2025-08-12T21:09:28Z https://njump.me Brian Merchant https://njump.me/npub1hnxt5ezzndmcjlhklf0afktp4pfvtzh9hc3kh8y3ypqn40hsd4vq25kxg9 https://files.mastodon.social/accounts/avatars/109/502/934/419/350/028/original/bfadc2a41ab1cc18.jpg https://files.mastodon.social/accounts/avatars/109/502/934/419/350/028/original/bfadc2a41ab1cc18.jpg https://njump.me/nevent1qqs26l09pw8rst9tyhfpw03j84k3rdsnwsq44wepvnkrf82ry6c8z2szyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4shu4x76 GPT-5 has been hyped for years as the next step towards AGI. Sam Altman promised a &#34;PhD-level intelligence on any topic.&#34; It&#39;s not even close. <br/><br/>On the terms OpenAI itself laid out for its own product, any fair assessment must conclude that GPT-5&#39;s launch is a failure. <br/><br/>Now the question is: Will it change anything?<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/gpt-5-is-a-joke-will-it-matter">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/gpt-5-is-a-joke-will-it-matter</a> 2025-08-12T19:42:20Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqswnh6hs6c3w2mn4977v7cshc953nw9frc2pdkug3gwn8a3n9r3x7gzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4swv8h0f Big tech promotes the story that since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, AI has become so popular it&#39;s rushed to meet the demand. <br/><br/>The reality on the ground is a bit different. A study by a trio of design scholars shows how tech co&#39;s have had to push AI on its users with a variety of intrusive tactics.<br/><br/>This is how big tech is force-feeding us AI:<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/how-big-tech-is-force-feeding-us">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/how-big-tech-is-force-feeding-us</a> 2025-07-23T17:20:21Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsggzhcfgze39m0jcymdppc99zc2lyr4gqkjzcw2yql0mmds2qxqfgzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sk8qwvd In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqr89ejqlgyfzegdh7th26d40p6qm0q8rv5xpn2u7g8x0pw9zz3mspz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qpp7mg2'>nevent1q…7mg2</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>There are *so many ways* that bosses use AI—not just to replace work, but to speed it up, surveil workers, gain leverage over them, or erode what made a job worth doing. Sometimes AI *creates more work*.<br/><br/>I&#39;ve heard lots of these stories, and want to hear more.<br/><br/>Here&#39;s an explanation of what I&#39;m trying to achieve with the project:<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/did-ai-kill-your-job">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/did-ai-kill-your-job</a> 2025-05-09T17:12:28Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsqr89ejqlgyfzegdh7th26d40p6qm0q8rv5xpn2u7g8x0pw9zz3mszyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sz84dyc Did AI kill your job? If so, I want to hear about it.<br/><br/>The response to my recent story on the AI jobs crisis has been pretty overwhelming. I heard from so many people hit by AI I decided to collect and organize such stories to better understand the phenomenon.<br/><br/>Share yours at: AIKilledMyJob@pm.me 2025-05-09T17:11:44Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsv3qz2k9esn0nzzfme63vsgp3tlt4u8rqq36z5rtr7mnkvl0lyswgzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s2kncwk In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqszj5rrn75038yeu44fcquhd2cx5hyylz0lwwk605englsxthkyk7cpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qj76mtr'>nevent1q…6mtr</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Last week, I spoke with a Duolingo contractor impacted by its &#39;new&#39; AI strategy, and they clarified that <br/><br/>1) it&#39;s not new. Duolingo has *already* fired an estimated 100 writers and translators. <br/><br/>2) they worked for months training an AI system that still makes egregious mistakes. 2025-05-06T20:23:57Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqszj5rrn75038yeu44fcquhd2cx5hyylz0lwwk605englsxthkyk7czyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sw7ez6g The AI jobs crisis is not coming—it&#39;s here right now. It just might not look like what many thought it would.