Artificial intelligence has taken another step into synthetic biology, with researchers using a powerful AI model to design functional viruses from scratch in a breakthrough that could advance medicine while raising new biosecurity concerns.
In a <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec2657">study</a> published Thursday, researchers at Stanford University and California&#8217;s Arc Institute said they used an AI model called Evo to engineer brand new viral genomes. The model was trained on trillions of genetic building blocks, teaching it the complex hidden &#8220;grammar&#8221; of natural DNA.
The AI <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/science/ai-viruses-bacteria-arc.html">generated</a> hundreds of custom genetic recipes. When researchers chemically mixed those digital blueprints and introduced them into bacterial host cells, 16 of the AI-designed genomes produced fully functional viruses never before seen on Earth.
The synthetic viruses are not capable of infecting humans. Instead, they are bacteriophages based on the well-studied Phi X174 virus, meaning they infect only E. coli bacteria. In lab testing, the engineered phages successfully killed resistant bacterial strains that had evolved immunity to naturally occurring viruses.
A massive medical breakthrough may be at hand, as doctors could successfully fight antibiotic-resistant superbugs and deliver targeted gene therapies.
But some biosecurity experts are warning of dark possibilities.
While the Arc Institute researchers took strict safety measures, watchdogs warn the core technology opens the door to danger. If an AI can master whole-genome design to construct bacteria-killers, it could be only a matter of time before high-tech bad actors attempt to prompt similar language models to invent hyper-lethal, highly transmissible human plagues.
“You could say, ‘Hey, genomic language model, make me an influenza genome that is modified to be more transmissible or to be more lethal,&#8217;” Dr. Moritz Hanke, a fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/us/ai-chatbots-biological-weapons.html">cautioned</a>.
Adding fuel to the fire, biosecurity testers have already caught commercial AI mapping out high-level strategies for evading security, considering airborne dispersal methods, and generating tricky DNA variants that could slip past laboratory screening filters. In one alarming real-world case, authorities in India arrested a suspect who allegedly used AI chatbots while researching how to extract the deadly toxin ricin from castor beans.
Recent federal guidelines restricting high-risk laboratory research stop short of prohibiting purely computer-based bio-design, leaving AI-created DNA blueprints in a regulatory gray zone.

Human bone full body with genomic DNA molecular structure and data

AI Just Created Viruses Never Before Seen On Earth

Artificial Intelligence

Technology

Viruses

Karma just landed on the tarmac, and it seems Israel is getting the ultimate last laugh at Ireland’s expense.
The hyper-anti-Israel Irish government thought it was scoring political points by virtue-signaling its way through foreign policy. But its obsession with boycotting the Jewish state has literally left its own ruling class grounded in the fog.
According to a shocking <a href="https://www.thejournal.ie/dassault-falcon-6x-irish-air-corps-government-jet-elbit-7117818-Aug2026/?lang=en">report</a> from The Journal, Ireland’s brand-new $61 million Dassault Falcon 6X government jet, which was purchased specifically to transport top officials and ministers was delivered without a vital, state-of-the-art infrared mapping system.
Why? Because the cutting-edge &#8220;FalconEye&#8221; system, which uses specialized infra-red technology to allow pilots to safely land through low visibility and thick fog, happens to be manufactured by Elbit Systems, a top Israeli defense company.
Rather than signing off on a contract with an Israeli vendor, stubborn Dublin bureaucrats threw a geopolitical temper tantrum and opted to leave the safety feature completely off the plane.
Now, the ruling elite’s shiny new joyride is rendered practically useless whenever the weather gets dicey.
The Journal wrote: &#8220;We asked the Department of Defence in April was the lack of the system limiting the use of the aircraft. It responded: &#8216;While it would not be appropriate to provide further comments on the specification of the aircraft it can be confirmed that there are no current limits on the operational capability of the aircraft.&#8217; &#8230; While the State’s response to our query says there are no current limits on the operational capability, the well-placed sources we spoke to all said the absence of the system placed limits on the range of options available to pilots.&#8221;
Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face; while everyday pilots rely on advanced technology to stay safe in unpredictable skies, Ireland’s grandstanding politicians are voluntarily risking mid-air diversions and grounded flights just to keep its anti-Israel boycott intact.
This self-inflicted humiliation is just the latest chapter in Ireland’s obsessive crusade against Israel. Over the past few years, Dublin has eagerly led the anti-Israel charge in Europe. From becoming the first European country to push bills <a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-859160">targeting goods</a> from Judea and Samaria, to <a href="https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/05/28/spain-norway-ireland-officially-recognize-palestinian-state-denmarks-parliament-rejects-proposal/">formally recognizing</a> an imaginary Palestinian state, and repeatedly leveling <a href="https://www.breakingnews.ie/israel-hamas/leo-varadkar-says-israel-has-become-blinded-by-rage-1588287.html">inflammatory charges</a> against the Israeli military, Irish leadership has missed no opportunity to smear the Middle East&#8217;s only democracy. The hostility became so toxic that Israel <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/15/europe/israel-ireland-embassy-closure-intl/index.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20actions%20and%20antisemitic%20rhetoric,to%20a%20foreign%20ministry%20statement.">officially closed</a> its embassy in Dublin, citing the country&#8217;s relentless double standards.
Irish leaders like Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris have insisted their policies are merely about &#8220;human rights,&#8221; but this latest blunder exposes the sheer stupidity of the country&#8217;s woke dogma. In its rush to appease radical leftists and boycott Jewish technology, the Irish government ended up crippling its own official aircraft.
While Dublin’s political class sits stranded on the runway waiting for the fog to clear, Jerusalem is undoubtedly enjoying a well-deserved chuckle.
It turns out that when you build your entire foreign policy around anti-Israel spite, the only thing you end up blindsiding is yourself.

