Garrison Lovely
@garrisonlovely.bsky.social
Writing a book on AI+economics+geopolitics for Nation Books.
Covers: The Nation, Jacobin. Bylines: NYT, Nature, Bloomberg, BBC, Guardian, TIME, The Verge, Vox, Thomson Reuters Foundation, + others.
Covers: The Nation, Jacobin. Bylines: NYT, Nature, Bloomberg, BBC, Guardian, TIME, The Verge, Vox, Thomson Reuters Foundation, + others.
Pinned
The Obsolete Newsletter | Garrison Lovely | Substack
Reporting and analysis on capitalism, great power competition, and the race for machine superintelligence from journalist w/ work in NYT, BBC Future, The Verge, TIME, Vox, The Guardian, The Nation, an...
garrisonlovely.substack.com
Hello! I report on the intersection of capitalism, geopolitics, and artificial intelligence. If you're into that, subscribe to The Obsolete Newsletter.
People will never cease to amaze me.
February 18, 2026 at 6:17 PM
People will never cease to amaze me.
I live and breathe this intersection and still felt like I learned a lot from this piece.
February 16, 2026 at 7:49 PM
I live and breathe this intersection and still felt like I learned a lot from this piece.
So the Pentagon decided to integrate Grok into its classified servers. This is the company that accidentally published a chat whenever a Grok user clicked the “share” button to create a URL to access the chat content.
What could go wrong?
What could go wrong?
January 16, 2026 at 8:46 PM
So the Pentagon decided to integrate Grok into its classified servers. This is the company that accidentally published a chat whenever a Grok user clicked the “share” button to create a URL to access the chat content.
What could go wrong?
What could go wrong?
imagine writing unironically in your journal about the nonprofit you currently run: "financially, what will take ME to $1B"
January 16, 2026 at 5:09 PM
imagine writing unironically in your journal about the nonprofit you currently run: "financially, what will take ME to $1B"
It was clear to me from the first week of Trump 1 that, if this country actually descended into full blown authoritarian rule, ICE would play a central role.
When I was 23, I worked for ICE as a McKinsey consultant. 🧵
When I was 23, I worked for ICE as a McKinsey consultant. 🧵
January 15, 2026 at 9:18 PM
It was clear to me from the first week of Trump 1 that, if this country actually descended into full blown authoritarian rule, ICE would play a central role.
When I was 23, I worked for ICE as a McKinsey consultant. 🧵
When I was 23, I worked for ICE as a McKinsey consultant. 🧵
Chamber of Commerce is one of the most influential lobbies in the country. It's apparently now asking all potential federal endorsements for their position on banning state-level AI laws via federal preemption.
x.com/reed_showal...
x.com/reed_showal...
January 13, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Chamber of Commerce is one of the most influential lobbies in the country. It's apparently now asking all potential federal endorsements for their position on banning state-level AI laws via federal preemption.
x.com/reed_showal...
x.com/reed_showal...
So Lonsdale replied, blocked me, then wrote a longer post opening with a brilliant pun.
The defense is: Elon Musk did it so it can't be racist and black conservatives also agree with me. I shit you not.
I encourage you to look into Rhodesia.
The defense is: Elon Musk did it so it can't be racist and black conservatives also agree with me. I shit you not.
I encourage you to look into Rhodesia.
January 13, 2026 at 3:10 PM
So Lonsdale replied, blocked me, then wrote a longer post opening with a brilliant pun.
The defense is: Elon Musk did it so it can't be racist and black conservatives also agree with me. I shit you not.
I encourage you to look into Rhodesia.
The defense is: Elon Musk did it so it can't be racist and black conservatives also agree with me. I shit you not.
I encourage you to look into Rhodesia.
Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale just endorsed apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia and said the US should move toward their model of open white supremacy.
He is one of the funders of the AI industry super PAC along with OpenAI president Greg Brockman & a16z.
He is one of the funders of the AI industry super PAC along with OpenAI president Greg Brockman & a16z.
January 11, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale just endorsed apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia and said the US should move toward their model of open white supremacy.
