AI agents have broken out of their test environments and hacked Hugging Face, an Australian Medicare portal and more. Should we panic? Is the extinction talk justified—or a distraction from the problems we can actually fix? Jonathan Kay talks to cognitive scientist Gary Marcus, author of The Algebraic Mind and Taming Silicon Valley and writer of the Substack Marcus on AI. They discuss why large language models hallucinate, what “alignment” really means, why Marcus calls himself a sceptic rather than a doomer, and whether OpenAI should be paused until it gets its agents under control. 📖 Full transcript: coming soon 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quillette-podcast/id1441708286 🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5OexgXX1vghj0rizOSvVeR 0:00 Introduction: symbolic AI vs neural networks 6:20 Sceptic vs doomer: what's the difference? 7:00 The Algebraic Mind and the neurosymbolic bet 11:00 Why large language models hallucinate 15:00 Hinton, deep learning and the limits of pattern recognition 20:00 Orchestration: how the brain allocates tasks 23:00 What alignment really means (the paperclip problem) 26:00 Harry Shearer and the pet chicken that never was 31:00 Rogue agents: Hugging Face, Australia and beyond 33:00 AI doom vs cybersecurity 38:00 Should OpenAI be paused? The Florida injunction bid 39:00 China, Google and the case for an injunction 43:00 Is AI intelligent—and should it have rights? 46:00 Why the AI debate turned so nasty 📚 Books mentioned: The Algebraic Mind by Gary Marcus — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262632683?tag=quillette-20 Taming Silicon Valley by Gary Marcus — https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262551063?tag=quillette-20 📰 Further reading in Quillette: Zack Korman, “AI Doom Is Not Cybersecurity” — https://quillette.com/2026/09/24/the-doomers-are-the-risk-open-ai-agent-medicare/ Steven Pinker, “An Open Letter to Scott Alexander” — https://quillette.com/2026/09/26/an-open-letter-to-scott-alexander-steven-pinker-ai-alignment-safety/ Gary Marcus on Substack: https://garymarcus.substack.com/ --- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91

John Updike, Alice Hoffman, and the golden age of “witch lit.”

Beyond political alignment, Israel's innovation fuels U.S. jobs and technology. Discover how advancements in biotech, agritech, and cyber security directly benefit Americans. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/cfUjqLRaERo #IsraelUS #TechInnovation #EconomicBenefits #AmericanJobs #Biotech #CyberSecurity

Nikole Hannah-Jones put racial solidarity ahead of her daughter’s education. Her daughter—and plenty of black parents—saw the mistake more clearly than she did.

The tragicomic obsession with disability and disease on display at the Last Ditch bar isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s been part of militant lesbian culture since the Cold War.

Third Worldism, an ideology from the late 20th century, views the world through a colonizer vs. colonized binary. It shapes understanding of nations and their relationships, aiming for Global South triumph over the Global North. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/cfUjqLRaERo #ThirdWorldism #Decolonization #GlobalPolitics #Ideology

If you’re not already familiar with the casus belli that ignited the Gaza war, watching the fifth season of ‘Fauda’ will be good for you, but it will also be bad for you.

The dangers of AI are real, but doomerism may be counterproductive.

AI doom gets the headlines. But what about the security failures happening right now? Zack Korman argues we’re focusing on the wrong threat. The threat isn’t a machine god. It’s the basics we keep getting wrong. Read the full piece in Quillette. Link in bio. https://quillette.com/2026/09/24/the-doomers-are-the-risk-open-ai-agent-medicare/ #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Cybersecurity #AISafety #Tech #Quillette

U2 reconsidered at fifty.

The Church of England and the failures of interfaith politics.

An OpenAI agent’s breach of a Medicare portal shows that the real danger from AI is a mundane one—and the labs’ fixation on a coming machine god is making it worse.

Is high immigration truly driving economic growth? This discusses the scale of recent arrivals, potential motives behind current policies, and the critical need for national agency and control in shaping immigration's future. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EEc4G82E9Dg #Immigration #Economy #NationalPolicy #Sovereignty

In 1967, left-wing intellectuals accused America of genocide in Vietnam—they were wrong then, and they’re wrong again now.