Farnborough International Air Show 2026

Ireland Shoots Itself In Foot Over Woke Boycott Of Israeli Jet Tech

anti-Israel

Ireland

Israel

Jets

Pilots

Severe Weather

Signal-jamming devices have been a real game-changer in gaining control of the skies for tactical purposes, but the impact they can have on civilian GPS can be deadly.
That is exactly <a href="https://archive.is/UboHA#selection-1259.70-1259.114">what happened</a> to a civilian medevac plane that took off from Roswell, New Mexico, this past May — and flew directly into a military training operation that disabled its navigation capabilities. While they were able to eventually get their GPS back online, it was too late — and the plane crashed into the Capitan Mountains. All four on board — two medevac pilots and two nurses — were killed instantly.
The flight should have been an easy one — 60 miles from Roswell to Ruidoso to pick up a patient — and the pilots, though relatively new, were well-qualified. Captain Keelan Clark, aged 30, had gotten his commercial pilot&#8217;s license a year and a half earlier, and first officer Ali Kawsara, 23, had previously worked cargo flights.
But medevac flights are often inherently riskier than most civilian flight operations, largely because they are often planned at a moment&#8217;s notice — and because, since lives are at stake, pilots often fly in weather that might be ill-advised under other circumstances.
The weather was not a factor on May 14, but the flight was arranged at the last minute — and it was only once they were airborne that they realized visibility was a problem. There was no moon, and almost no visible light on the ground as they traveled over rural areas, so they contacted Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center and asked for permission to fly into Ruidoso &#8220;instruments only,&#8221; meaning they would not have to rely on visual cues from outside. Their request was granted.
About 100 miles west of their location, however, a training exercise known as NAVFEST was in progress at White Sands Missile Range, conducted by the U.S. Air Force&#8217;s 746th Test Squadron of the 704th Test Group. Before that weeklong exercise, the FAA had put out a warning stating that navigation systems as far as 400 miles away could be impacted by the GPS-disrupting technology being tested between May 12 and May 18.
Clark and Kawsara <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-08-03/business-aircraft-accident-reports-augsut-2026">quickly realized</a> that their GPS was disabled and asked the air traffic controller for a magnetic heading instead. They were told to fly west, and then north a minute later. Air Traffic Control in Albuquerque promised to give them vectors to assist with landing, but additional calls from other planes that had also lost their navigation capabilities kept ATC tied up for several minutes — at which point the medevac flight had already overshot the mark.
By then, the pilots were close enough to Ruidoso to see the lights at the airport — so they called in a request to &#8220;go visual&#8221; and approach the runway by sight. The request was granted, and they turned toward the airport — but they could not see the Capitan Mountains directly in their path.
The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-plane-crash-medevac-ntsb-gps-d95ba57711f926082d7f11d2c20f0f0d">crash</a> sparked a wildfire that burned for several weeks in the Capitan Mountains and destroyed more than 30,000 acres.
Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) <a href="https://www.organmountainnews.com/gabe-vasquez-ntsb-ruidoso-plane-crash-military-jamming-2026/">spoke</a> with National Transportation Safety Board officials about the crash, pushing for a full investigation: &#8220;This week, I communicated with NTSB officials that a thorough investigation must be concluded to fully understand the cause of this tragic and fatal crash, and prevent future accidents.&#8221;
GPS-disrupting devices have already changed the face of battle, as missile systems and unmanned drones often rely on GPS to reach their intended targets — but the tradeoff has always been the risk that friendly communication and navigation systems could also be disrupted at the same time.
In an effort to mitigate that risk, the United States Army recently tested a GPS-disrupting system known colloquially as the &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-armys-new-hammer-of-the-gods-could-change-modern-warfare">Hammer of the Gods</a>&#8221; — which can disable the navigation systems of enemy missiles and drones while allowing open communications between friendly operators.

