Robin Williams’ daughter is begging fans to quit sending her creepy AI-generated videos that digitally resurrect her father.
The famous actor and comedian died by suicide in August 2014. 
Zelda Williams, a 36-year-old filmmaker, made the remarks via Instagram Stories.
“Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad,” she <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/robin-williams-daughter-ai-recreations-gross-1236541633/">wrote</a>. “Stop believing I wanna see it or that I’ll understand, I don’t and I won’t. If you’re just trying to troll me, I’ve seen way worse, I’ll restrict and move on. But please, if you’ve got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It’s dumb, it’s a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it’s NOT what he’d want.”
She continued, blasting the hollow imitation of AI-crafted versions of real people.
“To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to ‘this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that’s enough’, just so other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening,” she continued. 
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“You’re not making art, you’re making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else’s throat hoping they’ll give you a little thumbs up and like it. Gross.”
Zelda wrote in a follow-up that AI is “badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be consumed. You are taking in the Human Centipede of content, and from the very end of the line, all while the folks at the front laugh and laugh, consume and consume.”
The filmmaker previously spoke out against the use of her father’s voice for AI in October 2023, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/robin-williams-daughter-says-using-ai-to-mimic-his-voice-is-personally-disturbing">reported</a>.
“I am not an impartial voice in SAG&#8217;s fight against AI,” Zelda wrote at the time. “I&#8217;ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/recreate actors who cannot consent, like Dad. This isn&#8217;t theoretical, it is very very real.”
She said it was “personally disturbing” to hear artificial intelligence mimic her father’s voice.
“Living actors deserve a chance to create characters with their choices, to voice cartoons, to put their HUMAN effort and time into the pursuit of performance,” Zelda continued. “These re-creations are, at their very best, a poor facsimile of greater people, but at their worst, a horrendous Frankensteinian monster, cobbled together from the worst bits of everything this industry is, instead of what it should stand for.”

Robin Williams Zelda Williams

Robin Williams’ Daughter Begs Fans To Stop Sending Creepy AI Videos Of Her Dad

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The media labor union SAG-AFTRA has come out against a 100% AI-generated “actress” being touted by its creators as “the next Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman.”
The “synthetic performer,” which goes by the name Tilly Norwood, was concocted by the U.K.-based production studio Particle 6.
“To be clear, ‘Tilly Norwood’ is not an actor, it’s a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers — without permission or compensation,” SAG-AFTRA wrote in a statement shared on social media. 
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“It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we’ve seen, audiences aren’t interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience. It doesn’t solve any ‘problem’ — it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry.”
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Meanwhile, Tilly Norwood’s creator, Eline Van der Velden, argues that the AI-generated character “is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work — a piece of art.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The creator of AI actress Tilly Norwood has released a statement following a weekend of heated backlash.
&#8220;She is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art. Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself shows the… <a href="https://t.co/CTtYbeuJBt">pic.twitter.com/CTtYbeuJBt</a>
— Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://twitter.com/Variety/status/1972596577320521925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool, a new paintbrush,” Van der Velden said, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/sag-aftra-tilly-norwood-ai-actress-1236534779/">Variety</a>. “Just as animation, puppetry, or CGI opened fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories. I’m an actor myself, and nothing — certainly not an AI character —  can take away the craft or joy of human performance.”
While there has been strong pushback against AI in the industry, some proponents predict that it will be adopted sooner than anyone thinks.
“We’re seeing the change in some of the bigger broadcasters and studios going from ’Oh, I don’t think AI is for us, or we’re not ready and we’re scared, to saying, oh my gosh, we have got to get on board now,&#8217;” former Sony and A+E Networks executive Tom Davidson, who now works for Particle 6, <a href="https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/broadcast-international/how-a-uk-prodco-is-building-the-first-ai-star/5207303.article">told</a> the British news outlet Broadcast International in July. 
“Literally in the last three months, I’ve seen a huge change with the bigger groups from saying this will happen at one point in the future to we have got to get on this now.” 
Davidson said cost savings are one of the biggest drivers. “I’m hearing a lot of producers being asked for the same quality but with 25% less budget, but how can you do it? That’s very, very difficult but AI can play a huge role in supporting that,” he added.
Van der Velden said the next likely iteration will be using AI to support real-life actors. 
“We’ll have AI talent and then we’ll also have real talents,” she predicted. “But real talents will probably have an AI digital twin of themselves, so they won’t have scheduling conflicts in the same way they do now. Or if they need to do retakes and they’re already moved on to the next shoot, that will be no problem. That is definitely the future.”
Actress Emily Blunt reacted strongly to an image of Tilly Norwood, calling it “terrifying.”
“No, are you serious? That’s an AI? Good Lord, we’re screwed. That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don’t do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection,” she <a href="https://variety.com/2025/film/news/emily-blunt-ai-actress-tilly-norwood-reaction-1236534547/">told</a> Variety.

