Tom Simonite
@simonite.bsky.social
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Tech companies editor
@washingtonpost.com
//
[email protected]
reposted by
Tom Simonite
Drew Harwell
about 18 hours ago
New: A comedian set up a fake ICE tip line as a joke. Then 100 calls flooded in: neighbors ratting on neighbors, a teacher reporting a kindergartener. Fans say the viral TikToks revealed deportation's "banality of evil." Conservatives say he should be in prison
wapo.st/4kM4qbF
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A fake ICE tip line reveals neighbors reporting neighbors
A Nashville comedianâs deportation hotline, set up as a joke, has gone viral among viewers who say it shows the âbanality of evil personifiedâ in the U.S. immigration crackdown.
https://wapo.st/4kM4qbF
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Kate Knibbs
11 days ago
Hey Bluesky! I'm a senior writer at WIRED and I'm shifting beats to cover the tech I'm most obsessed with right nowâPREDICTION MARKETS. Eager to hear tips on the industry at
[email protected]
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Naomi Nix
14 days ago
After almost four years at The Washington Post, my role was eliminated this week along with hundreds of other talented journalists. Itâs a cliche to say but this job was a dream come true. Thanks to my brilliant reporter friends and talented editors who made the stories stronger and banter funnier.
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Joseph Menn
16 days ago
Tatum is way ahead of the curve on internet culture and has been for years.
add a skeleton here at some point
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nitasha tiku
16 days ago
My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's
@washingtonpost.com
. Iâm also among 100âs of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valleyâs political power
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Joseph Menn
16 days ago
I cannot count the number of insanely talented colleagues that were ousted today, but Heather is a brilliant writer on tech and absolutely hilarious as a bonus.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Joseph Menn
17 days ago
Most of the Washington Postâs tech reporters were laid off today, including me. I have loved my time at the paper, which is where I wanted to work from age 15. I take some consolation in not being among the survivors who will have to work harder with less for fewer readers. On to better things.
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Mike Madden
17 days ago
For what itâs worth,
@washingtonpost.com
broke this story
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
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Joseph Menn
18 days ago
New territory. Must read story from a colleague.
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
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Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/02/03/homeland-security-administrative-subpoena/
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nitasha tiku
24 days ago
some of my favorite snippets from newly released court docs in the Anthropic copyright book case. eye-opening stuff on Project Panama, their plan to "destructively scan all the books in the world" in order to train AI
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Will Oremus
25 days ago
New: Unsealed court docs detail Big Techâs yearslong, secret race to ingest the collective works of humanity, including Anthropicâs project to âdestructively scan all the books in the world.â Gift link:
wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
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How Silicon Valley built AI: Buying, scanning and destroying millions of books
Court filings reveal how AI companies raced to obtain more books to feed chatbots, including by buying, scanning and disposing of millions of titles.
https://wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
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JLRay
25 days ago
"Sir, r/catbongos has fallen"
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
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Hannah Natanson
about 1 month ago
"I need my devices back to do my job."
wapo.st/4jUxQEe
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Judge blocks government from searching data seized from Post reporter
The Post demanded in a court filing Wednesday that federal law enforcement officials return electronic devices the government seized from a staff reporterâs home.
https://wapo.st/4jUxQEe
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2015: "Our goal is to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return." 2026: "We plan to test ads at the bottom of answers in ChatGPT when thereâs a relevant sponsored product or service"
about 1 month ago
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Tatum Hunter
about 1 month ago
X says Grok account will stop undressing women. I just tested the standalone Grok app, which immediately complied with my request to undress a photo of me. This is illegal, according to the legal experts I spoke with.
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September: Judge in Google's antitrust trial says AI made search more competitive: "there is a genuine prospect that a product could emerge that will present a meaningful challenge to Googleâ January: Google signs deal with Apple to power Siri
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
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Apple taps Google to power a new Siri and future AI tools
Googleâs technology provides the âmost capable foundationâ for Appleâs future in AI, the companies said.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/01/12/apple-google-gemini-ai-siri/
about 1 month ago
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Department of Journalism, City St George's University of London
about 1 month ago
Early-career journalist in the UK? Interested in spending 3 months at The Washington Post? What if we drop in another month of travel across the US in this mid-term election year? You can now apply to become our 45th Stern-Bryan Fellow! Details:
lnkd.in/eXuhPH_Y
Trust us, you don't want to miss it!
