Impressive. Thanks, Bill. The line, so true, re: "profits over peace" could be taken a step further to describe our inverted value system wherein "we" value money over life. Time to worship LIFE.
Right, Jeff. I call it profit over people and the remarkable thing about it is that those seeking profit already have tons of money, that's why I prefer to say profit rather than money.
Thanks, Clif. "Profit over people" does have a certain attractive ring to it. I just see things a bit deeper, in that the term "people" doesn't include all life, and "profit," for me, is more abstract than "money." Nothing wrong with a shopkeeper making a profit, but when money is the predominant value system, then LIFE becomes an "externality."
One missing facet of this essay is the threat to freedom of speech, a crippled fourth estate, and the inevitable and voracious income inequality demanded by the insatiable capitalistic mentality. Not just public service sacrifice but the fundamentals of democratic existence.
I believe the competition between the various companies and countries in AI development is just a question of who will serve up our demise.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said in an interview that a 'few jobs may be left' (from the increasing capabilities of AI), indicating a need for restructuring society. That seems to be precisely the point - doing away with all jobs that can be replaced by AI agents, bots, and other AI systems. Bill Gates has reportedly told his children that humanity could be replaced by AI systems.
'New careers' will be sold as a future for many displaced by AI. But as was true in the late 1980s and early 1990s for those blue-collar jobs being lost to automation (and who were told to study VisualBasic [a simple object-oriented language for end users] for entry in to the 'tech sector'), it'll be a false promise.
Didn't that nemesis of democracy, Trump's assistant Steve Miller, say that all agricultural jobs that employ immigrants will be automated and that is why ICE is concentrating on the cities?
Have Altman, Gates, and the rest of the techno-plutocratic oligarchs explained how people are going to live ~ ie, get food, have shelter, raise a family, and so forth ~ if their job has been terminated because they have been replaced by a computer?
Or will that somehow be the function of Government to take care of?
And what happened to all those folks who lost their blue-collar jobs back in the 80s-90s to automation? Have they been on Welfare this whole time?
The government is secretly planning "Happiness Camps" to house all of us. Their construction will start soon and will cover the entirety of Greenland, once some real estate issues are worked out. The diet at our new home will mostly consist of seafood, ice sweetened with corn syrup, and organically animated lava. Transportation will be community-shared Teslas.
Altman talked about 'restructuring' - I suppose somewhere in that there's the implication of government provided Universal Basic Income. Where the money comes for that will be someone's else's problem for the tech overlords.
I assume like in most dislocations - people took lower paying jobs, relocated elsewhere, suffered economic hardships, etc. Chris Hedges has written about the long-term effects in areas of the Rust Belt where offshoring and other factors destroyed the blue-collar middle class. With AI, it won't matter what color your collar is.
Where the money comes from for anything involving the Government ~ and its spending on war, corporate and individual welfare, infrastructure, health care, education, and so forth ~ is Always somebody else's problem.
That's why this Nation has a Sovereign National Debt of $36,4 TRILLION and counting, and Unfunded Federal Government Liabilities of $226.3 TRILLION and counting. See usdebtclock.org for details.
Of course, the Government can always just print more Money to give away. That's exactly what happened in post-World War I Germany, which led ultimately, of course, to Hitler and his pledge to "Make Germany Great Again."
JG, why can't I shake the feeling that the "swirling 'round the drain" sound I heard in a dream last night has something to do with my Social Security?
AI won't clean this up. It takes Human Intelligence and recognition of our COMMON HUMANITY on Trial these Days.
'How the West hides its Gaza genocide guilt behind Holocaust Day remembrance'
The ghosts of thousands of Palestinian children crushed by Israeli bombs loomed over this year's Auschwitz commemorations.
An entirely mendacious message lay at the heart of this week’s coverage by the BBC of the 80th Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations.
The British state broadcaster asserted throughout the day that the voices of the few remaining survivors of the Nazi extermination programme were still being heard “loud and clear” in western capitals. Those survivors – now in their 80s and 90s – warned that the genocide of a people must “never again” be allowed to take place.