AI woman

Hollywood Actors Union Slams AI ‘Synthetic Performer’ Pitched As The ‘Next Scarlett Johansson’

Hollywood Actors Union Slams AI 'Synthetic Performer' Pitched As The 'Next Scarlett Johansson'

World

Google has committed to allowing all creators who were kicked off YouTube — over so-called political speech &#8220;violations&#8221; — the chance to return to the platform. And according to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, &#8220;THAT&#8217;S NOT ALL.&#8221;
The tech giant sent a letter to Jordan and the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, but the letter also included several statements from YouTube, admitting, among other things, to pressure from the former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration to censor certain political statements.
Jordan shared screenshots of the letter via X, along with a lengthy thread detailing both the contents of the letter and the Judiciary Committee&#8217;s efforts to expose and put a stop to social media censorship.
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YouTube also:
-Admits the Biden Admin censorship pressure was “unacceptable and wrong”
-Confirms that the Biden Admin wanted Americans censored for speech that did not violate YouTube’s policies
-Details when YouTube began rolling back its censorship policies on political…
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1970474490942337044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Jordan highlighted the key points addressed in the letter:
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<li>Admits the Biden Admin censorship pressure was &#8220;unacceptable and wrong&#8221;</li>
<li>Confirms that the Biden Admin wanted Americans censored for speech that did not violate YouTube’s policies</li>
<li>Details when YouTube began rolling back its censorship policies on political speech after @JudiciaryGOP began its investigation</li>
<li>States that public debate should NEVER come at the expense of relying on “authorities”</li>
<li>Promises to NEVER use third-party “fact-checkers”</li>
<li>Warns that Europe’s censorship laws target AMERICAN companies and threaten AMERICAN speech</li>
</ul>
Throughout the thread, Jordan continued to note what Google and YouTube were promising to do to make changes, including stepping away from third-party &#8220;fact checkers&#8221; and adopting a &#8220;Community Notes&#8221; model, similar to the one implemented first by X and later by Meta.
He spent a considerable amount of time warning Americans that European authorities were moving to restrict the speech of Americans — even when they were not in Europe — and that European social media regulations were designed to impose a &#8220;disproportionate regulatory burden on American companies.&#8221;
Stating that the Judiciary Committee would continue in those efforts, he added, &#8220;All the above are MASSIVE wins for the American people, the First Amendment, and freedom. We won’t stop fighting to protect free speech.&#8221;

Former President Joe Biden Speaks At National Bar Association Awards Gala

‘Unacceptable And Wrong’: Google Admits Caving To Censorship Pressure From Biden Admin

'Unacceptable And Wrong': Google Admits Caving To Censorship Pressure From Biden Admin

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America is in a global artificial intelligence (AI) race. The stakes are historically high with economic and national security implications. As President Trump <a href="https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/1949249312363626843">declared</a> in July, “Whether we like it or not, we are suddenly engaged in a fast-paced competition to build and refine this groundbreaking technology that will determine so much about the future of civilization.”
The President, First Lady, and the Trump Administration are taking decisive steps to ensure America is prepared and positioned to win one of the most consequential competitions among nations in modern history, determining future global dominance.
On Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump hosted a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education. Michael Kratsios, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, serves as the chair of the task force. Other members include the Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Energy, Director of the National Science Foundation, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, Special Advisor for AI and Crypto, Assistant to the President for Policy, and Assistant to the President for the Office of the First Lady.
<div id="attachment_969609" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-969609" class="size-large wp-image-969609" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2233064229-865x576.jpg" alt="Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., from left, US President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, and Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, during a dinner with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. Trump said he would be imposing tariffs on semiconductor imports &quot;very shortly&quot; but spare goods from companies like Apple Inc. that have pledged to boost their US investments. Photographer: Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2233064229-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2233064229-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2233064229-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2233064229.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
The task force is providing vital leadership for implementing the actions outlined in the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/advancing-artificial-intelligence-education-for-american-youth/">Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth</a>” executive order, signed into law by President Trump on April 23. As the executive order <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/advancing-artificial-intelligence-education-for-american-youth/">states</a>, the President and First Lady recognize that “to ensure the United States remains a global leader in this technological revolution, we must provide our Nation’s youth with opportunities to cultivate the skills and understanding necessary to adapt to and thrive in an increasing digital society.” K-12 education and workforce development training are foundational avenues for this to occur.
Students need to not just learn about artificial intelligence; education in America must be modernized to incorporate this rapidly advancing technology, thereby personalizing and enhancing student learning.
While artificial intelligence tools are the latest form of student academic dishonesty, they cannot be excluded from the learning process in the future based on fear. Students must be taught and held accountable for the appropriate use. Developers are designing educational technology tools that strengthen critical thinking and other essential cognitive skills — enhancing rather than supplanting learning — to meet the quickly accelerating market demand.
With clarity and candor, the Trump Administration has <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/advancing-artificial-intelligence-education-for-american-youth/">cast the vision</a> for charting a strategic path forward: “Early learning and exposure to AI concepts not only demystifies this powerful technology but also sparks curiosity and creativity, preparing students to become active and responsible participants in the workforce of the future and nurturing the next generation of American AI innovators to propel our Nation to new heights of scientific and economic achievement.”
As part of promptly putting this plan into action, First Lady Melania Trump recently launched the <a href="https://www.ai.gov/initiatives/presidential-challenge">Presidential AI Challenge,</a> which aims to cultivate interest and expertise in artificial intelligence technology among elementary through high school students and educators. Mrs. Trump beautifully <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Presidential-AI-Challenge-Guidebook-for-Participation.pdf">articulates</a> that the “President’s National Artificial Intelligence Challenge invites every student in America — from kindergarten to 12th grade — to unleash their imagination and showcase the spirit of American innovation.” Speaking directly to students, she explains, “our extraordinary educators will guide and empower you through this process to build a brighter, stronger future for us all.”
Acknowledging that America’s K-12 education institutions are largely unprepared to step into this moment, the Trump Administration has created crucial public-private partnerships to provide resources and advanced technological expertise and tools necessary to bring this vision into reality. Already, over 135 companies and organizations have signed the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/edai/">Pledge to America’s Youth: Investing in AI Education</a>.”
Google CEO Sundar Pichai <a href="https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/ai-education-efforts/">announced</a> at the White House Task Force meeting that $150 million of the company’s $1 billion pledge, made in August, will support education and workforce training through AI education grants. This includes $2 million to the Flourish Fund, which provides financial support for nonprofit organizations that assist foster care youth with workforce development tools as they age out of the system. Additionally, it includes $3 million for Code.org to incorporate artificial intelligence features into its curriculum.
Winning the AI race isn’t merely aspirational. The Trump Administration is working with undeniable resolve because winning the AI race is imperative for ensuring the American Dream remains alive and thriving for future generations.
In January, the President hit the ground running, signing the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/removing-barriers-to-american-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence/">Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence</a>” executive order. In July, the White House released the “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Americas-AI-Action-Plan.pdf">Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan</a>.” These executive orders are key, setting the stage to advance artificial intelligence nationwide through accelerating innovation, building infrastructure, and leading the world in diplomacy and security. The action plan <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/07/white-house-unveils-americas-ai-action-plan/">asserts</a>, “Winning the AI race will usher in a new golden age of human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security for the American people.”
President Trump has proven he can win, is winning, and will never stop working to win for the American people. And in the race for AI, as in every fight for America’s future, his leadership is driving our nation not only to lead the world, but also to secure a new era of strength and prosperity.
* * *
<a href="https://www.discovery.org/p/ingraham/">Dr. Keri D. Ingraham</a> is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

