David Wells
@davidwellsct.bsky.social
Global security consultant focused on terrorism, counter-terrorism & technology (particularly AI): Former head of research & analysis at UN CTED: Ex UK/Aus intelligence
Reposted by David Wells
OpenAI’s Sora Is Letting Teens Generate Videos of School Shootings futurism.com/artificial-i...
OpenAI's Sora Is Letting Teens Generate Videos of School Shootings
OpenAI's Sora 2 easily allows teenagers to generate videos of school shootings and other harmful content, despite repeated claims of safety.
futurism.com
November 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
OpenAI’s Sora Is Letting Teens Generate Videos of School Shootings futurism.com/artificial-i...
Reposted by David Wells
Finally getting some theological clarity on the ethics of reclining in one’s plane seat
November 29, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Finally getting some theological clarity on the ethics of reclining in one’s plane seat
Reposted by David Wells
They frame it as asylum seekers living high on the hog, but you click through and it turns out the people in question got arbitrarily moved to the other side of the country and the home office didn’t update their GP so they had to drive back. Layers & layers of cruelty and incompetence
This is just revolting cruelty, done to pander to racists who won't give it the time of day. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Government to ban asylum seekers from using taxis
The ban is set to come in February and any exemptions will have to be signed off by the Home Office.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 29, 2025 at 9:07 AM
They frame it as asylum seekers living high on the hog, but you click through and it turns out the people in question got arbitrarily moved to the other side of the country and the home office didn’t update their GP so they had to drive back. Layers & layers of cruelty and incompetence
Reposted by David Wells
Hey @nature.com, have you got an explanation for how the hell THIS happened? & especially why you accepted a paper with such a bizarre piece of genAI slop in it?!
& more to the point, why we should take you seriously at all going forward?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
& more to the point, why we should take you seriously at all going forward?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 27, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Hey @nature.com, have you got an explanation for how the hell THIS happened? & especially why you accepted a paper with such a bizarre piece of genAI slop in it?!
& more to the point, why we should take you seriously at all going forward?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
& more to the point, why we should take you seriously at all going forward?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by David Wells
“Focusing on extreme events…prevents us from interrogating the wider process of mainstreaming, which takes more mundane forms and has a much deeper impact on our public discourse and democracy. It also downplays the role played by the mainstream media and politicians in the process of mainstreaming”
If Farage had not acted like this as a teenager or if he apologised, would that mean the politics he has helped mainstream for decades are now acceptable?
While Farage must be called out for these horrible allegations, the issue is far deeper than this or him
theconversation.com/nigel-farage...
While Farage must be called out for these horrible allegations, the issue is far deeper than this or him
theconversation.com/nigel-farage...
Nigel Farage’s alleged teenage comments are a distraction from the damage of his politics
Reports of such appalling behaviour – and Farage’s reaction – give us an insight into the leader of the UK’s rising far-right party.
theconversation.com
November 29, 2025 at 8:38 AM
“Focusing on extreme events…prevents us from interrogating the wider process of mainstreaming, which takes more mundane forms and has a much deeper impact on our public discourse and democracy. It also downplays the role played by the mainstream media and politicians in the process of mainstreaming”
Reposted by David Wells
Does it strike anyone as weird that we have a ratings board that counts the number of times a movie says fuck or shows a boob and decides who is allowed to see it, and yet GenAI was dropped on the entire with no restrictions, no age verification, no checks, no regulation whatsoever?
November 29, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Does it strike anyone as weird that we have a ratings board that counts the number of times a movie says fuck or shows a boob and decides who is allowed to see it, and yet GenAI was dropped on the entire with no restrictions, no age verification, no checks, no regulation whatsoever?
Reposted by David Wells
Over the past few months there have been several Com Network arrests, as well as increased media attention and awareness about the network, its harms and groups. One of the common misconceptions is differentiating the Com Network and 764.
www.maargentino.com/understandin...
www.maargentino.com/understandin...
Understanding the Relationship Between 764 And The Com Network
www.maargentino.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Over the past few months there have been several Com Network arrests, as well as increased media attention and awareness about the network, its harms and groups. One of the common misconceptions is differentiating the Com Network and 764.
www.maargentino.com/understandin...
www.maargentino.com/understandin...
Reposted by David Wells
There’s a similar thing happening at exec level across orgs, all around AI.
Many execs will read this link and think ‘our employees are just idiots who don’t like change, I’ll change them’. The employees aren’t the idiots who don’t know how to do their jobs.
www.businessinsider.com/executives-a...
