AI is disinforming the public about the U.S. election

AI is disinforming the public about the election:

"Last month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in an assessment that found that AI is helping “improve” rather than “revolutionize” influence operations from Russia and Iran aimed at the elections in November.
The risk of this foreign, AI-generated content depends on the ability of foreign operatives to overcome restrictions built into many AI tools, to develop their own sophisticated AI models, or to “strategically target and disseminate” AI-generated content, an ODNI official told reporters. “Foreign actors are behind in each of these three areas.”"
— Ted Barrett and Sean Lyngaas, Senate intelligence committee chairman concerned about AI-generated content and election interference, CNN, October 15, 2024

Previously

"Artificial intelligence is helping “improve” rather than “revolutionize” influence operations from Russia and Iran aimed at November’s US elections, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in an assessment released Monday.
“The (US intelligence community) considers AI a malign influence accelerant, not yet a revolutionary influence tool,” an ODNI official told reporters."
— Sean Lyngaas, US intel says AI is boosting, but not revolutionizing, foreign efforts to influence the 2024 elections, CNN, September 23, 2024

Please read: By Not Using Gen AI, Am I Burying My Head in the Sand? Yes — and it looks awesome down here. Tucker Lieberman, Sept 25, 2024

At a rally, Trump says the other party is "evil", then plays music

Trump calls Democrats "evil," then stands around while a loudspeaker plays Nothing Compares 2 U and November Rain.

Really nothing more to say at this point, nine years into Trumpism, except: Please register to vote if it's not too late, and cast your vote if it's not too early.

Wow -- this was weird. Trump wrapped up his "town hall" in Oaks, Pennsylvania, after just a few questions, and right after he said he would take a few more questions. More music then played while Trump stood around on stage. Deeply bizarre scenes.

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.bsky.social) October 14, 2024 at 7:08 PM

Trump takes the mic again. He says he'll take another question, changes his mind, and calls Democrats "evil. They're evil." He then tells his production crew to play YMCA "nice and loud" and wraps it up. Definitely one of the most bizarre Trump events I can recall.

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.bsky.social) October 14, 2024 at 7:39 PM

For more, Aaron Rupar's newsletter: Public Notice

So Trump is still just standing around on stage listening to music. They played Nothing Compares 2 U and now it’s November Rain. Once again, he’s just been standing there for almost half an hour. It’s cheap to ask “what if Biden had done this?” but I think you have to at this point.

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— Spooky Cooper Lund (@cooperlund.bsky.social) October 14, 2024 at 7:30 PM

Community should prioritize needs of victims, and worry about optics later

I had never heard of Ava Tyson before reading this story. This lends some support to Moore's point: trans people aren't collectively responsible for everything any trans person ever does. (Trans people don't even know all the other trans people's names!)

What trans people should do as a community is take reports of abuse seriously and prioritize the needs of victims, regardless of the identity of the aggressor (trans or cis). That behavior is ultimately what reflects well on a community, not the sins (alleged or proven) of someone who shares a trait of most of the members of the community (i.e., being trans).

Many "bad actors [are] making a living out of exploiting horrific allegations," writes Mallory Moore. In "the arena of true crime trauma porn," they put on a show of transforming "real world acts of abuse into a Punch and Judy show." But doing so won't "help anyone, or achieve trans liberation." That's "a strong justification for rejecting this framing and refocusing on the material concerns of victims and survivors."
— Mallory Moore, "No, the allegations against Ava Tyson aren’t a 'problem for the trans community'," Medium, Jul 30, 2024

What makes your community look good, and actually be good, is not that no one in it (individually) ever does anything wrong, but how the community (collectively) addresses the incident.

Do good work first. Worry about optics later.

People who oppose your existence will say what they're going to say anyway. They'll do their worst. They aren't waiting for you to give them a bad-trans-optics excuse to do so.

The only coral you'll ever see will be AI-generated

"AI is taking people's drinking water: New data centers are springing up every week. Can the Earth sustain them? Karen Hao, The Atlantic, March 1, 2024.

AI could pose ‘extinction-level’ threat to humans and the US must intervene, State Dept.-commissioned report warns, Matt Egan, CNN, March 12, 2024

Why would you walk through this portal? (I'm referring to the ridiculous ad below.) AI's enormous carbon footprint is making coral go extinct. If that happens, the only coral you'll ever see will be AI-generated. Just don't use Gen AI! Just don't.