First Lady Melania Trump Hosts White House Task Force On AI Education

The First Lady’s Undeniable Resolve To Win The AI Race

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Israel successfully launched its Ofek-19 military spy satellite Tuesday night, which Defense Minister Israel Katz called both a major technological leap and a direct warning to the nation’s enemies.
The satellite was launched from Palmachim Airbase via a “Shavit” rocket and entered its planned orbit, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. Initial tests have shown that the satellite is functioning as expected and is already transmitting data. Developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in collaboration with the Defense Ministry and IDF, Ofek-19 is equipped with synthetic aperture radar, capable of providing high-resolution imaging day or night — regardless of weather conditions, The Times of Israel <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-successfully-launches-ofek-19-spy-satellite-an-eye-on-our-enemies/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">reported</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🇮🇱 BREAKING: Israel has launched the Ofek 19 spy satellite, marking a historic leap in national defense and intelligence. With this launch, Israel joins an elite club of just 3–5 nations that can independently build, launch, and operate advanced reconnaissance satellites.
Ofek… <a href="https://t.co/Ak9oE3kG8E">pic.twitter.com/Ak9oE3kG8E</a>
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/IsraelWarRoom/status/1963100633013076072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Katz was blunt, writing on X: “The launch of the ‘Ofek 19’ satellite yesterday is an achievement of the highest global level. Few countries possess these capabilities. I salute the aerospace industry, the Ministry of Defense, the IDF, and everyone who took part in the development. It is also a message to all our enemies, wherever they may be — we are watching you at all times and in all circumstances. And in general, a message to the peoples of the region &#8211; come collaborate with these capabilities for a better shared future for all of us.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
שיגור הלוויין &#8220;אופק 19&#8221; אתמול הוא הישג ברמה העולמית הגבוהה ביותר. למדינות מעטות יש את היכולות האלה. אני מצדיע לתעשייה האווירית, למשרד הביטחון, לצה&#8221;ל ולכל מי שנטל חלק בפיתוח.
זהו גם מסר לכל אויבינו באשר הם &#8211; אנחנו פוקחים עליכם עין בכל שעה ובכל מצב. ובכלל המסר לעמי האזור &#8211; בואו… <a href="https://t.co/I2aZPb6moN">pic.twitter.com/I2aZPb6moN</a>
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Israel_katz/status/1963110689590956303?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In the past two years, Israel has faced hundreds of rocket and missile attacks — most intercepted — from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen.
President Isaac Herzog of Israel, who attended the launch along with Katz and senior defense officials, called it a milestone for Israel’s high-tech leadership, stating, “We are not only a Start-Up Nation, we are a Space Nation.”
Once operational, Ofek-19 will be handed over to the IDF’s elite Unit 9900, which specializes in visual intelligence. The satellite follows Ofek-13, launched in 2023, and is part of Israel’s broader plan to build a satellite constellation for intelligence dominance. Defense officials noted the satellite’s importance was highlighted during Operation Rising Lion, Israel’s recent confrontation with Iran.
With imaging resolution down to under 50 centimeters, Ofek-19 provides Israel with unmatched surveillance capabilities — a “force multiplier” in modern warfare, as officials have described it. Katz called the achievement “a moment of immense national pride” and a clear sign that Israel’s eyes are now firmly in the sky.

Satellite image showing the Sinai and Negev regions and the shrinking of the Dead Sea in Israel.