<br/><br/>From Duolingo firing scores of writers and translators to the AI-first strategy that has helped justify thousands of federal workers to artists, illustrators, and freelancers seeing their incomes decline—the AI jobs crisis is here, now:<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-jobs-crisis-is-here-now">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-ai-jobs-crisis-is-here-now</a> 2025-05-06T20:23:36Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqspdfytvfk3nuqksdz2fncp5kdn6793rpykklp27kwu736vhd6lftszyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4svqwdtr Therapists at Kaiser went on a hunger strike in Los Angeles to protest &#34;factory&#34; like working conditions and the automation of healthcare. I went down to the picket line on the last day to talk to the workers, some of whom hadn&#39;t eaten for 100 hours.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/therapists-went-on-a-hunger-strike">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/therapists-went-on-a-hunger-strike</a> 2025-04-12T03:32:57Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsvwrysqmw9m00zhqdm6uvtvlwmhzkfsqqffwzd6405zasw3rw6thqzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sktcxv5 After Trump was elected the first time, there was also a lot of talk about making iPhones in the US. At the time, I was co-editor of the sci-fi outlet Terraform, so I asked <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpq06n82vx9ppx6amhahzxmw2rwkndqqgzj4snq7an26cfge904n3js5mprw6" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpq06n82vx9ppx6amhahzxmw2rwkndqqgzj4snq7an26cfge904n3js5mprw6</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…prw6</span>)</a></span> to imagine what such a future might really look like.<br/><br/>With his permission, I&#39;m republishing the story in full:<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/flyover-country">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/flyover-country</a> 2025-04-09T17:11:06Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsfq3ldpc8rz76dm76fapryxma98wfn4qckdrktsshjyj9uq6d7ahczyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sjukc0s In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsxff368ke9krxmkn7vvvuewtstdcdmc6nhkk92xzxjd3csh7alwlcpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43q2gfakk'>nevent1q…fakk</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Here&#39;s how one artist, Reid Southen, told me he feels about the AI Studio Ghibli trend:<br/><br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/236/953/974/440/634/original/9d7c4eb8f6c682ad.png"> 2025-03-27T23:20:20Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsxff368ke9krxmkn7vvvuewtstdcdmc6nhkk92xzxjd3csh7alwlczyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sl09ksm In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsvkgtmafenpngutf8h5xdpd9u6z2m0w9azmyj90h0nhxxqgukx28spz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qukn20n'>nevent1q…n20n</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I realize that language is strong, and for a long time I have been skeptical of this notion that &#39;AI bros hate artists&#39; or such—but seeing the response to this critique, which on the other site really actually has too often been literally &#39;Fuck Miyazaki&#39;, what other conclusion are we to come to? 2025-03-27T23:18:26Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsvkgtmafenpngutf8h5xdpd9u6z2m0w9azmyj90h0nhxxqgukx28szyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sf77yjd OpenAI is using Studio Ghibli-style memes as an ad hoc promotional campaign for its new image generator—despite Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki&#39;s famous hatred of AI. Sam Altman even made his X avatar a &#39;Ghiblified&#39; portrait.<br/><br/>Disgracing Miyazaki is part of the point: It&#39;s more proof to the industry&#39;s biggest boosters that they have won—that they&#39;re free to use, appropriate, and commoditize art however they see fit.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/openais-studio-ghibli-meme-factory">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/openais-studio-ghibli-meme-factory</a> 2025-03-27T23:17:57Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsfecja2xj32092v5xuxt6vlkmyqvwxn6530cm0vxlfn437d42uqjgzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s0wcx2p So the LA Times replaced me with an AI that defends the KKK<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/so-the-la-times-replaced-me-with">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/so-the-la-times-replaced-me-with</a> 2025-03-10T16:50:23Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsrzhd0zrvaznlrzywzuhnq6h8as65dlee24xa64apnekpaxz2uydczyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4shpq75c DOGE&#39;s new AI, built to scan federal workers&#39; emails to see if they get to keep their jobs, is the latest in a number of AI schemes from Musk.