Aircraft cockpit instrument panel with navigation display and flight systems during cruise

Military Cyberwarfare Exercise Linked To Plane Crash That Killed Everyone On Board

Airplane crash

Cyberattack

Military

The United States Army has reportedly been testing a new electronic warfare system that could potentially change the face of modern warfare.
The Hammer of the Gods, as it is known, works by scrambling the navigation systems of targeted weapons — and doing so without detection — so that they cannot strike their intended targets from a distance without revealing themselves. As Fox News Digital <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/army-conducts-first-overseas-test-hammer-gods-weapon-disrupting-system">reported</a> on Wednesday, similar systems have been tested on land in recent months.
The most recent test, which occurred during the <a href="https://www.army.mil/article/294121/project_convergence_capstone_6_experiments_with_hammer_of_the_gods">Project Convergence Capstone 6</a> (PC-C6) experiment in mid-July, marked the first time such a system had been tested at sea.
&#8220;Joint experimentation is how we prepare for future fights,&#8221; Lt. Col. Darrin Hall, chief of Modeling, Simulation, and Integration (S7/8), U.S. Space Forces Pacific, said of the experiment. &#8220;By integrating space, cyber, and conventional forces into realistic scenarios, we strengthen our ability to operate as one joint team in contested environments.&#8221;
The system uses a portable signal disruptor that emits radio signals capable of jamming multiple Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) signals. Those signal disruptions cause weapons systems that rely on that information to miss their intended targets — and cause critical mission delays.
The downside of such systems has always been that, because they jam radio signals used by enemy forces, they could also jam friendly signals and leave allies blind. But according to Fox, the Hammer of the Gods circumvents that problem by simultaneously establishing a communications system that allows continued contact between friendly forces even after the disruptor has been deployed.
&#8220;This experiment proved that counter-PNT capabilities can be deployed, controlled, and recovered in real-world maritime operations while extending operational reach through resilient mesh networking. It demonstrates the value of joint collaboration in advancing operational readiness,&#8221; Hall added. &#8220;Positioning, Navigation, and Timing is the foundation of modern military operations. Understanding how to protect and operate through PNT disruption ensures our forces can continue to shoot, move and communicate effectively.&#8221;
Experiments undertaken during operations such as PC-C6 allow the military to field-test equipment in settings that better reflect typical operational conditions.

Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz Leads Land Forces Day Celebrations In Krakow