As if to bolster its claim, the BBC showed western leaders – from Britain’s King Charles III, to Germany’s Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron of France – prominently in attendance at the main ceremony at Auschwitz, the most notorious of the death camps, where more than a million Jews, Roma and other stigmatised groups were burned in ovens.
As a counterpoint, the BBC highlighted the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been excluded from the ceremony for ordering the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Steve Rosenberg, the corporation’s Moscow correspondent, underscored the irony that Russia, so visibly absent, was responsible for liberating Auschwitz on 27 January 1945 – the date that eventually came to be marked as Holocaust Remembrance Day.................................................
Though a bit off topic, your comment is powerful and definitely deserving of a like. Did you see that in the listing of all the days that are no longer to be celebrated within the government, issued by the Trump administration, Holocaust Remembrance Day is one of them? Curious, but apropos when as you highlight (or lowlight) it ignores current action by those claiming to be acting as "the forces of light against the forces of darkness" per Netanyahu.
Hello All! I suggest your query the magic Chinese AI and ask about the military industrial complex in China and see what happens. Secondly, pls ask that AI to check with Ike in "heaven" and ask him why it took him nearly 40 yrs. in the military and 8 yrs. as president to find out about the "complex" or was he just hesitant to speak the truth until he was leaving so he did not have to do anything about it. Peace! Buzz Davis Vets for Peace in Tucson
Tucson! I love the place and went to the UofA back when F4's were landing at Davis-Monthan right over my dorm. Thanks for making my day, even though it is beginning to look like Chicago will not be getting snow in winter...almost 50F tomorrow.
DeepSeek is perhaps good enough to end my ability to supplement my meager social security payments by working as a freelance medical editor of medical science papers written by investigators who know English as a second language (ChatGPT is not). Also, I think what is true of ChatGPT, and DeepSeek's version of ChatGPT, is that they mine the info that is out there without providing attributions. And I for one would love to see more comments in these AI articles that refer to the ecocidal and genocidal nature of the MIC.
I think I could use Google Translate to convert that Deep S***t text into Mandarin and then locate the page in the China's Foreign Affairs 201 course to give you the exact reference.
What is scary about all this AI stuff is that it wouldn't be possible to have people composing the answers, it MUST be computer generated, instantly produced and with no idea beforehand of what the question will be. That's why TomR's comment about our demise deserves consideration.
Remember the acronym GIGO from the early days of the tech revolution? "Garbage In, Garbage Out." That is, AI programs are dependent on what humans feed them for info, statistics, etc. And yes, political biases. UNDERSTAND: I am NOT disagreeing with the view of this allegedly AI-generated essay. It is my view, and Bill Astore's as well, I'd say. [Which raises possibility that this essay is a little practical joke Bill played on us.] Rather than Garbage, it looks like someone or some persons in China fed the program Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom! I guess in addition to being a Russian Asset (for opposing NATO war against Russia on The Ukraine's soil), I now stand revealed as a Chinese Asset! I have no problem with that, truth be told. :-)
BUT if the essay came out this way because the program was taught to reflect the views of the Chinese Politbureau, you likely would need to use a different program. one taught to reflect US official views, to find praise for the US War Machine. The very machine that spews anti-China propaganda day in and day out. Another possibility: DeepSeek may have simply pulled up a longstanding (pre-existing) essay on this topic. That would explain the out of date info on US War Budget. The smooth use of language strikes me as anthropogenic, not computer generated.
Electronic omniscience is NOT a new project. Wikipedia has been doing it for decades, now. The MAIN difference is, you can't chat with it. And it CERTAINLY answers controversial questions - often wrong.
