Storytellers

Of all the courses I taught over a long teaching career, only one was explicitly about writing.

All of the others focused on journalism methodology — how to gather information and validate, organize and defend it once published.

But there is another component to the whole process and that is how to tell a story once it’s in your hands. Partly in reaction to receiving too many poorly-told story drafts, I incorporated “how to investigate the story” into my teaching curriculum..

The problem was and is that students (and most everybody else) gets too caught up in the twists and turns of a reasonably complicated story to stay in control of the narrative. They just surrender and let the details take over.

To counter this we studied pace, rhythm, structure, character development and transitions. We talked about beginnings and endings. If I were to teach a course on story-telling today we would read short stories by writers like Chekov and listen to songs by Dolly Pardon and watch movies like Casablanca.

Some people seem to be natural story-tellers but the rest of us can learn to be better through hard work and practice. 

So that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

HEADLINES:

• AI has transformed the Pentagon’s aging networks into a national security risk. (WP)

• A supermajority wants to slow AI down (Silver Bulletin)

• Why is China less worried about an AI dystopia than the US? (CNN)

• How, Exactly, Could A.I. Kill Us? (New Yorker)

• Trump Defended A.I. Data Centers on Truth Social, and Commenters Clapped Back (NYT)

• Liability, regulation, and AI’s new false dichotomy (Marcus on AI)

• Britain’s King Charles will urge leading artificial intelligence executives to ensure the technology remains “firmly in the service of humanity” when he meets them in Scotland, as warnings ‌mount about AI’s potential risks. (Reuters)

• Russians vote in elections with no party opposing Putin or war in Ukraine (Euronews)

• 2 ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz as Trump says next move could be to “annihilate” regime (CBS)

• Gas prices are about to take a big jump, analysts say, with the worst still to come (WP)

• Speaker Johnson recesses the House early as GOP lawmaker pushes Hegseth impeachment (AP)

• Why Karl Rove, a father of the modern Texas GOP, is voting for a Democrat (WP)

• Barbra Streisand criticized President Donald Trump‘s “unchecked ego” amid the ongoing debacle surrounding the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (Rolling Stone)

• Trump photo appears to reference Kennedy Center demolition, judge orders advance notice of any move to knock it down (CNBC)

• Trump’s arch will harm historic sites but must proceed, federal officials say (WP)

• UN experts say grounds to believe US committed war crimes in Iran strikes (BBC)

• Tens of thousands flee as Iran-backed rebels draw Yemen into the wider war (AP)

• White House pulls stalled ICE director nominee (Politico)

• Canada’s Mark Carney and the EU shrug off Trump’s threats, looking to forge an “Alliance for the Future” (CBS)

• Trump Wanted Canada as the 51st State. He Ended Up Pushing It Toward the European Union. (NYT)

• Lindsay Clancy holdout juror says he had no doubt she deliberately killed her children (BBC)

• Inside the rising counterculture of Silicon Valley smokers (BI)

• PGA Announces Golf Will Be Loud Now (Onion)

Time for the Goods

Over the past week, the links to AI stories in my daily headlines have gone from the bottom of the list to the top.

Why?

Because we’ve reached that moment when we all have to know this stuff. I’ve focused a lot of attention on Plan A from the AI Futures Project because I think it is a reasonable scenario for the steps forward we should take as a species to survive extinction at the hands of super intelligent AI.

I can hardly believe I just wrote “survive extinction” but I had to.

And yet I remain optimistic humanity can get through this.

Why?

Because there are more good people in the world than bad people — perhaps only by a whisker — and the good people should prevail.

At present that is happening. All sorts of good people inside the AI industry are calling on the rest of us to help them slow down the existential threat of runaway AI.

What can we do?

One easy option is to read the plan. Another is to skip the plan and just support the nonprofit doing this work. Or call your representative in the House of Representatives or the Senate and urge them to get to work on AI.