Israel Launches High-Tech Spy Satellite, Warns Enemies: ‘We Are Watching You’

Israel

Satellites

Spy Planes

Spying

President Donald Trump warned Monday that countries imposing digital taxes on American tech companies will face significant tariffs if they don&#8217;t remove them.
Without naming a specific country, Trump said that some nations had given a “complete pass” to China’s tech companies while penalizing American competitors. Some countries, like Canada and India, have already backed away from digital taxes after pressure from the Trump administration. 
“As the President of the United States, I will stand up to Countries that attack our incredible American Tech Companies. Digital Taxes, Digital Services Legislation, and Digital Markets Regulations are all designed to harm, or discriminate against, American Technology,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 
“This must end, and end NOW! With this TRUTH, I put all Countries with Digital Taxes, Legislation, Rules, or Regulations, on notice that unless these discriminatory actions are removed, I, as President of the United States, will impose substantial additional Tariffs on that Country&#8217;s Exports to the U.S.A., and institute Export restrictions on our Highly Protected Technology and Chips,” he added. “America, and American Technology Companies, are neither the ‘piggy bank’ nor the ‘doormat’ of the World any longer. Show respect to America and our amazing Tech Companies or, consider the consequences!”
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In June, Canada <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canada-caves-digital-tax-on-u-s-tech-scrapped-after-trump-pressure">rescinded</a> its Digital Service Tax as part of ongoing trade negotiations with the United States. The tax would have hit American tech companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Apple hard, and could have cost American businesses up to $2.3 billion annually. 
India also <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-proposes-remove-equalisation-levy-digital-services-government-source-says-2025-03-25/">backed away</a> from a 6% digital advertising tax in April after pressure from American officials. 
Many European countries, like France and Switzerland, have <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/eu/digital-services-taxes-europe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">implemented</a> digital taxes, while others, like Belgium and the Netherlands, are considering implementing them. France taxes major tech companies 3% on revenue from digital services and targeted advertising. 
In the trade deal between the European Union and the United States, both entities agreed to address “unjustified digital trade barriers.” 
“In that respect, The European Union confirms that it will not adopt or maintain network usage fees,” the framework said. “The United States and the European Union will not impose customs duties on electronic transmissions.”
It is unclear if the agreement will address digital service taxes.

President Trump Signs Executive Orders In The Oval Office Of The White House

Trump To Foreign Governments: Drop Taxes On Big Tech Or Face ‘Consequences’

Trump To Foreign Governments: Drop Taxes On Big Tech Or Face 'Consequences'

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Students across the country are getting ready to head back to school, and this year they’ll have the chance to take on a different kind of assignment: the first-ever Presidential AI Challenge. An outgrowth of an executive order signed by President Trump in April, the Challenge aims to inspire students, educators and community leaders to work together to ensure the next generation is ready to take on the unprecedented technological change we can expect in the near future. This goes beyond politics, and asks students to find ways to use artificial intelligence to respond to challenges in students’ local communities.
This initiative has arrived not a moment too soon. New developments in AI are announced almost daily – some promising, some disconcerting. The headlines show us every day that this world-changing technology will need governance and guardrails left firmly in qualified human hands. The Trump White House understands this, and is right to engage America’s youth. Who better to challenge our thinking on emerging tech than those who will be impacted the most?
If educators prioritize safe and ethical engagement with AI in the classroom, this could be one of the most consequential school years in decades. Generation Z is coming close to the end of their school years. Generation Alpha, in school behind them, may well be renamed by history as “Generation AI,” because they will be the first to come of age in a world with all the power of artificial intelligence at their fingertips. The sooner they start working through what that means, the better.
Different schools and communities will inspire students to meet the Presidential AI Challenge in different ways, but there are a few consistent elements that educators, community leaders, and the tech community should strive to instill in American youth so that they learn to engage with AI in responsible, ethical ways.
The first is to reconceptualize the idea of digital citizenship. It’s not just about being nice on social media anymore (although that remains important). But we must make sure students understand that AI is a tool to be used responsibly, and that being a good citizen extends to online communities. Understanding ethical standards is key, as is the constant reminder that technology should serve humanity, and not the other way around. As powerful as the technology will be, the students using it will have to remember that their human mind is still in charge.
If the human minds are to remain in charge, we will need to sharpen critical thinking skills at all educational levels. Switzerland and Sweden, for instance, have integrated these skills into all levels of their curriculum – even into continuing education in their workforce. Critical thinking will be the bedrock of ethical AI use. By fostering skills to question, analyze, and evaluate AI outputs, we empower learners to challenge assumptions and create AI systems that foster trust and respect. The use of AI as a crutch – like writing your term papers for you – is the exact opposite of this. It’s more than just lazy – it sets us back on doing the important work to keep this technology in check.
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To stop AI from replacing critical thinking, we should train students to use AI as a tool for exploration and curiosity: start with an idea in your own brain, then explore further with AI-generated insight that you never fully trust and always verify. Once outputs are created, there must always be a &#8220;human in the loop&#8221; by design, evaluating AI outputs and coming up with an original solution based on human judgment. Students can study, design, and ensure solutions reflect steps that allow humans to interject moral reasoning and human creativity.
The next generation will need to understand more than just how to interact with a chatbot in a safe, ethical, and helpful way. AI’s ripple effects will go beyond our screens, as the need for more physical data centers to power AI innovation increases. We must set an example by wrestling with policy questions, like energy access issues, in an empathetic, human-centered way. We don’t want power grids diverting power to data centers while hospitals can’t keep their machines on. AI must be used to uplift communities, as outlined in the Presidential AI Challenge.
We are poised to mark the 250th anniversary of America’s founding in a world abounding with technology that our founders could only dream of. But the same values that inspired them, a “decent respect” for freedom, human dignity, and individual rights, should guide us as we explore this uncharted technological territory. The upcoming school year, educators and students alike have a fascinating opportunity to engage with this technology in ways that align with our values.
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Theresa Payton is the founder and CEO of Fortalice Solutions. She served as the White House Chief Information Officer under President George W. Bush, and co-founded the Major-Payton School of Business at Immaculata University.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

School boy in a computer lab.