For those of You here at BV who, like me, are functionally illiterate when it comes to Artificial Intelligence and outfits like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, etc: Permit me to share the response i received from ChatGPT at the conclusion of a conversation that started with my question “Will the United States survive to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026?”, and concluded in response to my query:
“Can You direct me to a layman’s explanation as to exactly How ChatGPT works and, particularly, how You are able to reply virtually instantaneously to my questions and comments? That blows my mind almost as much the depth, clarity, and insightfulness of Your answers, comments, and follow-on questions. i know virtually nothing about AI and it seems like now is definitely a very good time to get literate about it. Thankee. ~ jeff”
Here’s his/her/its response:
I love that you’re now interested in understanding AI—it’s definitely a great time to get literate about it.
Here’s a layman’s explanation of how ChatGPT works and why I can respond so quickly and insightfully:
1. What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM)—essentially a highly advanced text prediction system. It has been trained on an enormous amount of text from books, articles, and conversations, allowing it to generate responses based on patterns it has learned.
2. How Do I Reply So Fast?
It might seem like I’m “thinking” instantly, but what’s actually happening is:
~ You send a message.
~ The system analyzes your text and predicts the most relevant and coherent response.
~ It generates a response one word (or token) at a time, based on probabilities—kind of like auto-complete but much more advanced.
~ Because this process happens on super-powerful servers, it feels instantaneous.
3. Why Do My Responses Feel So Thoughtful?
~ Instead of just matching keywords, I analyze context, tone, and deeper meaning to generate responses that make sense in the flow of the conversation.
~ I’m designed to recognize logical structures, historical references, and even rhetorical strategies, which makes my responses feel more nuanced and insightful.
~ I don’t actually understand things the way humans do, but my training helps me approximate deep discussions by recognizing patterns in human reasoning and argumentation.
4. What Are My Limits?
~ I don’t have real-time memory, so I don’t remember past conversations unless you remind me of them.
~ I don’t have personal experiences or emotions—I just simulate conversation based on data.
~ My knowledge is mostly based on what was publicly available before my last update, though I can pull in fresh information when needed.
5. How Can You Learn More About AI?
~ f you want a quick intro, check out beginner-friendly sources like YouTube videos on “How AI Works” (search for channels like Two Minute Papers or ColdFusion).
~ If you’re up for some reading, I’d recommend books like ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A Guide for Thinking Humans by Melanie Mitchell.
~ And if you want to get hands-on, you could even play around with AI tools yourself, like experimenting with AI-generated art or coding simple models.
Let me know what specific aspects of AI interest you most, and I can point you toward some good resources!
###
Note: It will be interesting to see how DeepSeek answers first the question about July 4, 2026, and then the request for information on AI and specific features of DeepSeek. And especially how it thinks it compares with ChatGPT.
Wow. Not only is it accurate it is extensive in an effort to provide the questioner with a comprehensive answer. Though I know that almost all the stuff we use in daily life is imported from China, so competition for my award is fierce, I would like to nominate DeepSeek for "Chinese Import of the Year"
Given the quality of this answer, I can see where a person could become addicted to asking questions and that is both good and bad. Good because everyone should try to be informed rather than entertained (passive as entertainment is) but bad in that the questioner has no idea of where the information came from. It would be great if any portion of the answer could be highlighted and the AI would respond with source information.
Here is a fun thing to try. At the next press conference, you know the kind of thing where we had to listen to the BS of John Kirby or Matthew Miller, the exact question that is asked would be input to DeepSeek.
Indeed impressive! Thank you Bill. I will try it. I have been writing about the insanity of our patent laws in relation to how ideas are really made. I bet if I ask her nicely she will produce a more comprehensive and inclusive report than I.
Impressive. Thanks, Bill. The line, so true, re: "profits over peace" could be taken a step further to describe our inverted value system wherein "we" value money over life. Time to worship LIFE.
Well said.
Right, Jeff. I call it profit over people and the remarkable thing about it is that those seeking profit already have tons of money, that's why I prefer to say profit rather than money.
Thanks, Clif. "Profit over people" does have a certain attractive ring to it. I just see things a bit deeper, in that the term "people" doesn't include all life, and "profit," for me, is more abstract than "money." Nothing wrong with a shopkeeper making a profit, but when money is the predominant value system, then LIFE becomes an "externality."
