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Nathan Hamiel

@nhamiel.bsky.social
770 followers 97 following 281 posts

Senior Director of Research. Black Hat Review Board Member (AI, ML, and DS track lead) and International public speaker. I focus on emerging technologies and risks at the intersection of humanity and tech. Hype Critic. My writing: perilous.tech

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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
OpenAI’s write-up of the incident reads more like a marketing document promoting a feature than an incident summary, while the quote from HuggingFace sounds more like someone accepting an award than someone who just got hacked. It’s a bit surreal.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I swear Teams is being developed by sadists trying to implement extra-clickmaxxing.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Nils and I will be at the AI Summit at Black Hat USA. This time, bringing half presentation and half hands-on labs focused on defending developer AI environments. See you in Vegas! blackhat.com/us-26/summit...
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
People are obsessed with data, even when that data doesn't lead to useful optimizations. They often don't consider how data can be detrimantal to the activity they are collecting it for. In this article, I look at how this even extends to people who read. perilous.tech/reading-data...
perilous.tech
Reading Data and Optimizing The Wrong Things - Perilous Tech
People love to utter phrases like “data is the new oil” or “data is the new gold.” When we hear these phrases, we immediately think of businesses and big
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Reorganizing some books this weekend and not sure how I ended up with two copies of Simulacra and Simulation.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
And not a moment too soon. Companies were being torn apart by the vulnpocalypse! 🙄 Overhyping these aspects has turned out to be a fantastic foot gun. The features they want to protect against are the most useful features of the model.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
This article has an error. What appears as addiction is actually dependence. These students’ brains are rewired by cognitive offloading, not by a chatbot's addictive design. Adding the friction back seems painful, so they fall back to using AI. futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
College Students Consumed by "Resignation and Despair" as They're Relentlessly Pressured to Use AI
A professor asked his students to share their anonymous thoughts on AI, revealing a a complicated and bleak picture.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Rarely does a news story hit me so hard and go straight to my heart 😆
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
This is what AI discourse feels like in 2026 😆
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
"A spokesman for KPMG International said the firm takes the accuracy and integrity of its published content seriously.” 🤣 Content and services continue to degrade around us every day. Are you feeling the AGI yet?
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Well, that was a pretty quick change. We didn't even need to wait 12 to 18 months🤣
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Still true today.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
AI won't make you irreplaceable. It might even do the opposite. In this post, I dissect the two most common AI phrases and provide some perspective on why you might not want to wave goodbye to your skills and become one of the faceless. #AI #Skills #Workforce perilous.tech/poor-advice-...
perilous.tech
Poor Advice From the Two Most Common AI Phrases - Perilous Tech
You’ve heard these two phrases uttered thousands of times. They creep into every conversation about AI and work, being mindlessly parroted as people nod in
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
"To the slop architect, execution, skills, and experience are secondary, bowing at the pedestal of ideas. The fact is, most ideas are ill-thought-out, half-baked, or just plain fucking stupid." perilous.tech/the-architec...
Meme about ideas after AI
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
I see we're doing this again.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
This take from Ed Zitron needs some tweaking. LLMs impress the non-writers who want to write, the non-coders who want to code, the researchers who simply want to boost their publication count, and the lawyers who’d rather be drinking.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
This may be a drop in the bucket for Google, bit it says a lot since it takes a lot for people switch. However, when a service continues to degrade with a slew of features nobody asked for, that's what happens. BTW, you still can't Google the word "disregard" in AI mode.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
The flip side is that with the guardrails removed, the models become more useful. Much of the commentary about the dangers here is overly sensational. The way guardrails are added to models is more like wrapping paper than a true protection mechanism anyway.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
This is a follow-up to my techno-communism post from last year. So many people talk about utopias or dystopias from the perspective of already being in them. What about the time leading up to them? This is what I call the dystopian lag. perilous.tech/the-ai-adjus...
perilous.tech
The AI Adjustment Bureau and the Dystopian Lag - Perilous Tech
Whenever people discuss utopias or dystopias, they thrust us right into the middle of them, but you find fewer people who talk about the transition period
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Pull out irony gun, point directly at foot. He started his own investigation? Wasn't that what writing the book was? Seriously, he had one job! 🤦‍♂️ Incidents like these are a lot more damaging than people think.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Nope, the singularity isn't 4 years away, but the shitularity is certainly already here.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
These predictions are always 12 to 18 months. That's because the timeframe is short enough to seem impactful, yet long enough for you to forget about the prediction after it doesn't happen.
