NYT: As Fears of A.I. Catastrophe Magnify, Washington Stirs but Mostly Slumbers

The drumbeat about unpredictable, out-of-control AI agents increased dramatically in the past several weeks. Washington not only struggled to respond. It barely could agree on whether there was much of anything to worry about. @sangernyt.bsky.social Dustin Volz www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/u...

As Fears of A.I. Catastrophe Magnify, Washington Stirs, but Mostly Slumbers President Trump has been at the forefront of the “what-me-worry?” crowd, refusing to engage on how to balance the risks and rewards of A.I. By David E. Sanger /Dustin Volz www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/u...

If scientists spotted a massive asteroid—far bigger than the one that wiped out dinosaurs—on a confirmed 2-year course for Earth, would people act? Of course. AI leaders are issuing the same warning—& begging the U.S. to regulate them. What’s happening? NOTHING. Unbelievable. shorturl.at/GICyy

The crazy idiocy of modern GOP. Does he not understand that the robots will kill us, not our enemies? “I’d rather they be American killer robots and not Chinese killer robots,” Mr. Cruz told Politico.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/u....

“[AI] development should not be steered exclusively by private entities, especially when the CEOs of those companies are calling out for restraint and regulation.” Josh Shapiro says… www.cnbc.com/2026/09/13/a...

Washington is scrambling to address renewed fears over artificial intelligence, as leading U.S. companies sound the alarm over technology they say is advancing beyond their control. Trump, meanwhile, continues to downplay the risks. www.cnbc.com/2026/09/13/a...

[warning: is/ought distinction incoming!] ignore the source for a sec: it is *entirely* possible that we get some more illegal numbers at some point, and bipartisan effort to treat them like nuclear secrets, due to some minor catastrophe. open weight models _can_ be *dangerous*! [my pov? see img]

🤡 per CNBC: WITH A TOTAL APPROVAL OF 11% 👇 * Washington scrambles to meet calls for AI guardrails while window to act closes * www.cnbc.com/2026/09/13/a...

Still amazes me how they seem to think 🍊’s slumber and ineptitude as newsworthy. He is the greatest threat to America and the world - just insert topic, this time AI. #Pinks As Fears of A.I. Catastrophe Magnify, Washington Stirs, but Mostly Slumbers www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/u...

But when folks engage in that projection, it will necessarily lead to a few people taking it "too" seriously. No wonder, since the imaginary solution of projecting onto AI what are the properties of capitalism, does not solve the real problem if the climate catastrophe we're building

There are three AI camps: Those who think AI is an imminent threat. Those who don't. And those who couldn't care less. The reality is that one day, maybe tomorrow, maybe in a decade, an AI agent or collective of cooperating, self-organising agents is going to take control of a weapon system.

Pete Buttigieg: "There needs to be a kill switch on rogue AI."

Everyone needs to understand. This is the Pedophile looking to leverage AI in 2028 for nefarious purposes. Don’t be like the red hats, America. Our country depends on it. apple.news/AwKuCE_vxQYW...

I’ll tell you why: The authoritarian right is absolutely in cahoots with the mass-dumbification, mass-surveillance, mass-propagandizing project of much of big AI. Plus, since they lack actual creativity and originality, they like the slop they can produce with these “tools”

The push for AI and war seems designed to accelerate the global catastrophe we are facing.