Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
@heidykhlaaf.bsky.social
Climber 🇪🇬 |Chief AI Scientist at @ainowinstitute.bsky.social | Safety engineer (nuclear, software & AI/ML) | TIME 100 AI | MIT 35 U 35
x-Trail of Bits, OpenAI, Microsoft Research
https://www.heidyk.com/
x-Trail of Bits, OpenAI, Microsoft Research
https://www.heidyk.com/
Pinned
TIME100 AI 2025: Heidy Khlaaf
Find out why Heidy Khlaaf made TIME’s list of the most influential people in artificial intelligence
time.com
Excited to be included on TIME 's list of the #TIME100 AI of 2025!
Grateful to @ainowinstitute.bsky.social for supporting my work on addressing the safety revisionism of AI in defense/safety-critical contexts where safety has been obscured with little to no accountability.
time.com/collections/...
Grateful to @ainowinstitute.bsky.social for supporting my work on addressing the safety revisionism of AI in defense/safety-critical contexts where safety has been obscured with little to no accountability.
time.com/collections/...
From our paper (w/ @smw.bsky.social and @meredithmeredith.bsky.social) in 2024:
![Constraining the flow of sensitive and personal data from citizens that can enable them to be targeted by adversaries using AI systems is in the national interest. To be effective, such constraints may also need
to extend to models trained on this data. The US’s Executive Order on Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data, has already considered explicit restrictions on the transfer and export of
personal data [28]. However, commercially available models trained on such data can enable the insights derived from personal data to be utilized for military capabilities (e.g., targeting) even where the data
itself is restricted from sale. To be effective, restrictions placed on personal data flows would also need to be extended to models trained on that data.
(5) Using foundation models in national security contexts may introduce unique concerns threatening human rights. For example, a government’s ability to train models on citizens’ data obtained through commercial data brokers that would otherwise need a warrant, court order, or subpoena to obtain may allow governments to further exercise coercive powers that are automated through AI decision-making [6]. Such use may subvert due process, exacerbated when inaccurate outputs inflict unjust harms on civilians. Appropriate interventions may include the extension of data minimization principles to include purpose limitations on the collection, processing, and transfer of personal data to third parties for intelligence
purposes [6].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:uvsuoi63hmxbr35fmozsghpc/bafkreicyejqmvq24lsqoalmllt55c2xzcxw5aq5qkhjlnyn6aqx34agzhq@jpeg)
January 30, 2026 at 10:43 AM
From our paper (w/ @smw.bsky.social and @meredithmeredith.bsky.social) in 2024:
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
I am so tired of all the things that we said would happen, and were routinely ignored or dismissed by tech bros and neoliberals for saying would happen, continuing to happen, in exactly the way that we said they would happen.
Seems like one of those issues that should greatly concern everyone regardless of their politics.
January 30, 2026 at 12:16 AM
I am so tired of all the things that we said would happen, and were routinely ignored or dismissed by tech bros and neoliberals for saying would happen, continuing to happen, in exactly the way that we said they would happen.
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
“Doctors Without Borders says it will provide Israeli authorities with the personal details of some of its Palestinian and international staff”
Israel has killed 1,700 health workers including 15 employees of MSF
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
Israel has killed 1,700 health workers including 15 employees of MSF
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
Anger as MSF agrees to Israel’s ‘unreasonable demands’: What to know
Medical charity prepared to hand over details of some Palestinian staff to Israel, raising fears they may be targeted.
www.aljazeera.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:39 PM
“Doctors Without Borders says it will provide Israeli authorities with the personal details of some of its Palestinian and international staff”
Israel has killed 1,700 health workers including 15 employees of MSF
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
Israel has killed 1,700 health workers including 15 employees of MSF
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
Not just any journalist, she won the goddamn Triple Crown of broadcast journalism (an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Murrow) in 2024 for her reporting on Gaza.