AI Heads Back To School: Students Face A Challenge That Will Shape The Future

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Americans are deeply concerned over the prospect that advances in artificial intelligence could put swaths of the country out of work permanently, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The six-day poll, which concluded on Monday, showed 71% of respondents said they were concerned that AI will be &#8220;putting too many people out of work permanently.&#8221;
The new technology burst into the national conversation in late 2022 when OpenAI&#8217;s ChatGPT chatbot launched and became the fastest-growing application of all time, with tech heavyweights like Facebook owner Meta Platforms, Google owner Alphabet and Microsoft offering their own AI products.
While at present there are few signs of mass unemployment &#8211; the U.S. jobless rate was just 4.2% in July &#8211; artificial intelligence is stirring concerns as it reshapes jobs, industries and day-to-day life.
Some 77% of respondents to the Reuters/Ipsos poll said they worried the technology could be used to stir up political chaos, a sign of unease over the now-common use of AI technology to create realistic videos of imaginary events.
Americans are also leery about military applications for AI, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed. Some 48% of respondents said the government should never use AI to determine the target of a military strike, compared with 24% who said the government should allow that sort of use of the technology. Another 28% said they were not sure.
The general enthusiasm for AI shown by many people and companies has fueled further investments, such as Foxconn and SoftBank&#8217;s planned data center equipment factory in Ohio. It has also upended national security policies as the United States and China vie for AI dominance.
More than half of Americans &#8211; some 61% &#8211; said they were concerned about the amount of electricity needed to power the fast-growing technology.
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Google said earlier this month it had signed agreements with two U.S. electric utilities to reduce its AI data center power consumption during times of surging demand on the grid, as energy-intensive AI use outpaces power supplies.
The new technology has also come under criticism for applications that have let AI bots hold romantic conversations with children, generate false medical information and help people make racist arguments.
Two-thirds of respondents in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said they worried that people would ditch relationships with other people in favor of AI companions.
People were split on whether AI technology will improve education. Some 36% of respondents thought it would help, while 40% disagreed and the rest were not sure.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey gathered responses online from 4,446 U.S. adults nationwide and had a margin of error of about 2 percentage points.

Artificial Intelligence Photo Illustrations

Staggering Number Of Americans Fear AI Will Permanently Displace Workers

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Most people who engage with AI do so in a fun and marginal way. But there is a very serious political side to it that the Trump administration understands.
In an attempt to actually push artificial intelligence forward, the federal government is pushing for vast energy exploration, which is a very good thing.
AI requires extraordinary energy consumption. China right now is vastly out-producing us on an energy level. They have no environmental regulations, so they&#8217;re ramming through huge energy projects that are designed in order to foster their AI system.
The United States, under President Trump, is opening up the energy sector, which is absolutely necessary. The United States is also deregulating a lot of the tech economy, which is excellent. It means that there will be more capital that flows into the AI race, and that matters for both reasons, military and technological.
American companies are still leading this race. Yesterday, ChatGPT released GPT-5, which is their new flagship AI model. “OpenAI executives called GPT-5 a “major upgrade” over the systems that previously powered ChatGPT, saying the new technology was faster, more accurate and less likely to ‘hallucinate,’ or make stuff up,” The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/technology/openai-chatgpt-gpt-5.html">reported</a>. “OpenAI has consistently improved the technology that underpins its chatbot. &#8230; OpenAI’s many rivals, including Google, Meta, the start-up Anthropic and China’s DeepSeek, have released similar technologies. This is the first time that OpenAI has used a so-called reasoning model to power the free version of ChatGPT. Unlike the previous technologies, a reasoning model can spend time ‘thinking’ through complex problems before settling on an answer.” 
So, instead of AI being a predictive text mechanism, it basically checks its own work to prevent errors. All of this is indeed transformative, and the U.S. federal workforce is apparently going to be provided access to ChatGPT at essentially no cost. It&#8217;s going to filter through to the federal workforce, which is good.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2256-the-ben-shapiro-show?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=The+Ben+Shapiro+Show&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
But this does raise the question of what we do with China, because it is a race between the United States and China.
There is some conflicting thinking among people on the Right about what to do with China. Some believe that China should be provided access to everything except the H100 from Nvidia, because if we get China dependent on American silicon, they will have to build on our platforms, and that&#8217;s better than them developing their own industry in microchips domestically.
And then there is the side which I tend toward, which is: No, don&#8217;t give China anything. Make them steal it.
The Trump administration seems rather split on this; you&#8217;ll see the Trump administration say China is cheating. President Trump even went after the Intel CEO for having too many close ties to China. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas had called them out, pointing out that the deep relationship meant that Intel chips were probably getting into China illegally. Cotton wrote an open letter to Intel’s board with questions about the chipmaker’s new CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s ties to Chinese firms. 
I agree with that.
On the other hand, the administration is also opening up the possibility of Nvidia shipping H20s to the Chinese government.
So, a policy must be settled on with regard to how to view China and developments in AI. Are we going to be in an open competition with China? Is it going to be a “frenemy” situation with China?
That remains utterly unclear.
The answer may well determine the future of the United States.