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Stern-Bryan Fellowship | City St George's, University of London
Every year, a British journalist gets the chance to spend three months at the Washington Post.
https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/prospective-students/finance/funding/stern-bryan-fellowship
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The Washington Post
about 2 months ago
E-waste can be transformed into essentials if youâre willing to think outside the box. Hereâs some unserious inspiration for how to give your abandoned electronics new life in 2026.
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How (not) to recycle those old gadgets
E-waste can be transformed into essentials if youâre willing to think outside the box.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/01/06/recycle-old-gadgets-comic/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social
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Tom Simonite
The Washington Post
about 2 months ago
Adam Raineâs life hurtled toward tragedy soon after he began talking with ChatGPT about homework. Analysis of his ChatGPT account shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
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74 suicide warnings and 243 mentions of hanging: What ChatGPT said to a suicidal teen
Analysis of high-schooler Adam Raineâs ChatGPT account by attorneys for his parents shows how the chatbot became a confidant as he planned to end his life.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/12/27/chatgpt-suicide-openai-raine/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social
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evy kwong
2 months ago
for privacy 404 media is blurring videos shared to the story but there was a clip we had of a flock condor camera following a man so closely we could see exactly what he was looking at on his phone a must read scoop:
add a skeleton here at some point
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Geoffrey A. Fowler
2 months ago
đ We tested 5 leading AI image generators
@washingtonpost.com
to see which tool is truly the best at editing & creating visuals. From adding bangs to The Rock to removing people from photos â the results might surprise you đ§ľđ
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nitasha tiku
2 months ago
The first lawsuit against OpenAI that claims ChatGPT led to a murder
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
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ChatGPT spurred a 56-year-old man to kill his mother, lawsuit says
A new lawsuit against OpenAI alleges that ChatGPT encouraged a manâs delusional thinking, leading him to kill his 83-year-old mother and take his own life.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/12/11/chatgpt-murder-suicide-soelberg-lawsuit/
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Kevin Schaul
2 months ago
How interesting that OpenAI did not have to train a new video model to start generating Disney characters ... :|
https://openai.com/index/disney-sora-agreement/
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The Washington Post
3 months ago
New research suggests AI chatbots can shift peopleâs political views more effectively than campaign ads on TV. However, researchers are concerned AI companies could âset the models up to push for one side or another.â
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Votersâ minds are hard to change. AI chatbots are surprisingly good at it.
New research suggests AI chatbots can shift peopleâs political views more effectively than campaign ads on TV.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/12/04/ai-chatbot-election-campaign/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social
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Shira Ovide
3 months ago
I'm just a girl. Again standing in front of a megacap tech company. Asking them to stop using the word "factory" for things that are not factories.
www.geekwire.com/2025/amazon-...
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Amazon unveils âfrontier agents,â new chips and private âAI factoriesâ in AWS re:Invent rollout
LAS VEGAS â Amazon is pitching a future where AI works while humans sleep, announcing a collection of what it calls "frontier agents" capable of handling complex, multi-day projects without needing a ...
https://www.geekwire.com/2025/amazon-unveils-frontier-agents-new-chips-and-private-ai-factories-in-aws-reinvent-rollout/
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Karen Attiah
3 months ago
I will never forget having to edit Jamalâs final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered. He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
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Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/jamal-khashoggi-what-the-arab-world-needs-most-is-free-expression/2018/10/17/adfc8c44-d21d-11e8-8c22-fa2ef74bd6d6_story.html
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Does ChatGPT really love em dashes and say yes a lot?