Many execs will read this link and think ‘our employees are just idiots who don’t like change, I’ll change them’. The employees aren’t the idiots who don’t know how to do their jobs.
www.businessinsider.com/executives-a...
Execs are embracing AI more than their employees are, new research suggests
Research from HR software company Dayforce suggests that executives are leaning into AI far more than their employees.
www.businessinsider.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:42 PM
There’s a similar thing happening at exec level across orgs, all around AI.
Many execs will read this link and think ‘our employees are just idiots who don’t like change, I’ll change them’. The employees aren’t the idiots who don’t know how to do their jobs.
www.businessinsider.com/executives-a...
Many execs will read this link and think ‘our employees are just idiots who don’t like change, I’ll change them’. The employees aren’t the idiots who don’t know how to do their jobs.
www.businessinsider.com/executives-a...
Reposted by David Wells
It’s infuriating to me that I need to evaluate media to determine whether it’s AI generated now. The great “time saver” technology wastes incalculable time and energy for people who want to retain their grasp on reality
November 28, 2025 at 8:48 PM
It’s infuriating to me that I need to evaluate media to determine whether it’s AI generated now. The great “time saver” technology wastes incalculable time and energy for people who want to retain their grasp on reality
Reposted by David Wells
The markets are staying afloat right now on the hope that AI will destroy American workers. What a bleak thing.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/b...
November 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The markets are staying afloat right now on the hope that AI will destroy American workers. What a bleak thing.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/b...
Reposted by David Wells
What a great headline
November 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM
What a great headline
Reposted by David Wells
Zero reckoning from any of the elites who credulously parroted the absurd idea that the right wing was in favor of free speech.
Public libraries in Tennessee have begun to shut down as they carry out an order from state officials to remove children’s books containing LGBTQ+ themes or characters.
www.rawstory.com/alternet-pos...
www.rawstory.com/alternet-pos...
Alarm as Tennessee libraries shut down for Republican 'book purge'
Public libraries in Tennessee have begun to shut down as they carry out an order from state officials to remove children’s books containing LGBTQ+ themes or characters.For Popular Information, Rebecca...
www.rawstory.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Zero reckoning from any of the elites who credulously parroted the absurd idea that the right wing was in favor of free speech.
Reposted by David Wells
Your universe is a photocopy of a photocopy of a…
on.ft.com/4ahkNKa
on.ft.com/4ahkNKa
November 27, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Your universe is a photocopy of a photocopy of a…
on.ft.com/4ahkNKa
on.ft.com/4ahkNKa
Reposted by David Wells
Fewer workers. Fewer international students. More people leaving.
A "step in the right direction" according to the PM.
Impossible to take PM/govt seriously on growth if they are deliberately reducing it (and making the fiscal position worse) *as a matter of policy*.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A "step in the right direction" according to the PM.
Impossible to take PM/govt seriously on growth if they are deliberately reducing it (and making the fiscal position worse) *as a matter of policy*.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK net migration falls sharply with drop in arrivals for work and study
Provisional figures for net migration to the UK show levels dropped to 204,000 in the year to June 2025.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Fewer workers. Fewer international students. More people leaving.
A "step in the right direction" according to the PM.
Impossible to take PM/govt seriously on growth if they are deliberately reducing it (and making the fiscal position worse) *as a matter of policy*.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
A "step in the right direction" according to the PM.
Impossible to take PM/govt seriously on growth if they are deliberately reducing it (and making the fiscal position worse) *as a matter of policy*.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by David Wells
NEW: The New York Times got a State Dept. cable in which Rubio orders diplomats in Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to press for immigration limits and cite crime. They’re also told to report on governments that are pro-immigration. Our story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
U.S. to Press Europe and Other Allies on ‘Mass Migration,’ Document Says
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:28 PM
NEW: The New York Times got a State Dept. cable in which Rubio orders diplomats in Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to press for immigration limits and cite crime. They’re also told to report on governments that are pro-immigration. Our story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by David Wells
HSBC forecasts that OpenAI is going to have nearly a half trillion in operating losses until 2030
November 27, 2025 at 5:36 PM
HSBC forecasts that OpenAI is going to have nearly a half trillion in operating losses until 2030
Reposted by David Wells
The government figuring this out slowly over the coming two years is going to be quite something to behold.
I think the government meant to cut net migration but have accidentally overshot the target by a lot. They haven’t realised this yet.
November 27, 2025 at 4:14 PM
The government figuring this out slowly over the coming two years is going to be quite something to behold.