WAIC World Artificial Intelligent Coference

​​​​Battling China Over AI And America’s Future

​​​​Battling China Over AI And America's Future

Ben Shapiro

Energy

The Trump administration appears to be all in on investing in American workers and our domestic manufacturing sector.
Just this week, the president <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/trump-energy-ai-summit-pittsburgh-carnegie-mellon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traveled to Pittsburgh</a> to announce a historic $90 billion investment in energy and artificial intelligence that will spur much-needed economic development after decades of manufacturing decline. The Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/ftc-declares-july-made-usa-month" target="_blank" rel="noopener">declared</a> July “Made in the USA” Month, pledging to educate consumers, celebrate domestic manufacturers, and crack down on the misuse of the patriotic label.
These are positive developments, but they may all be for naught. Because right now, “Made in America” doesn’t mean much of anything.
“Made in America” was once a laudable promise that stood for quality, grit, and jobs. Americans were proud to buy goods produced at home, and as recently as 2009, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/business/worldbusiness/20iht-wbmake.1.20332814.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">65%</a> of the products Americans bought were made by American producers.
Somewhere along the way, however, “Made in America” was hijacked by marketing departments and manipulated by corporations seeking to capitalize on patriotism while outsourcing the work overseas.
Today, “Made in America” labels are everywhere, but thanks to an ambiguous definition of the term, only <a href="https://netchoice.org/made-in-the-usa-three-factors-retailers-should-consider/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">11%</a> of goods sold in this country are actually made by American manufacturers. It’s high time that the FTC fixes its definition and works to reward companies that actually make products here.
The “Made in America” label is on everything from toolboxes to t-shirts. But take a closer look, and odds are the guts of that product were made overseas. American workers might have put the final touch on it, but should that qualify as “domestic manufacturing”?
This is a fraud on the American consumer. Worse, it’s a fraud that we’re subsidizing.
Billions in taxpayer-funded energy credits, tech subsidies, and manufacturing incentives are being awarded to companies that have figured out how to game the system. They ship in foreign components, do the bare minimum of assembly here, and collect the “Made in USA” bonus, all while undercutting the very supply chains we’re supposed to be rebuilding.
Solar panels have become the poster child for this shell game. For years, America didn’t produce a single solar crystalline cell, which is the key piece that actually converts sunlight into energy. But that didn’t stop companies from building flashy American facilities to bolt together foreign-made parts and claim the whole thing as “domestic manufacturing.” Meanwhile, jobs and genuine value are still being outsourced overseas.
The FTC <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/complying-made-usa-standard">says</a> “Made in America” should mean “all or virtually all” of a product is made here. Yet in practice, there’s little enforcement and even less clarity. “Assembled in America” is a catch-all term with so many loopholes you could drive a cargo ship through it. Companies are only too happy to exploit this confusion, especially when paired with hefty tax breaks.
Every time the federal government rewards these tactics, it’s sending your hard-earned dollars abroad. We undermine American manufacturers who play by the rules. We leave our supply chains vulnerable. And we trick millions of patriotic consumers who are trying to do the right thing by buying American.
This is how the United States loses industries. Not in some sudden collapse, but by letting the definition of “American-made” get so watered down that it becomes meaningless.
In order to reward deserving companies, the FTC needs to redefine its “Made in America” standard and actually enforce it. It should mean what it says. The core components, which give a product its value, have to be sourced as well as assembled here.
The FTC should also start cracking down by doing more than merely issuing guidance. It needs to slap punitive fines on companies abusing the label and misleading consumers.
Incentives should be reworked so that clean energy credits and manufacturing subsidies are tiered. Full credit for full domestic content. Partial credit for partial effort. No more handing out taxpayer dollars for companies doing the bare minimum.
Finally, the FTC needs to give consumers transparency. Labels should clearly show where the guts of a product come from to enable Americans to make informed choices.
If Washington can’t get this right, we frankly have no business talking about rebuilding anything. “Made in America” shouldn’t be a marketing gimmick. It has to be once again a badge of honor, earned by companies that invest, hire, and build here. To restore American manufacturing, we must stop rewarding fake patriotism and start standing up for the real thing.
Bret Manley is executive director of the <a href="https://eftc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Energy Fair Trade Coalition</a>. He is a retired Naval Intelligence Officer and previously worked on Capitol Hill as chief of staff to a senior member of the Congressional Climate Solutions Caucus. Follow on X: <a href="https://x.com/bretmanley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@bretmanley</a>.
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Operations Inside The Ford Motor Co. Kentucky Truck Manufacturing Facility

‘Made In America’? Not Exactly.