Suleyman spouting BS again
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Ah, yes, "innovation." Please capture what's on my screen, what I say, and what I point at all so I can... do what exactly? It's obvious what Google gets, but what do I get for all this surveillance? Other than, zomg! My Ctrl-c has AI!!!
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Right on queue, the democratization of AI psychosis continues. Dawkins was hit by what I called local bias. He blew himself away with his experiment. perilous.tech/democratizin...
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Imagine having to pay a token ransom to keep your solutions functional. This may become a reality in the very near future. AI cost volatility is a new risk that must be factored into the calculus of AI use and the development of AI-powered solutions. kudelskisecurity.com/modern-ciso-...
kudelskisecurity.com
AI Cost Volatility: A New Risk for Security Leaders - Nathan Hamiel - Kudelski Security
Explore expert perspectives on cybersecurity, leadership, and emerging threats. The Modern CISO Blog delivers strategic insights for today’s security decision-makers.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Agents don't just hallucinate or create errors. They do so with action. If your design isn't robust against these inevitable failure modes, you're gonna have a bad time.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Okay, who made these icons? 😆 When I called out that the icons shouldn't be used, I was asked why. Upon realizing I'd have to explain, I said, "Forget it. They look great."
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Oh, great! Happy Friday, I guess.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
This article examines the democratization of AI psychosis and the capture of smart people by AI hype. A fascinating yet terrifying trend. We need to recognize when our perceptions of reality are warped, and it’s not as easy as it sounds. perilous.tech/democratizin...
perilous.tech
Democratizing AI Psychosis: Why Smart People Are Captured By AI Hype - Perilous Tech
For months now, I’ve been fascinated by seeing smart people completely captured by AI hype. The very people who should be pushing back against the hype are
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
What's happening with all of these price hikes and capability reductions in AI products? Influencers and "visionaries" have been telling us to plan for the price of intelligence to be zero! Apparently, subsidizing tokens while hemorrhaging money isn't a great business strategy.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Since I discuss risks and hype so much, there seems to be some confusion around my perspectives on AI. I’ve tried to document some of my thoughts here. I’m not a skeptic. I’m a critic. perilous.tech/my-perspecti...
perilous.tech
My Perspective On AI Advancement - Perilous Tech
Since this site focuses on risks and trade-offs rather than shiny, utopian use cases, there is some confusion about my thoughts on AI. Be it the AI of the
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Outrageous claims are made regarding AI and abundance. Claims so absurd that they have to be true, right? Well, other than the math not making sense, there are lessons we can learn about abundance from Napster. Because when things become free, they are worth nothing. perilous.tech/what-napster...
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Recently, there have been plenty of slot machine analogies applied to AI, but Jacques Ellul made this association back in the 1950s. He observed how humans participate less and less in technological creation and are reduced to mere catalysts.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
My cat says no conference calls today!
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
I may still write about this zero-introspection situation, but this is an excellent article. One omission is that many people attribute to skill what should be attributed to chance. "You’re a 15 second sliding context window." 😆 www.theverge.com/tldr/897566/...
theverge.com
Marc Andreessen is a philosophical zombie
A quasi-scientific polemic.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
People are losing their jobs to AI, not because of its capabilities, but because of the mere idea of AI. Companies that AI-wash layoffs see short-term gains, but these may translate into long-term losses. Let the great AI washing begin. perilous.tech/the-great-ai...
perilous.tech
The Great AI Washing and the Mere Idea of AI - Perilous Tech
The cool thing right now seems to be to tell the world you are reducing headcount because of AI, regardless of the reason. Although not a recent development,
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Time is closing in. The Black Hat USA CFP closes this Friday. For the AI track, we are looking for offensive, defensive, and applied topics. Let's see what you got! Let me know if you have any questions. blackhat.com/call-for-pap...