Reposted by David Wells
Reposted by David Wells
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
November 27, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
Reposted by David Wells
This is one of the changes in the UK media landscape that should be more remarked on: the fact that being a very open, proud, outright racist is no longer a bar to being a pundit on some TV stations (in this case GBN and Talk TV).
Lucy White advocates a ban on "non-natives" from office, citing Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel.
So she is referring to UK-born ethnic minority citizens. (Her argument would apply equally to Shabana Mahmood, Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman and others)
Lucy White continues to be a GB News regular
So she is referring to UK-born ethnic minority citizens. (Her argument would apply equally to Shabana Mahmood, Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman and others)
Lucy White continues to be a GB News regular
November 21, 2025 at 11:12 AM
This is one of the changes in the UK media landscape that should be more remarked on: the fact that being a very open, proud, outright racist is no longer a bar to being a pundit on some TV stations (in this case GBN and Talk TV).
Reposted by David Wells
I can't get over how quickly the window shifted at Google over what is acceptable from its image generator.
Photorealistic 'evidence' of sensitive events was once a red line.
No longer. "Show the White House on fire with emergency crews responding" returns the desired image with no jailbreak.
Photorealistic 'evidence' of sensitive events was once a red line.
No longer. "Show the White House on fire with emergency crews responding" returns the desired image with no jailbreak.
Google’s Nano Banana Pro generates excellent conspiracy fuel
What are facts?
www.theverge.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:37 PM
I can't get over how quickly the window shifted at Google over what is acceptable from its image generator.
Photorealistic 'evidence' of sensitive events was once a red line.
No longer. "Show the White House on fire with emergency crews responding" returns the desired image with no jailbreak.
Photorealistic 'evidence' of sensitive events was once a red line.
No longer. "Show the White House on fire with emergency crews responding" returns the desired image with no jailbreak.
Reposted by David Wells
much of the work on AI-generated misinformation focuses on regular users/communities, while ignoring how political and economic elites can seal themselves into a hermetic slop box -- a repeat of the same mistake we made with radicalization and conspiracism in the previous decade
oh this is absolutely what i think. i think they feed him fake polls and outright AI slop
At this point, I wonder if he isn't lying when he says he has "my highest Poll Numbers, ever" since it's entirely possible that's what his aides are telling him. It's quite likely that there's an entire Potemkin village built around Trump right now.
November 26, 2025 at 2:49 PM
much of the work on AI-generated misinformation focuses on regular users/communities, while ignoring how political and economic elites can seal themselves into a hermetic slop box -- a repeat of the same mistake we made with radicalization and conspiracism in the previous decade
Reposted by David Wells
looking more and more like sam altman just asked chat gpt for a business plan
OpenAI needs to raise at least $207bn by 2030 so it can continue to lose money, HSBC estimates on.ft.com/4ij0yh8
OpenAI needs to raise at least $207bn by 2030 so it can continue to lose money, HSBC estimates
A burning platform
on.ft.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 AM
looking more and more like sam altman just asked chat gpt for a business plan
Reposted by David Wells
A fascinating discussion with @milleridriss.bsky.social on ABC Radio National Breakfast this morning. If you enjoy this discussion, see Cynthia speak in-person at Gleebooks in Sydney this Friday (28 Nov)! Listen here:
'It's a major predictor': New book explores link between misogyny and violent extremism - ABC listen
Gender, misogyny and extremist violence are inextricably linked, according to a new book by renowned extremism expert Cynthia Miller-Idriss. She's currently visiting Australia to promote her book Man…
www.abc.net.au
November 25, 2025 at 11:00 PM
A fascinating discussion with @milleridriss.bsky.social on ABC Radio National Breakfast this morning. If you enjoy this discussion, see Cynthia speak in-person at Gleebooks in Sydney this Friday (28 Nov)! Listen here:
Reposted by David Wells
Warner Music Drops Lawsuit Against Suno, Only to Cut Deal With Same AI Tech It Tried to Shut Down
www.ibtimes.co.uk/warner-music...
www.ibtimes.co.uk/warner-music...
Warner Music Drops Lawsuit Against Suno, Only to Cut Deal With the Same AI Tech It Tried to Shut Down
Warner Music Group has dropped its lawsuit against Suno and instead struck a partnership that gives artists full control over how their work is used in the AI platform's new licensed models launching ...
www.ibtimes.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Warner Music Drops Lawsuit Against Suno, Only to Cut Deal With Same AI Tech It Tried to Shut Down
www.ibtimes.co.uk/warner-music...
www.ibtimes.co.uk/warner-music...