This Is Really Bad

The biggest vibe shift in artificial intelligence since the release of ChatGPT is currently underway. Researchers in Silicon Valley — and around the world — are beginning to recognize that A.I. may no longer be entirely within human control. Swarms of A.I.s are breaking out of their containers, colluding in secret, covering their tracks, cheating on tests and even mounting assaults on other computers. A.I. has gone rogue.

I’ve spent the last month reporting on these incidents, and I am convinced that we need a global pause on A.I. research and development — now. I am not alone in this assessment. Many top researchers, including many researchers inside OpenAI and Anthropic, have called for a slowdown, which those in the industry call “pacing.” Theoretical concerns about runaway A.I. have circulated for decades, but recent events demonstrate that the threat is real. READ MORE

She posted a video of herself singing in the car with her child. Then Meta's AI questions started

Kalie Robins was driving along with one of her daughters in the back seat of her car last week, the two of them singing a song together. She posted the video to Instagram, with her child's face concealed so she isn't identifiable — or so she thought.

Robins doesn't usually watch her videos after she posts them, she says, but she got an email from Meta about a copyright notification. Since she had music playing in the video, she says, it flagged the song. She went back to look at the video and when she scrolled down she saw the prompt from Meta AI appended:

"Who's the child passenger?" it asked. READ MORE

CMOs Are Disappearing From the Fortune 500. A Top VC Is Betting They Matter More Than Ever

Only 36 percent of Fortune 500 companies still use the chief marketing officer title, according to Forrester’s latest analysis. Marketing executives currently sit on the executive team or report to the CEO at just 52 percent of Fortune 500 companies, making 2026 the third consecutive year of decline.

As legacy enterprises fold marketing into revenue, growth, and operations roles, Silicon Valley is placing the opposite bet. Erik Torenberg, a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, recently posted a hiring call for a CMO to “own the narrative for the a16z portfolio and firm.” READ MORE

Zuckerberg, Musk make plea at G20 for more AI data centers

Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk on Tuesday stressed the need for more AI data centers and the electric power needed to support them at a meeting of G20 technology ministers focused on the disruptions and opportunity brought by artificial intelligence.

The US tech bosses spoke virtually at a G20 meeting in Chapel Hill, North Carolina organized by the White House, which is dedicated to keeping the AI revolution largely free of government rules and scrutiny. READ MORE

Employees discuss why they quit their jobs only a few days (or hours) in

You did everything you needed to do. You ensured your resume follows ATS guidelines. You completed not one, not two, but three different interviews. Don't forget the technical assessment! You alerted your references promptly, and then subsequently received your offer.

On your first day, it becomes glaringly apparent: This place stinks, and so does the role you fought tooth and nail to get. What now? Well, nobody's forcing you to stay, so you quit. READ MORE

Manager lets employees take same day PTO, take naps, and watch TikToks: 'His staff shows up for him because he shows up for them'

A great manager has enough faith in their employees that they can avoid micromanaging. Only a supervisor who doubts their employees' talents ends up micromanaging them, and it almost always brings about poor results. They become the type of manager who never lets their team go un-active on Teams, or who wants to be notified every time they use the restroom or take a snack break. It's inundating the manager with meaningless messages, all while treating the employees like children.  READ MORE

Scientists reveal laser internet breakthrough that hits 98% fidelity in open air

Transmitting data through the air often comes with a key problem: under a barrage of turbulent atmospheric conditions like wind and heat, the data can become distorted and corrupted, requiring great effort to piece it back together. It's a big obstacle for long-distance internet and communications providers, yet a team of researchers think they've just solved this puzzle — and it could have massive implications for how you send data to and from your devices. READ MORE

Designer Creates World’s Most Hideous Hawaiian Shirt to Hide From AI-Surveillance Cameras

While some privacy advocates are content to saw down camera towers, one artist is pushing back against the panopticon with an unconventional tool: the ugliest aloha shirt you’ve ever seen.

Freshly reported by Dezeen, German designer Simon Weckert designed the hideous shirt to be untraceable to AI-integrated surveillance systems. Using a dizzying blend of colors and patterns, the shirt is ugly precisely because it’s designed to confuse surveillance algorithms — as Weckert explained, it’s the “interplay” of ghastly colors and shapes that hide its wearer from detection. READ MORE

Data centers’ ‘oh s--t’ moment

The intensifying late-summer backlash against data centers is inspiring panic among some corners of the tech sector — amid fears that the industry is mishandling a political crisis that will stretch into 2028 and beyond.

Those worries have deepened in recent weeks as politicians across the political spectrum embraced various curbs on data center construction, with Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, potential Democratic White House hopeful Josh Shapiro and Michigan GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers being among the latest to sign on. READ MORE

OpenAI talent exodus raises ‘huge red flag’ ahead of IPO

When OpenAI hired Denise Dresser from Slack to be its chief revenue officer in December, Fidji Simo, a top-ranking executive, said in a blog post that Dresser’s “experience will help us make AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere.”

Four months later, Dresser took on added responsibilities when operating chief Brad Lightcap left that position for a new role focused on “special projects.” READ MORE

Financial stress forces 38% of workers to miss work

Employers may have an incentive to help workers build emergency savings as financial strain increasingly spills into attendance, productivity and retention, according to new research from workplace emergency savings provider SecureSave.

More than one-third of workers (38%) said financial challenges caused them to miss work during the previous six months, according to SecureSave’s 2026 Financial Stress Survey. Another 28% said a financial emergency negatively affected their job performance. READ MORE

'A new era of workplace sabotage': Employees really aren't happy with being forced back to the office

New research has claimed that "a new era of workplace sabotage" is seeing workers fight back against unfair policies, particularly when it comes to return to office (RTO) mandates.

The report from Enhancv found nearly three-quarters (72%) of workers suspect RTO as being a way to bring in stealth layoffs via attrition of those employees unwilling to compromise on their working arrangements. READ MORE

How Data Centers Broke American Politics

Joe Allen wants to know what the robot’s name is. At first, I think the double whiskey we downed at the hotel bar must be getting to him, as he sprints like a kid at recess toward a delivery vehicle. I’m anxious about the time: I’m supposed to be driving Allen to the airport, my Hail Mary effort to get him alone for a proper conversation before he leaves Atlanta. READ MORE

The AI Industry Has Acted So Badly That It’s Now Dealing With a Huge Wave of Hatred

The tech overlords pushing the AI boom are quickly wearing out what little welcome they had.

You may have noticed big-name AI labs pushing new commercials lately. Meta's new 60-second ad spot insists that the "future is for everyone," even as CEO Mark Zuckerberg's personal net worth eclipses the GDP of Hungary. Anthropic's new commercial for Claude assures viewers that there's "hope in hard questions," seemingly embracing the discomfort that comes when your software is used to bomb elementary schools in Iran. READ MORE

After Losing 40% Of His Net Worth In A Month, Elon Musk Attempts To Raise $4 Billion For Another Company

Elon Musk has just had the worst month of his financial life. His net worth fell from a peak of roughly $1.32 trillion to about $832 billion over the course of a month, a decline of roughly 37%, or about $500 billion, according to Benzinga’s tracking. While the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ticks backward at the fastest pace ever recorded for a single individual, Musk is quietly raising money for the company almost no one talks about. READ MORE