This is textbook censorship of the highest degree
This is textbook censorship of the highest degree
Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda with 1.4m followers reports TikTok ban https://aje.news/ljjuww
January 29, 2026 at 4:33 AM
Not just any journalist, she won the goddamn Triple Crown of broadcast journalism (an Emmy, a Peabody, and a Murrow) in 2024 for her reporting on Gaza.
This is textbook censorship of the highest degree
This is textbook censorship of the highest degree
We warned in our report that this was the end goal of the four executive orders signed in May 2025, all in service of AI. Excellent reporting outlining the details of where the dangerous safety rollbacks and security cuts are actually occurring.
Our report: ainowinstitute.org/publications...
Our report: ainowinstitute.org/publications...
EXCLSUVIE: The Trump administration has secretly rewritten nuclear safety rules and shared them with the companies they're meant to regulate, without making the new rules publicly available.
We've obtained a copy of the new rules and here's what we found.
www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...
We've obtained a copy of the new rules and here's what we found.
www.npr.org/2026/01/28/n...
The Trump administration has secretly rewritten nuclear safety rules
The rewrite was done to speed up the construction of a new generation of nuclear reactors. Critics warn it could compromise safety and public trust.
www.npr.org
January 28, 2026 at 2:00 PM
We warned in our report that this was the end goal of the four executive orders signed in May 2025, all in service of AI. Excellent reporting outlining the details of where the dangerous safety rollbacks and security cuts are actually occurring.
Our report: ainowinstitute.org/publications...
Our report: ainowinstitute.org/publications...
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
New: Unsealed court docs detail Big Tech’s yearslong, secret race to ingest the collective works of humanity, including Anthropic’s project to “destructively scan all the books in the world.”
Gift link: wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
Gift link: wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
How Silicon Valley built AI: Buying, scanning and destroying millions of books
Court filings reveal how AI companies raced to obtain more books to feed chatbots, including by buying, scanning and disposing of millions of titles.
wapo.st
January 27, 2026 at 3:20 PM
New: Unsealed court docs detail Big Tech’s yearslong, secret race to ingest the collective works of humanity, including Anthropic’s project to “destructively scan all the books in the world.”
Gift link: wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
Gift link: wapo.st/4rjXAMQ
I recently spoke to @aljazeera.com about how commerically-trained AI models pose a significant safety and security risk in military operations that ultimately place life-or-death decisions in the hands of private companies, with little to no accountability.
January 26, 2026 at 9:52 AM
I recently spoke to @aljazeera.com about how commerically-trained AI models pose a significant safety and security risk in military operations that ultimately place life-or-death decisions in the hands of private companies, with little to no accountability.
I really hope that in this moment, where it's becoming evident to Americans how the media normalizes murder, how every victim is retroactively turned into a "terrorist", that they look at how Palestinians, Black Americans, Latinx, etc. were treated and finally see the injustices for what they are.
remember that when Israel bombed the first hospital in Gaza, they dissimulated, lied, and argued, expending tremendous resources to "complicate" the "narrative." a month later, it was the new normal
January 25, 2026 at 1:35 PM
I really hope that in this moment, where it's becoming evident to Americans how the media normalizes murder, how every victim is retroactively turned into a "terrorist", that they look at how Palestinians, Black Americans, Latinx, etc. were treated and finally see the injustices for what they are.
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
I remember how strongly Israel denied bombing that hospital, then proceeded to bomb every other hospital in Gaza as well.
They continue to kill Palestinian civilians without consequence.
They continue to kill Palestinian civilians without consequence.
remember that when Israel bombed the first hospital in Gaza, they dissimulated, lied, and argued, expending tremendous resources to "complicate" the "narrative." a month later, it was the new normal
January 25, 2026 at 3:44 AM
I remember how strongly Israel denied bombing that hospital, then proceeded to bomb every other hospital in Gaza as well.
They continue to kill Palestinian civilians without consequence.
They continue to kill Palestinian civilians without consequence.
