SKY and veteran trust and safety leader. “We built CLR:SKY to test how pre-post nudges and AI might help promote civility and understanding in online conversation.”

Key Features and Innovations

  • Toxicity "Weather Report": Real-time indicator using weather icons to communicate the level of toxicity. Updates as you type, providing immediate feedback on how your post might be received.

  • GenAI Editor for Empathic Rewrites: AI tool offering optional rewrites to enhance clarity and empathy while preserving intent. Provides more constructive phrasing with one click to reduce potential conflict.

  • Perspective Assistant: Analyzes thread context to help reframe responses. Encourages acknowledging alternative viewpoints when crafting replies, promoting thoughtful conversation.

  • Seamless Bluesky Integration & Privacy: Plugs directly into existing Bluesky accounts with no separate sign-up. Follows strict privacy policy with no data storage, keeping users in control of their content.

Johnson, a former product lead at Meta and Twitter, developed CLR:SKY while a Fellow at Harvard’s Applied Social Media Lab. Her background in online safety and behavior change informed the product’s mission: to help users express themselves constructively and find ways to bridge divides in an often polarized world.

“Content Moderation doesn’t exist to silence opinions. Interventions that encourage civility shouldn’t either,” Johnson added. “It is not about flattening your point or avoiding disagreement,” she states. “CLR:SKY will help you assess the tone of your own post, consider reframes and help you engage with empathy when in dialogue around differences, without changing your key point.” 

The experience integrates seamlessly with Bluesky accounts and requires no separate sign-up. Simply login with your Bluesky credentials via the CLR:SKY site. No data is stored so your privacy is protected.

Why It Matters

Research has shown that subtle, real-time interventions can meaningfully improve online behavior. One study showed that providing visible toxicity feedback reduced harmful language in posts by as much as 34%. CLR:SKY builds on these insights. This approach puts power back into users’ hands. Individuals gain a new way to self-moderate their tone in real time. Collectively, it helps foster healthier online spaces where diverse perspectives can coexist without devolving into hostility.

About CLR:SKY

CLR:SKY is a pioneering AI interface that enhances social media posting with live tone analysis and constructive rewrite tools. Created by Fay M. Johnson—whose career spans leadership roles at Meta, Twitter, and Nextdoor—the tool draws on behavioral science to make online communication more inclusive and less polarizing. The result is a first-of-its-kind tool that reduces toxicity, bridges divides, and enables more inclusive, constructive conversations online.

CLR:SKY is currently available for Bluesky users at www.clrsky.ai.

Additional Quotes from Fay Johnson, Founder of CLR:SKY

  • “When the tone of conversation on social platforms becomes increasingly toxic, fewer people want to participate and we lose valuable voices in the conversation. We built CLR:SKY as an experiment to test one way we might use AI to shift the tone of conversations online.”

  • “Instead of waiting for platforms to flag or remove harmful posts after the damage is done, we give users instant feedback—so they can adjust their tone and be heard without adding to the noise.”

  • “Our goal is to keep diverse perspectives in the conversation—and toxicity out. A little real-time guidance can go a long way toward making that happen.”

  • “Even in heated discussions, you can get your point across without compromising your voice. CLR:SKY helps people express themselves clearly and respectfully, one conversation at a time.”

Media Contacts

CLR:SKY Media Contact

Fay M. Johnson

Founder, CLR:SKY

fjohnson@cyber.harvard.edu

M: 650.704.4189

Harvard University

Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society

Lynne A. McDermott

Director of Communications

lmcdermott@law.harvard.edu

O: 617-384-0214