Anthropic’s dispute with Pete Hegseth’s “Department of War” is about AI being used in war – the debate over autonomous weapons or killer robots – but also about mass surveillance. This shows how we are reaching an inflection point where many theoretical digital rights concerns become all too real. Dark times are looming, especially in the context of the Iran war, but we should start thinking about the human rights systems we want to follow.

(PS: Yes I’m experimenting with lighting, and this is a This Is Fine vibe. Thoughts?)

Tech Gets Real is a show about staying in control in a time of rapid technological change. I'm veteran tech journalist David Meyer, and I've been covering topics like online privacy and freedom for two decades. If you like this, please hit like and subscribe, and share it with others who might find it useful.

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REFERENCES:

Dario Amodei’s statement on the Department of War spat https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-department-of-war

Euractiv on Palantir’s European government deals https://www.euractiv.com/news/palantir-is-well-on-its-way-to-conquering-europe/