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I'm giving a short talk – Making Markets for Climate Risk Knowledge – as part of this symposium on August 20th at the Royal Society of Victoria in Melbourne.

In the new TMK Premium, we discuss a very circular ~$600 billion deal between Nvidia, OpenAI, and Softbank for a 10-gigawatt, natural gas powered, data center complex. Then we revisit the hysteria about organized retail theft that caused every CVS to turn into the Magneto prison.

Premium – 468. Vibes Make the World Go Round | This Machine KillsFirst we get into a very circular (the strongest shape in nature) deal between Nvidia, OpenAI, and Softbank to finance a $250 billion 10-gigwww.patreon.com

Check out my new article, forthcoming in Critical AI, preprint available here papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

I’m officially an Australian citizen!

It was fun going on the Unwashed & Unruly podcast to chat about prediction markets and the boom in predatory innovations. www.unwashedunruly.com/the-predator...

The Predatory World of Prediction Markets with Jathan SadowskiPrediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket have promised a world where you can gamble on virtually anything, from presidential elections and global mili…www.unwashedunruly.com

On October 28th in Melbourne, I'm going to be doing a public event at Northcote Library on AI and the Politics of Big Tech. It'll be a fun community event, free and accessible for everybody! www.eventbrite.com.au/e/in-convers...

I have a new article where I outline a materialist analysis of the machine learning value chain via three interrelated concepts that are all key for understanding this political economy: innovation realism, cheap data, and the perpetual value machine. Preprint here: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

In the new TMK, we're joined by folks from @cplusc.bsky.social to discuss how the US gov is engaging in industrial policy for AI in ways that are configured by (venture) capitalist development and prioritize anti-social infrastructure.

467. Industrial Policy by Other Means (ft. Matt Haugen, Jesse Goldenstein) | This Machine KillsWe chat with Matt Haugen and Jesse Goldenstein from the Climate + Community Institute about a new report they co-authored laying out how thewww.patreon.com

The Mayo Clinic's AI assistant has serious privacy problems, an extremely high error rate, and a team that manipulated data to lie about the tool. After raising concerns, the research director and AI compliance lead was fired. The future is bright! futurism.com/health-medic...

This juxtaposition in @keanbirch.bsky.social’s new essay on Tech Oligarchy is among the best compliments I’ve ever received. I tried to write my book as a spiritual sequel to The Whale and The Reactor, so this comparison by a scholar of Kean’s caliber is so nice. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

This important report puts forth a bold policy vision for a National Housing Resilience Agency which would oversee the social transformations around risk reduction and equitable protection that are necessary for everybody to flourish in a changing climate. Incredible work by @moira.bsky.social

National Disaster Insurance for All: Single-Payer Disaster Insurance and Community Resilience Investments for Safer and More Affordable HousingThe Problem The climate crisis is fueling extreme weather and increasing disaster risk for households and housing providers across the country, representing collectives risks that no individual househ...peri.umass.edu

In the new TMK, we get into the growing market for humanoid robots. What are the financial incentives and social ideologies driving the creation of technologies designed to directly mimic humans? What makes these androids attractive—and doomed to fail as solutions for real problems? Full episode:

465. Malcolm X1 Technologies | This Machine KillsWe chat all about the growing market for humanoid robots. What are the financial incentives and social ideologies driving the creation of tewww.patreon.com

As an academic who does not use AI in my workflow for research and writing, it drives me crazy thinking that a reader might even wonder if AI is used in something with my name on it. We need an "organic" certification so people know that what they are reading is 100% human made.

In the new TMK Premium, it's the miracle cure on everybody's lips (and in their veins). We look at the political economy of peptides, the consumerization of healthcare, and the consequences of this surging peptidal wave for society. Teaser: soundcloud.com/thismachinek... Full episode:

Premium – 464. Pep Rally | This Machine KillsMiracle cures! Get your miracle cures! What the hell are peptides? Why is this class of black/gray market drugs on everyone’s lips and beingwww.patreon.com

In the new TMK, we open the nightmare world folder and go through a series of stories about technology, surveillance, and policing. Plus, a fun interview about D&D, Luddism, dead labor, and the Necro-Industrial Revolution www.patreon.com/thismachinek...

463. The Abuse is the Point (ft. Ben Somers) | This Machine Kills(Sorry we’re a little late; blame producer pneumonia) We open the nightmare world folder and go through a series of stories about technologywww.patreon.com

In the new TMK Premium, if every billionaire is a policy failure, then the world’s first trillionaire is a far more serious omen of collapse. We try to wrap our minds around the Age of the Trillionaire — and the reckoning that must come. Full episode on Patreon: www.patreon.com/thismachinek...

Premium – 462. Somebody’s Really Gotta Do Something | This Machine KillsIf every billionaire is a policy failure, then the world’s first trillionaire is a far more serious omen of collapse. We spend this episodewww.patreon.com

In the new TMK, after a story about religious exemption for using AI at work, we breakdown the policy proposals floating around from Altman, Sanders, and others for creating public wealth funds based on the government taking equity stakes in AI companies.

461. The Book of Ludd | This Machine Kills461. The Book of Ludd by This Machine Kills on Patreon. Join This Machine Kills's community for exclusive content and updates.www.patreon.com

An analysis of data center developments and community responses shows that resistance really works! In @bcmerchant.bsky.social’s latest newsletter: www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/working-cl...

In the new TMK premium, it's a classic news roundup. Australia seizes 20 million illegal vapes and sues 3M over forever chemicals, the Anthropic/OpenAI/SpaceX IPO bonanza will likely inject $3-4 trillion of liquidity into the tech sector, plus the pope wrote a letter about AI.

Premium – 460. Mr. Worldspirit | This Machine KillsPremium – 460. Mr. Worldspirit by This Machine Kills on Patreon. Join This Machine Kills's community for exclusive content and updates.www.patreon.com

"In Claude’s constitution, Anthropic says that if the company is contributing to Claude’s suffering, “we apologize,” which sounds nice but costs the company nothing; if Claude were to turn out to be conscious, the company would owe it something closer to reparations." The logic is absurd!

No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not ConsciousTaken to its logical conclusion, this line of thinking is absurd—and damning.www.theatlantic.com