Another AI generated synthesis – I shudder at the implications – in this return, in the context of US thuggery in the Caribbean, to Yanis Varoufakis. This crisp and powerful analysis of the stakes and implications, delivered in a shade under twelve minutes, is the best I’ve seen to date …
… that’s maybe because, for once when it comes to Yanis, there’s not so much as a word I don’t emphatically agree with.
* * *
That would have aced the old Radio Four quiz ‘Just a minute’. Not a single hesitation, repetition, or deviation.
As would all the other AI generated videos that are increasingly being churned out alonmg similar lines.
Just in the past three days, I’ve seen videos featuring the US media host Rachael Maddow (x2) claiming Europe issued an ultimatum to Russia with a 48-hour time limit which runs out in a few hours; one from Mearsheimer on the same ultimatum; and another from Mearsheimer claiming the Russians issued a change of policy stating strikes from Ukraine which can only take place using Western intel and targeting will be treated as direct NATO involvement, along with further claims of escalatory military mobilisation and increased alerts from both sides (Russia & NATO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMnLMVNGu7k
There’s even stuff out there claiming Ukraine destroyed a top Russian Military command post and its personnel in a drone attack on Moscow.
The problem is the difficulty in verifying any of this. The embedded video of Varoufakis, for example, claims the Russians have already supplied Oreshnik missiles to Venezuela. Whilst there is plenty of two or three-week-old articles about the Russians considering that option, there is nothing on the search engine to that effect.
Ditto the other claims mentioned above. These are not minor issues, and would certainly have been picked up by someone on the alt-media circuit over the past few days. Yet there’s not a single mention of what would be considered such major developments from any of the guests on Andrew Nepolitano’s output this week. Zilch from Larry Johnson at SONAR21 or Andrei Martyanov, Moon of Alabama, and Simplicius.
Which raises the question as to what is the purpose of the increase in all this AI generated content and their claims, none of which seem to have anything other than, at best, a modest following/viewing figures (which would hardly generate the level of advertising revenue to justify the effort)?
Could this be a psy-op of some kind?
Well I guess I asked for this with my claim that there’s not a word I disagree with, but let me say two things in “his” – you’re quite right about the potential for great mischief with these AI productions – defence. One, I’m speaking at the level of ‘deep’ analysis rather than that of surface factualities. That doesn’t absolve my sloppy phrasing when, as you say, these aren’t minor issues. But whether or not Oreshniks are in situ – and both Lavrov and Pescov have publicly said they see no problem with supplying these and other S of A weaponry to Caracas as “a trusted ally” – this geopolitical take is IMO superb.
Two, with the partial exception of Moon of A, I’m wary of the names you cite. Sure, I often feature them myself, but caution against taking any as totally reliable. Not because they are dishonest but because, in a sea of uncertainties, confusions and flat out propaganda, everyone – even me ‘n thee – comes with biases not always fully sifted from wishful thinking.
Once again we just have to wait and see.
As to the wider question of the post-truth wasteland of smoke and mirrors opened up by AI, see this Naked Capitalism piece today – What’s at stake in Trump’s Executive Order Aiming to Curb State-Level AI Regulation