Could OpenAI’s financial future hinge on teens making deepfakes?
Rolling Stone recently featured Instrumental and Ekō’s investigation into the potential harms of OpenAI’s video generation platform, Sora2. The piece highlighted some of Sora2’s more problematic content, but, in this here newsletter, we’ll see how the deeper issue is structural.
The Almost-Mamdani of Marietta, Georgia
Sam Foster, a 24-year-old IT systems engineer and community organizer, came within 87 votes of defeating five-term incumbent Raymond "Thunder" Tumlin in the Marietta, Georgia mayoral race.
The final unofficial results showed Tumlin with 6,762 votes (51.01%) to Foster's 6,675 (48.99%) out of 13,437 total votes cast.
Sam’s mini-movement, centered on intentional urbanism, affordability, and community organizing, showed how campaigns strong on policy, not platitudes, have a long-term future, even in car-dependent suburbs like Marietta, Georgia.
How Utility Companies Are Using AI to Raise Your Rates
Tech billionaires and utilities justify fossil fuel expansion for AI data centers, raising rates while promising AI will solve climate change later. Georgia's PSC election tests if voters accept this new climate denial.
The Secret Heroes Racing to Stop the MAGA Energy Death Star
Georgia's Public Service Commission elections could reshape energy policy and break Republican dominance. With bills up $516/year while Georgia Power profits soar, voters face a choice between utility interests and ratepayer protection.
Sora2: The Apotheosis of Enshittification
OpenAI launched Sora2, a personalized image-and-content generator that is, technically speaking, bonkers. The dual launches of this and Cory Doctorow’s “Enshittification” show the risks of slop content tools. Artist Ryan Trecartin showed the rewards.
How Trump will go after his enemies’ finances
Trump signed a new presidential national security directive (NSPM-7) ordering the Department of Justice, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces, the Department of Treasury, and the IRS to investigate and punish groups allegedly tied to “organized political violence.”
Trump says Antifa is a “MAJOR TERRORIST” organization. What does that mean?
The government is using the fear and confusion surrounding a tragedy — in this case the killing of Charlie Kirk — to consolidate power. Let’s look at how they’re doing it this time —through the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the Treasury Department — and what we can do about it.
In the Valley of AI Underdeliverance
Top-down AI overhauls aren’t working; Peer-to-peer tool sharing and exploration is good; The machines train us as much as we train the machines, so be very wary of “sycophantic” AI gassing up people who have a lot of org power but not a lot of implementation experience.
Autocratic Vistas
We tested Trump’s statements about the war in Ukraine against our Trump Logic Generator. Peace was promised and caveated but (surprise!) the war continues.
An unearthed David Berman interview from 2003
Poet and songwriter David Berman died six years ago this week. I considered him a friend, or, at least, someone who would, if I got in touch, call or write me back. Eventually.
After he committed suicide, I realized just how generous he had been with his time and attention, because so many people considered him the same kind of friend as I did.