News of the week in our proto-apocalypse!
Image source: https://theasc.com/articles/total-recall-interplanetary-thriller
What particularly caught my attention this week is the coming out of journalists who are no longer journalists; they have completely delegated their minds to the plagiarism machine.
Some journalists no longer write their own texts and are proud of it. Others denounce them.
Loffhagen, E. (2026, 31 mars). The New York Times drops freelance journalist who used AI to write book review. The Guardian, Books. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/mar/31/the-new-york-times-drops-freelance-journalist-who-used-ai-to-write-book-review
Zeff, M. (2026, 26 mars). Meet the Tech Reporters Using AI to Help Write and Edit Their Stories. Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/tech-reporters-using-ai-write-edit-stories/
Foster, R. (2026, 1er avril). Who Goes AI? Today in Tabs. https://www.todayintabs.com/p/who-goes-ai
Kabas, M. (2026, 3 avril). Refusing to accept an AI-poisoned future of journalism. The Handbasket. https://www.thehandbasket.co/p/refusing-to-accept-big-tech-s-ai-poisoned-future-of-journalism
A study shows that the more generative AI you use, the worse your judgment.
Shaw, S. D. et Nave, G. (2026, 11 janvier). Thinking—Fast, Slow, and Artificial: How AI is Reshaping Human Reasoning and the Rise of Cognitive Surrender. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6097646
Scientific papers are contaminated by sources hallucinated by LLMs.
Naddaf, M. et Quill, E. (2026). Hallucinated citations are polluting the scientific literature. What can be done? Nature, 652(8108), 26‑29. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00969-z
The United States and Iran are also waging a propaganda war, or rather a slopaganda war, with videos generated by AI. A war where our eyes are the biggest losers.
Gault, M. (2026, 27 mars). Iran Is Winning the AI Slop Propaganda War. 404 Media. https://www.404media.co/iran-is-winning-the-ai-slop-propaganda-war/
Chatbot sycophancy negatively affects users by reducing their judgment.
Cheng, M., Lee, C., Khadpe, P., Yu, S., Han, D. et Jurafsky, D. (2026). Sycophantic AI decreases prosocial intentions and promotes dependence. Science, 391(6792), eaec8352. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aec8352
The decay of Open AI and Microsoft continues.
MacLeod, R. (2026, 2 avril). Humans, Human Problems, Go To Space. Aftermath. https://aftermath.site/artemis-outlook-space/
Liu, P. (2026, 31 mars). The Graveyard Of OpenAI’s Dead Products And Incomplete Deals. Forbes § Billionaires. https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2026/03/31/openai-graveyard-deals-and-products-havent-happened-openai/
Koebler, J. (2026, 25 mars). Disney’s Sora Disaster Shows AI Will Not Revolutionize Hollywood. 404 Media. https://www.404media.co/disneys-openai-sora-disaster-shows-ai-will-not-save-hollywood/
Generative AIs are built on the exploitation of African workers.
Arends, M. et Cleary, K. (2026, 25 mars). How AI Hype Masks the Exploitation of African Workers | TechPolicy.Press. https://www.techpolicy.press/how-ai-hype-masks-the-exploitation-of-african-workers/
Everyone hates Bluesky's AI project. "Attie" becomes one of the most blocked accounts on the platform.
Tangermann, V. (2026, 30 mars). Bluesky Users Respond With Overwhelming Disgust to Platform’s New AI. Futurism. https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/bluesky-users-disgust-new-ai
Another lawyer gets caught with his virtual pants down; his entire argument which was generated by an LLM, is an hallucination.
Lamontagne, N. T. (2026, 31 mars). Blâmé par une juge : un avocat réfère à des décisions fictives générées par l’IA. https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2026/03/31/blame-par-une-juge--un-avocat-soumet-a-la-cour-des-decisions-fictives-generees-par-lia
Learn about ridicule as praxis
Cole, S. (2026, 23 mars). Ridicule as Praxis (with Emily Bender and Alex Hanna). 404 Media. https://www.404media.co/ridicule-as-praxis-with-emily-bender-and-alex-hanna/
