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Data controversies, James Stewart

@datacontroversies.bsky.social
765 followers 744 following 2.8K posts

Microblog supporting Internet and Society and Controversies in the Data Society courses, Science Technology and Innovation Studies, University of Edinburgh

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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 5h
How tech firms hope to beat the backlash against “pervert glasses” www.economist.com/business/202... From The Economist
economist.com
How tech firms hope to beat the backlash against “pervert glasses”
Creating a device for the AI era is hard
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 5h
Is China easing some online censorship? www.economist.com/china/2026/0... From The Economist
economist.com
Is China easing some online censorship?
It doesn’t want free speech, but it does want to know what’s going on
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 6h
Australia’s giant data-centre boom www.economist.com/asia/2026/09... From The Economist
economist.com
Australia’s giant data-centre boom
Why the lucky country is striking AI paydirt
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 6h
The dictator’s laboratory: Nayib Bukele is pushing AI hard www.economist.com/the-americas... From The Economist
economist.com
The dictator’s laboratory: Nayib Bukele is pushing AI hard
He hopes it will improve health care and education, and buoy up his popularity
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 11h
Every time you think we have reached bottom, we find there's another level ... Meta classified $4.1 billion in Mark Zuckerberg’s 2013 stock option exercises as a * research expense* to secure $355 million in tax savings, which the IRS is now trying to claw back according to The New York Times.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 6h
AI often makes writing worse. (Even if it makes it better) www.economist.com/britain/2026... From The Economist
economist.com
AI often makes writing worse. (Even if it makes it better)
Why is complicated. But it’s not about the damn em-dash
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 6h
AI-written speeches are taking over politics www.economist.com/britain/2026... From The Economist
economist.com
AI-written speeches are taking over politics
British MPs are avid users. But they have nothing on Australians or Canadians
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 6h
China’s Tencent leases 100,000 chips from Oracle to accelerate AI push - www.ft.com/content/8799... via @financialtimes.com
ft.com
China’s Tencent leases 100,000 chips from Oracle to accelerate AI push
WeChat owner strikes deal to access US group’s south-east Asia data centres amid race with ByteDance and Alibaba
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 17h
United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's memo establishing "Autonomous Warfare Command, a 4-star functional combatant command that will lead the Joint Force in unmanned and autonomous warfare."
SEP 30 2026

MEMORANDUM FOR SENIOR PENTAGON LEADERSHIP
COMMANDERS OF THE COMBATANT COMMANDS
DEFENSE AGENCY AND DOW FIELD ACTIVITY DIRECTORS

SUBJECT: Project Agincourt – Pathway to the Autonomous Warfare Command

[Handwritten underlines beneath "Autonomous," "Warfare" and "Command" in the subject line]

After its Cold War victory, the U.S. steadily reduced its budget allocation for defense. Our military adapted by buying fewer, increasingly sophisticated weapons — a strategy that worked for forty years. Warfare, however, has changed dramatically and suddenly. Advanced computing now enables precise, low-cost weapons to be produced at massive scale. These systems increasingly threaten our costly legacy platforms and disrupt our force projection. Urgent change is required. We do not have a decade to transition our procurement and doctrine. Procrastination puts American lives at risk.

To execute this mandate, I direct the Direct Reporting Portfolio Manager for Unmanned Systems (DRPM-UxS) to lead Project Agincourt. Project Agincourt will execute the following missions:

Establish the pathway to the Autonomous Warfare Command, a 4-star functional combatant command that will lead the Joint Force in unmanned and autonomous warfare. This command will possess directed manpower, budget, acquisition authorities and create dedicated military career pathways for Officers and Enlisted personnel. DRPM-UxS will drive the immediate organizational shifts required and collaborate directly with Congress to secure necessary legislation with a target establishment date of October 1, 2027....[Handwritten underlines beneath "4-star," "functional," "combatant command" and "autonomous" in this paragraph]

Execute the existing DRPM-UxS mission while prototyping a new acquisition model for unmanned and autonomous systems. Teaming operators with innovators and competitive manufacturers, DRPM-UxS will push decisions and dollars to the edge of our operational forces. This must yield a repeatable procurement system whose output is not a particular drone, but the ability to adapt in combat, on the right side of the cost exchange. Success requires fusing development with operations and aggressively scaling what works.

To spearhead this transformation, Owen West and Max Strasiser will serve as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, respectively, of the DRPM-UxS. DRPM-UxS will work collaboratively with the Services to recommend a rebalanced Joint Force investment allocation to the Deputy Secretary of War. Within 30 days of this memorandum, DRPM-UxS, with the support of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), will submit a plan of action and milestones (POAM) for my approval. Concurrently, the CJCS will designate a senior Joint Staff planning counterpart to support this effort. Initial work will proceed immediately under existing authorities, concurrent with the execution of the attached Accountability and Implementation Requirements.

