Tom Simonite
@simonite.bsky.social
Tech companies editor @washingtonpost.com // [email protected]
Reposted by Tom Simonite
New research suggests AI chatbots can shift people’s political views more effectively than campaign ads on TV.
However, researchers are concerned AI companies could “set the models up to push for one side or another.”
However, researchers are concerned AI companies could “set the models up to push for one side or another.”
Voters’ minds are hard to change. AI chatbots are surprisingly good at it.
New research suggests AI chatbots can shift people’s political views more effectively than campaign ads on TV.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
New research suggests AI chatbots can shift people’s political views more effectively than campaign ads on TV.
However, researchers are concerned AI companies could “set the models up to push for one side or another.”
However, researchers are concerned AI companies could “set the models up to push for one side or another.”
Reposted by Tom Simonite
I'm just a girl. Again standing in front of a megacap tech company. Asking them to stop using the word "factory" for things that are not factories.
www.geekwire.com/2025/amazon-...
www.geekwire.com/2025/amazon-...
Amazon unveils ‘frontier agents,’ new chips and private ‘AI factories’ in AWS re:Invent rollout
LAS VEGAS — Amazon is pitching a future where AI works while humans sleep, announcing a collection of what it calls "frontier agents" capable of handling complex, multi-day projects without needing a ...
www.geekwire.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:16 PM
I'm just a girl. Again standing in front of a megacap tech company. Asking them to stop using the word "factory" for things that are not factories.
www.geekwire.com/2025/amazon-...
www.geekwire.com/2025/amazon-...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Does ChatGPT really love em dashes and say yes a lot? @jeremybmerrill.com analyzed more than 30,000 publicly shared ChatGPT conversations to find out.
The data shows that ChatGPT's use of em dashes soared this year
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
The data shows that ChatGPT's use of em dashes soared this year
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
November 13, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Does ChatGPT really love em dashes and say yes a lot? @jeremybmerrill.com analyzed more than 30,000 publicly shared ChatGPT conversations to find out.
The data shows that ChatGPT's use of em dashes soared this year
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
The data shows that ChatGPT's use of em dashes soared this year
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
In this video version of my Alex Karp interview, I get some words in edgewise--barely. But we do have a clash of viewpoints wherein he says tangling with me is like talking to his (progressive) parents. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWxW...
Palantir CEO Alex Karp On Government Contracts, Immigration, and the Future of Work | WIRED
YouTube video by WIRED
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM
In this video version of my Alex Karp interview, I get some words in edgewise--barely. But we do have a clash of viewpoints wherein he says tangling with me is like talking to his (progressive) parents. www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWxW...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
It's a good day....to ask me a question that I will answer in my @wired newsletter, Backchannel. Folks, what an opportunity! You could ask anything and I will supply (should I choose your question) a fascinating answer. Hit reply and ask away!
October 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM
It's a good day....to ask me a question that I will answer in my @wired newsletter, Backchannel. Folks, what an opportunity! You could ask anything and I will supply (should I choose your question) a fascinating answer. Hit reply and ask away!
Reposted by Tom Simonite
The great @dtkeating.bsky.social is retiring after 25+ years as a data reporter at the Post. He published his last story today, and true to form, it was a banger. With reporting from @arianaec.bsky.social, @lmelgar.bsky.social & Jahi Chikwendiu:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
The mysterious rise of cancer among young adults in the Corn Belt
Communities across the Corn Belt are confronting a rise in cancers among young adults — and few clear explanations.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:38 PM
The great @dtkeating.bsky.social is retiring after 25+ years as a data reporter at the Post. He published his last story today, and true to form, it was a banger. With reporting from @arianaec.bsky.social, @lmelgar.bsky.social & Jahi Chikwendiu:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
A Wikipedia cofounder is fueling the right’s campaign against it
A Wikipedia cofounder is fueling the right’s campaign against it
A Wikipedia cofounder is fueling the right’s campaign against it
Larry Sanger’s claims of a liberal slant and mismanagement at the world’s dominant online encyclopedia are being enthusiastically embraced on the right.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 25, 2025 at 12:23 PM
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
A Wikipedia cofounder is fueling the right’s campaign against it
A Wikipedia cofounder is fueling the right’s campaign against it
Missed out on a ticket to Peter Thiel's Antichrist lectures? Hear excerpts on this podcast
I listened to Peter Thiel's antichrist lectures, so you don't have to
www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/pos...
www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/pos...
Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private ‘Antichrist’ lectures - The Washington Post
The billionaire Peter Thiel recently hosted a series of exclusive lectures in San Francisco. The topic? The Antichrist. Today, his arguments and what they say about an emerging mindset in Silicon Vall...
www.washingtonpost.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Missed out on a ticket to Peter Thiel's Antichrist lectures? Hear excerpts on this podcast
Reposted by Tom Simonite
“Loyalty programs have really become backdoor laboratories for pricing…There's a lot more happening in the background that is targeting and squeezing each consumer's willingness to pay.”
Column | The hidden way using a rewards card can cost you more
Companies use rewards programs to build profiles of you and figure out exactly how much you’re willing to pay. Two former FTC officials say it’s a trap.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 18, 2025 at 4:49 PM
“Loyalty programs have really become backdoor laboratories for pricing…There's a lot more happening in the background that is targeting and squeezing each consumer's willingness to pay.”
"A spokesman for Thiel said: 'Peter doesn’t believe Trump is the Antichrist.'" www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction
In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 10, 2025 at 6:16 PM
"A spokesman for Thiel said: 'Peter doesn’t believe Trump is the Antichrist.'" www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
Just ran some evals on Claude Sonnet 4.5. It's better than 4 on some but worse on a lot. LLM progress is so weird. You really gotta test this stuff on what you care about.
September 29, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Just ran some evals on Claude Sonnet 4.5. It's better than 4 on some but worse on a lot. LLM progress is so weird. You really gotta test this stuff on what you care about.
Reposted by Tom Simonite
CHOTINER: And you thought it would be funny to do a fake interview by me?
ME: A lot of people have, so
CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement?
ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess
CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get?
ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
ME: A lot of people have, so
CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement?
ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess
CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get?
ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
September 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM
CHOTINER: And you thought it would be funny to do a fake interview by me?
ME: A lot of people have, so
CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement?
ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess
CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get?
ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
ME: A lot of people have, so
CHOTINER: You were looking for engagement?
ME: Well, to make someone laugh I guess
CHOTINER: How many likes and reposts did it get?
ME: That's, uh, not really the metric...look can we start over
Reposted by Tom Simonite
Pete Hegseth has summoned every general and admiral in the US military around the world to an *in person* meeting next week. And he’s given no reason.
That’s basically unprecedented. There’s lots of reasons you don’t do it, too – not least that it’s bound to make the rest of the world twitchy.
That’s basically unprecedented. There’s lots of reasons you don’t do it, too – not least that it’s bound to make the rest of the world twitchy.
Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals
The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Top generals and their staffs don’t know the reason for the meeting.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Pete Hegseth has summoned every general and admiral in the US military around the world to an *in person* meeting next week. And he’s given no reason.
That’s basically unprecedented. There’s lots of reasons you don’t do it, too – not least that it’s bound to make the rest of the world twitchy.
That’s basically unprecedented. There’s lots of reasons you don’t do it, too – not least that it’s bound to make the rest of the world twitchy.
Reposted by Tom Simonite
When he named Brendan Carr as his FCC chair, Trump called him a "warrior for free speech."
We wrote about how he has become a warrior against it.
Gift link: wapo.st/4pxe2t0
We wrote about how he has become a warrior against it.
Gift link: wapo.st/4pxe2t0
Trump’s media enforcer is relishing his Jimmy Kimmel moment
Brendan Carr has become the personification of the president’s crusade against the mainstream media, and he’s just getting started.
wapo.st
September 19, 2025 at 2:28 PM
When he named Brendan Carr as his FCC chair, Trump called him a "warrior for free speech."
We wrote about how he has become a warrior against it.
Gift link: wapo.st/4pxe2t0
We wrote about how he has become a warrior against it.
Gift link: wapo.st/4pxe2t0
OpenAI won't say whose content it used to train its video generator Sora. Here are some clues.
Gift link: wapo.st/3KeqLR0
Gift link: wapo.st/3KeqLR0
September 19, 2025 at 4:32 PM
OpenAI won't say whose content it used to train its video generator Sora. Here are some clues.
Gift link: wapo.st/3KeqLR0
Gift link: wapo.st/3KeqLR0
Reposted by Tom Simonite
Top story on @washingtonpost.com this morning: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump, allies seek to punish speech they dislike following Kirk killing
The White House-directed campaign, which is likely to face legal challenges, defies past GOP rhetoric condemning the label “hate speech” as a pretext for political persecution.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 18, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Top story on @washingtonpost.com this morning: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
Who's using ChatGPT?
September 16, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Who's using ChatGPT?
"The complaint filed by Juliana’s parents is the third high-profile case in the past year brought by a U.S. family alleging that an AI chatbot contributed to a teen’s death by suicide." www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
A teen contemplating suicide turned to a chatbot. Is it liable for her death?