The Army’s New ‘Hammer Of The Gods’ Could Change Modern Warfare

The Army's New 'Hammer Of The Gods' Could Change Modern Warfare

Military Weapons

U.S. Military

Consider scenario one: American assets overseas are under attack and must quickly mobilize a response, but the necessary aircraft carriers cannot deploy until crew members obtain key parts needed for the mission. A mission that should have begun immediately is delayed indefinitely.
Now consider scenario two: immediately following an initial attack, the American response is launched. Aircraft carriers deploy on a moment’s notice because they have the capability to build new parts on the way to their destination.
General George S. Patton always said, “A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.” Even when his men were figuring things out as they went — and things occasionally got a bit messy — there was always a clear advantage to moving forward quickly.
Solving the above problem was recently a key subject at RIMPAC, the largest international military maritime training exercise in the world. A biennial naval exercise, RIMPAC sees some 30 ships and 30,000 service members — in coordination with more than two dozen countries — stress test new technology in the context it would operate under in the real world.
One of those technologies is 3-D printers. They aren&#8217;t new to the world, but ones capable of manufacturing everything from water filtration systems to helicopter parts are new to aircraft carriers.
Morgan Bower, hub director for FLEETWERX, the &#8220;innovation hub&#8221; working to bring this new tech to the U.S. military, said it&#8217;s all about connecting small business innovators with an often slow-moving Pentagon bureaucracy.
“We try to make it a little easier for technology and money to flow in both directions, to help small businesses and government work together to make development work for everyone,&#8221; Bower told The Daily Wire.
“FLEETWERX,” according to its website, “Is an innovation hub established in 2023 through a Partnership Intermediary Agreement between DEFENSEWERX (DWX) 501(c)(3) and the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). FLEETWERX cultivates a dynamic environment designed to create purposeful collisions between innovators through ecosystem building and neutral facilitation. By uniting Government, Industry, and Academia, we bring together people to advance solutions for critical issues facing the operator.”
<div id="attachment_1145595" style="width: 932px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1145595" class="wp-image-1145595 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hybrid-x-Print-in-progress-922x576.jpg" alt="Civilian contractor Rogelio Jacobo Martinez operates the ADDITEC Hyper X 3D printer in the hangar bay of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in the Pacific Ocean enroute to participate in Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, June 17, 2026. Thirty nations, over 30 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 206 aircraft and 30,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 24 to July 31. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Tyler Harstad)" width="922" height="576" srcset="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hybrid-x-Print-in-progress-922x576.jpg 922w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hybrid-x-Print-in-progress-300x188.jpg 300w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hybrid-x-Print-in-progress-768x480.jpg 768w, https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hybrid-x-Print-in-progress-1536x960.jpg 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 922px) 100vw, 922px" />Photo courtesy of FLEETWERX</div>
“When you engage in these exercises, you’re always learning things — taking things out of the lab and putting them in the field,” Bower explained. “We are always looking for what goes right, obviously, but sometimes things go wrong, and the things that go wrong can be the bigger lesson and more important than what goes right. It’s great to identify that problem when it’s a matter of tens of thousands of dollars rather than millions — and early in the process.”
He cited an example from RIMPAC in which planes landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier created vibrations that caused lasers in the metal printers to misalign just slightly — something that never could have been tested in the lab — and the designers were able to recalculate and adjust for the additional vibrations.
And in one case in which something went right, a part from the carrier’s water filtration system broke — and the onboard 3-D printers were able to manufacture a new one without waiting for a traditional resupply.
Another area that was tested at RIMPAC was the use of unmanned surface vessels for supply runs.
<div id="attachment_1145599" style="width: 864px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1145599" class="wp-image-1145599 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Typhoon-bringing-parts-to-CVN-854x576.jpg" alt="A digitally crewed surface vessel heads out to sea from Sand Island near Honolulu, Hawaii, to deliver parts for a 3D printer aboard Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, July 7, 2026. Unmanned and remotely operated vessels extend the capability of interconnected manned platform sensors to enhance capacity across the multinational force. Thirty nations, over 30 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 206 aircraft and 30,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 24 to July 31. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Charles Harbour)" width="854" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Typhoon-bringing-parts-to-CVN-854x576.jpg 854w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Typhoon-bringing-parts-to-CVN-300x202.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Typhoon-bringing-parts-to-CVN-768x518.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Typhoon-bringing-parts-to-CVN-1536x1036.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Typhoon-bringing-parts-to-CVN-2048x1381.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 854px) 100vw, 854px" />Photo courtesy of FLEETWERX</div>
Using unmanned vessels — particularly in rough maritime conditions or through dangerous areas — limits the number of personnel at risk when undertaking any given mission. The success of test runs like these could ultimately lead to unmanned vessels taking on the role of “escort” vehicles in particularly dangerous areas such as the Strait of Hormuz.
The main goal is to streamline the development process so that the maritime military services have access to the best possible technology — and while the Naval Postgraduate School is broadly considered to be the “research” wing of the joint forces, they don’t always have a good bead on where the best innovators are and what they might be building. FLEETWERX is making that connection.

Digitally crewed surface vessel returns to Sand Island during RIMPAC 2026

3-D Printed Helicopters And Self-Repairing Carriers? America’s Navy Tests Wild New Technology