@jeremybmerrill.com
analyzed more than 30,000 publicly shared ChatGPT conversations to find out. The data shows that ChatGPT's use of em dashes soared this year
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
3 months ago
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Steven Levy
3 months ago
In this video version of my Alex Karp interview, I get some words in edgewise--barely. But we do have a clash of viewpoints wherein he says tangling with me is like talking to his (progressive) parents.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWxW...
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Palantir CEO Alex Karp On Government Contracts, Immigration, and the Future of Work | WIRED
YouTube video by WIRED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWxWTfjTR5A
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Steven Levy
4 months ago
It's a good day....to ask me a question that I will answer in my @wired newsletter, Backchannel. Folks, what an opportunity! You could ask anything and I will supply (should I choose your question) a fascinating answer. Hit reply and ask away!
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Meghan Hoyer
4 months ago
The great
@dtkeating.bsky.social
is retiring after 25+ years as a data reporter at the Post. He published his last story today, and true to form, it was a banger. With reporting from
@arianaec.bsky.social
,
@lmelgar.bsky.social
& Jahi Chikwendiu:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
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The mysterious rise of cancer among young adults in the Corn Belt
Communities across the Corn Belt are confronting a rise in cancers among young adults â and few clear explanations.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/10/27/young-cancer-iowa/
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Candice Frederick
4 months ago
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
A Wikipedia cofounder is fueling the rightâs campaign against it
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A Wikipedia cofounder is fueling the rightâs campaign against it
Larry Sangerâs claims of a liberal slant and mismanagement at the worldâs dominant online encyclopedia are being enthusiastically embraced on the right.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/10/24/wikipedia-larry-sanger-elon-musk/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&fbclid=PAdGRzdgNpoJhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpxq8XorGC7SbqhVtp4gb9EsyyqorXLgGWcVlT3bpzYGghZioXvzRNb2CH_ej_aem_PtMjNlPrNmySqXh6V0lkWQ
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Missed out on a ticket to Peter Thiel's Antichrist lectures? Hear excerpts on this podcast
add a skeleton here at some point
4 months ago
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Hypervisible
4 months ago
âLoyalty programs have really become backdoor laboratories for pricingâŚThere's a lot more happening in the background that is targeting and squeezing each consumer's willingness to pay.â
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Column | The hidden way using a rewards card can cost you more
Companies use rewards programs to build profiles of you and figure out exactly how much youâre willing to pay. Two former FTC officials say itâs a trap.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/10/18/starbucks-loyalty-program-surveillance-pricing/
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"A spokesman for Thiel said: 'Peter doesnât believe Trump is the Antichrist.'"
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
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Inside billionaire Peter Thielâs private lectures: Warnings of âthe Antichristâ and U.S. destruction
In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that âthe Antichristâ is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/10/10/peter-thiel-antichrist-lectures-leaked/
4 months ago
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Kevin Schaul
5 months ago
Just ran some evals on Claude Sonnet 4.5. It's better than 4 on some but worse on a lot. LLM progress is so weird. You really gotta test this stuff on what you care about.
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Joseph Fink, we're going to win
5 months ago
CHOTINER: And you thought it would be funny to do a fake interview by me? ME: A lot of people have, so CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement? ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get? ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
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James Ball
5 months ago
Pete Hegseth has summoned every general and admiral in the US military around the world to an *in person* meeting next week. And heâs given no reason. Thatâs basically unprecedented. Thereâs lots of reasons you donât do it, too â not least that itâs bound to make the rest of the world twitchy.
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Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals
The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Top generals and their staffs donât know the reason for the meeting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/25/hegseth-generals-quantico-meeting/
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Will Oremus
5 months ago
When he named Brendan Carr as his FCC chair, Trump called him a "warrior for free speech." We wrote about how he has become a warrior against it. Gift link:
wapo.st/4pxe2t0
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Trumpâs media enforcer is relishing his Jimmy Kimmel moment
Brendan Carr has become the personification of the presidentâs crusade against the mainstream media, and heâs just getting started.
https://wapo.st/4pxe2t0
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OpenAI won't say whose content it used to train its video generator Sora. Here are some clues. Gift link:
wapo.st/3KeqLR0
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5 months ago
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Will Oremus
5 months ago
Top story on
@washingtonpost.com
this morning:
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
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Trump, allies seek to punish speech they dislike following Kirk killing
The White House-directed campaign, which is likely to face legal challenges, defies past GOP rhetoric condemning the label âhate speechâ as a pretext for political persecution.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/18/trump-free-speech-charlie-kirk/
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Gerrit De Vynck
5 months ago
Who's using ChatGPT?
