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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · 7d

There may not be a moment to come where the AI bubble 'bursts', even though this sector increasingly looks like it's built on quicksand, with our lives and livelihoods increasingly tied up in backstopping the future of a technology that still has yet to prove it can compete on the merits.

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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · 7d

What worries me the most is that we're seeing regulators derisk the portfolios of companies that have made hugely otherwise risky bets on very capital intensive technology. Less like a moonshot, more like a night out at the slot machines with an advance on next month's paycheck.

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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · 7d

I've been feeling a little bit crazy reading the news lately about what's going on in the AI market and what it means for the economy at large. So I'm grateful I got to knit the threads together with @alixdunn.com last week.

Alix Dunn @alixdunn.com · 7d

I don’t want AI companies to get a bailout. I said this to @smw.bsky.social of @ainowinstitute.bsky.social last week, and she said they already were being bailed out. We sat down to talk about it in our first full-form video interview here:
youtu.be/WvN1wQ_CBlY?...

Are AI Companies Cooking the Books? w/ Sarah Myers West

YouTube video by The Maybe

youtu.be

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Reposted by Sarah Myers West

kate brennan @kate-brennan.bsky.social · 27d

In today’s Senate Commerce Hearing the White House endorsed support for federal preemption of state AI laws. The fight against preemption did not disappear with the moratorium—in fact, Sen. Cruz introduced a bill today putting us directly on the path to preemption. A thread on its risks below: 🧵

Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · Jun 10

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s recent Times op-ed on AI regulation seems like a reasonable middle ground. But it is also a reminder of a threat on the horizon: an industry-scripted federal standard that would effectively eclipse state legislation, write Kate Brennan, Sarah Myers West, and Amba Kak.

The Storm Clouds Looming Past the State Moratorium: Weak Regulation is as Bad as None | TechPolicy.Press

Blind trust in the benevolence of AI firms is not an option, write AI Now Institute's Kate Brennan, Sarah Myers West, and Amba Kak.

www.techpolicy.press

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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · 28d

Oracle is among the latest firms to announce major layoff rounds due to AI - I spoke to @marketplace.org about why shortchanging staff talent is a misplaced gamble: www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...

AI is costing jobs, but not always the way you think

Companies making the biggest investments in AI are spending less elsewhere.

www.marketplace.org

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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · 29d

Last week, @smw.bsky.social spoke at @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social about the AI arms race and mythologies around AGI. "If policymakers are hinging significant decision making on pursuit of AGI and foregoing near term concerns, that's a risky and irresponsible bet."

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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · 29d

New census bureau data shows that the rate of AI adoption by corporations is now in decline - rough news for OpenAI, whose capital expenditure projections are now at an astonishing *$80 billion* above prior estimates:

gizmodo.com/ai-adoption-...

AI Use at Large Companies Is in Decline, Census Bureau Says

A dip in corporate AI adoption isn't a great sign for an industry hellbent on world domination.

gizmodo.com

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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · Sep 8

Really thrilled about the recognition of Heidy's pathbreaking and deeply necessary work - first in TIME #AI100 and now in MIT Tech Review. Wait till you see what she's cooking up next!

Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف) @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social · Sep 8

Being recognised in MIT's 35 Under 35 just a week after being in TIME100 AI is such an honour! The profile gets to the heart of the motivation of my work, which includes the use of AI in Gaza that has contributed to a devastating death toll: www.technologyreview.com/innovator/he...

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AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · Sep 5

Today at 10:30am ET, the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social
is hosting a conversation with @smw.bsky.social, Kemba Walden, Jayshree Ullal, and others exploring the tech and trust relationships that shape global AI infrastructure.

Watch the livestream here: www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/truth-...

Truth and trust in the AI supply chain

Artificial intelligence experts explore resilience and governance frameworks in the AI supply chain.

www.atlanticcouncil.org

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Reposted by Sarah Myers West

Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · Aug 27

Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 Episode 61 “Winning the Race to Hell”

www.buzzsprout.com/2126417/epis...

in which AI Now Institute’s @kate-brennan.bsky.social and @smw.bsky.social join me and @alexhanna.bsky.social to wade through the muck that is Trump’s AI Action Plan

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Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · Aug 14

NEW: DOGE affiliate Chris Sweet has developed an AI tool that is being used to rapidly slash government regulations, according to details of a meeting reviewed by @wired.com. Scoop by me: www.wired.com/story/sweetr...

A DOGE AI Tool Called SweetREX Is Coming to Slash US Government Regulation

Named for its developer, an undergrad who took leave from UChicago to become a DOGE affiliate, a new AI tool automates the review of federal regulations and flags rules it thinks can be eliminated.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Sarah Myers West

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · Aug 13

You have at least four new stops in the llm/ai pipeline: service provider, inference provider, model owner, and infrastructure provider. I wish they would prove that each of these are not just secure for users but that data is being used ethically at each stop!

