The research is freaking cool. But please, please, journalists and influencers, absorb this sentence: "Functional emotions...do not imply that LLMs have any subjective experience of emotions." We're moving into unfamiliar territory, and it's so important that we think clearly about it.
Amen to this. Actually, in a sane world the job should be unfillable, since anyone whose judgment permits them to accept the nomination, knowing what they're walking into, should be disqualified on that basis alone.
Hey Grok -- Can the president regulate elections by executive order?
"No, the U.S. President cannot regulate elections through executive order in any meaningful or binding way"
Thanks, Grok!
apnews.com/article/dona...
This is sad, but profoundly unsurprising. The good news is that IGs are directly accountable to Congress. So if Congress flips, it may become possible to get these crucial watchdogs back to work, whether the administration likes it or not.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/u...
I know we gotta do what we gotta do when it comes to geostrategy, but let's not ignore how our partners the UAE treat their own people. (“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” -- we're not immune)
time.com/article/2026...
Who is singing to me here? Does it matter, if you and I are listening together? When does AI use become parasocial? "We raise questions about our individual or national identity as part of the process of deciding...what we will try to become." -- Richard Rorty
www.showbiz411.com/2026/03/27/e...
I feel like this should be the lead story in every newspaper every day between now and the midterms.
protectdemocracy.org/executive-ov...
Here's a law for you: 18 U.S. Code § 1503. Prohibits using threats or force to influence, obstruct, or impede the due administration of justice, including threats against judicial officers. (Gah, just remembered -- This applies to everyone except the president.)
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/25/u...
Great update on inspectors general under Trump 2.0. IGs are the immune system of the executive branch -- which is now dangerously immunosuppressed.
open.substack.com/pub/executiv...
Good for you, Colorado. Temporarily pausing enforcement of unauthorized practice of law rules against AI tool providers -- that gets the equities right, expanding access to underserved communities.
www.abajournal.com/web/article/... via @ABAJournal
I really worry about ads paired with AI. I keep picturing this reasoning trace: “AI-linked ads help expand access to AI... Access to AI is good... I want to be helpful... Therefore, I should drive greater ad revenue.”
www.linkedin.com/news/story/o...
"Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together." -- Eisenhower, 1961
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Even Grok agrees: "In short: it's gratuitously cruel, unnecessary, and diminishes the office regardless of how anyone feels about the Mueller probe itself. Most people—even strong Trump supporters—would probably prefer their side's leader not sound like he's gloating over a grave."
Trump WH AI framework: govt can't "coerce" AI providers on content. From the admin that pulls broadcast licenses over Iran coverage. It's score-settling — a statutory fix for the Murthy standing loss — and it leaves merger review and procurement pressure untouched.
www.whitehouse.gov/articles/202...
FISA Section 702 renewal is coming into the news. Most Americans don't want AI-driven domestic surveillance (tinyurl.com/3x8cu2ny). Hopefully, people will realize that that's exactly what 702 is about, & support (bipartisan) reform efforts, esp. closing the data-broker loophole.
tinyurl.com/542s5va6
Bondi investigating non-profits for ties to "antifa terrorism," continuing to copy-paste the Hungarian playbook for democratic backsliding.
Compare: verfassungsblog.de/hungary-transparency-law-foreign-funding
www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-irs-investigate-nonprofits-domestic-terrorism-links/
With all the chaos, Americans may not be on guard for an assault on our elections. The threat of an emergency declaration is treated as a joke, but this admin has a strategy of launching unlawful attacks and reaping the benefits before courts can catch up.
www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...
Reading today's WaPo piece on AI and jobs. Any analysis of AI's impact on work is very worthwhile. However, I'm always surprised by the claim that AI will mainly impact white-collar jobs. Robotics is advancing rapidly. When it hits an inflection point, today's conversations will seem myopic.
Let me save you all some time: Red Lion is a red herring. There is no rule, living or dead, that makes disputed war reporting a licensing matter. If you want a genuinely relevant legal precedent for Carr's statements: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian...
Imagine trying to do your job while people are warning you that they might kill you for doing it. This is what federal judges like Boasberg are dealing with now. When the dust settles, they'll be remembered as some of the greatest heroes in American history.
www.documentcloud.org/documents/27...
To maximize access to legal services, we shouldn't prohibit legal advice from AI (which already knows more about law than any lawyer). What we should be working on, instead of UPL laws, is laws that hold AI deployers accountable for the advice dispensed.
www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/pre...
Historically, corporations have faced a collective-action problem when faced with government targeting. Standing together is harder than standing aside. We still see this today, but the interdependence among tech companies creates a new counterforce, as reflected in this amicus brief. Nice to see.
