Artificial intelligence could create a ‘modern-day Reichstag fire’: leading expert

Although there have been past panics about the dangers that come with the advance of new technology, artificial intelligence is an entirely different animal that has the ability to distort humans’ basic sense of reality.

That’s according to a leading AI researcher, who told The Atlantic’s Matteo Wong “that the apparent AI revolution could not only provide a new weapon to propagandists, as social media did earlier this century, but entirely reshape the historiographic terrain, perhaps laying the groundwork for a modern-day Reichstag fire.”

The emergence of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot that reportedly can pass law school tests, figures to be a powerful tool for those seeking to propagate disinformation.

Horvitz told The Atlantic that bad actors could use “deepfakes on a timeline intermixed with real events to build a story.”

READ MORE: Jim Jordan stumbles big time desperately seeking imagined ‘deep state’ whistleblowers

A woman died after she was run over while trying to help someone who was stuck in the snow in Big Bear, California, ABC7 in Los Angeles reported.

The family of Barbie Hughes says details about the incident, which happened on Feb. 25, are scarce but it’s currently under investigation.

“About my beautiful daughter Barbie Hughes. She was the light of my life, she was funny, silly, she was so kind to every person she met and she was an amazing cook,” her mother said.

“We are still in shock of her passing. We appreciate every story from people she knew. The outpouring of love and support from people in our community and all across the country is heartwarming and difficult for us to comprehend the impact she made on people she touched.”

A GoFundMe has been created by her family to help pay for any expenses related to her death.

“She was taken from us too young and we’d like to have as many people join us in celebrating her life as we are able,” read a description on the GoFundMe.

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough pounced on House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-OH) Friday over a Fox News interview he gave where he completely mischaracterized comments made by Attorney General Merrick Garland to lawmakers on the status of the Hunter Biden investigation.

During his testimony, Garland stated that he pledged to stay out of the investigation of President Joe Biden’s son and that he was standing by his promise.

Comer promptly went on Fox and told host Maria Bartiromo that the attorney general was sending a message that the Biden case was a very big deal.

“What is your reaction to Garland saying he is staying out of it,” Bartiromo asked.

“Looks to me like he is in the middle of it, ” the Kentucky Republican bizarrely replied. “The fact that he continues to say that he is staying out of it, that could be said, be interpreted as a code word for don’t this, it’s too hot.”

He then added, “So this is another example of a two-tier system of justice in America; if you are politically connected to officials at the highest level you’re going to get by, if not you will be sitting in a jail cell rotting somewhere.”

After watching the clip, “Morning Joe” host Scarborough started in on Comer, exclaiming, “First of all, the stupidity.”

Mocking Comer’s drawl, he mimicked the GOP lawmaker saying, “‘Well, the fact he didn’t say that he was involved means he was involved.'”

“That is like debating a third grader,” he continued. “Here is the guy talking about the two tiers of system of justice and sits back quietly and supports Donald Trump year after year after year after year. Again, it is almost like … you know, why even respond to it? It is just such a joke. It’s almost as if they forget that other people will hear this stuff besides the very small circle of people.”

“By the way, he is on a woman’s show who Fox kept on the air after they admitted she was participating in peddling falsehoods that she knew were false,” he added.

Watch the video at this link.

MSNBC 03 03 2023 08 00 30

Two Black workers for the electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian argue in a pair of federal lawsuits that HR officials at their plant in Normal, Illinois brushed aside their complaints about racist abuse from coworkers and superiors, WGLT reported this week.

“The first plaintiff was a contracted employee through MacLellan Services, Rivian’s custodial services contractor. His lawsuit is against Rivian ‘doing business as’ MacLellan Services,” reported Ryan Denham. “The first plaintiff claimed a co-worker called him the N-word, and that another co-worker said, ‘That’s not going to work, Buckwheat,’ after he made a mistake during training. He also claimed his ‘team lead’ made an ‘ignorant, racially motivated’ comments to him.” When he reported the abuse to his supervisor, an HR rep told him to “just ignore the racist and offensive comments being made toward him” and urged him not to “take it to heart,” according to the lawsuit, and no discliplinary action was taken against the perpetrators.

“The second plaintiff said he was hired by Rivian through Arrow Talent Management, a staffing agency. His lawsuit is against both Rivian and Arrow. His exact role at Rivian and Arrow was unclear Thursday,” said the report.

According to this plaintiff, his supervisor called him the N-word when a tool broke while he was using it, and the worker was fired after reporting the incident.

Both lawsuits are being litigated by the same attorney.

Rivian, which manufacturers electric trucks, SUVs, and vans, is already subject to a separate sexual harassment lawsuit that was filed last September, by a female employee who alleges she was harassed and groped by coworkers “multiple times.” The company is trying to quash the lawsuit and force the matter into private arbitration, despite Congress passing a law last year prohibiting forced arbitration in sexual harassment cases. Rivian argues that because the alleged harassment happened before that law took effect, the employee doesn’t retroactively gain the right to file a lawsuit.

Rivian is not the only automaker that has faced allegations of a discriminatory work culture. Last year, California filed a civil rights lawsuit against electric car giant Tesla, alleging that their plant in Fremont is effectively “racially segregated” because of a rampant hostile work environment and systemic denials of equal pay and promotion opportunities to Black employees. Another former Tesla empoyee alleges in a separate suit that he was fired for reporting racial discrimination and safety violations.