A lawsuit filed by the parents of 13-year-old Juliana Peralta against Character AI is the latest to allege a chatbot contributed to a teen’s death by suicide.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 16, 2025 at 5:39 PM
"The complaint filed by Juliana’s parents is the third high-profile case in the past year brought by a U.S. family alleging that an AI chatbot contributed to a teen’s death by suicide." www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
A new wrongful death lawsuit alleges that Character AI and Google are liable for the death by suicide of a 13-year-old girl in Colorado, Juliana Peralta
This is the third wrongful death claim against a popular AI app for a teen's death by suicide this year www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
This is the third wrongful death claim against a popular AI app for a teen's death by suicide this year www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
A teen contemplating suicide turned to a chatbot. Is it liable for her death?
A lawsuit filed by the parents of 13-year-old Juliana Peralta against Character AI is the latest to allege a chatbot contributed to a teen’s death by suicide.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 16, 2025 at 12:17 PM
A new wrongful death lawsuit alleges that Character AI and Google are liable for the death by suicide of a 13-year-old girl in Colorado, Juliana Peralta
This is the third wrongful death claim against a popular AI app for a teen's death by suicide this year www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
This is the third wrongful death claim against a popular AI app for a teen's death by suicide this year www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
Visceral closeup videos of Charlie Kirk getting shot in the neck were everywhere on social media. A lot of parents were not pleased that mainstream social apps’ algorithms showed it to their kids.
Story today by @tatumhunter.bsky.social & me (gift link): wapo.st/4n6oBSi
Story today by @tatumhunter.bsky.social & me (gift link): wapo.st/4n6oBSi
‘My kid has seen this. Now what?’: Parents reel as Charlie Kirk video goes viral
Gory social videos of Charlie Kirk’s shooting have inundated children, leaving parents feeling powerless and disturbed.
wapo.st
September 12, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Visceral closeup videos of Charlie Kirk getting shot in the neck were everywhere on social media. A lot of parents were not pleased that mainstream social apps’ algorithms showed it to their kids.
Story today by @tatumhunter.bsky.social & me (gift link): wapo.st/4n6oBSi
Story today by @tatumhunter.bsky.social & me (gift link): wapo.st/4n6oBSi
Reposted by Tom Simonite
I asked Bluesky how it's moderating graphic videos of the Charlie Kirk assassination, as well as responses that glorify violence or call for retribution.
From a Bluesky spokesperson: "We're suspending accounts that are encouraging violence; we are taking down close-up videos of the event."
From a Bluesky spokesperson: "We're suspending accounts that are encouraging violence; we are taking down close-up videos of the event."
September 10, 2025 at 10:00 PM
I asked Bluesky how it's moderating graphic videos of the Charlie Kirk assassination, as well as responses that glorify violence or call for retribution.
From a Bluesky spokesperson: "We're suspending accounts that are encouraging violence; we are taking down close-up videos of the event."
From a Bluesky spokesperson: "We're suspending accounts that are encouraging violence; we are taking down close-up videos of the event."
Reposted by Tom Simonite
Business Insider yanked 40 essays with suspect bylines. A @washingtonpost.com probe into these mass retractions found key links between the bogus writer “Margaux Blanchard” and another individual, suggesting a broader scheme. Here’s what I found: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Business Insider yanked 40 essays with suspect bylines. Are they related?
“Margaux Blanchard” appears to be one dubious element of a broader scheme to peddle bogus articles to a number of publications.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 6, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Business Insider yanked 40 essays with suspect bylines. A @washingtonpost.com probe into these mass retractions found key links between the bogus writer “Margaux Blanchard” and another individual, suggesting a broader scheme. Here’s what I found: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Reposted by Tom Simonite
🚨Journalism job alert🚨
We're hiring an investigative reporter to join my team at @wired.com. We're looking for someone who has both traditional and non-traditional reporting skills (coding/data work/OSINT, etc). Fit the bill? Come work with me! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...
We're hiring an investigative reporter to join my team at @wired.com. We're looking for someone who has both traditional and non-traditional reporting skills (coding/data work/OSINT, etc). Fit the bill? Come work with me! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...
Senior Writer, Investigations
WIRED is where a better future is imagined. For three decades, we have been the indispensable guide to a world in constant transformation. We cover humanity’s biggest challenges, from climate change t...
condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
August 20, 2025 at 2:29 PM
🚨Journalism job alert🚨
We're hiring an investigative reporter to join my team at @wired.com. We're looking for someone who has both traditional and non-traditional reporting skills (coding/data work/OSINT, etc). Fit the bill? Come work with me! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...
We're hiring an investigative reporter to join my team at @wired.com. We're looking for someone who has both traditional and non-traditional reporting skills (coding/data work/OSINT, etc). Fit the bill? Come work with me! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...