blackhat.com
Black Hat
Black Hat
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Does someone need to take Zuck's phone away from him? No nanna, that's not a real Nigerian prince!😆 gizmodo.com/mark-zuckerb...
gizmodo.com
Mark Zuckerberg Decides Meta Needs More Slop, Buys the Social Network for AI Agents
Because Facbook and Instagram don't have enough bots, apparently.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Seneca said that the excellence of mind cannot be borrowed or bought. However, that’s exactly what’s being pitched with generative AI. In the end, we don’t get wisdom or AGI from turning books into statistics. perilous.tech/transforming...
perilous.tech
Transforming Books Into Statistics Won’t Bring Wisdom or AGI - Perilous Tech
Here’s a secret: turning books into statistics won’t bring AGI, cures for cancer, utopia, or any number of useful inventions that we are told are merely 12 to
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
The next few years will require vigilance and the ability to envision trade-offs even when no evidence of trade-offs is apparent. These are essential skills in a world that prioritizes dehumanization. This starts with not confusing innovation with progress. perilous.tech/confusing-in...
perilous.tech
Confusing Innovation With Progress - Perilous Tech
One mistake we continue to make, time and time again, is confusing innovation with progress. It’s true that in many cases, innovation is progress. We see the
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
We need to get much better at envisioning tradeoffs. A symbiosis with AI would mean that we would never know if a thought or memory we have is truly our own. It’s the end of private thoughts and the beginning of a whole new world of manipulation and unintended consequences.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Pretending we’ve achieved AGI and ignoring all of the issues is not an effective control when slapping generative AI into high-risk, safety-critical use cases. While many point to reliability and human responsibility in military use, many aren’t addressing the security aspects.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
I first met FX in the early 2000s. We had so many laughs, so many memories. Hell, during just one notorious hacker trip in 2009, there were enough memories to last a lifetime. He will be missed.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
The Black Hat USA call for papers is open. This will be our 6th year of having a dedicated AI track. If you have some interesting AI research, be it attacking, defending, or applying AI, we’d love to see it. Please let me know if you have any questions. blackhat.com/call-for-pap...
blackhat.com
Black Hat
Black Hat
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
The biggest hot take of the past few weeks is that software is dead. But is it really? Seems there are some fundamental realities not being considered. Regardless of success, software vulnerabilities will be absolutely everywhere. Welcome to the new reality. perilous.tech/the-death-of...
perilous.tech
The Death of Software Is Greatly Exaggerated - Perilous Tech
Social media is flooded with the same hot take: software is dead! Yup, that’s right, the world runs on software, but applications are either in the grave or
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
This Clinejection write-up is great, and I learned some things about GitHub actions caching, too. We experienced the same during our research for our Black Hat USA 2025 talk on attacking AI-powered developer productivity tools. adnanthekhan.com/posts/clinej...
adnanthekhan.com
Clinejection — Compromising Cline's Production Releases just by Prompting an Issue Triager | Adnan Khan - Security Research
Clinejection — Compromising Cline's Production Releases just by Prompting an Issue Triager - Security research by adnanthekhan
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
If there was a killer use case for this "powerful agentic experience," surely they'd be touting it. But instead we are sold the ability to do things we can already do, just with less security and privacy.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
I'll be speaking at Applied Machine Learning Days in Switzerland next week on the topic of AI Secure By Design. I discuss our AI Actor-based threat analysis method to simplify threat identification and get to value quickly.
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Proof that dudes will engineer systems burning hotter than the sun to avoid actually talking to women. Women, who I imagine are flocking in droves to this site 😆 This is going great! The crypto aspect is the icing on the cake. The trajectory is clear.
MoltMatch screenshot
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Nathan Hamiel @nhamiel.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Here we continue our technical write-ups of the exploitation of AI-powered developer productivity tools from Black Hat USA with Qodo. The takeaway here is that knowing prompt injection isn’t enough. kudelskisecurity.com/research/qod...
kudelskisecurity.com
How We Exploited Qodo: From a PR Comment to RCE and an AWS Admin Key - Leaked Twice - Kudelski Security Research Center
Jan 15, 2026 - Nils Amiet -
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