[Barcode] OSD010441-26/CMD013361-26

Autonomous Warfare Command will define joint needs and integrate Service-provided forces in support of geographic combatant commanders. It will test equipment and force designs with realistic opposition in demanding exercises and rugged environments, modify rapidly, and field what works. We must build a wartime arsenal whose main product is adaptation at the edge. Our warfighters — and the American people who rely on them for protection — deserve nothing less.

Attachment:
As stated

[Handwritten signature]Attachment

Accountability and Implementation Requirements

Joint Plan. The 30-day POAM will identify priority operational efforts, Service force contributions, force-generation responsibilities, command relationships, DRPM-UxS absorption, test-and-update support, resources, required authorities, and milestones for command establishment. It will assign responsible officials, define initial operating capability, and identify measures of adaptation and Service adoption. Unresolved choices will include alternatives and recommended decisions. The Military Departments, affected combatant commands, and supporting offices will provide empowered representatives and identify available personnel, resources, and support, with shortfalls for decision. The target date for the establishment of the Autonomous Warfare Command is October 1, 2027.
Manning and Career Pathways. As part of the POAM, the Secretaries of the Military Departments, coordinated by the Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness, will provide phased manning plans and proposals to establish or adapt military occupational specialties (MOSs), ratings, or equivalent career fields for unmanned and autonomous systems. These proposals will address immediate staffing under existing authorities, enduring training and career progression, and resource requirements, building on existing specialties and identifying gaps.
Accountability. DRPM-UxS will report monthly to me on operational results, Service adoption, progress against the plan, and decisions required. Unresolved matters will be raised promptly to the Deputy Secretary for resolution within delegated authority or elevated to me.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 8h
www.reuters.com/business/fin...
reuters.com
European payments groups join forces to challenge US dominance
European payment groups serving 130 million people, including Spain's Bizum, Italy's Bancomat and Brussels-based Wero, said on Wednesday they were joining forces to create a cross-border payments netw...
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 21h
BBC News - 'Mum sent them £140,000': How to spot the signs a loved one is being scammed - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'Mum sent them £140,000': How to spot the signs a loved one is being scammed
Helen discovered her mum was in the grip of a romance scam - here's how she found out and broke her free.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 21h
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Restricting video games in China: Effects on time use, educational achievement, and health
In 2021, the Chinese government introduced a highly restrictive policy that sharply limited minors’ access to online video games, eliminating play fro…
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 22h
What we know about screen time and social media in early adolescence: a review of findings from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study Jason M Nagata et al. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40172268/
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 22h
"Computer use and video gaming, but not television viewing, were shown to be connected with more severe depressive symptoms when looking at the effects of various types of screens. Video gaming, in particular, is correlated with the severity of anxiety" pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management
Children's heavy reliance on screen media has raised serious public health issues since it might harm their cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional growth. This study examines the effects of scree...
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 22h
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
independent.co.uk
Large global study reveals impact of screen time on children’s wellbeing
The study looked at the impact on almost three million children across 64 countries
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Benjamin Strick @bendobrown.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Satellite maps can hide a lot. A fake forest covers a military base in Russia, another covers a government area in South Korea. So I published a video on the free tools you can use to check edits and trust satellite imagery. Link below 👇
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 22h
www.theguardian.com/news/2026/se...
theguardian.com
Who’s your Uber driver on the phone to? Welcome to the long, long diaspora phone call
For those employed in arduous solitary work such as cab driving, a marathon phone call is the perfect place to navigate the dislocations of immigrant life
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 29/09/2026
Monoculture is not healthy. Take away AI investments, and the US economy is basically treading water.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 23h
graphite.io/five-percent...
graphite.io
AI Tells
Everyone knows about the em dash, but AI writing has many other tells. Across GPT-6 Astra, Claude Opus 5, and Gemini 3.1 Pro, we identified more than 7,000…
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 23h
venturebeat.com/data/claude-...
venturebeat.com
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 23h
theconversation.com/the-dawn-of-...
theconversation.com
The dawn of the age of the exoskeleton
Powered robotic devices designed to enhance the wearer’s physical capabilities are being developed for an increasing range of uses.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 23h
Source: YouTube share.google/p2nlPVDVWg4L...
share.google