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David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · Aug 7

Only two industries in America are thriving: Big Banks and Big Tech. And they both appear to want only one industry in America to thrive. So they're taking each other on in a series of regulatory fights. From me:
prospect.org/power/2025-0...

Silicon Valley Godzilla vs. Wall Street Mothra

The only two sectors thriving in Trump’s economy are increasingly sparring with each other.

prospect.org

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Reposted by Sarah Myers West

Amos Toh @amostoh.bsky.social · Aug 4

A more comprehensive analysis for @brennancenter.org of how the Trump administration's latest AI policy could leave us more divided and less informed: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · Aug 6

An estimated 38% of the total corporate cash savings created by Trump and Republicans’ budget bill will flow to just four Big Tech companies: Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet.

Just so happens that each donated $1M to Trump’s inauguration.

Talk about a return on investment.

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🌶 David Gray Widder @davidthewid.bsky.social · Aug 6

📣🚨NEW: ☁️ Big Cloud—Google, Microsoft & Amazon—control two thirds of the cloud compute market. They’re getting rich off the AI gold rush.

In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵

📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...

The cover of the report, with dark blue title "How Big Cloud becomes Bigger" with "Bigger" in bold, and subtitle in light blue "Scrutinizing Google Microsoft and Amazon's investments", and light grey author line "David Gray Widder and Nathan Kim" on light grey page background with three clouds: white, dark grey, and very dark grey getting bigger and going towards the top right until they're off the page.

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Tamara Kneese @tamigraph.bsky.social · Aug 6

“Calling back to the tech boom of the mid-to-late 90s, investors have been asking about the possibility that this investment cycle for data centres could be a bubble”

Huge props to the person who created this graphic for FT lmao

What’ll happen if we spend nearly $3tn on data centres no one needs?

Nineties adults remember

www.ft.com

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · Jul 31

A reminder about the importance of healthcare to every single state

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

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Reposted by Sarah Myers West

Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · Jul 31

Senate Approps proposes a $400 million increase to the NIH budget, pushing back on the by $18 billion (40%) decrease proposed in the President's budget. Watch this space.

Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · Jul 31

I’ll take every bit of good news I can get. “Senators from both parties endorsed a $400 million increase to the budget of the National Institutes of Health… in an Appropriations Committee vote that represents a clear rebuke of President Trump’s plan to dramatically reduce the agency’s spending.”

Senate committee endorses NIH budget increase, rebuking Trump administration’s proposed 40% cut

Senators from both parties endorsed a $400 million increase to the budget of the National Institutes of Health on Thursday

www.statnews.com

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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · Jul 31

And for a deeper dive read @hellobrittparis.bsky.social excellent piece in Academe: academeblog.org/2025/07/22/f...

Fighting Weaponized AI in Higher Education

BY BRITT S. PARIS, LINDSAY WEINBERG, AND EMMA MAY Tomorrow, July 23, the Trump administration plans to release an “AI action plan” that reflects the White House’s priorities for expanding the…

academeblog.org

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Sarah Myers West @smw.bsky.social · Jul 31

The evidence on AI’s failures in the classroom is why the AAUP’s latest report on AI in higher education calls for faculty control in AI decisions - read their survey here: www.aaup.org/news/new-rep...

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MediaJustice @mediajustice.bsky.social · Jul 30

HAPPENING TODAY at 6PM ET | 3PM PT:

Join us, @smw.bsky.social with @ainowinstitute.bsky.social. and Sharon Lewis with CT Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice as we break down how Trump's AI action plan threatens to accelerate harms to our people and climate.
bit.ly/our-techfuture

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MediaJustice @mediajustice.bsky.social · Jul 24

We’re featuring @smw.bsky.social, Co-ED at @ainowinstitute.bsky.social, and more‬, who will discuss the implications of Trump's AI plan and how we can fight back.

Join us 7/30 at 6PM ET by registering today ⬇️

MediaJustice @mediajustice.bsky.social · Jul 24

Trump's new #AIActionPlan threatens to expand the surveillance and criminalization of our people under the guise of “innovation.”

We’re breaking down what this means and how we can resist next WEDS, 7/30 at 6PM ET | 3PM PT,
bit.ly/our-techfuture

The final graphic for our webinar states in the center. "Join the call to find out who is behind Trump's AI Action Plan?" Trump is stylistically crossed out. In the lower righthand corner shows two composed images of protestors against Elon Musk. Toward the left is the date and final details of our webinar: "July 30, 6PM ET. Register for free." Finally our bit.ly link is below: "bit.ly/our-techfuture"

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The Verge @theverge.com · Jul 23

Trump wanted to break up Nvidia — but then its CEO won him over

“What the hell is Nvidia?” Trump recalls asking.

buff.ly

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Sam Biddle @sambiddle.com · Jul 23

NEW: U.S. Border Patrol says it needs "advanced AI" to "identify and track suspicious activity in urban environment[s]" and "dense residential areas," according to a presentation document I obtained theintercept.com/2025/07/23/c...

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