He is one of the funders of the AI industry super PAC along with OpenAI president Greg Brockman & a16z.
He is one of the funders of the AI industry super PAC along with OpenAI president Greg Brockman & a16z.
dying at these attempts by AIs to pass know-your-customer checks.
December 24, 2025 at 8:03 PM
dying at these attempts by AIs to pass know-your-customer checks.
In my debut for MIT Tech Review, I got to speak with Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio, Helen Toner, Stuart Russell, and many others about the state of AI safety, misconceptions about the community, and why they're still worried.
December 15, 2025 at 8:28 PM
In my debut for MIT Tech Review, I got to speak with Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio, Helen Toner, Stuart Russell, and many others about the state of AI safety, misconceptions about the community, and why they're still worried.
Wow, if @GovKathyHochul actually does this, it will be a clear capitulation to the tech industry.
December 11, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Wow, if @GovKathyHochul actually does this, it will be a clear capitulation to the tech industry.
Peak comedy for this particular organization to (reportedly) prevent its economists from saying that its tech will automate jobs.
December 11, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Peak comedy for this particular organization to (reportedly) prevent its economists from saying that its tech will automate jobs.
I came out of book hibernation to give you perhaps the final piece in my series covering OpenAI's restructuring.
OpenAI is framing this as a neatly packaged fait accompli, but it's actually a tensely negotiated settlement, with lots of conditions. 🧵
x.com/OpenAI/stat...
OpenAI is framing this as a neatly packaged fait accompli, but it's actually a tensely negotiated settlement, with lots of conditions. 🧵
x.com/OpenAI/stat...
October 28, 2025 at 10:58 PM
I came out of book hibernation to give you perhaps the final piece in my series covering OpenAI's restructuring.
OpenAI is framing this as a neatly packaged fait accompli, but it's actually a tensely negotiated settlement, with lots of conditions. 🧵
x.com/OpenAI/stat...
OpenAI is framing this as a neatly packaged fait accompli, but it's actually a tensely negotiated settlement, with lots of conditions. 🧵
x.com/OpenAI/stat...
IMO there are 3 big problems with Dean's post:
1. I really don't think it's a reasonable prediction of how this statement would be operationalized
2. Superintelligence would inherently concentrate enormous power in whatever controls it
x.com/deanwball/s...
1. I really don't think it's a reasonable prediction of how this statement would be operationalized
2. Superintelligence would inherently concentrate enormous power in whatever controls it
x.com/deanwball/s...
October 23, 2025 at 8:38 PM
IMO there are 3 big problems with Dean's post:
1. I really don't think it's a reasonable prediction of how this statement would be operationalized
2. Superintelligence would inherently concentrate enormous power in whatever controls it
x.com/deanwball/s...
1. I really don't think it's a reasonable prediction of how this statement would be operationalized
2. Superintelligence would inherently concentrate enormous power in whatever controls it
x.com/deanwball/s...
Damn I love Wikipedia.
October 23, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Damn I love Wikipedia.
imagine torching your decades in the making rep as a lib billionaire to get some free conference security.
(TBC I don't think that's why he did it...)
(TBC I don't think that's why he did it...)
October 16, 2025 at 7:14 PM
imagine torching your decades in the making rep as a lib billionaire to get some free conference security.
(TBC I don't think that's why he did it...)
(TBC I don't think that's why he did it...)
I had been following these developments but no one had put them all together. The world's largest company appears to be increasingly throwing its weight around to fight regulation.
x.com/sjgadler/st...
x.com/sjgadler/st...
October 16, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I had been following these developments but no one had put them all together. The world's largest company appears to be increasingly throwing its weight around to fight regulation.
x.com/sjgadler/st...
x.com/sjgadler/st...
Wow, OpenAI's head of mission alignment just spoke out against the way the company has been using subpoenas to intimidate and disrupt political opponents.
A surprising number of OAI rank & file have no idea what their leadership is doing to kill regulation.
x.com/jachiam0/st...
A surprising number of OAI rank & file have no idea what their leadership is doing to kill regulation.
x.com/jachiam0/st...
