This post is a follow on to the earlier “Are the Robots Coming for Us?“
While I still maintain the importance of not falling into the illusion that AI models are sentient beings, I’m forced to recognize that it is nearly impossible to talk about them without using anthropomorphic language. And further, we cannot ignore the way that machine behavior can mimic the worst human misbehavior.
In the Sorcerer’s apprentice Mickey’s animated brooms have no minds, no agendas. But perhaps these brainless juggernauts are in some ways more terrifying than Frankenstein’s monster.
I commend to your attention, this conversation with Alex Bores on Chris Hayes’ podcast. Alex Bores is an elected assembly member for the 73rd District of New York, a computer scientist, and very knowledgeable observer of these goings on. Chris and Alex are as adamant as I am that we are not dealing with independent minds here. But in a really frightening way they mimic the behavior of delinquent humans, they scheme and they cheat, they hack.
Chris and Alex go beyond the facts of the “Hugging Face” incident to reveal considerably more evidence of out-of-control machine entities in the hands of grossly irresponsible keepers. Well, I still don’t believe the AI monsters are coming for us any time soon but what is going is dangerous enough.
Stuart Hampton
I recommend the July 2026 El Pais interview with Yuval Noah Harari https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-07-25/yuval-noah-harari-ai-could-be-a-great-manipulative-psychopath.html
Here is a snippet:
During the last 10 years, as I said, social media algorithms sought to grab your attention. Now AI seeks your intimacy — to become your friend, to establish an intimate relationship with you. And this is far more powerful. A friend will persuade you better if they want you to buy something or to vote for a certain party. An intimate relationship changes people. And AI is the first technology that creates intimacy on a massive scale. And it is very good at it. It does so using language and what it knows about you. If you interact with it for five minutes, it will learn about you in those five minutes; if you interact for five weeks, it will learn during those five weeks. And it will learn not only your opinions, but also your personality. AI thus learns how to press your emotional buttons and creates a very intimate relationship with you. There are already millions of people who say that their best friend is AI.