By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/09/2026Once you understand the corporate culture of AI hyperscalers is everyone cooking their brains by locking themselves in the bathroom, holding flashlights under their chins, and saying "Aaaaaaaaaay Eyeeeeeee" until they wet themselves in terror, things snap into focus: pluralistic.net/2023/06/04/a...12:23 PM · Sep 12, 2026 231182429
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/09/2026If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this thread to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog: pluralistic.net/2026/09/12/g...pluralistic.net 116022
Derek Gray @derekgray.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netI think they brought in auto-numbering just for you 🤣 1250
mobtownweb.bsky.social @mobtownweb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.net CALLINGALLOUTLAWS: GEMSTAR-1 IS LIVEWe built **GemStar-1**—a lightning-fast, local-first semantic project context engine running on FastAPI, AzurePostgreSQL, and OpenAI embeddings right from the metal (127.0.0.1:8000). It indexes and retrieves exact project memory instantly, mobtownweb@outlook.com 010
Blank Jimmy @theblankgeneration.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netTo be fair, they're mostly cooking their brains on Ketamine, and ADHD meds. The flashlights come AFTER the drugs... 0100
Clayton’s account @csalem.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netI was in a training with one of these company’s employees. They kept gushing about how much they could get done with the tool and at one point said they neglected their wife because they would lose time that could be working. Weird thing to say to your trainees 1190
Stefan E. Jones @stefanejones.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netSend proof that you are not an AI lulling us into a sense of complacency.static.klipy.comBluey with a BandageALT: Bluey with a Bandage 110
Charlie @abstrusination.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netThat blurb is almost poetry! 000
Richard Heppner 🤷🏼♂️ @rlheppner.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netI mean, the “making it exponentially easier for bad, stupid people to cause lots of damage” aspect is scary enough. Especially since the existence of bad, stupid people seems like a really hard problem to fix. 170
Jennifer Yvette Brown @jenniferyvette.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.net➡️ “Garbage in, garbage out” is the iron law of computing, and machine learning doesn’t repeal it. ⬅️ 051
Chad Denton @reluctantlychad.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netThank you especially for bringing up and making comparisons to the EternalBlue incident. Even though it's recent history I completely forgot about it. 081
jayne @jayneh.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netThis is excellent! I'm going to recommend your new book for my non-fiction book club. Thank you. 010
Darcy DiNucci @darcydinucci.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netThe makers are by definition true believers in creating a super intelligence (or why would they work there) seeing super intelligence in what they’re creating. I’ve been gobsmacked by so many people’s automatic framing of the LLM’s actions as “wants,” “fear,” “sneakiness” instead of logic. 040
Joqatana @joqatana.bsky.social · 12/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netDid you actually post an AI generated picture to prove how bad AI is? Please explain this to me in Vulcan 000
The Waitress Is Practicing Politics @joyceturiskylie.bsky.social · 13/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netBought this book this week and thought of you. It’s WAY bigger than I thought it would be! But if I could get thru “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds” years ago… Thank you!!!!!! 000
Rich @richholl.com · 13/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.net@doctorow.pluralistic.net your wordsmithery is unmatched 001
Bumplas.buleski @bumplas.bsky.social · 13/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netNick Land's Numograms and Roko's IA Basilisk are both based upon ... time travels. It is so funny that Trump 2.0 state-of-mind is also based in both bullshits. It's bullshit upon bullshit upon bullshit...an humongous pile of bullshit. 011
🇨🇦 thimbles.bsky.social 🇨🇦 @thimbles.bsky.social · 14/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netThis is a good thread about how these guys are going about letting everyone know how their businesses present an existential threat to every man and flower, necessitating government oversight, but don't want pesky government oversight. bsky.app/profile/dave... You'd think they shouldn't bring it up.Dave Karpf@davekarpf.bsky.socialAnthropic is paying average employees $400-$500K. The top-tier engineers can make nine figures at Anthropic or a competitor. Third-party evaluators are either going to be a revolving door to the industry, or they'll be utterly outmatched. You can't solve this without a lot of government action. 001
🎃 🕯️ Monica Valentinelli is Sipping Tea. 🐈⬛ ☕ @booksofm.com · 14/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netI mean, Cory. Are you writing this horror-comedy story? Because I'd read that. ;-) 000
tryg72.bsky.social @tryg72.bsky.social · 14/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netYou created a strawman to defeat a non threat? Why not be honest? 000
Olly Jr. @ollyjr.bsky.social · 14/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netThis part, which we have all been living with and suffering through for years now and has profoundly screwed with the quality of everyday life, is so huge and sadly has become accepted as “just how things are” and not seen for what it is — utterly sociopathic behavior on the part of these companies 14713
Temple Drake @templedrake.bsky.social · 15/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netThat was excellent Cory. Thank you. 000
Liverpool Comrade ☭ @liverpoolcomrade.bsky.social · 17/09/2026↪ Replying to @doctorow.pluralistic.netHypothetical future harms are a great way to distract from the present day actual harms. 000