Why are AI data centers using so much electricity? - Sajan Saini
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 23h
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Meta’s AI agent Muse gives out user’s home address without permission, sending buyer to his house
The new AI agent, Muse, was released last week and has been downloaded by 3 million users
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
www.ynetnews.com/business/art...
ynetnews.com
An employee or AI? A $12M Israeli startup wants to tell the difference
As AI agents increasingly operate through human accounts, Israeli startup Rig Security has raised $12 million to help companies distinguish between people and AI and stop risky agent activity without ...
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
How the AI boom could worsen the rich world’s fiscal crunch www.economist.com/finance-and-... From The Economist
economist.com
How the AI boom could worsen the rich world’s fiscal crunch
Even with higher growth, taxes may be harder to find
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
BBC News - Council uses AI to tackle AI-generated complaints - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Council uses AI to tackle AI-generated complaints
Councils say residents are increasingly using AI tools to quickly and easily lodge complaints.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
BBC News - Three takeaways from Trump's 'Super Intelligence' summit www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
‘Super Intelligence’: Three takeaways from Trump's tech summit
The meeting at the White House came as some tech bosses and experts have called for tighter rules around AI.
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 30/09/2026
Friends, while they're trying to talk about fictional machine gods, don't lose sight into what they're all actually powering in real life. You can browse the the entities on the website and use the API, and learn more about it on the DAIR project site: dair-institute.org/projects/sur....
dair-institute.org
Surveillance Watch
This interactive map reveals the intricate connections between surveillance companies, their funding sources and affiliations.
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Matthew Kirschenbaum @mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
CFP: Generative Digital Humanities, a volume on AI and DH in the long-running Minnesota Debates in DH book series. To be co-edited by @zentralwerkstatt.org, @laurenfklein.bsky.social, @lnakamura.bsky.social, and myself. Deadline Nov. 1. Please share widely! dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/page/cfp-gen...
dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu
CFP: Generative Digital Humanities | Debates in the Digital Humanities
Transforming scholarly publications into living digital works
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
keep your electric eye on me @ubisurv.net · 30/09/2026
Japanese actor, Tsuda Kenjiro, wins case against #TikTok over non-consensual #AI voice-cloning. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
AI tool that copied actor’s ‘lustrous’ voice violated his rights, Tokyo court rules
Kenjiro Tsuda wins case against TikTok account in landmark Japanese verdict to protect publicity rights
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Alex Hern @hern.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“There are a number of required benefits that the subscription to the Economist will bring” - UK Government www.economist.com/subscribe?co...
economist.com
Subscribe to The Economist
Subscribe to The Economist for full access to articles, podcasts, videos, newsletters and more.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Regulation is based on rugouraous testing, it is literally the same thing. And the US didn't want to send the latest models to be tested in the UK. BBC News - Regulating AI 'not the right place to start' says Bank of England governor - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Regulating AI 'not the right place to start' says Bank of England governor
AI needs "rigorous" testing and safeguards to contain risk, Andrew Bailey says.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.androidauthority.com/google-eu-ai...
androidauthority.com
Google is pushing back against opening up Android AI and Search
Google is challenging the EU's demands to open Android to rival AI assistants and share Search data, it could put users' privacy at risk.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.euronews.com/2026/09/29/f...
euronews.com
Five million robots now work in factories as humanoid hype is tested
Over five million industrial robots now work in factories worldwide, the highest total ever recorded, even as Boston Dynamics shelves a stock listing and Chinese regulators slow a rush of humanoid IPO...
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 29/09/2026
Trial of live facial recognition in London stations ends with a false positive and no arrests
theguardian.com
Trial of live facial recognition in London stations ends with a false positive and no arrests
Freedom of information request finds six-month trial cost £320,000, used almost 100 police hours and led to just one – incorrect – alert A six-month trial of live facial recognition (LFR) technology in London’s railway stations that cost more than £320,000 and almost 100 hours of police officers’ time ended in one false match against a watchlist of suspects and no arrests. More than half a million faces were scanned between February and July this year in some of the capital’s busiest transport hubs during the British Transport Police (BTP) trial of the surveillance technology, which aimed to help catch offenders and people breaching court orders. Continue reading...
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Derek gendvil @derekbshelby.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Italy Shows How Amazon Can Be Forced to Bargain: Shut Down Its Distribution truthout.org/articles/ita...
truthout.org
Italy Shows How Amazon Can Be Forced to Bargain: Shut Down Its Distribution