One missing facet of this essay is the threat to freedom of speech, a crippled fourth estate, and the inevitable and voracious income inequality demanded by the insatiable capitalistic mentality. Not just public service sacrifice but the fundamentals of democratic existence.
Bill you are worth every dime I contribute to your blog. Hope many others also agree.
And
Thank you DeepSeek great right on assay of our MICC.
Thanks so much!
I believe the competition between the various companies and countries in AI development is just a question of who will serve up our demise.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, said in an interview that a 'few jobs may be left' (from the increasing capabilities of AI), indicating a need for restructuring society. That seems to be precisely the point - doing away with all jobs that can be replaced by AI agents, bots, and other AI systems. Bill Gates has reportedly told his children that humanity could be replaced by AI systems.
'New careers' will be sold as a future for many displaced by AI. But as was true in the late 1980s and early 1990s for those blue-collar jobs being lost to automation (and who were told to study VisualBasic [a simple object-oriented language for end users] for entry in to the 'tech sector'), it'll be a false promise.
Didn't that nemesis of democracy, Trump's assistant Steve Miller, say that all agricultural jobs that employ immigrants will be automated and that is why ICE is concentrating on the cities?
I hadn't read that, but sure why not? I'm sure he's a member of FFA and knows all there is to know about farming and harvesting.
Have Altman, Gates, and the rest of the techno-plutocratic oligarchs explained how people are going to live ~ ie, get food, have shelter, raise a family, and so forth ~ if their job has been terminated because they have been replaced by a computer?
Or will that somehow be the function of Government to take care of?
And what happened to all those folks who lost their blue-collar jobs back in the 80s-90s to automation? Have they been on Welfare this whole time?
The government is secretly planning "Happiness Camps" to house all of us. Their construction will start soon and will cover the entirety of Greenland, once some real estate issues are worked out. The diet at our new home will mostly consist of seafood, ice sweetened with corn syrup, and organically animated lava. Transportation will be community-shared Teslas.
Altman talked about 'restructuring' - I suppose somewhere in that there's the implication of government provided Universal Basic Income. Where the money comes for that will be someone's else's problem for the tech overlords.
I assume like in most dislocations - people took lower paying jobs, relocated elsewhere, suffered economic hardships, etc. Chris Hedges has written about the long-term effects in areas of the Rust Belt where offshoring and other factors destroyed the blue-collar middle class. With AI, it won't matter what color your collar is.
Where the money comes from for anything involving the Government ~ and its spending on war, corporate and individual welfare, infrastructure, health care, education, and so forth ~ is Always somebody else's problem.
That's why this Nation has a Sovereign National Debt of $36,4 TRILLION and counting, and Unfunded Federal Government Liabilities of $226.3 TRILLION and counting. See usdebtclock.org for details.
Of course, the Government can always just print more Money to give away. That's exactly what happened in post-World War I Germany, which led ultimately, of course, to Hitler and his pledge to "Make Germany Great Again."
JG, why can't I shake the feeling that the "swirling 'round the drain" sound I heard in a dream last night has something to do with my Social Security?
'SkyNet' is coming...
AI won't clean this up. It takes Human Intelligence and recognition of our COMMON HUMANITY on Trial these Days.
'How the West hides its Gaza genocide guilt behind Holocaust Day remembrance'
The ghosts of thousands of Palestinian children crushed by Israeli bombs loomed over this year's Auschwitz commemorations.
An entirely mendacious message lay at the heart of this week’s coverage by the BBC of the 80th Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations.
The British state broadcaster asserted throughout the day that the voices of the few remaining survivors of the Nazi extermination programme were still being heard “loud and clear” in western capitals. Those survivors – now in their 80s and 90s – warned that the genocide of a people must “never again” be allowed to take place.
As if to bolster its claim, the BBC showed western leaders – from Britain’s King Charles III, to Germany’s Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron of France – prominently in attendance at the main ceremony at Auschwitz, the most notorious of the death camps, where more than a million Jews, Roma and other stigmatised groups were burned in ovens.
