Dear Citizens,
Have we, the Citizens, and the many brave activists and tech skeptics done a good enough job that Meta is actually collapsing into the ground before our very eyes? Maybe! writes Julia Angwin, who says the company may be entering its “Zombie era.”
Here’s hoping. And here’s what else to know, watch and do this week.
👀 ONE READ: Just a Myth(os) 👀
So what is the deal really with Claude’s Mythos? Are we cooked?
The AI model was considered too dangerous to be let loose in the wild last month, but in this terrific essay in The Ringer, Brian Phillips says keeping Mythos off the shelf might be more about PR and power than safety. He writes:
Mythos, at this point, is barely more than a rumor. So much is still unknown. Hardly anyone in a position to evaluate it disinterestedly has used it. It’s conceivable that the Anthropic announcement is 100 percent accurate, that AI really has surpassed all but the most skilled human coders, and that Mythos really does represent both an existential threat to the internet and a revolutionary hope for cybersecurity. It’s also possible that none of this is true, that Anthropic isn’t releasing Mythos because Mythos is a dud, and that Project Glasswing is a bit of clever PR designed to conceal the slowing pace of LLM development, which would crush Anthropic’s dreams of a $900 billion valuation if it were generally known.
👉 Read Brian’s whole piece here.
Another edition of the Citizens Understand lands on Sunday digging into Wes Streeting’s resignation and leadership ambitions. From NHS privatisation to Palantir and, ahem, Peter Mandelson, we have… thoughts.
If you’re not already subscribed, now’s a good time.
🚧 ONE WATCH: Bad Data 🚧
We’re still buzzing about data centers here (eyyy) and caught this great interview on Democracy Now with activist Astra Taylor, who has been organizing around opposition to AI data centers.
In this conversation she looks at the growing backlash to Big Tech specifically around data centers, and how people can power this particular movement:
👉 Watch the whole interview here.
🎥 Bonus watch: I know, I know, we post this a lot but if you haven’t seen the trailer for Molly vs. the Machines, please get started here.
🎉 ONE ACTION: F-it, We’ll Do It Live 🎉
We’re so back! Strap in and clear your calendars for our live event on June 4, Big Tech’s hostile takeover of democracy: Europe at a crossroads.
And we have an incredible panel, including our founder Carole Cadwalladr, investor-turned-big-tech critic Roger McNamee, Reinier van Lanschot MEP and former MEP Sophie in 't Veld.
👉 RSVP here.
That’s all for this week,
Team Citizens
*PS - Join our Signal Chat if you haven’t already! 350+ people share practical advice on protecting your data, organising against Big Tech and staying ahead of what you need to know.
Could someone possibly gift the NYT piece? I cancelled my sub after all of their Mr President-washing but i'd like to read this.