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
They watched Israel do this with every Palestinian they killed for two years and so they never imagined it wouldn't work
… Furthermore, according to two other sources with knowledge of the situation, top officials in the Trump White House reminded their federal colleagues in and outside the West Wing that Pretti should be referred to as a “terrorist” in written statements and public messaging, no matter his background
January 25, 2026 at 5:48 AM
They watched Israel do this with every Palestinian they killed for two years and so they never imagined it wouldn't work
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
The ELIZA effect as world-historical grift
According to this, just over a third of people (36%) think AI understands their emotions or is conscious.
58% trust AI chatbots to act in their best interests more than they trust governments to do so.
58% trust AI chatbots to act in their best interests more than they trust governments to do so.
New report drop!
After seven rounds of Global Dialogues with more than 6000 people across 70 countries in 2025, we are releasing the 2025 Global Dialogues Index Report.
blog.cip.org/2025gdindex
After seven rounds of Global Dialogues with more than 6000 people across 70 countries in 2025, we are releasing the 2025 Global Dialogues Index Report.
blog.cip.org/2025gdindex
January 22, 2026 at 10:40 AM
The ELIZA effect as world-historical grift
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
103 days into the "ceasefire." Hours after Netanyahu joined Trump's "Board of Peace."
Israeli forces just killed 3 more journalists.
They were on assignment to film a camp in Gaza, to document the plight of Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombs.
Instead, Israel killed them.
Israeli forces just killed 3 more journalists.
They were on assignment to film a camp in Gaza, to document the plight of Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombs.
Instead, Israel killed them.
January 21, 2026 at 5:28 PM
103 days into the "ceasefire." Hours after Netanyahu joined Trump's "Board of Peace."
Israeli forces just killed 3 more journalists.
They were on assignment to film a camp in Gaza, to document the plight of Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombs.
Instead, Israel killed them.
Israeli forces just killed 3 more journalists.
They were on assignment to film a camp in Gaza, to document the plight of Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombs.
Instead, Israel killed them.
There's a constant discourse about why people won't leave "X" without ever acknowledging how aggressive Bsky has been in removing Palestinian accounts (including journalists and not just those fundraising) more than any other platform. There really needs to pressure on Bsky against this practice.
They've deleted Rawan, she has been here a long time and now her account is gone. I hope someone is in touch with her off site, she never asked and I didn't want to push. We need better organisation, everyone should have a family to help. This is unsustainable.
chuffed.org/project/1486...
chuffed.org/project/1486...
Help Rawan reach her dream and goal
(english below)
chuffed.org
January 21, 2026 at 12:20 PM
There's a constant discourse about why people won't leave "X" without ever acknowledging how aggressive Bsky has been in removing Palestinian accounts (including journalists and not just those fundraising) more than any other platform. There really needs to pressure on Bsky against this practice.
Absolutely horrendous, and a consequence of the many Western states peddling propaganda and smears that promoted the defunding of UNRWA.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
Israel bulldozes UNRWA buildings in occupied East Jerusalem
The destruction comes as Israel clamps down on NGOs providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
www.aljazeera.com
January 20, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Absolutely horrendous, and a consequence of the many Western states peddling propaganda and smears that promoted the defunding of UNRWA.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/...
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
New: DOGE staff cuts gutted the Pentagon's IT office so hard it didn't have enough personnel to buy software it needed to operate theintercept.com/2026/01/19/d...
DOGE Cuts “Unexpectedly and Significantly Impacted” Critical Pentagon Unit
Staffing problems caused by DOGE resulted in the Defense Information Systems Agency warning of “extreme risk for loss of service” across the military.
theintercept.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:39 PM
New: DOGE staff cuts gutted the Pentagon's IT office so hard it didn't have enough personnel to buy software it needed to operate theintercept.com/2026/01/19/d...
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
Several years ago I fully pivoted to AI safety within defense, as I was aware that their lack of accuracy would also imperil the safety of domestic citizens given that military standards set the precedent under which civilian systems are used and evaluated. And here we are.