As a counterpoint, the BBC highlighted the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been excluded from the ceremony for ordering the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Steve Rosenberg, the corporation’s Moscow correspondent, underscored the irony that Russia, so visibly absent, was responsible for liberating Auschwitz on 27 January 1945 – the date that eventually came to be marked as Holocaust Remembrance Day.................................................
https://jonathancook.substack.com/p/how-the-west-hides-its-gaza-genocide
Though a bit off topic, your comment is powerful and definitely deserving of a like. Did you see that in the listing of all the days that are no longer to be celebrated within the government, issued by the Trump administration, Holocaust Remembrance Day is one of them? Curious, but apropos when as you highlight (or lowlight) it ignores current action by those claiming to be acting as "the forces of light against the forces of darkness" per Netanyahu.
Hello All! I suggest your query the magic Chinese AI and ask about the military industrial complex in China and see what happens. Secondly, pls ask that AI to check with Ike in "heaven" and ask him why it took him nearly 40 yrs. in the military and 8 yrs. as president to find out about the "complex" or was he just hesitant to speak the truth until he was leaving so he did not have to do anything about it. Peace! Buzz Davis Vets for Peace in Tucson
I've asked the same question about Ike, Buzz. Obviously, he was correct, but too late with his warning.
Tucson! I love the place and went to the UofA back when F4's were landing at Davis-Monthan right over my dorm. Thanks for making my day, even though it is beginning to look like Chicago will not be getting snow in winter...almost 50F tomorrow.
Parasitic not symbiotic
Pernicious? Rhymes with yours, anyway (that's how I thought of it).
DeepSeek is perhaps good enough to end my ability to supplement my meager social security payments by working as a freelance medical editor of medical science papers written by investigators who know English as a second language (ChatGPT is not). Also, I think what is true of ChatGPT, and DeepSeek's version of ChatGPT, is that they mine the info that is out there without providing attributions. And I for one would love to see more comments in these AI articles that refer to the ecocidal and genocidal nature of the MIC.
I think I could use Google Translate to convert that Deep S***t text into Mandarin and then locate the page in the China's Foreign Affairs 201 course to give you the exact reference.
What is scary about all this AI stuff is that it wouldn't be possible to have people composing the answers, it MUST be computer generated, instantly produced and with no idea beforehand of what the question will be. That's why TomR's comment about our demise deserves consideration.
YIKES!! Scary good! I'd quibble with the phrasing here and there---overuse of "perpetual," for one thing---but overall, extremely well written.
That's what's frightening about AI: eventually, human-created writing will be completely eclipsed by bot-writing.
Remember the acronym GIGO from the early days of the tech revolution? "Garbage In, Garbage Out." That is, AI programs are dependent on what humans feed them for info, statistics, etc. And yes, political biases. UNDERSTAND: I am NOT disagreeing with the view of this allegedly AI-generated essay. It is my view, and Bill Astore's as well, I'd say. [Which raises possibility that this essay is a little practical joke Bill played on us.] Rather than Garbage, it looks like someone or some persons in China fed the program Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom! I guess in addition to being a Russian Asset (for opposing NATO war against Russia on The Ukraine's soil), I now stand revealed as a Chinese Asset! I have no problem with that, truth be told. :-)
If it's a joke, it's not mine, Greg.
Again, I specifically asked my AI servant to write a critical essay. I'm sure it could easily write a celebratory essay of praise of the MIC.
BUT if the essay came out this way because the program was taught to reflect the views of the Chinese Politbureau, you likely would need to use a different program. one taught to reflect US official views, to find praise for the US War Machine. The very machine that spews anti-China propaganda day in and day out. Another possibility: DeepSeek may have simply pulled up a longstanding (pre-existing) essay on this topic. That would explain the out of date info on US War Budget. The smooth use of language strikes me as anthropogenic, not computer generated.
