philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Five things you need to know about AI

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What’s happened instead is that many of the worst near-term, real-world fears have come true.

Take deepfakes, AI-generated images or videos of people doing things they didn’t actually do. Deepfakes have been used to incite violence, swing votes, and sow distrust. Trump’s White House is among those creating and publishing fake images.

Many deepfakes are also used to abuse women and girls. One study found that 98% of deepfakes are pornographic and 99% involve women. ...

AI is also being used in warfare in new and worrying ways. LLMs are now giving advice, not just being used for analysis. One US defense official told my colleague James O’Donnell that you could now give a military chatbot a list of targets and ask which one to hit first. Anyone who uses AI knows that its output needs to be reviewed carefully. In fact-paced, high-stress active conflict, the risk that corners get cut is high. ...

5. AI is everywhere all at once.

So where does that leave us? There are a lot of exciting things, a lot of worrying things, and a lot of hot air. It can be exhausting to keep up, and yet it all feels inescapable. Some people will tell you we’re in a race to the top; some will tell you we’re in a race to the bottom. But it’s really not clear where we’re headed. ...

See the full story here: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/09/1138582/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-ai/