Things are pretty stupid out there, but don’t you ever think they can’t get stupider still.
asserted
they → think → ?
Take the massive Triumphal Arch that our Napoleon-idolizing president wants to build at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.
asserted
president → take → Cemetery
The arch, Trump announced yesterday, is a simple arch no longer: He now intends to make it “a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal arch, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage.”
asserted
it → announce → storage
Trump’s thinking here, as with his East Wing ballroom, is that the courts will be more deferential in letting him build his arch if he can claim it’s needed for a national security reason.
uncertain
it → let → reason
We don’t know whether the appropriate response is to laugh or cry—depends on whether the courts swallow it, we suppose.
asserted
we → know → it
Bill, Ben, and Sam are off for Yom Kippur today—we wish an easy fast and a meaningful holiday to all who observe.
asserted
who → wish → all
Nobody Wants ‘Supreme Intelligence’
by Andrew Egger
I’m going to keep banging this drum: It isn’t the most important issue in politics yet, but when it comes to AI, Donald Trump is handing Democrats an absolutely massive opportunity.
asserted
Trump → want → opportunity
On Friday, I reported on a new poll suggesting Americans already realize that Trump is way out of step with their priorities on AI development.
asserted
Trump → report → development
By a margin of 76 percent to 12 percent, the Tavern Research poll found, Americans want to see the country prioritize AI safety over rapid AI innovation.
asserted
country → find → innovation
Trump, by contrast, is increasingly dug in on the opposite approach—insisting that a “STRONG AND SMART” president is the only “guardrails” AI safety requires while haranguing anyone who thinks development is going too fast as a coward or a commie.
asserted
development → dig → coward
This major disconnect is already coming through loud and clear to voters, and they don’t like what they see: Only 19 percent of those polled by Tavern Research said they approve of Trump’s approach to AI, with 52 percent disapproving.
That’s a terrible spread on the issue—and yet I don’t think Trump has even bottomed out.
asserted
Trump → come → issue
In fact, the full contours of Trump’s uniquely insane approach to AI are only just coming into focus.
asserted
contours → come → focus
For a year now, Trump’s basic AI outlook has been simple, reflective of both his usual zero-sum mentality and the hawks who have his ear: We have to develop AI as fast as we can, both because it’ll be—he hopes—a money-printing machine and because if we slow down we risk losing to China.
asserted
we → have → China
At the policy level, this boosterism mostly meant squelching attempts to regulate AI at the federal and state level and cheerleading for the data center buildout across the country.
asserted
boosterism → mean → country
Until recently, the potential fissure between Trump and voters has mostly stayed in the realm of the boring policy paper.
asserted
fissure → stay → paper
Opposition to data centers is real, but it’s also a decentralized infrastructure issue—not the sort of thing that seems likely to drive national political realignment.
asserted
that → ’ → realignment
Only in the last few weeks has the national AI conversation begun catching up to the existential questions that have been rattling the AI-development field for years: What will happen if AI companies do develop superintelligent AI systems?
asserted
companies → begin → systems
Will AI kill us all?
asserted
AI → kill → us
Most Americans look at that possible future with loathing and foreboding.
asserted
Americans → look → loathing
Donald Trump, by contrast, seems almost comically excited about it.
asserted
Trump → seem → it
“Many people think that the words ‘Artificial Intelligence’ are inaccurate, and very ineloquent, relative to AI, or Artificial Intelligence,” the president mused on Truth Social on Saturday.
asserted
president → think → Saturday
It’s hard to imagine how the public could be made to like AI even less.
uncertain
public → ’ → AI
But the president openly cheerleading our speedrun to a future where we are governed by “SUPREME INTELLIGENCE” could probably do it.
uncertain
we → cheerlead → it
It certainly puts Trump’s call last month to “let Data Reign” in a new and more sinister light.
asserted
Data → put → light
Trump’s economic instinct is always the same: Let business leaders do whatever they want, so long as they’re willing to bend the knee personally to me.
asserted
they → let → me
Apparently, his hubris extends far enough to include superintelligent AI agents.
asserted
hubris → extend → agents
In much the same way that he truly believes Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if he were president, Trump genuinely seems to think a misaligned AI won’t dare to act up as long as he’s around.
asserted
he → believe → Ukraine
As with so many other issues, Trump is hurt here by his total abandonment of actual populist voices in his ear during his return trip to the presidency.
asserted
Trump → hurt → presidency
Once upon a time, the Tucker Carlsons and Steve Bannons of the world would have been a persistent whine in Trump’s ear suggesting that he meet the people where they are on charged issues like this.
asserted
they → suggest → this
Instead, Trump has seemingly been totally captured by tech industry voices—so much so that he thinks he can persuade the American people that they’re just not looking on the bright side of the Great Robot Replacement.
asserted
they → capture → Replacement
But the Great Robot Replacement isn’t actually something anybody wants.
asserted
anybody → want → ?
If the last few weeks are any indication, anxieties around superintelligent AI are only going to continue to grow.
asserted
anxieties → go → AI
Democrats should push the issue as hard as they can.
asserted
they → push → issue
What’s the Matter with Kansas’s Senators?…
asserted
Matter → ’ → Senators
They’re tied to Trump’s anchor, writes MONA CHAREN.
asserted
CHAREN → tie → anchor
Russia’s Sloppy Spies Cross a Deadly Line…
asserted
Spies → cross → Line
Putin’s operatives allegedly plotted an assassination near Washington.
uncertain
operatives → plot → Washington
CATHY YOUNG asks: Will Donald Trump even care?
asserted
Trump → ask → ?
Trump’s plan for his arch includes drones and snipers.
asserted
plan → include → drones
WILL SALETAN and SAM STEIN break it down on Bulwark+ Takes.
asserted
SALETAN → break → Takes
…and 31 more, not listed.
The Aporia