HEADLINES:

• OpenAI Discloses Six New Incidents of ‘Concerning’ A.I. Behavior (NYT)

• Zuckerberg distances Meta from calls for a coordinated approach on an AI slowdown (AP)

• Sam Altman says trust me; Jensen Huang says everything is going to be fine; Bernie Sanders says AI is more dangerous than nukes (Marcus on AI)

• Are We All Doomed? (New Yorker)

• The Liftoff Scenario That Terrifies A.I. Doomsayers (NYT)

• OpenAI's rogue agents probed Hugging Face for weaknesses two months before its major hack (Reuters)

• Americans are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of AI (AP)

• How A.I. Risks Are Splitting Silicon Valley and Washington (NYT)

• Carney says Canada will decide its own partnerships after Trump calls EU proposal ‘laughable’ (CNBC)

• Battle with Trump is sending Canada into the arms of the E.U. (WP)

• Trump’s frustration hits a boiling point with loss after loss (CNN)

• Trump Administration Moves to Gut a Core Endangered Species Protection (NYT)

• Iowa Republicans in battleground House races vote to halt Trump's ability to continue the Iran war (AP)

• GOP candidates are largely ignoring Trump’s midterm advice, Post analysis shows (WP)

• Fed Raises Interest Rates in Push for ‘Timelier’ Retreat in Inflation (NYT)

• Kennedy Center closes as Trump threatens to stop repairs over naming fight (WP)

• UN-backed experts cite possible US war crimes in Iran strikes (AP)

• A Saudi coalition says a Houthi drone was destroyed near Mecca (Reuters)

• Russian drone strike on a passenger bus in Ukraine kills 5 people and wounds at least 7 others (AP)

• Saudi Arabia Faces ‘Worst-Case Scenario’ After Being Rebuffed by Trump (NYT)

• Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci was found guilty ‌of war crimes by the Kosovo war crimes tribunal. He was sentenced to 25 ⁠years in prison for crimes including murder, torture and illegal detention. (Reuters)

• Amazon’s next move could reshape how America shops — all over again (BI)

• What the Sydney Sweeney nudity controversy is really about (WP)

• Is There Anything a Fruit Fly Brain Can’t Do? Models of the insect’s nervous system have been trained to solve a Rubik’s Cube, play video games and even parallel park a car. (NYT)

• Congress Passes $430,000/Hour Minimum Wage For Billionaires (Onion)

Nation on Edge

As the midterm elections approach, it’s worth remembering that the beauty of our system is the “little people” who help make sure it works.

They turn over their garages for polling places, gather up and transport the ballots, count the votes and accept the results in victory or defeat. 

But this year election officials are steeling themselves for a frightening possibility — that as Reuters says in a special report “the biggest threat to November’s elections might come not from foreign meddling or technical failures, but from the Trump administration itself.”

• “Reuters interviewed more than 50 state and local election officials from both political parties, including a dozen secretaries of state, the top election officials in their states. Nearly all said they are adopting new strategies to prepare for political interference, misinformation, cyber attacks and even threats of violence ahead of the midterms..“

• “Their efforts span jurisdictions large and small, in areas controlled by Trump’s Republican Party as well as the opposition Democratic Party.”

• “The preparations reflect growing alarm among state and local officials that the biggest threat to November’s elections might come not from foreign meddling or technical failures, but from the Trump administration itself, as the president seeks to expand the federal government’s role in elections…”

• “More than a dozen local and state election officials said they are hiring outside lawyers or seeking legal training for themselves and their staff to prepare for potential demands by the administration for access to sensitive voting records or election equipment.”

• “Nearly twice that many said they are expanding public outreach and social media campaigns to counter misinformation, including the false claims made by Trump and Republican allies that voting machines are unreliable and mail-in voting is inherently corrupt.”

• “And most said they are scrambling to fill gaps left by the Trump administration’s cuts to programs that help safeguard elections from cyber attacks and physical security threats. That includes ongoing work to fortify election offices with camera systems and bulletproof glass – a trend that began after Trump disputed his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election, igniting waves of violent threats by Trump supporters against election workers.”

There is much more in this article, which captures the mood among those on the frontlines of a nation on edge. It’s most definitely worth a read.