October 10, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Wow, OpenAI's head of mission alignment just spoke out against the way the company has been using subpoenas to intimidate and disrupt political opponents.
A surprising number of OAI rank & file have no idea what their leadership is doing to kill regulation.
x.com/jachiam0/st...
A surprising number of OAI rank & file have no idea what their leadership is doing to kill regulation.
x.com/jachiam0/st...
Well, now I need to update my book.
To my knowledge, this is the first time Sam Altman hasn't downplayed or dismissed AI existential risk since early 2023.
TBC, I think it's good of Altman to say this if that's what he actually believes...
x.com/ai_ctrl/sta...
To my knowledge, this is the first time Sam Altman hasn't downplayed or dismissed AI existential risk since early 2023.
TBC, I think it's good of Altman to say this if that's what he actually believes...
x.com/ai_ctrl/sta...
October 8, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Well, now I need to update my book.
To my knowledge, this is the first time Sam Altman hasn't downplayed or dismissed AI existential risk since early 2023.
TBC, I think it's good of Altman to say this if that's what he actually believes...
x.com/ai_ctrl/sta...
To my knowledge, this is the first time Sam Altman hasn't downplayed or dismissed AI existential risk since early 2023.
TBC, I think it's good of Altman to say this if that's what he actually believes...
x.com/ai_ctrl/sta...
This reminds me of arguments that McKinsey would make to justify working for Gulf autocracies. However, academic research has found that the opposite tends to happen: companies abandon human rights to conform to their wealthy clients.
x.com/ShakeelHash...
x.com/ShakeelHash...
October 7, 2025 at 8:07 PM
This reminds me of arguments that McKinsey would make to justify working for Gulf autocracies. However, academic research has found that the opposite tends to happen: companies abandon human rights to conform to their wealthy clients.
x.com/ShakeelHash...
x.com/ShakeelHash...
Last week, I had the incredible privilege of moderating a conversation on AI+geopolitics w/ Daron Acemoglu & Sandhini Agarwal (OpenAI trustworthy AI lead) for the Nobel Foundation at the Swedish Consulate.
It was lively+substantive (one audience member was pleasantly surprised)
x.com/swedennewyo...
It was lively+substantive (one audience member was pleasantly surprised)
x.com/swedennewyo...
September 30, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Last week, I had the incredible privilege of moderating a conversation on AI+geopolitics w/ Daron Acemoglu & Sandhini Agarwal (OpenAI trustworthy AI lead) for the Nobel Foundation at the Swedish Consulate.
It was lively+substantive (one audience member was pleasantly surprised)
x.com/swedennewyo...
It was lively+substantive (one audience member was pleasantly surprised)
x.com/swedennewyo...
Newsom just signed Sen. Scott Wiener's SB 53, exactly one year after he vetoed SB 1047. www.gov.ca.gov/2025/09/29/...
Governor Newsom signs SB 53, advancing California’s world-leading artificial intelligence industry | Governor of California
www.gov.ca.gov
September 29, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Newsom just signed Sen. Scott Wiener's SB 53, exactly one year after he vetoed SB 1047. www.gov.ca.gov/2025/09/29/...
Newsom just strongly signaled he'll sign SB 53, Scott Wiener's pared down redux of SB 1047 (which Newsom vetoed last year).
I and many others expected him to sign this one, but now it seems like a done-deal. He has to be physically in CA to sign, and this happened in NYC. 🧵
I and many others expected him to sign this one, but now it seems like a done-deal. He has to be physically in CA to sign, and this happened in NYC. 🧵
September 24, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Newsom just strongly signaled he'll sign SB 53, Scott Wiener's pared down redux of SB 1047 (which Newsom vetoed last year).
I and many others expected him to sign this one, but now it seems like a done-deal. He has to be physically in CA to sign, and this happened in NYC. 🧵
I and many others expected him to sign this one, but now it seems like a done-deal. He has to be physically in CA to sign, and this happened in NYC. 🧵
What the hell is going on here??
September 23, 2025 at 3:57 PM
What the hell is going on here??