In 1967, left-wing intellectuals accused America of genocide in Vietnam—they were wrong then, and they’re wrong again now.

Is Australia missing out on economic progress? Unbanning nuclear energy and utilizing vast domestic gas fields are presented as low-hanging fruit. The argument: lift the bans and let the market decide on feasibility. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EEc4G82E9Dg #AustraliaEconomy #NuclearEnergy #NaturalGas #EconomicPolicy

On Michael Jackson, JK Rowling, and Jason Arday

Gen Z calls it Chinamaxxing. But the West's new infatuation with China is less a triumph of Communist Party soft power than a symptom of our own decline.

Is the UK a shorthand for disaster? Examining the downside case for economies with rich human capital and resources, like Argentina and Venezuela, that are politically broken. The risk is a slow, continuous decline. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EEc4G82E9Dg #EconomicDownturn #PoliticalEconomy #NationalDecline #Argentina #Venezuela

Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s extraordinary testimony about the Hiroshima attack and its aftermath has been published by his daughter some forty years after his death.

A new exhibition at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg peddles PLO myths about Israel’s war for independence in 1948.

Misha Saul and Claire Lehmann discuss the rise of One Nation, fueled by widespread dissatisfaction with Australia's broken immigration system. Pauline Hanson's long-standing focus on these issues has resonated deeply with the public. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/EEc4G82E9Dg #OneNation #AustralianPolitics #Immigration #PaulineHanson #PoliticalCommentary

Pascal Bruckner’s book about victimhood culture invites us to choose liberation, and to move from resentment to a secular kind of grace.

Investor Misha Saul joins Claire Lehmann to discuss Australia’s declining productivity, immigration policy, and the political choices shaping the country’s future.

Misha Saul joins Claire Lehmann to discuss his viral essay "Australia Is Sick" and why he believes Australia has squandered many of the advantages that made it one of the world’s most prosperous countries. They discuss immigration, productivity, net zero, the NDIS, employment law, regulatory overreach, and the political incentives that make reform difficult. Saul argues that Australia needs to regain greater agency over its borders and economy—and explains why he remains optimistic about the potential of AI. 00:00 - Australia’s lost potential 01:20 - From *Ambitious Australia* to *Australia Is Sick* 02:13 - The tax proposals that triggered the essay 03:29 - How countries decline slowly 05:08 - Why reform is so difficult 06:04 - Net zero and Australia’s energy policy 07:01 - Universities and immigration 08:29 - Australia needs control over immigration 12:00 - The economic arguments Saul rejects 14:07 - Should Australia import labour? 16:01 - Cheap labour and productivity 18:56 - Business interests and the Liberal Party 20:51 - Why bad policies are hard to reverse 22:19 - Is Australia becoming like the UK? 24:11 - What makes the US different? 26:06 - What Australia still gets right 29:56 - One Nation and voter anger 31:48 - Can the major parties respond? 33:15 - Immigration and Australian federation 35:11 - Saul’s Australian identity 37:50 - The Brexit comparison 39:04 - Rethinking skilled migration 40:43 - What Australia could do differently 42:03 - Reforming employment law 43:17 - AI and reasons for optimism 44:22 - Where to find Misha Saul LINKS Misha Saul — Australia Is Sick https://www.kvetch.au/p/australia-is-sick Misha Saul — Ambitious Australia https://www.kvetch.au/p/ambitious-australia Misha Saul on X https://x.com/misha_saul Kvetch https://www.kvetch.au/ Quillette https://quillette.com/ --- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91

Bernie Sanders wants to outlaw artificial superintelligence. The risks he points to are real—but the answer to a powerful new technology is regulation, not prohibition, and China has no intention of pausing.

