'The weaponization of AI is just beginning'

A surveillance "Big Brother" eye is watching from behind the digital curtain of the American flag

AI's "encroachment into privacy will likely be justified by calls to protect national security," said Newsweek

(Image credit: Bjorn Bakstad / Getty Images)

published 22 July 2024

'The embrace between Big Tech and Big Government is growing tighter'

John Mac Ghlionn at Newsweek

With the appointment of retired General Paul Nakasone to its board, OpenAI made a major shift in "alignment toward national security issues, a development that should concern us all," says John Mac Ghlionn. Tech giants like Amazon, Google and Microsoft have "increasingly aligned themselves with governmental and military agendas under the guise of 'security' and 'keeping Americans safe.'" But in reality, these platforms have "gradually transformed into tools of surveillance and control."

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Yale Law's program has played a "vital role in legal conservatism," says Noah Feldman, producing Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh, plus Trump's VP candidate, J.D. Vance. "Admission to Yale was his main accomplishment when he wrote his best-selling memoir, 'Hillbilly Elegy,'" says Feldman. "It framed Vance as an effective source to 'explain' poor white politics" to the public. Yale Law is largely liberal, and these politicians' "rarity is doubtless one reason Yale Law conservatives ascend so quickly."

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has frequently fallen short of ensuring that approved drugs are effective, say Liam Bendicksen, Edward Cliff and Aaron S. Kesselheim. The FDA recently approved Elevidys to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but the "drug did not demonstrate a clear benefit for patients," and "giving full FDA validation to a drug with exceedingly limited and uncertain evidence of effectiveness exposes patients to substantial downsides."

Inflation dropped last month, but a "new villain has arrived on the scene. Call it 'climate inflation,'" says William S. Becker. "Anyone worried about rising costs of living … should be concerned." Last year, 28 weather disasters cost America $93 billion. But climate change will affect individuals too. As "historic heat waves" threaten Americans, says Becker, the "average price to cool a home will be $719 this summer, up 9% over last year." Extreme weather also raises the cost of food and home insurance and lowers the value of at-risk houses.

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Anya Jaremko-Greenwold has worked as a story editor at The Week since 2024. She previously worked at FLOOD Magazine, Woman's World, First for Women, DGO Magazine and BOMB Magazine. Anya's culture writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Jezebel, Vice and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others.