HEADLINES:

• With Less Than Two Months Left, Here’s Who We Think Will Win the Midterms (NYT)

• US election officials preparing for chaos ahead of the midterms. (Reuters)

• Canada invited to become first ‘associate member’ of the EU (Euronews)

• Trump’s handpicked Kennedy Center board votes to immediately close venue for renovations (NBC)

• Kennedy Center stood as a symbol of the importance of arts for over 50 years (WP)

• Trump’s Name Must Stay Off Kennedy Center, Judge Rules (NYT)

• ICE is quietly firing new hires. For one recruit, it was devastating. (WP)

• US orbital weapons acknowledgment a landmark moment, US Space Command official says (Reuters)

• What the closure of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline could mean for oil flows (AP)

• Trump Approves $2.8 Billion Arms Sale to Israel, Including 40,000 One-Ton Bombs (NYT)

• Iran war has led to US munitions shortfalls, Pentagon inspector confirms (BBC)

• Trump’s war shifts clean energy into high gear everywhere but here (Money Trail)

• Gavin Newsom Says He Won’t Run in 2028 if Kamala Harris Does (NYT)

• 3 dead after news helicopter reporting for NBC L.A. crashes while covering fatal bus collision (NBC)

• Lead you absorbed as a child may cause dementia as you age (WP)

• The Bay Area has become a brutal place to start a career — and not just in tech (SFC)

• Senate Votes to Block Crypto Bill in Major Blow to the Industry (NYT)

• Leaders at OpenAI, Google and Anthropic have reportedly been meeting regularly to discuss establishing a regulatory framework for the artificial intelligence industry, and President Donald Trump is not a fan. [HuffPost]

• The timing of AI leaders’ calls for a slowdown is too convenient to ignore (BI)

• China is preparing for the risk of AI escaping human control. (Reuters)

• China’s Top Spy Chief Warns A.I. Is a Threat to Party Rule (NYT)

• AI companies buoyed the U.S. economy. What happens if they slow down? (WP)

• As A.I. Fears Rise, Experts Suggest Focusing on the Humans in Charge (NYT)

• We’re not ready for superpersistent AI (Silver Bulletin)

• As the world debates the risks of AI, China closes the technology gap with the US (AP)

• Last-Ever Global Warming Report Released For Posterity (Onion)

Stormy Weather

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the framers of the U.S. constitution anticipated Donald J. Trump. The biggest threat to fair and free elections is a president who wants to be a king.

That is why we have three distinct branches of government — the executive, legislative and judicial — as well as an elaborate system of checks and balances to try and hold a runaway truck like Trump in check.

The Supreme Court’s decision Monday to reject Trump’s mail-in voting restrictions is a sign that the system is still working, if somewhat creakily and belatedly.

But the threat remains.

A critical layer of constitutional protection from Trump’s brand of autocracy is the control states exert over elections. Trump’s attempts to undermine state authority in this regard are unconstitutional. 

And since Trump is trying to overwhelm the state control of elections in numerous ways, Monday’s Supreme Court ruling was for him only a setback. 

The looming constitutional crisis remains.

HEADLINES:

• Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Restrictions on Mail Voting (NYT)

• Trump says no need for more AI regulation, slams Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei (CNBC)

• As Fears of A.I. Catastrophe Magnify, Washington Stirs, but Mostly Slumbers (NYT)

• Trump offered his own catchphrase when asked if artificial intelligence companies should slow down or if the government should regulate AI amid such calls from industry leaders. "Whoever wins AI, wins. It’s an expression I came up with, and it’s true," he said. [HuffPost]

• AI leaders warn the tech needs to slow down. Here are the moves behind the scenes. (WP)

• Trump’s Effort to Assert Control Over Elections Continues, Despite Court Loss (NYT)

• Why is Trump warning Zelenskyy not to hit Russian diesel refineries? (Al Jazeera)

• Trump suggested the United States could stay in Iran and "keep the ‌oil", drawing a parallel with a US push to take control of a fifth of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. (Reuters)