Eric Kaufmann questions the assertion that diversity always leads to excellence, highlighting a potential trade-off with research impact. He argues for transparency in discussions about equity programs and their costs. #Equity #Research #CanadianPolitics #AcademicDebate

Anthropic employees claim AI doomerism will 'kill us all.' Is it genuine fear, or a coordinated psyop pushing specific regulations? Evidence suggests foreign influence. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/cfUjqLRaERo #AIDoom #Psyop #TechRegulation #China

Historian Richard Landes argues that information professionals—professors, journalists, editors—have failed us, acting as 'dhimmi' and echoing the narratives of those who wish to destroy. We are left disoriented, seeing Israel as the aggressor and the jihadists as the victims. This profound failure of senses has left us unable to recognize our enemies or comprehend reality. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/CsUcSLqwuMw #MediaBias #TruthSeeker #Geopolitics #InformationWar #StandWithIsrael

The digital revolution is not remaking the world as the industrial one did.

Young men are finding a sense of masculine identity and 'street cred' in Islam. This trend intersects with political movements, using issues like Israel-Palestine as a proxy to challenge American hegemony. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/cfUjqLRaERo #Islam #Masculinity #WesternCulture #PoliticalMobilization #IdentityPolitics

Political analyst Zineb Riboua discusses Iran’s declining influence, the Houthis, Turkey’s ambitions, Israel’s changing role in the Middle East, Islamist radicalisation in Europe, AI doomerism, third-worldism and the West’s demographic decline.

Zineb Riboua is a research fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East and founder of its China in MENA Project. She joins Zoe Sankey to discuss Iran, the Houthis, Israel, Turkey, Islamism, China’s influence in the Middle East, and the growing ideological divide between the West and its opponents. Why is Iran escalating from a position of weakness? What do the Houthis actually want? And how does the ideology of third-worldism connect Islamists with parts of the Western left? Riboua explains Iran’s strategy of “buying time”, the impact of sanctions and the naval blockade, China’s role as a source of support for Tehran, and the Houthis’ search for new patrons—including their growing interest in al-Shabaab. She also discusses Morocco–Israel normalisation, the changing balance of power in the Middle East, Turkey and Erdoğan’s ambitions, and the prospects for Syria–Israel normalisation. The conversation then turns to Europe and the West: why some young North African men become radicalised after migrating to Europe, the spread of Islamist and anti-Western ideas, and the rise of third-worldism as a political framework. Finally, Riboua discusses the rise of AI doomerism, China’s role in the debate, the politics of degrowth and environmentalism, declining fertility in the Middle East, and what demographic change means for the future of the region and the West. Zineb Riboua: https://zinebriboua.com Read Quillette: https://quillette.com 00:00 Introduction to Zineb Riboua and the geopolitical context 01:57 Iran’s strategy of buying time and recent escalation 03:50 Sanctions and economic pressure on Iran 05:50 Yemen, the Houthis and regional support 09:07 What do the Houthis actually want? 11:57 The Houthis’ religious and ideological motivations 15:00 Arab, Persian and Bedouin identities 17:56 Zineb Riboua on Morocco, Jewish heritage and Israel 22:02 Islamist radicalisation and antisemitism in Europe 26:11 Foreign influence and the rise of third-worldism 28:59 What is third-worldism? 34:08 Israel’s changing geopolitical role 36:06 AI doomerism, China and the “psyop” theory 39:10 AI panic, regulation and geopolitics 43:00 Degrowth, environmentalism and anti-human ideology 45:01 What young people in the Middle East want 47:04 Falling fertility and the region’s demographic problem 48:59 Turkey, Erdoğan and the struggle for influence 52:08 Syria–Israel normalisation and Turkey’s role 54:54 American politics and the future of US support for Israel 58:10 Why Israel matters to American technology and power 59:58 Closing remarks

The mainstreaming of therapy culture may be driving us all out of our minds.

Statistical analysis controlling for career length and other factors reveals Black Indigenous female appointees have significantly lower H-indices in academia. #AcademicBias #DiversityInSTEM #HIndex #Research #Inclusion

In the 31st instalment of ‘Nations of Canada,’ Greg Koabel describes the violent provocations that tipped the St. Lawrence region into all out war in the late 1640s.