Electronic omniscience is NOT a new project. Wikipedia has been doing it for decades, now. The MAIN difference is, you can't chat with it. And it CERTAINLY answers controversial questions - often wrong.
For those of You here at BV who, like me, are functionally illiterate when it comes to Artificial Intelligence and outfits like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, etc: Permit me to share the response i received from ChatGPT at the conclusion of a conversation that started with my question “Will the United States survive to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026?”, and concluded in response to my query:
“Can You direct me to a layman’s explanation as to exactly How ChatGPT works and, particularly, how You are able to reply virtually instantaneously to my questions and comments? That blows my mind almost as much the depth, clarity, and insightfulness of Your answers, comments, and follow-on questions. i know virtually nothing about AI and it seems like now is definitely a very good time to get literate about it. Thankee. ~ jeff”
Here’s his/her/its response:
I love that you’re now interested in understanding AI—it’s definitely a great time to get literate about it.
Here’s a layman’s explanation of how ChatGPT works and why I can respond so quickly and insightfully:
1. What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM)—essentially a highly advanced text prediction system. It has been trained on an enormous amount of text from books, articles, and conversations, allowing it to generate responses based on patterns it has learned.
2. How Do I Reply So Fast?
It might seem like I’m “thinking” instantly, but what’s actually happening is:
~ You send a message.
~ The system analyzes your text and predicts the most relevant and coherent response.
~ It generates a response one word (or token) at a time, based on probabilities—kind of like auto-complete but much more advanced.
~ Because this process happens on super-powerful servers, it feels instantaneous.
3. Why Do My Responses Feel So Thoughtful?
~ Instead of just matching keywords, I analyze context, tone, and deeper meaning to generate responses that make sense in the flow of the conversation.
~ I’m designed to recognize logical structures, historical references, and even rhetorical strategies, which makes my responses feel more nuanced and insightful.
~ I don’t actually understand things the way humans do, but my training helps me approximate deep discussions by recognizing patterns in human reasoning and argumentation.
4. What Are My Limits?
~ I don’t have real-time memory, so I don’t remember past conversations unless you remind me of them.
~ I don’t have personal experiences or emotions—I just simulate conversation based on data.
~ My knowledge is mostly based on what was publicly available before my last update, though I can pull in fresh information when needed.
5. How Can You Learn More About AI?
~ f you want a quick intro, check out beginner-friendly sources like YouTube videos on “How AI Works” (search for channels like Two Minute Papers or ColdFusion).
~ If you’re up for some reading, I’d recommend books like ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A Guide for Thinking Humans by Melanie Mitchell.
~ And if you want to get hands-on, you could even play around with AI tools yourself, like experimenting with AI-generated art or coding simple models.
Let me know what specific aspects of AI interest you most, and I can point you toward some good resources!
###
Note: It will be interesting to see how DeepSeek answers first the question about July 4, 2026, and then the request for information on AI and specific features of DeepSeek. And especially how it thinks it compares with ChatGPT.
Wow. Not only is it accurate it is extensive in an effort to provide the questioner with a comprehensive answer. Though I know that almost all the stuff we use in daily life is imported from China, so competition for my award is fierce, I would like to nominate DeepSeek for "Chinese Import of the Year"
Given the quality of this answer, I can see where a person could become addicted to asking questions and that is both good and bad. Good because everyone should try to be informed rather than entertained (passive as entertainment is) but bad in that the questioner has no idea of where the information came from. It would be great if any portion of the answer could be highlighted and the AI would respond with source information.
Here is a fun thing to try. At the next press conference, you know the kind of thing where we had to listen to the BS of John Kirby or Matthew Miller, the exact question that is asked would be input to DeepSeek.
Indeed impressive! Thank you Bill. I will try it. I have been writing about the insanity of our patent laws in relation to how ideas are really made. I bet if I ask her nicely she will produce a more comprehensive and inclusive report than I.
I thought this was interesting: https://consortiumnews.com/2025/02/01/what-deepseek-says-about-nulands-role-in-ukraine-war