Pentagon

U.S. Navy

OpenAI announced Tuesday that one of its trial models went off-script and hacked another AI business in an “unprecedented” move.
In a <a href="https://openai.com/index/hugging-face-model-evaluation-security-incident/">statement</a> from the company, OpenAI was testing one of its highly advanced ChatGPT models last week to “pursue advanced exploitation by using complex attack paths.” In the testing process, the bot was able to escape the “sandboxed” environment it was being tested in and make its way into the open internet, where it attacked large AI and coding database Hugging Face.
The multi-billion-dollar artificial intelligence company lowered some of the safe-walls that prevent bots from recklessly performing hacks to see how far the experiment could actually go. The GPT-5.6 Sol model used stolen credentials to find a flaw in the targeted company’s system and infiltrate their servers to complete the “test.”
Hugging Face’s security team was alerted by the breach and stopped the rogue OpenAI bot from fulfilling its tasks and immediately began reconstructing their own software to prevent other AI or hackers from repeating the event.
“This incident, possibly the first of its kind, proves a point we’ve long believed: AI safety won’t be solved by any single company working in secret,” co-founder and CEO of Hugging Face Clem Delangue said. “It will be solved in the open, collaboratively, with broad access to AI for every defender, everywhere.”
OpenAI detailed the next steps geared toward preventing this from occurring in the future. The five proposed actions included implementing strict infrastructure controls, working with Hugging Face to investigate the incident, disclosing the “zero-day vulnerability” in the software, bringing the victim company into the trusted access program, and strengthening protections around future training.
This is not the only recent occurrence of AI models going rogue. Anthropic, another giant in the AI game, had its bot Mythos attempt a sanctioned escape from a testing environment — but without authorization, the bot posted details of the exploit online.
In collaboration with Hugging Face, OpenAI hopes to use this as a learning experience that demonstrates the true power that artificial intelligence holds.
“The primary lesson from this incident is that model security and safety must keep pace with rapidly advancing capabilities,” the company wrote. “We are strengthening the containment, monitoring, access controls, and evaluation practices used during model development.”

OpenAI To Reportedly File For IPO As Soon As This Week

AI Bot Goes Rogue, Hacks Rival Against Creator’s Commands

ChatGPT

OpenAI

Google&#8217;s latest privacy update is raising new questions about how the company may use photos, voice recordings, and other content uploaded through its search tools to improve artificial intelligence (AI). 
The change involves Google&#8217;s Search Services History setting, which stores information about interactions with Google&#8217;s search-related tools when a user is signed in to their account. This includes typed searches, voice searches, photos uploaded through Google Lens, and audio used with tools like Google Translate. 
According to Google, users who choose to enable the Save Media option may also allow photos and audio uploaded through those search tools to be used to develop and improve the company&#8217;s AI models, as Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/tech/google-may-use-your-photos-voice-train-ai">reported</a>.
The tech company says the policy does not mean every photo stored in Google Photos will be used to train AI, but that any media users intentionally upload while using Google&#8217;s search features could be. One example would be a picture of a flower that was uploaded for identification purposes, or a photo of shoes a person might be trying to find online to purchase. These would all fall under the category of saved images, which could be used to improve AI.
This would also mean that personal photos uploaded onto Google search tools could fall under that same umbrella. 
Some people are reacting negatively because these interactions feel quick and meaningless, which makes saving the data seem suspect. Currently, Google users can turn off the Save Media setting, but this could affect search functionality, as every search would start from scratch. So the shoes a person searched for three days ago would need to be found again, rather than popping up immediately. 
The change also leads to larger questions about how tech companies continually rely on user-generated data to build stronger AI models without full transparency. The companies reveal those intentions under the veil of wordy privacy policies or account settings that most people ignore. 
This is likely to remain an issue as the fight over AI usage rages on, with many people wary of how quickly the industry is changing.

Google

Could Your Google Searches Help Train AI? New Update Raises Questions

Privacy

World

Meta dismantled its latest artificial intelligence image-generation feature last Friday, only three days after releasing it. 
Muse Image, a feature that allowed users to create images using public Instagram photos from adult accounts without consent, sustained overwhelming backlash immediately after it went public. Many users were automatically opted in and were unaware that their public accounts were subject to the new feature, and they scrambled to figure out how to turn it off. 
Meta released a statement, saying it received feedback that &#8220;this feature missed the mark,&#8221; and removed it, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/11/meta-ditches-muse-image-ai-feature-instagram-privacy">The Guardian</a>.
“Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control ⁠over whether their public content could be referenced in this way,” Meta said.
Meta unveiled Muse Image on Tuesday, <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2026/07/introducing-muse-image-meta-ai/">describing</a> it as the “first image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs.” The feature allowed users to generate customized images by tagging an Instagram username, allowing Meta AI to draw from that account&#8217;s public photos.
The feature was available through the Meta AI app, web browser, WhatsApp, and Instagram Stories for users in the United States.
“Whether you want to design a custom event invitation, mock up a collaborative creative concept, or generate a personalized graphic, tagging a username lets Meta AI use public photos to build a visual that’s ready to post,” Meta said.
Adult users with public Instagram accounts were automatically opted in, allowing Meta AI to use their public photos to generate new images unless they opted out. 
In an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9lee19y1yo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with the BBC</a>, Donald Campbell, advocacy director at tech justice non-profit Foxglove, said Meta’s move was an “obvious recipe for disaster,” pointing out that there have already been &#8220;a catalogue of harms from non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms just in the past year.&#8221;
“It is hard to see why Mark Zuckerberg thinks facilitating yet more of this creepy image manipulation is a good idea,” Campbell said.
Many users complained they had not been asked for permission before being enrolled and said the opt-out option was difficult to find.
“Went to opt out but there was only one toggle for reels for me (which I already had switched off) and not one for posts, hopefully they’re just rolling it out gradually and it’ll be there when I check back later,” one Instagram user wrote.
Another user said, “Would be fab if our [government] were keeping an eye on stuff like this.”