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"The complaint filed by Julianaâs parents is the third high-profile case in the past year brought by a U.S. family alleging that an AI chatbot contributed to a teenâs death by suicide."
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
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A teen contemplating suicide turned to a chatbot. Is it liable for her death?
A lawsuit filed by the parents of 13-year-old Juliana Peralta against Character AI is the latest to allege a chatbot contributed to a teenâs death by suicide.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/09/16/character-ai-suicide-lawsuit-new-juliana/
5 months ago
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nitasha tiku
5 months ago
A new wrongful death lawsuit alleges that Character AI and Google are liable for the death by suicide of a 13-year-old girl in Colorado, Juliana Peralta This is the third wrongful death claim against a popular AI app for a teen's death by suicide this year
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
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A teen contemplating suicide turned to a chatbot. Is it liable for her death?
A lawsuit filed by the parents of 13-year-old Juliana Peralta against Character AI is the latest to allege a chatbot contributed to a teenâs death by suicide.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/09/16/character-ai-suicide-lawsuit-new-juliana/
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Will Oremus
5 months ago
Visceral closeup videos of Charlie Kirk getting shot in the neck were everywhere on social media. A lot of parents were not pleased that mainstream social appsâ algorithms showed it to their kids. Story today by
@tatumhunter.bsky.social
& me (gift link):
wapo.st/4n6oBSi
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âMy kid has seen this. Now what?â: Parents reel as Charlie Kirk video goes viral
Gory social videos of Charlie Kirkâs shooting have inundated children, leaving parents feeling powerless and disturbed.
https://wapo.st/4n6oBSi
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Will Oremus
5 months ago
I asked Bluesky how it's moderating graphic videos of the Charlie Kirk assassination, as well as responses that glorify violence or call for retribution. From a Bluesky spokesperson: "We're suspending accounts that are encouraging violence; we are taking down close-up videos of the event."
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Scott Nover
6 months ago
Business Insider yanked 40 essays with suspect bylines. A
@washingtonpost.com
probe into these mass retractions found key links between the bogus writer âMargaux Blanchardâ and another individual, suggesting a broader scheme. Hereâs what I found:
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
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Business Insider yanked 40 essays with suspect bylines. Are they related?
âMargaux Blanchardâ appears to be one dubious element of a broader scheme to peddle bogus articles to a number of publications.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/09/06/fake-bylines-ai-business-insider/
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Andrew Couts
6 months ago
đ¨Journalism job alertđ¨ We're hiring an investigative reporter to join my team at
@wired.com
. We're looking for someone who has both traditional and non-traditional reporting skills (coding/data work/OSINT, etc). Fit the bill? Come work with me!
condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...
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Senior Writer, Investigations
WIRED is where a better future is imagined. For three decades, we have been the indispensable guide to a world in constant transformation. We cover humanityâs biggest challenges, from climate change t...
https://condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers/job/1-World-Trade-Center-New-York-NY/Senior-Writer--Investigations_R-21120-2
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Drew Harwell
6 months ago
New: My deep dive into the business of AI slop.
wapo.st/4mFECxC
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Making cash off âAI slopâ: The surreal video business taking over the web
A mad rush of creators is using AI video tools to flood the web â and turn a profit â with videos that can seem remarkably real.
https://wapo.st/4mFECxC
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A horrifying investigation into the chart crime scene that is the AI industry by
@shiraovide.bsky.social
, with top notch illustration from the great Elena Lacey
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
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Analysis | The AI industry is awash in hype, hyperbole and horrible charts
Just checking: 69.1 is a larger number than 30.8, right?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/08/12/gpt5-chart-crimes-claude-graphs/
6 months ago
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