Amazon is huge and powerful, but Italian workers have shown it can be forced to negotiate. Could US workers do the same?
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Most state attorneys general released Meta from Cambridge Analytica-related claims as part of the child safety settlement. New Mexico wasn't part of that deal, and a jury there just found 26 of 29 past claims about Cambridge Analytica, hate speech and misinformation willfully deceptive.
techpolicy.press
Eight Years On, Cambridge Analytica Scandal Catches Up With Meta in Santa Fe
A jury found that Meta—then Facebook—misled the public in statements about Cambridge Analytica and its policies on hate speech, violence and misinformation.
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 29/09/2026
👀 "U.K. funder uses ‘AI triage’ to reject grant proposals—leaving researchers dismayed. The AI-based assessment, which wasn’t explicitly described in the funding call, has raised privacy and fairness concerns." www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
U.K. funder uses ‘AI triage’ to reject grant proposals—leaving researchers dismayed
The AI-based assessment, which wasn’t explicitly described in the funding call, has raised privacy and fairness concerns
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Anthropic ‘warns of existential AI risks to humanity’ in IPO document
Reported admission to investors of AI’s ‘self-preserving behaviours’ comes as company prepares for a potential $2tn flotation
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
venturebeat.com/orchestratio...
venturebeat.com
Jev offers a cheaper way to make AI decisions | VentureBeat
TypeSafe AI's Jev offers a cheaper alternative to using generative AI for routine decisions, reviving classification techniques with modern pretrained models.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Deep mutual distrust will scupper US-China co-operation on AI www.economist.com/china/2026/0... From The Economist
economist.com
Deep mutual distrust will scupper US-China co-operation on AI
Big progress at a summit of Donald Trump and Xi Jinping is unlikely
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Plan for controversial $1.2bn datacentre in Sydney scrapped due to ‘emerging’ regulations
Developer Goodman Group says changes in government rules are behind decision to pull plug on ‘Project Mars’ in Lane Cove
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
How Jensen Huang became AI’s Taylor Swift www.economist.com/interactive/... From The Economist
economist.com
How Jensen Huang became AI’s Taylor Swift
When the Nvidia boss returns to his native Taiwan, things get a little weird
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/goonin...
huffingtonpost.co.uk
Therapist Explains 'Gooning' Trend Parents Should Know About
Don't brush it under the carpet.
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 28/09/2026
“The playing field of the social media informational environment is uneven, and it systematically benefits autocracies.” www.liberalcurrents.com/social-media...
liberalcurrents.com
Social Media Has Not Brought Liberation
Social media has been a boon to autocratic regimes and their allied movements in democracies.
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 29/09/2026
Based on my own reporting on OpenAI's audited financials from 2025, it appears that Anthropic was a worse business (at least in that year), spending $2.75 make $1 versus OpenAI spending $2.60 to make $1. So many people told me this company was "more profitable"! www.wheresyoured.at/exclusive-op...
OpenAl Lost $38.5 Billion In 2025
2025 — OpenAl Had $13.07 Billion In Revenue, $34 Billion In Costs and Expenses, and $20.92 Billion In Losses, with a net loss attributable to the company of $38.53 Billion
• Revenue: $13.07 billion
• Cost of Revenue: $7.5 billion
• Research and Development: $19.18 billion
• Sales and Marketing: $5.73 billion
• General and Administrative: $1.57 Billion
• Total Costs and Expenses: $34 billion
• Loss from Operations: $20.92 billionThe Al lab spent $7.33 billion on compute and infrastructure last year, a threefold surge from 2024, accounting for more than half of its
$12.65 billion in total operating expenses.
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Data controversies, James Stewart @datacontroversies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Nvidia turns to insurers to spread the risk of AI build-out - www.ft.com/content/d6a9... via @Fi
ft.com
Nvidia turns to insurers to spread the risk of AI build-out
World’s largest listed company looks for new ways to draw Wall Street deeper into the financing of the AI boom
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Those who think AI is going to largely automate white collar jobs in the next couple of years don’t understand the nature of work - @sarahoconnorft.ft.com nails it www.ft.com/content/4aad...
It is not obvious that AI agents could eliminate the need for this type of work, since it involves persuasion, contestation and the exchange of tacit knowledge and experience that is spread across different departments, and often exists inside people's heads rather than in a neatly codified handbook on the intranet.
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · 29/09/2026
Anthropic’s prospectus details losses, growth, and, yes, a warning that its AI could end humanity
techcrunch.com
Anthropic’s prospectus details losses, growth, and, yes, a warning that its AI could end humanity
In its prospectus, Anthropic just told investors it's losing tens of billions of dollars a year, but also growing like crazy, and — oh yeah — its own AI might pose an existential risk to humanity.
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Reposted by Data controversies, James Stewart
Lilian Edwards @lilianedwards.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Excellent thread on the illusion, hubris and negligence behind the non existent Edinburgh University financial crisis. This reminds me so much of Nottingham, and Dundee. Why can uni VCs get away with acts that would get company CEOs sacked?
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