James Martin

YouTube video by Theo Von Sam Altman | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #599

Yet more of Sam Altman fanning the flames of his own hype. This time comparing himself with Oppenheimer, no less (c. 34 mins). No matter how impressive the imminent GPT-5 is, it’ll still be a stochastic parrot. Consuming ever greater resources. So put a lid on it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYn8...

Shocking. The @ec.europa.eu / EU agreed to buy $750bn in (what will be predominantly fossil) US fuels AND give them $600bn more, and it’s called a victory because "only" a 15% tariff?!? It will increase our emissions and debt. Trump’s gangster strong arming tactics are working a treat flip.it/mv7LfW

Trump's AI Action Plan is a blueprint for dystopia The president is trying to give Silicon Valley nearly everything it wants — at a price.

Thought we were safe since the AI moratorium died? Niet. Trump’s AI Action Plan gives big tech whatever they want… as long as their systems aren’t "woke", i.e. don’t mention banned terms like "climate change". A chilling recap by @bcmerchant.bsky.social www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/trumps-ai-... 🥶🥶🥶

Thx @bcmerchant.bsky.social for flagging this essential study. We can’t quantify the environmental effects of big tech forcing us to use AI. Yet force us they do. Since when, as you rightly say, did ChatGPT’s success give them licence to force AI transcription into every f’ing GMeet or search?!

@hf.co why did you shut down HuggingChat? How else are non-developers supposed to be able to choose the most frugal AI models now? Search engine requests for "HuggingChat alternatives" all suggest ChatGPT first 😫😫😫

My pleasure Nitasha! The more of us raising flags about this, the better. Parents (especially) need to know…

French politicians in cahoots with pro-mass-agriculture lobby the FNSEA just voted in laws that are pro-bee-killing pesticides, amongst other ecological nightmares. We, the people, have fought back: a petition has now been signed over a million times, meaning a new parliamentary debate must happen 💪🏻

Abeilles

OPÉRATION « DU SEUM POUR L’INDUSTRIE AGROALIMENTAIRE »
Pétition contre la loi Duplomb.
À signer ici ➡️ petitions.assemblee-nationale.fr/initiatives/... ✍️

& thanks @nitasha.bsky.social for first bringing to my attention, via @parismarx.com’s Tech Won’t Save Us podcast, that this impact is now quantifiable 🙏🏻

Could AI Companions harm kids more than social media? I’m used to talking about the impact of tech and AI and the planet. 3x more energy consumption than before, 4x more water consumed and so on. But what if AI’s social harms were growing …

Twice as many kids in the UK use ChatGPT today than just two years ago. More vulnerable kids are four times more likely to become friends with AI companions. The tragic suicide of Sewell Setzer, caused by Character.AI, was not a one-off. More in my latest blogpost: bettertech.blog/2025/07/19/c...

Could AI Companions harm kids more than social media? I’m used to talking about the impact of tech and AI and the planet. 3x more energy consumption than before, 4x more water consumed and so on. But what if AI’s social harms were growing …

Typical Musk attention-grabbing. How many teens use X anyway? The broader trend is way more worrying: bettertech.blog/2025/07/19/c...

Pretty pleased with my first day running the Coldplay jumbotron.

Then they came for the satirists…

Ping @abeba.bsky.social 💪🏻

Great news on France’s national holiday, July 14: vive la revolution ! 💪🏻🇫🇷

Dr. Abeba Birhane was one of the few speakers - besides @sashamtl.bsky.social & @meredithmeredith.bsky.social - at the UN/ITU "AI for Good" conference to openly criticise big AI. Organisers cut references to big tech supporting genocide from her keynote. Her story: aial.ie/blog/2025-ai...

UN: big tech’s profiteering from genocide in Gaza is wrong

Google: (hold my beer and) the UN is antisemitic.

TL;DR: let us do what we want (including rolling back our previous promise to not use our tech for war) with zero accountability for the consequences. Same old shit, it just gets worse

Fully confirm, and its not just media sites. AI is killing web traffic as we speak

YouTube video by After Skool Is AI Apocalypse Inevitable? - Tristan Harris

Truly brilliant animated video from @centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com.web.brid.gy’s Tristan Harris on why AI boosterism isn’t inevitable, if we insist on taking a narrower, wiser and more restrained path. A must-watch & share ❤️🤖 youtu.be/86k8N4YsA7c

YouTube video by THEMattPope Oasis - Wonderwall (Live in Cardiff 4/7/25)

Done. Re. @stereogum.bsky.social, Liam joked "thanks for paying £40k" 😳. My fave rumours:
- Each brother rehearsed seperately
- They’re only paid the day after each show
- The tour is not insured, as it’s not insur-able

Ergo all those £40k’s vanish if the bros fall out 🙄
youtu.be/kMCRFRcmqoU?...

Haha excellent ! Une amie est passée à la radio pour dire à quel point elle a kiffé 🤷🏻‍♂️

Who to follow in responsible AI – July 2025 edition The GAFAM-powered ‘big AI’ hype train rolls inexorably on, crushing all in its path. Everyone? Not quite. Here’s who to follow for a more responsible take on artificial intelligen…

Who to follow in responsible AI? @sashamtl.bsky.social @meredithmeredith.bsky.social @louwelgryn.bsky.social @renshaolei.bsky.social @timnitgebru.bsky.social @karenhao.bsky.social
@centerforhumanetechnology.substack.com.web.brid.gy & many more, right here: bettertech.blog/2025/07/05/w...

Utterly sickening. Top Microsoft exec suggests people being fired from M$ - so that M$ can invest more in AI - use AI to find another job 🤢

France’s emissions barely dropped at all in Q1. And we just went through one of the country’s longest and worst heatwaves ever (15+ days) 😨

@firefox.com hey Firefox, just wondering why you acquired then killed Pocket, one of the most useful services on the entire internets? 😭

Chatbots Are Repeating Social Media’s Harms w/ Nitasha Tiku Épisode de l’émission · Tech Won't Save Us · 26/06/2025 · 54 min

86 minutes a day: what some are spending talking to AI chatbots like Chai, re. @nitasha.bsky.social - as much time as on Insta or YouTube, and close to TikTok. In other words, chatbots are the new social media. Thanks @parismarx.com for this chilling warning call podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/t...

Environment Variables Year Three Roundup Épisode de l’émission · Environment Variables · 26/06/2025 · 25 min

Flattered to feature in the best of year 3 episode of Environment Variables, the Green Software Foundation’s great podcast. Thx again @mrchrisadams.bsky.social for the opportunity and C Skipper for the editing! podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/e...

"AI for Good"? It only is if its benefits outweigh its harms. That it’s the name of a huge UN event next week is as such 🤔… with the exception of 1-2 excellent speakers like @meredithmeredith.bsky.social or @sashamtl.bsky.social. So, AI-washing, or truly beneficial? aiforgood.itu.int/summit25/spe...

Google’s emissions up 51% as AI electricity demand derails efforts to go green Google’s carbon emissions have soared by 51% since 2019 as artificial intelligence hampers the tech company’s efforts to go green.

It’s now the second year in a row that Google and Microsoft’s emissions have increased because of AI. And they still stick to their carbon neutrality/negativity objectives. (Big) AI is not a net positive for the environment. At least not yet… cc @sashamtl.bsky.social
pocket.co/share/b66e76...

Amen. Une poignée de banques françaises ont investi $50 milliards dans les énergies fossiles en 2024. EN 2024 😨 www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/wp-content/u...