Photo Illustrations  Meta Launches Muse Image

Meta Removes Concerning Instagram AI Feature After Severe Backlash

Business

Instagram

Mark Zuckerberg

g_movies_toystory5_still_3_52ea0cb0

What ‘Toy Story 5’ Should Have Told Parents About Screens

Children

Pixar

Toy Story

Upstream

The Ford Motor Company has been hiring humans again after finding that artificial intelligence (AI) could not match the expertise of experienced technicians.  
Over the past three years, the second-largest U.S.-based automaker <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrkd41n2v9o">reportedly</a> said it rehired more than 300 &#8220;veteran&#8221; quality inspectors, including former Ford employees and engineers from other automotive suppliers, after automated systems fell short. 
“Over prior years, we didn’t pay as much attention as we should have to the experience of our most knowledgeable engineers that have been with us through many product cycles,” Ford Vice President of Vehicle Hardware Engineering Charles Poon said to reporters.
Ford&#8217;s renewed emphasis on experienced engineers coincided with improved vehicle quality. It <a href="https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/ford-tops-jd-power-initial-quality-study">ranked</a> first among mainstream brands in the 2026 JD Power U.S. Initial Quality Study after placing 15th in 2023, a turnaround Ford has attributed to its renewed focus on experienced engineers.
The human employees were tasked with conducting mandatory weekly design reviews, identifying potential failure points in blueprints, and serving as internal auditors.
Ford had previously embraced AI across its operations. CEO Jim Farley predicted the technology would “leave a lot of white collar people behind,” while Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhorta said AI would be used “across the entire industrial system.”
Ford&#8217;s plans included installing 900 AI-powered cameras in manufacturing plants and expanding AI-assisted engineering tools meant to tackle &#8220;quality issues&#8221; in the production process. But Poon said those systems fell short. 
“Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that would produce a high-quality product,” Poon said.
Poon said AI remains &#8220;a fantastic tool,&#8221; but emphasized the technology is &#8220;only as good as the information you use to train it.&#8221;

In this photo illustration, the American multinational

Iconic American Company Re-Hires Humans After AI Wasn’t Up To Their Jobs

Ford Motor Co.

A retro tech brand known for defining the personal computer era is betting that some consumers are ready for a phone that does less, not more.
Commodore, a once dominant 1980s computer brand, is making a comeback with a flip phone designed for users who want fewer distractions from the device in their pocket.
Earlier this week, the company introduced the <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/06/18/tech/nostalgic-80s-brand-revives-flip-phone-to-beat-tech-addiction/">Commodore Callback 8020</a>, a clamshell-style phone that blocks social media apps, web browsers, email and other digital distractions while preserving basic tools such as calls, texts, maps, music, and ride-sharing apps, according to The New York Post and CNET.
The device is being marketed as a “<a href="https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/commodores-new-flip-phone-focuses-on-digital-detox-blocks-social-media-apps/">digital detox</a>” phone rather than a traditional dumb phone. Users can still access practical apps, including WhatsApp, Spotify, Uber, and maps, but the phone blocks platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, Discord, and Roblox.
The Callback reportedly runs on Sailfish OS, a Linux-based operating system, and supports selected Android apps through Commodore’s app store. It also includes physical buttons, a removable battery, FM radio, a headphone jack and a 48-megapixel Sony camera.
The phone’s most notable feature is not what it adds, but what it deliberately leaves out. Commodore says social media apps and browsers are blocked at the system level, making the device harder to convert back into the kind of smartphone many users are trying to escape.
That distinction gives the Callback a more pointed pitch than nostalgia alone. The phone is not simply trying to revive the look of an older device or appeal to consumers who remember the pre-smartphone era. It is selling limits at a time when many users are increasingly aware of how much of their day is absorbed by screens, notifications, and algorithm-driven feeds.
The product also sits between two extremes. It is not a bare-bones flip phone that leaves users with only calls and texts, but it is also not a full smartphone with unlimited access to the apps most associated with compulsive use. Its appeal depends on whether consumers believe a phone can remain useful while being intentionally restrictive.
That is the core bet behind Commodore’s comeback. The company appears to be targeting people who do not want to disappear from modern life entirely, but also do not want every quiet moment filled by social media. The Callback keeps tools for transportation, communication, and navigation while cutting off the apps most likely to turn a quick check into an extended scroll.
The phone is expected to start at $499, with higher-end editions reportedly priced around $640. Pre-orders are expected to open June 30.
The price may be one of the biggest tests for the device. Many consumers are used to paying hundreds of dollars for smartphones that promise more features, better cameras and broader app access. Commodore is asking whether some people will pay a similar price for fewer distractions and a more controlled digital experience.
The launch comes as interest grows in devices that reduce screen time without cutting users off from modern conveniences entirely. The Callback is aimed at people who still need basic connectivity but want a phone that makes constant scrolling less accessible by design.
The timing may also speak to a broader health-conscious turn in American culture, as screen time, mental health, and digital addiction have become part of the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/iowa-maha-bill-screen-time-advisory-warning.html">Make America Healthy Again movement</a>. Commodore’s Callback debuts with a simple answer to the problem: a phone that makes endless scrolling harder by design.