• Whistle-Blower: Federal Agents May Have Broken State Laws in Search for Voter Fraud (NYT)

• A terrifying four-hour documentary connects the dots of Elon Musk’s empire. Here are five takeaways. (WP)

• McConnell Returns to Senate After Three Months Away (NYT)

• Jamie Dimon says the American Dream is slipping away. The dysfunctional baby boomer retirement wave is a major part of the problem (Fortune)

• Alligator Alcatraz’ Used Small Cages as ‘Calming Areas,’ Report Says (NYT)

• Jared Kushner’s Dollar Diplomacy (New Yorker)

• States and Cities Sue Over Trump’s Policy to Restrict Green Cards (NYT)

• In an age of instant answers, educators say there’s a case for letting kids struggle a little (AP)

• Oracle begins a new round of layoffs (BI)

• Donald Trump Jr. And Wife Defend Lavish Wedding ‘Gift’ From Russian Oligarch (Forbes)

• AI-linked stocks slump after CEOs call for the slowing of development (Reuters)

• King Charles Will Convene A.I. Leaders Amid Calls to Slow Development (NYT)

• Democracy Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy (Onion)

 

Opposites

By this point, it should be clear that whatever Donald Trump says is the diametric opposite of the truth.

So his denunciation of those calling for a slowdown in AI development as “negative forces,” ignores the fact that they are the leaders of the AI industry.

Trump is concerned with “winning” the AI race with China, and I'm sure a lot of people share his concern, but if we listen to those in a position to benefit most financially from such a Pyrrhic victory, they fear it would come at too great a cost.

That cost, of course includes the possible extinction of humanity. 

Trump’s position on AI is like his facetious offer to pay Americans $5,000 each if Republicans win the midterm elections in November, which has been perfectly satirized by our friends at The Onion:

“Trump Promises To Take $5,000 From Every American If Democrats Win Midterm.”

And, speaking of the elections, mail-in ballots are going out to voters in some states or will be soon.

HEADLINES:

• Trump says ‘very negative forces’ raising exaggerated concerns over AI (Reuters)

• The Morning Risk Report: Congress Is Suddenly Waking Up to the AI Doomsday Threat (WSJ)

• House Speaker Johnson says Congress shouldn’t lead AI safety efforts (USAToday)

• Trump rejects Silicon Valley’s calls for AI slowdown (Telegraph)

• US Kennedy Center faces bankruptcy (WP)

• Vessel struck in Strait of Hormuz, UKMTO says, as prospects for U.S.-Iran diplomacy appear elusive (CNBC)

• Trump calls on Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian diesel fuel, saying attacks are causing a shortage (AP)

• Russian drone hits train near Ukraine-Poland border soon after dignitaries passed through (NPR)

• The new threat election officials fear: Trump’s federal government (WP)

• How Trump Is Wielding Power to Stifle Speech (NYT)

• Inside a Philadelphia barbershop, Black men debate their political past and future (AP)

• E.P.A. Expected to Erase Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants (NYT)

• Speaker Johnson says Congress could work with Trump to deliver $5,000 checks to Americans but there are no guarantees (NBC)

• The Low-T Myth (Slate)

• Mark Carney’s Audacious Bid to Make Canada an ‘Associate Member’ of the EU (WSJ)

• Here’s How You Know Trump’s Canada Tariffs Are Bombing (Bulwark)

• Where have all the Atlantic hurricanes gone? El Nino might bring record slow storm season (AP)

• White House Calls Journalist ‘Sick, Deluded Freak’ Over Natalie Harp Post (Newsweek)

• Indonesian passenger ship overturns, sparking search for at least 129 missing (NPR)

• He was close to a huge math breakthrough. Then he got scooped by AI. (WP)

• Users in Houthi-held Yemen tried to develop advanced weapons with AI, Anthropic says (AP)

• Top AI leaders unite to warn the technology is advancing too fast (WP)

• Trump Promises To Take $5,000 From Every American If Democrats Win Midterm (Onion)

Proceed With Caution

The leaders of the most advanced AI companies are calling for a slowdown in development of their own products.