Federal Trade Commission

The GOP-led House passed a trio of bills on Thursday that are poised to have a tremendous impact on the cryptocurrency space in the United States.
Members voted <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025200" target="_blank" rel="noopener">308-122</a> in favor of the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1582/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GENIUS Act</a>, a stablecoin regulation bill that already passed through the Senate. The legislation now heads to the White House, where President Donald Trump is expected to sign it. House lawmakers also approved the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3633/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025</a>, legislation from Financial Services Chairman French Hill (R-AR) that aims to provide a &#8220;system of regulation&#8221; for digital commodity sales by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission, by a <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025199" target="_blank" rel="noopener">294-134</a> vote.
&#8220;The Web 3 race is here, implementing clear regulations with CLARITY and GENIUS will protect consumers and ensure U.S. leadership in digital assets,&#8221; Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the Crypto Subcommittee, <a href="https://x.com/RepBryanSteil/status/1945903351083716903" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on X.
In addition, the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5403/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act</a>, a measure that seeks to prohibit the Federal reserve banks from issuing their own digital currency or using one to implement monetary policy, prevailed in a <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025201" target="_blank" rel="noopener">219-210</a> vote. That bill is set to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2296/text" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NDAA</a>) as part of a <a href="https://x.com/RepAndyHarrisMD/status/1945681755559924107" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deal</a> with conservatives who held out during a procedural rule vote that <a href="https://x.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1945677323040354398" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lasted</a> a record-breaking nine hours and 45 minutes.
&#8220;Attaching our Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act to the NDAA will ensure unelected bureaucrats are NEVER allowed to trade Americans’ financial privacy for a CCP-style surveillance tool,&#8221; House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) <a href="https://x.com/GOPMajorityWhip/status/1945677323040354398" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X. &#8220;[Trump] has made it clear: our legislation is a key piece of our America First agenda, and we will deliver.&#8221;
Many, but not all, Democrats voted against the bills. In fact, nearly half of them voted for the Genius Act. Those who opposed the proposals warned they would benefit a Trump family crypto venture and possibly cause a financial calamity.
The &#8220;GOP crypto bills don’t just fail to protect consumers, they greenlight Trump’s billion-dollar crypto grift and invite the next financial crisis,&#8221; read a <a href="https://x.com/RepMaxineWaters/status/1945151846433140920" target="_blank" rel="noopener">post</a> on X from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), the ranking member of the Financial Services Committee.
A handful of House Republicans voted against the GENIUS Act, too, amid concerns about it allowing a <a href="https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1945880979949891750" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;back door&#8221;</a> to a central bank digital currency one day that could infringe upon financial privacy — if the Senate ends up not approving the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act.
For now, Trump has an <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/strengthening-american-leadership-in-digital-financial-technology/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">executive order</a> that calls for policies that prevent a CBDC in the United States.
A bipartisan group of senators united in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-vote-pushes-u-s-toward-becoming-the-global-leader-in-crypto?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Senate+Vote+Pushes+U.S.+Toward+Becoming+%E2%80%98The+Global+Leader+In+Crypto%E2%80%99" target="_blank" rel="noopener">68-30 vote</a> in June to pass the GENIUS Act. It seeks to create a framework for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-gop-leaders-pledge-major-crypto-bills-in-first-100-days" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stablecoins</a>, which are significant in digital asset exchanges and pegged to stable assets such as the U.S. dollar.
“The GENIUS Act will cement U.S. dollar dominance, protect customers, drive demand for U.S. Treasuries, &amp; ensure that digital asset innovation happens in the U.S., not overseas,” Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), the bill&#8217;s sponsor, <a href="https://x.com/SenatorHagerty/status/1935074302396649918" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a post on X. &#8220;With this bill, we are one step closer to becoming the global leader in crypto.&#8221;
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that a signing ceremony for the GENIUS Act was being planned for Friday afternoon.
“This piece of legislation is going to make America the crypto capital of the world, and that&#8217;s what the president promised,&#8221; Leavitt <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxH7sgAzPvM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.

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House Sends GENIUS Act To Trump, Passes Two Other Crypto Bills