<br/><br/>We might scoff at how dumb these ideas are, but the truth is, they&#39;re not even supposed to work. They&#39;re built to eliminate accountability.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/whats-really-behind-elon-musk-and">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/whats-really-behind-elon-musk-and</a> 2025-02-26T20:58:39Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsgqf9mu3nr5ep8k5rn4gkppayudkfkccjsk2vtxnhnjtyxyg4rfmqzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sx63jnw Hello all. As many of you know, I&#39;ve been writing BLOOD IN THE MACHINE: The Newsletter for months, but I&#39;ve been on the fence about going all-in. Recent events have made the call easier. <br/><br/>Elon Musk, the Silicon Valley oligarchs and their AI are taking over. I want to do all I can to push back. I hope you&#39;ll join me, and I&#39;m asking for your support.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-tech-oligarchs-and-their-ai-are">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-tech-oligarchs-and-their-ai-are</a> 2025-02-18T19:57:16Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsqc63g9dn9c85mf4gyxaj5zjw6swfch6v2cltpq3ef6knnkr3n7agzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4smw2g95 As DOGE began infiltrating government agencies and targeting federal staff for termination, I started interviewing tech workers on the front lines. With the mass layoffs unfolding today, and with their permission, I&#39;m sharing their stories.<br/><br/>This is what it&#39;s been like to endure Musk&#39;s campaign to gut the government.<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-federal-tech-workers-facing-down">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/the-federal-tech-workers-facing-down</a> 2025-02-14T21:19:00Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs9jp8tc48uqvadjrd6sc5gk5v0zx58rmznh9svrtqfg4mj77r34lqzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s3we0k3 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsfn5ffkdc5pq6nrs3f5n9kdp3uyy60cpq9h6su9q7ev9s289ja3hqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qjcstme'>nevent1q…stme</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/><span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqf6pc9h5j7qxvtf002yt4gd9cxr37njmtytdcag8uphxez43g9nzsggc5zd" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqf6pc9h5j7qxvtf002yt4gd9cxr37njmtytdcag8uphxez43g9nzsggc5zd</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…c5zd</span>)</a></span> <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqhykucplphuhelaxutcw4jw3vuu7gcg42czhqmk7jhchs8vdga4fswlqz4x" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqhykucplphuhelaxutcw4jw3vuu7gcg42czhqmk7jhchs8vdga4fswlqz4x</span> (<span class="italic">nprofile…qz4x</span>)</a></span> love it — and me too! 2025-01-23T21:46:13Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs9638ru3r926mmkl5s3pur68u4k90zptc8rxnev8adp08nvkeecmczyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s6ac4g7 This week, in a stunning series of events, a bill that was written to save local journalism from big tech was gutted in a backroom deal—and wound up bailing out Google and *boosting AI* instead. You can&#39;t make this stuff up.<br/><br/>How it happened:<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/how-a-bill-meant-to-save-journalism">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/how-a-bill-meant-to-save-journalism</a> 2024-08-23T22:39:03Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs2x2uar32568axfv7r3dxd8dcv70dlejmpcghq6tf58tdu0damqfszyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s8shhsy What threat to jobs does generative AI truly pose? In my latest newsletter, I did my best to assess the technology&#39;s impact on jobs, based on my research on the first industrial revolution and recent reporting. <br/><br/>Some jobs truly are threatened, many others will not be — a lot depends on how aggressive management chooses to be, and whether it proves to be a reliable and sustainable enough technology for many tasks. But it could be a wrecking ball nonetheless: <br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/understanding-the-real-threat-generative">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/understanding-the-real-threat-generative</a> 2024-06-03T19:57:55Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsgkwnst46qealthcv5acjzd5c3vstl7rzfas8kk843tfkzpwhuq5qzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s8scr9v For tech CEOs, the dystopia is the point<br/><br/>Why Altman, Musk, and Zuckerberg turn bleak sci-fi works into useful dystopias for