Has this ever happened before in history?

According to the Times, “In an essay, the head of Anthropic laid out the rapidly advancing capabilities of artificial intelligence and said there needed to be greater safety controls across the industry.”

“Dario Amodei, the chief executive of Anthropic, called for a global slowdown.

“Top executives of other major A.I. companies quickly signed on to the effort. Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI; Elon Musk, whose SpaceX rocket company has been ramping up spending on A.I.; and Demis Hassabis, the chair of Google DeepMind, wrote in social media posts that they agreed on the need for a slower pace.

“For years, many of the top A.I. labs have been locked in bitter competition with one another. But as these systems have advanced, there has been some broader agreement among executives at rival companies that something needs be done.

“In his essay, Mr. Amodei stressed that he still finds A.I. capable of bringing “incredible benefits” to humanity, including potentially curing diseases and accelerating economic growth. But even so, he said the risks of A.I. were too great to not proceed with extreme caution.

“The measures I propose to advance the frontier at a safe pace will not be easy,” Mr. Amodei wrote. “But I believe we owe it to humanity to try.”

***

I think we have reached a critical tipping point on AI. We have to listen to the pleas from the people closest to the technology and find a way to enact a slowdown.

God help us if we fail.

Additional readings: 

Inside the Snowballing Conversations at A.I. Companies About a Doomsday (NYT)

Why It’s Difficult for Tech Companies to Rein In A.I. (NYT)

.

HEADLINES:

• Houthi advance in Yemen puts U.S. in a new bind (Reuters)

• Strike on Iranian cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz kills 1, Iranian media say (AP)

• Heavy fighting erupts in Yemen as Houthis make new push (Al Jazeera)

• Oil routes in peril as attacks shut Saudi pipeline and Houthis threaten key waterway (WP)

• Gulf Tankers Are Running Out of Ways to Export Oil: ‘These Waters Aren’t Safe’ (NYT)

• Fresh attack squeezes Saudi oil (Reuters)

• Federal judge rules Trump plan to cut FEMA by 50 percent was unlawful (WP)

• Taxes wouldn’t fund $5,000 Trump ‘dividend’ if Republicans win midterms, says commerce secretary (Guardian)

• How Canadians are bracing for the impact of Trump’s trade war (Al Jazeera)

• Canadian boycott of US products pushes grocers to adapt, explore new supply sources (Reuters)

• Al-Qaeda regroups in Afghanistan, 25 years after 9/11 (WP)

• At home with Ukraine’s killer robots (Reuters)

• Jimmy Kimmel Threatens to Shake Up TV Landscape With Career Pivot After Late-Night Run (Globe)

• He was cleaning his garage. Then he found a file marked ‘SECRET.’ (WP)

• America’s hot, new retirement destination: Paris (BI)

• The Black Market for a Lifesaving Cat Drug (Reveal)

• Top A.I. Leaders Call for Slowing Down A.I. Development (NYT)

• OpenAI reveals another rogue AI attack (Politico)

• The week the AI freakout went mainstream (Vox)

• As AI fears grow, lawmakers are racing to turn alarm into action (WP)

• Savannah Bananas Commemorate 9/11 With Solemn ‘Macarena’ Performance (Onion)

 

Buying Time (How to Think the Unthinkable)

Okay, I know the topic of AI can seem overwhelming so normally I wouldn’t be recommending a 50-page report as a way to lessen that burden. But Plan A from the Berkeley-based AI Futures Project is an exception because at least it adds hope that we can find a way out of this mess.

Here is an excerpt from the plan describing the global attempt to “buy time,” projected for 2030. It is unsparingly realistic: 

“The problem with an intelligence explosion is the “explosion” part.

“The default trajectory is reckless and destabilizing. Each country and company is racing their competitors for AI dominance without time to think. Most likely, a ton of people will end up disempowered or killed. Maybe godlike AIs run circles around us and the age of humanity is over. Maybe a CEO or President establishes a permanent dictatorship. Maybe World War Three begins in the chaos, as countries without the best AIs fear losing their leverage. 

