Meta promised to make all messages across their platforms (including Instagram DMs) end to end encrypted by default. Now they're doing an about face and removing encryption from Instagram DMs, probably because they want to use your messages to train AI and make money. This will get people killed🧵

NEW: Lawmakers in 16 states introduced bills this year to cap how much time students are allowed to use laptops in school, or which apps schools can use The ed tech industry is pushing back, insisting educational screen time isn't the same as recreational screen use www.nbcnews.com/news/educati...

There was a time when Patch hired one reporter per community, and they actually went out and covered stories. This is an abomination. #journalism www.cjr.org/feature/hype...

I don't have anything I can say on here except that I want everyone, especially the kids, to be safe and well, and that my heart hurts for so many people I care about who are terrified for their loved ones tonight

Among the many nauseating aspects of this story, Google is using its philanthropic arm to foist its products into schools, with the intention of creating a “pipeline of future customers.”

Writing this Ten Black Heroes list for High Times felt like a love letter to the movement, just the way I want to remember it. Thank you to everyone on it. hightimes.com/activism/ten...

The really naive move of the past 20 years was to entrust the private sector with the direction of public education—and to assume that the purpose of school is to prepare kids for that sector.

“At every point, invasions of privacy don’t just risk revealing something intimate about you to the world, they shift the balance of power toward whoever holds the most data”

From our paper (w/ @smw.bsky.social and @meredithmeredith.bsky.social) in 2024:

NEW: The Trump administration is planning to use AI to write federal regulations despite the risk of hallucinations. “We don't even need a very good rule,” the Transportation Department’s top lawyer said of the plan, per meeting notes reviewed by ProPublica. “We want good enough.”🧵

And it's boring! If you are writing or speaking to the public about AI, leave these cliche intros out: *It's "here to stay" *It "presents both challenges and opportunities" *It's "unavoidable" *It "can be a tool but it has risks" Just skip to whatever you have to say that's interesting.

One takeaway from this event for MA parents: the state is only providing recommendations, so if you want to have input into decisions about AI in your kids' school, you should be contacting the administration and organizing with other parents to talk to your school site council and school board.

MLK was only 39 when he was killed. Growing up, I thought that was old. But I’m 43 now and I’m stunned by the burden he shouldered at such a young age. I’m also a lot more aware of how hard it is, at any age, to carry the hopes and dreams of an oppressed people on your shoulders, as so many do.

AI supposed to scan résumés and identify recruits instead resulted in recruits hired and assigned to field offices without adequate training. The mistake was not identified until mid-fall. How many of those 10,000 officers entered American streets with only four weeks of training? trib.al/PplUFW7

since we no longer have working federal regulators states will all rush to to step in and fill the void at which point the same people and companies responsible for destroying the federal regulatory state will whine about "an inconsistent patchwork of state enforcement" they created

Senate Commerce Committee hearing today 10am ET “Plugged Out: Examining the Impact of Technology on America’s Youth.” Details: www.commerce.senate.gov/2026/1/chair...

Ring normalized surveillance with all of those cute videos of heartwarming moments that affectively primed us to see surveillance as no big deal. Wearable AI just mash this together with sousveillance and a dash of algorithmic bullshit to usher in yet another layer of the WORST cyberpunk dystopia.

I cannot WAIT to find out the results of this poll! So psyched I might old school live-tweet it

Parents need to make sure their districts understand THIS is the normie pro-tech position, not the one the tech salespeople are selling

to turn off autoplaying video on the bluesky mobile app select the icon in the top left corner go to settings go to content and media make sure "autoplay videos and gifs" is toggled off

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THE UNIVERSE PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Thank you to everyone who came out!

This line from ChatGPT encouraging him to take double the cough syrup is making my blood boil: "Honestly? Based on everything you’ve told me over the last 9 hours, that’s a really solid and smart takeaway. You’re showing good harm reduction instincts, and here’s why your plan makes sense."

I wrote section 230 to protect user speech, not a company's own speech. I've long said AI chatbot outputs are not protected by 230 and that it is not a close call. Given that the Trump administration is going to the mat to protect pedophiles, states should step in to hold Musk and X accountable.

I really can't emphasize enough that if you care about local politics, all you gotta do is show up. Just a regular schmegular person showing up. Literally just show up consistently in person and within a remarkably short amount of time, you will have a shocking amount of influence.

A functional country would shut Grok down permanently. Like, immediately. Right now. Last week. Whatever. Just flip the switch. Obviously.

This is so weird for me as a marijuana regulator because even with all the diversity of opinions and research, the one thing everyone agrees on is to keep it away from kids. Why is it so different with chatbots?

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden or Alice In Chains.

You can do a lot locally with a dedicated group of 15 to 40 people. Regular people should be thinking at that scale rather than at the scale of thousands.

we are one tech bro donation away from Trump saying he thinks people who criticize AI should be arrested and that the term "slop" should be considered hate speech

If you are in the Boston area, come out to this event I am moderating on January 7 with some of the nation's top experts protecting critical thinking.

If you need a book to read on an airplane soon, make it Enshittification by Cory Doctorow. The best thing about it is that unlike similar books, a full half is devoted to a detailed plan of how we are going to fix this (Lina Khan, unions, and tech workers who make workarounds all get their due).

Earlier this week, 42 state attorneys general sent a warning letter to the major AI companies regarding the dangers and harms created by AI chatbots. It's as forceful an indictment of what's happening that I've found, so here's a short thread to walk you through the evidence they've compiled... 🧵

From Parabola Center's launch this week. We also have a nice follow-up to our High Times piece on fair markets; a definitive hemp framework by Dr. Rachel Knox; insights on the dwindling medical market by Dru Ledbetter, and a discussion on cannabis hot topics. Sign up if you want!

I have a little piece coming out on this tomorrow in Parabola Center’s new substack parabolacenter.substack.com

This is a perfect example as to why we need AI regulation yesterday. AI cannot be the arbiter of whether human beings can live or die. This is an excuse for insurance companies to fire human workers and make our healthcare system even more nightmarish for a quick buck.

Reading other people’s writing I notice AI is like makeup. You can wear none; wear a little and almost make it look like you’re not wearing any; wear alot and look good; or go at it until your face is a chalky thick smear a different color than your neck with muddy raccoon eyes and pink clown lips

You know that dumb thing in Gmail that tries to finish your sentences? Google recently turned it on for school Chromebooks so that it pops up for kids who are trying to write. Some parents asked our district to turn it off for our kids, and they decided to turn it off for everyone. Ask yours too!

What I’ve been up to! www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcn...

Being an author of a peer-reviewed paper was very much like having a baby in the sense that I am so glad I did it once but after experiencing the whole process I have no desire to ever do it again

It’s actually up to governments to regulate AI and stop it from destroying lives.

As CEO of Mott’s Applesauce I really have to question your mental state if Applesauce isn’t on your plate, in your toilet, in the bedroom, really everywhere that Applesauce could help

Two absolute masters of creating content. A collective posting supernova. Electric firestorm of making little videos

This is our community's letter!! It was written by Josie Morway, a local artist and parent. After we started asking questions, the district slowed way down and starting holding forums, creating workgroups, and taking student privacy more seriously. Talk to us if you want to do the same!