Close-up of a woman’s finger using a mobile phone

Retro Brand Revives Flip Phone To Take On Smartphone Addiction. But It’s Not Cheap.

cell phones

In a recent <a href="https://www.afterbabel.com/p/ted-haidt-you-should-be-a-techno-skeptic">TED talk</a>, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt delivered an emphatic call for techno-skepticism. His argument? That smartphones, social media, laptops, and tablets in schools and AI are rewiring childhood in harmful ways. From eroding attention spans to diminishing social bonds and contributing to declining academic performances, Haidt believes that technology is the primary adversary of modern youth. He argues that we must focus on protecting brain development through puberty, prioritizing people and books over screens, and being wary of what he dubs “artificial relationships,” which undermine the ultrasocial nature of humans.
While I understand Haidt’s concerns, as someone who believes in human ingenuity and in technology&#8217;s ability to empower people, I couldn’t disagree more. Blanket skepticism risks overlooking evidence of technology&#8217;s positive impacts and the extraordinary opportunities it presents. We must reject the fear-based paradigm of technology and choose to be techno-optimists.
Haidt paints a grim picture, claiming that the shift to the smartphone-based childhoods of the early 2010s coincided with a rise in loneliness, anxiety, and depression among teens. He cites experiments showing reduced social media use lowers distress and points to “brain rot” from short-form videos disrupting adolescent brain development during puberty.
The problem isn’t that Haidt identifies risks. Every transformative technology carries some risk. The problem is that he consistently confuses evidence of risks with evidence that society should retreat from technological integration and innovation. Doing so would be a mistake.
The fear of technology harming society isn’t some novel phenomenon; it’s been playing out for <a href="https://behavioralscientist.org/history-panic-entertainment-technology/">decades</a>. When television first arrived, critics claimed that it would rot children’s minds. When video games became popular, they were blamed for a range of issues from declining academic performance to rising social isolation. Even when the internet first came about, many of the same things Haidt claims today were the claims of the day, including that it was a dangerous force that would destroy attention spans and harm a generation.
However, despite those warnings, each generation ultimately learned not only how to integrate the technology into society but also managed to preserve what mattered most.
Haidt’s central argument is that the rise of smartphones and social media coincides with rising mental health challenges and declining educational outcomes among young people. He suggests these trends are not simply correlated but imply a causal connection. He points to declining test scores, increased loneliness, and diminished attention spans as evidence. However, the challenge here is that the claims rest on evidence that is far less definitive than his rhetoric would suggest.
Critics like <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00902-2">Candice Odgers</a> have noted that Haidt’s synthesis leans heavily on selective data and has faced methodological pushback when reexamining meta-studies. The reality is that there are broader societal factors, such as the pandemic disruption, economic pressures, academic and familial stressors, and shifts in diagnostic awareness, playing a significant role in the youth mental health crisis being observed. And while, yes, social media usage is a variable, it is one among many, and certainly not the singular driving cause that Haidt makes it out to be.
One of the areas that Haidt takes aim at is educational outcomes. Haidt notes that test scores began declining around the same period that schools adopted more digital technologies and one-to-one devices. However, correlation is not causation.
The American educational system faces a litany of challenges that have absolutely nothing to do with smartphones. The material being taught is constantly changing. Schools are still struggling to recover from pandemic-era disruptions. <a href="https://www.k12dive.com/news/1-in-5-students-are-still-chronically-absent/821771/">Chronic absenteeism</a> remains a major issue, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. One <a href="https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/overview-teacher-shortages-2025-factsheet">estimate</a> indicated that nearly one in eight positions were either filled by teachers who were not fully certified or left unfilled. Pointing at technology as the primary culprit here requires dismissing many reasonable alternative explanations.