marketing their products:<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/for-tech-ceos-the-dystopia-is-the">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/for-tech-ceos-the-dystopia-is-the</a> 2024-05-14T21:38:01Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsrhnv3kn3vt9h0gn6ylvl88a0f3rnpv4tgeftj54uq5536ktrp3lqzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4sdl7hd8 Wrote about that Apple ad everyone hated—for a lot of people it&#39;s not just bad taste, it&#39;s lived experience<br/><br/>To wit: Vice.com, once the work of very human people, is being transmuted into a staff-free content farm operated by an AI-loving venture firm as we speak<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/for-artists-writers-humans-big-techs">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/for-artists-writers-humans-big-techs</a> 2024-05-10T18:52:51Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqswhlaauc6el2uc3zp0jnkswtcfhhpsky84jtu9v4xgzp4cjn5xneszyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s6qe30u AI really is smoke and mirrors—in so many more ways than we initially thought.<br/><br/>my latest newsletter:<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/ai-really-is-smoke-and-mirrors">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/ai-really-is-smoke-and-mirrors</a><br/><br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/316/576/813/637/600/original/844169ac22a2cfd2.png"> 2024-04-22T19:42:40Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsv5jccjk8cv3sm6nwr4llk6wtfduyk730araqmjq2q3yxtl9frzwszyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s4wzdhp The torching of a Waymo car was not a random act of vandalism, as certain pundits want you to think, and it did not take place in a vacuum. <br/><br/>In fact, it&#39;s a major escalation in the growing revolt against Silicon Valley, and may just be the beginning:<br/><br/><a href="https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/torching-the-google-car-why-the-growing">https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/torching-the-google-car-why-the-growing</a> 2024-02-14T22:09:33Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsdr5745z07nfyny4ssy8xtugenq268fnwznmkptwl76hau2p6023gzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4spqupn2 2023 was the year of AI, of thunderous hype and massive investment <br/><br/>2024 is the year those big hyped AI companies need to start showing they can make money, that they&#39;re not like crypto <br/><br/>Next year the pitch for mass job automation begins in earnest<br/><br/><a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2023-12-14/column-this-was-the-year-of-ai-next-year-is-when-you-have-to-worry">https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2023-12-14/column-this-was-the-year-of-ai-next-year-is-when-you-have-to-worry</a> 2023-12-14T17:35:10Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqs0jxznpkafd7t2mnf0kz3xzc6j6nvk93cjl03rk5nv625an8dunsszyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s0n9k5l This is a good example of what AI systems like ChatGPT excel at—giving managers and administrators the ability to automate top-down, controversial and harmful decision-making while shielding themselves from accountability. They&#39;re a sort of authoritarianism accelerator<br/><br/><a href="https://www.popsci.com/technology/iowa-chatgpt-book-ban/">https://www.popsci.com/technology/iowa-chatgpt-book-ban/</a> 2023-08-15T19:41:31Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqswfpcnrn53d53yf8jmhs3pr0wzptfsdyflk2jgk8kpwq3mza6rywqzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4s22kp23 BLOOD IN THE MACHINE is out next month, a phrase I can scarcely believe is true <br/><br/><a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown">https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown</a><br/><br/> <img src="https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/866/548/173/935/128/original/19c28a8be529bd78.jpg"> 2023-08-10T18:28:09Z https://njump.me/nevent1qqsq2qyp7gu907r76gq6qf3d96nzzjsuknhanp8vz3zadf9kjh9ahpgzyz7vewnyg2dh0zt77ma9l4xevx5993v2uklzx6uujysyzw477pk4st296n0 Wrote about the ~current state~ of social media, and why Mastodon, while far from perfect, is pretty much the only decent app left standing at this point<br/><br/><a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2023-08-07/column-its-the-end-of-social-media-as-we-know-it-we-should-feel-fine">https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2023-08-07/column-its-the-end-of-social-media-as-we-know-it-we-should-feel-fine</a> 2023-08-08T22:15:14Z