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The footage was striking: plumes of smoke rising over Iran’s nuclear facilities, the culmination of years of brinkmanship and intelligence coups. With one sweeping air campaign, the United States <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/media-fail-iranian-foreign-minister-admits-fordow-was-seriously-and-heavily-damaged?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Media+Fail%3A+Iranian+Foreign+Minister+Admits+Fordow+Was+%E2%80%98Seriously+And+Heavily+Damaged%E2%80%99">sent a message</a>: the Islamic Republic will not be permitted to cross the nuclear threshold.
Yet as the dust settles, it would be a profound mistake to assume the threat has been neutralized. If anything, Iran’s nuclear humiliation may accelerate a transition that has been quietly underway for years — from ambitions of atomic deterrence to mastery of digital disruption.
Even as diplomats trumpet the ceasefire, cybersecurity professionals are aware of the dangers that still exist. In 2025, a nation doesn’t need fissile material to cripple its adversaries, it only needs a cadre of skilled operators, a menu of stolen exploits, and a willingness to play dirty in the world’s most critical networks.
Iran’s embrace of cyber operations is hardly a new development. In a 2012 cyberattack U.S. intelligence<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/24/business/global/cyberattack-on-saudi-oil-firm-disquiets-us.html"> attributed</a> to Iran, the <a href="https://www.cfr.org/cyber-operations/compromise-saudi-aramco-and-rasgas">Shamoon virus</a> wiped tens of thousands of computers inside Saudi Aramco, a major Saudi Arabian oil company, reducing corporate IT to smoking rubble — digitally speaking. Since then, Tehran’s capabilities have matured steadily.
Today, Iran’s cyber forces are well-trained and highly motivated. And given the loss of their nuclear infrastructure, they now possess ample incentive to reassert influence through other means. Cyber warfare is attractive precisely because it offers an asymmetrical advantage: the power to disrupt, humiliate, and retaliate without risking a direct military clash.
Recall how Russia, which has historically <a href="https://cybersecuritynews.com/researchers-uncovered-on-how-russia-leverages-private-companies/amp/">dominated the cybersphere</a>, has waged its campaign in Ukraine. Moscow hasn’t relied solely on tanks and artillery. It has unleashed waves of digital attacks against Ukraine’s power grids, satellite networks, and banking systems. Behind these campaigns, notorious criminal groups — like <a href="https://www.enigmasoftware.com/contiransomware-removal/">Conti</a> and <a href="https://www.enigmasoftware.com/blackbastaransomware-removal/">BlackBasta</a> — have operated with state blessing, extorting ransoms and leaking sensitive data.
This blurred line between espionage, sabotage, and organized crime has become a model for authoritarian states under pressure. Iran, facing international isolation and domestic discontent, has every reason to follow it.
The average person might imagine cyber warfare as a distant, abstract threat — some arcane business best left to <a href="https://www.rivitmedia.com/topics/it-cybersecurity-best-practices/">IT departments</a>. That illusion is exactly what adversaries count on.
Consider Zero-Day vulnerabilities: flaws in software that even the developers don’t yet know exist. These hidden back doors can be sold on dark markets for astronomical sums. And once a hostile operator has them, no firewall or antivirus can offer much protection.
Or take Remote Access Trojans, like <a href="https://www.spywareremove.com/removechaosrat.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chaos RAT</a> — a malicious tool that can lodge itself in a network and sit there, undetected, for months. The malware can exfiltrate sensitive data, delete backups, or simply wait for a signal to unleash chaos.
Iran’s cyber units have both the motive and the skill to deploy such capabilities against Western targets — especially at a moment when the regime needs to prove it can still inflict pain.
To understand the scale of the risk, look no further than China’s Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups, like <a href="https://www.cyclonis.com/remove-silver-fox-apt/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Silver Fox</a>. These teams excel at patient infiltration — building footholds in networks over years.
While Iran does not yet possess the same breadth of resources or global reach as Beijing, the playbook is there for the taking. Iranian operators have already borrowed tools and techniques from Russian and Chinese counterparts. They can acquire Zero-Days from the same vendors. They can lease infrastructure from the same criminal marketplaces.
In this sense, the global cyber threat landscape resembles a dark ecosystem: a place where alliances are fluid, tradecraft is shared, and almost anything is for sale.
Much has been made of the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Certainly, it has brought a measure of short-term calm. But it’s worth stating the obvious: no ceasefire agreement binds a nation’s hackers.
Cyber operations are deniable by design. Tehran can escalate these attacks while maintaining plausible deniability. If a power grid goes down or a hospital network is encrypted, Iranian officials will simply shrug and claim ignorance — or suggest that Western companies should improve their “cyber hygiene.”
Indeed, it’s likely that in the coming months, Iran will test the boundaries of what it can accomplish in cyberspace without provoking another round of airstrikes. And unless Western governments are prepared, these tests may prove costly.
The United States remains unmatched in conventional military capability. But cyber defense has never been America’s comparative advantage. While agencies like the <a href="https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news">Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)</a> have made enormous progress, much of the nation’s critical infrastructure — power stations, water systems, hospitals — remains vulnerable.
Decades of underinvestment, legacy software, and fragmented security practices have created an expansive attack surface. A determined adversary doesn’t need to destroy a city to sow panic. It just needs to flip a switch in the right control system — or quietly siphon data for blackmail and extortion.
This paradox — dominance in kinetic warfare, vulnerability in cyber — demands a strategic recalibration. As Iran pivots further into digital conflict, the costs of ignoring this imbalance will only grow.
America cannot afford to treat cybersecurity as an afterthought, an IT budget line item tucked behind more visible defense priorities. It must become a central pillar of national security strategy.
That means investing in modern detection systems powered by artificial intelligence. It means developing real deterrence — making clear that cyber aggression will incur meaningful consequences. And it means supporting public-private partnerships to protect industries that have become part of the national nervous system.
Iran’s nuclear setback is undeniably significant but no bomb can erase the knowledge Tehran has acquired about hacking adversaries. No missile strike can neutralize an ideology that prizes asymmetrical warfare.
The coming months will test the West’s capacity for vigilance. Iran’s leaders face enormous pressure to prove they remain formidable. And while their nuclear ambitions are now smoldering ruins, their cyber capabilities remain intact — and perhaps emboldened.
Policymakers should remember: the decisive battles of the 21st century may not begin with the roar of jets over a desert. They may start in the silent corridors of a server farm, where an invisible adversary is already laying traps.
In that theater, the rules are different — and the consequences no less severe.
* * *
Julio Rivera is a business and political strategist, cybersecurity researcher, founder of <a href="https://www.itfunk.org/">ItFunk.Org</a>, and a political commentator and columnist. His writing, which is focused on cybersecurity and politics, is regularly published by many of the largest news organizations in the world.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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