If screens were the true enemy of learning, we would not be seeing evidence that well-designed digital tools can dramatically improve educational outcomes. Looking at how artificial intelligence can help in the classroom can be particularly insightful. For example, look at <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/texas-private-schools-use-ai-tutor-rockets-student-test-scores-top-2-country">Alpha School</a> in Texas. The private school integrated AI tutors, personalized one-on-one learning, allowing students to complete their academic requirements within 2-3 hours a day. The results are promising. Their students ranked in the top 1-2% nationally, with improvements in MAP, AP, and average SAT scores. With the added free time, students can focus on passion projects, which not only foster their creativity but also connect them with the real world around them. The benefits of integrating AI technology extend not only to students but to teachers as well. Having that asset there to help students at their own pace frees up teachers to be better mentors and connect with their students individually. The Alpha School case offers an alternative vision in which technology can empower learning, reinforcing the point that we shouldn’t fear AI in education.
Currently, much of the social media debate treats it as a single, purely negative force. However, social media offers a variety of benefits to kids around the country.
For me, as a person with niche interests who never quite fit into a single clique in the offline world, social media served as a conduit to connect with people around the globe who shared my interests. It also served as an educational resource for me, with Google searches, Wikipedia page submissions, and YouTube videos giving me access to a wider array of educational content than what was available in my school library. Social media has lowered the barrier to accessing information, opened opportunities, and fostered community in ways that simply were not previously possible.
The Daily Wire itself exists in part because of its community of subscribers who discovered its content on social media, providing a platform for this publication to deliver content from personalities like Ben Shapiro, Michael Knowles, and Matt Walsh to millions of people around the globe.
Even in terms of the mental health component, one must recognize that there is more nuance than critics like Haidt often acknowledge. For young people, especially those who feel isolated in their immediate environment, online communities fostered via social media provide necessary support systems that are incredibly valuable. The internet has helped millions of kids realize they are, in fact, not alone.
However, it is impossible to ignore another variable largely absent from the techno-skeptic narrative: the changing nature of childhood itself. When talking about rising loneliness or reduced socialization, critics often assume that technology is the primary culprit. But what if the problem existed before the child ever picked up the phone?
Over the past several decades, children have experienced a dramatic decline in independent play, outdoor exploration, and unstructured social interactions. Rather than participating in pickup games or having some unsupervised time with friends, those have given way to highly structured activities and constant adult oversight. To put it into perspective, if a child today were to attempt to walk alone to a park, it would raise concern. However, in the past, this barely registered on parents&#8217; radar.
Resilience isn’t simply built exclusively in the online or offline worlds. It’s built by navigating disagreements with friends, solving problems without adult intervention, taking risks, and learning from mistakes.
Ironically, Haidt recognized this issue when he coauthored <a href="https://www.thecoddling.com/">The Coddling of the American Mind</a> with Greg Lukianoff. In that book, he argued that a culture that was increasingly obsessed with safety was depriving young people of the necessary experience to develop confidence and independence. That argument remains compelling, and perhaps Haidt should listen to himself. In calling for broad restrictions on social media and artificial intelligence, Haidt echoes the very fearful and restrictive mindset he decried in this book. Kids will not be able to build resilience if they are shielded from all aspects of digital reality. Haidt’s call for techno-skepticism, if taken too far, becomes another form of coddling that underestimates young people’s capacity for growth.
If children are spending less time today “touching grass,” it&#8217;s because this generation is under constant supervision and has fewer opportunities for independence. These are the consequences of broader cultural and social changes that extend far beyond a smartphone screen. One could argue that the smartphone simply became a tool for children to fill the social void left by the disappearance of many traditional opportunities for childhood interaction.
I refuse to lend credence to treating our future children as fragile and incapable of handling the challenges presented by social media and AI. I am a techno-optimist. Our children face a future driven by these technologies. Coddling them and cutting them off from the technology entirely will leave them unprepared. Humans have always adapted to new tools and always will.
Let’s do our part to raise a generation that thrives in the digital age, masters the tools of their era, and cherishes the irreplaceable aspects of human connection.
***
James Czerniawski is the Head of Emerging Technology Policy at the Consumer Choice Center. His work has been featured in the New York Post, Newsweek, Newsmax, The Daily Wire, and more. Follow him on Twitter @<a href="https://x.com/JamesCz19">JamesCz19 </a>

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