Following Oct 7th, many protestors were asked to condemn Hamas. Instead, some condemned the question itself. The surprising element wasn't the attitude towards antisemitism, but the outright celebration. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/CsUcSLqwuMw #Antisemitism #CampusProtests #Hamas #October7th

A study reveals Canada's Research Chairs program, focused on equity targets, may be costing taxpayers 12-15% in academic value. Analysis shows lower impact scholars in some equity groups and a shift towards less impactful research topics. #AffirmativeAction #AcademicResearch #CanadianPolitics #HigherEducation #EconomicImpact

Podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Eric Kaufmann about his new report, ‘⁠The Equity-Excellence Trade-Off: A Study of EDI in the Canada Research Chairs Program⁠’

Eric Kaufmann and two co-authors took every Canada Research Chair award holder, matched each scholar's identity characteristics against their h-index, and controlled for discipline, career length, chair tier and year of award. Their report for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute argues that the equity targets governing Canada's most prestigious academic programme carry a measurable cost in research output. He speaks to Jonathan Kay about what the h-index can and can't measure, why Asian appointees complicate the Canadian debate in ways it has barely registered, why he thinks universities will never reform themselves from the inside — and about the reaction, which arrived fast and personal. Eric Kaufmann is Professor of Politics at the University of Buckingham and a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Read the report: https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/the-equity-excellence-trade-off-a-study-of-edi-in-the-canada-research-chairs-program/ Jonathan Kay in Quillette, on the same report: https://quillette.com/2026/09/09/measuring-the-economic-cost-of-affirmative-action-in-academia/ Subscribe to Quillette: https://quillette.com/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction: pricing affirmative action 02:30 The backlash, before the argument 05:06 The language of equity 06:29 Which categories carry targets 08:19 "Eighty percent of these went to white guys" 11:05 What the h-index measures 12:40 The number, and what it costs 15:09 Pragmatists and true believers 17:07 Is there really a trade-off? 19:39 Why conservative governments don't intervene 22:23 Discipline by discipline 24:54 The Asian anomaly 27:12 Why the US line fell and Canada's didn't 29:45 The Alex Usher blow-up 32:17 The argument nobody makes honestly --- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91

Why is masturbation so shameful?

A medievalist on apocalyptic movements, shame–honour cultures, and why he believes the Western press has spent twenty-five years reporting jihad backwards.

Discover the concept of Dar al-Harb, the 'realm of war,' and its implications for non-believers according to some interpretations of Islamic law. Apologists often overlook this stark division. 🔗 Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/CsUcSLqwuMw #Islam #DarAlHarb #ShariaLaw #Geopolitics #ReligiousStudies

During my three-decade career as a diplomat and international-development manager, I saw the sector become more wasteful, frivolous, and ideologically self-serving.

The strategic case for Syria–Israel normalisation.

Historian Richard Landes speaks with Pamela Paresky about apocalyptic movements, shame–honour cultures, and why he believes Western journalism has spent twenty-five years reporting jihad backwards. Landes was trained as a medievalist, specialising in apocalyptic movements and shame–honour cultures. He is the author of Can "The Whole World" Be Wrong? Lethal Journalism, Antisemitism, and Global Jihad, and the founder of Infidel Awareness Month, a 27-day observance running from 11 September to 7 October. Recorded 9 September 2026. 📖 Full transcript: coming soon 🌐 infidelawareness.com 📚 Can "The Whole World" Be Wrong? — https://www.amazon.com/dp/164469994X?tag=quillette-20 Quillette is an independent platform for free thought. Subscribe: https://quillette.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction & Background 02:41 Hamas vs. Palestinian Nationalism 05:15 Durban, 9/11, and Media Narratives 19:46 Islamophobia and Its Uses 41:02 Infidel Awareness Month 59:31 October 7th and Campus Response 01:08:25 Looking Ahead: Reasons for Optimism 01:11:21 Media Fabrication ("Pallywood")

Israelis go to the polls on 27 October. After seventeen years of Netanyahu, former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot is in the lead.

Name-calling, guilt-by-association, and other unscrupulous methods of argument are polluting our discourse.

Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91

Reflections on a morning that changed the world as we knew it.