Screenshot of an ad shown to me, 6 Oct 2024

Proposed regulation: Cars should limit risk of pedestrian head injuries

For the first time, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has

"proposed forcing car companies to limit the risk of pedestrian head injuries in a collision. If the proposal becomes law, models whose front ends pose excessive danger to people walking—think hulking SUVs and pickups—could no longer be legally sold. That would represent a major step toward addressing the soaring number of U.S. pedestrian deaths, which hit a 40-year high in 2021."
— Why car companies might finally have to care about pedestrian safety: The Biden administration is finally taking a stand against car bloat. David Zipper, Fast Company, September 24, 2024

If you'd like this proposal to move forward, U.S. folks, leave a public comment on Regulations.gov:
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: Pedestrian Head Protection, Global Technical Regulation No. 9; Incorporation by Reference Posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Sep 18, 2024
Comments must be received on or before November 18, 2024.

Hurricane Milton

Hurricane from Pixabay

Good lord.

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— Neil M Kennedy (@nmkennedy.bsky.social) October 7, 2024 at 12:51 PM

We are now in the phase of the climate crisis where hurricanes are making meteorologists weep on live TV 💔

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— Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran.bsky.social) October 7, 2024 at 9:36 PM

How fossil fuels mutated Milton: Climate scientists tell HEATED the historic storm represents "the profound irresponsibility and culpability" of polluters. Arielle Samuelson, HEATED, Oct 9, 2024

Top climatologist Kevin Trenberth explains: Why have hurricanes gone crazy? He recalls early disputes with the storm forecasters, which echo other past debates climate scientists have had with weather forecasters less familiar with climate science results. www.theclimatebrink.com/p/why-have-h...

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— Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf (@rahmstorf.bsky.social) October 8, 2024 at 3:54 PM

It really feels like the more that climate change can be felt in storm after storm, fire after fire, the more flow we see see in conspiracy theories from the margins to the mainstream. (After this piece by John Morales...)

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— Melissa Gira Grant (@melissagiragrant.com) October 7, 2024 at 2:31 PM

"Gulf water pouring gasoline on Milton's explosive intensification is up to 3.6°F above historic normal
Fossil fuels has given us an unprecedented era of monster storms & the only question is why our government policies still encourage burning them" — Miles Grant, Bluesky, Oct 7, 2024

"Helene was supercharged by ultra-warm water made up to 500 times more likely by global warming, study finds," Rachel Ramirez, CNN, October 9, 2024

"In the U.S., at least half the rain from Hurricane Helene was supercharged by climate change. As the waters recede, we’re only beginning to grasp the full extent of the damage—just as Milton, another record-breaking hurricane, threatens Florida. Over the last four weeks, there have been floods all across Asia including in Thailand last week, Nepal the week before, and India, China, and Vietnam before that." — Katharine Hayhoe, LinkedIn, October 9, 2024

I'm angry about the fact that people are going to die because of climate change denialism.

— Anna Zarves (@annasomeday.bsky.social) October 8, 2024 at 9:52 PM

'Climate breakdown' warning

Portugal:

EU Issues 'Climate Breakdown' Warning Amid Record Flooding And Deadly Wildfires, The worst flooding in years has hit a broad swath of Central Europe. At the other end of the 27-nation bloc, raging fires through Portugal have killed at least six. Raf Casert, Sept 18, 2024

How the source of your tissues and toilet paper is fueling wildfires thousands of miles away, Vasco Cotovio, CNN, October 8, 2024

Doomsday Glacier:

Scientists looked deep beneath the Doomsday Glacier. What they found spells potential disaster for the planet

"New study: Unfortunately, most of the planet's vital parameters are still heading in the wrong direction. CO2, temperature, sea level, deforestation, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, etc. It will probably stay that way until most people consistently choose climate protection."

Neue Studie: Leider gehen die meisten Vitalparameter des Planeten immer noch in die falsche Richtung. CO2, Temperatur, Meeresspiegel, Entwaldung, Meeresversauerung, Korallenbleiche, usw. Das wird wohl so bleiben, bis die meisten Menschen konsequent Klimaschutz wählen. www.fr.de/wissen/repor...

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— Prof. Stefan Rahmstorf (@rahmstorf.bsky.social) October 9, 2024 at 5:45 AM

The Arctic's On Fire, the Amazon's Destroyed, and 1.5°C Is Out the Window - But Are We Reaching Peak Emissions? ->Green Queen | #ClimateChange #Emission #Arctic | More info from EcoSearch

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— Climate, Ecology, War and More by Dr. Glen Barry (@bigearthdata.bsky.social) October 6, 2024 at 10:01 PM