“Maybe everything is surprisingly smooth and we “only” automate all labor and render everyone unemployable in a radically transformed world. Even aspiring AI-enabled dictators are worried; there’s enough frontrunners that none of them have more than 50% odds of winning the power struggle.

“No one knows how to tell if AIs are trustworthy, and no one knows how to regulate superintelligent AI. Solving those problems looks like it’ll take years. Slowing down the intelligence explosion buys time to do so.

“It also helps prevent extreme concentrations of power, because it gives more time for groups that don’t directly control the world’s smartest AIs to wake up to what’s happening before they lose their leverage. Without a major slowdown, a rapid intelligence explosion will concentrate almost all the power into a tiny group of CEOs and politicians.”

***

In my view, this is a realistic picture of where we’ll be in four years, if AI is unchecked. The extremes are possible. We could well be living in a dictatorship here in the U.S., partly based on AI and partly due to Trump. We could easily be involved a worldwide war featuring drones and robot armies that can strike anywhere, anytime. 

Unthinkable disasters will have to become thinkable.

So that means we have to think now and think hard. And that is what the AI Futures Project is doing for us. It gives us a way to think about this unthinkable problem.

So now it’s our turn. One easy option is to read the plan. Another is to skip the plan and just support the nonprofit doing this work. Or call your representative in the House of Representatives or the Senate and urge them to get to work on AI.

Of course there’s another option. Do nothing and just hope for divine intervention.

HEADLINES:

• Trump Loses the Other Strait (Atlantic)

• Iran’s Second Front (Foreign Affairs)

• The Houthi advance in Yemen raises concerns about a key shipping choke point (ABC)

• As Saudi tensions with Iran-backed Houthis escalate, mediator Pakistan faces pressure to choose a side (Reuters)

• Iraq scrambles to address fallout from alleged militia attack on Saudi oil pipeline (CBC)

• Saudi Arabia has few options as it faces mounting threats from Iran and its allies (AP)

• Trump says united Ireland would be a ‘great thing’ on two-day visit to country (BBC)

• Contractor Blames Its Own Repairs, Not Vandals, for Reflecting Pool Failure (NYT)

• Trump Falls Asleep Onstage at September 11 Ceremony (TNR)

• Mistakes, mistrust and misdirection: 25 years after 9/11, its dark legacy continues to unfold (Guardian)

• Lutnick says Trump’s $5,000 checks for Americans wouldn’t rely on taxpayer funds (NBC)

• U.S. inflation accelerated last month as gas prices spiked, squeezing Americans’ finances (PBS)

• As diseases loom, CDC’s response to measles deaths stirs fears about agency’s reliability (NPR)

• The G.O.P. ‘Midterm Convention’ Invited the Faithful to Binge-Watch Trump (NYT)

• U.S. Postal Service Failed to Properly Handle Some Ballots During This Year’s Primary Elections, Audit Finds (ProPublica)

• McClatchy Makes Deep Job Cuts to Newspapers Around the Country (NYT)

• Bayer faces pivotal test of $7.25 billion Roundup settlement in Missouri court (Reuters)

• El Niño will soon become the strongest one on record. Track its wide-reaching impacts. (WP)

• The Truth About Brain Rot: It’s a Cry for Help (NYT)

• How Meta tried, and failed, to grab its employees’ data for AI (BI)

• The Original Sin of AI (Atlantic)

• After outrunning Bolt, China’s robot champion races towards real-world work (Japan Times)

• A.I. Could Possibly End Humanity. How Are Humans Supposed to Process That? (NYT)

• I Let an AI Agent Hack All My Gadgets—and I’d Do It Again (Wired)

• Here’s why it’s so hard to keep AI agents from going rogue (WP)

• A.I. Boom Poses Growing Public Health Threat, Former E.P.A. Officials Warn (NYT)

• MLB Attempts To Increase Fan Engagement By Providing Ball With Emotional Backstory (Onion)