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14831
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14831
New from 404 Media: ICE's facial recognition app, which the agency is using to decide who to detain and deport, misidentified a woman. Twice.
ICE says results of the app are definitive and override a birth certificate; obviously this case shows the app is inaccurate
www.404media.co/ices-facial-...
ICE says results of the app are definitive and override a birth certificate; obviously this case shows the app is inaccurate
www.404media.co/ices-facial-...
ICE’s Facial Recognition App Misidentified a Woman. Twice
In testimony from a CBP official obtained by 404 Media, the official described how Mobile Fortify returned two different names after scanning a woman's face during an immigration raid. ICE has said th...
www.404media.co
January 19, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Several years ago I fully pivoted to AI safety within defense, as I was aware that their lack of accuracy would also imperil the safety of domestic citizens given that military standards set the precedent under which civilian systems are used and evaluated. And here we are.
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14831
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14831
Several years ago I fully pivoted to AI safety within defense, as I was aware that their lack of accuracy would also imperil the safety of domestic citizens given that military standards set the precedent under which civilian systems are used and evaluated. And here we are.
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14831
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14831
New from 404 Media: ICE's facial recognition app, which the agency is using to decide who to detain and deport, misidentified a woman. Twice.
ICE says results of the app are definitive and override a birth certificate; obviously this case shows the app is inaccurate
www.404media.co/ices-facial-...
ICE says results of the app are definitive and override a birth certificate; obviously this case shows the app is inaccurate
www.404media.co/ices-facial-...
ICE’s Facial Recognition App Misidentified a Woman. Twice
In testimony from a CBP official obtained by 404 Media, the official described how Mobile Fortify returned two different names after scanning a woman's face during an immigration raid. ICE has said th...
www.404media.co
January 19, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Several years ago I fully pivoted to AI safety within defense, as I was aware that their lack of accuracy would also imperil the safety of domestic citizens given that military standards set the precedent under which civilian systems are used and evaluated. And here we are.
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14831
arxiv.org/pdf/2410.14831
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
Keir Starmer: "In the Middle East we welcome Trumps focus on sustaining the ceasefire in Gaza & moving on to phase 2"
What ceasefire? Israel continues killing Palestinians, both with bullets and bombs (over 450 killed) and through the denial of much needed supplies & shelters.
What ceasefire? Israel continues killing Palestinians, both with bullets and bombs (over 450 killed) and through the denial of much needed supplies & shelters.
January 19, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Keir Starmer: "In the Middle East we welcome Trumps focus on sustaining the ceasefire in Gaza & moving on to phase 2"
What ceasefire? Israel continues killing Palestinians, both with bullets and bombs (over 450 killed) and through the denial of much needed supplies & shelters.
What ceasefire? Israel continues killing Palestinians, both with bullets and bombs (over 450 killed) and through the denial of much needed supplies & shelters.
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
By continuing to report the Gaza territorial development plan as some sort of "peace" plan, the actual fate and livelihoods of the humans in Gaza is being marginalised. This is not a Board of Peace, it is a Board of Business Opportunity. www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblo...
January 17, 2026 at 8:03 AM
By continuing to report the Gaza territorial development plan as some sort of "peace" plan, the actual fate and livelihoods of the humans in Gaza is being marginalised. This is not a Board of Peace, it is a Board of Business Opportunity. www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblo...
Everything is unbelievably stupid right now.
"Atomic bombmakers get a pass because, while all [EU] members are anti-proliferation, only Austria, Ireland and Malta have signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons." www.ft.com/content/f789...
Nuclear weapons are now ESG compliant
Boom times in EU sustainable finance
www.ft.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Everything is unbelievably stupid right now.
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
“It’s basically a map of the United States. It’s kind of like Google Maps.” This is how an ICE agent described the app Palantir worked on for finding neighborhoods to raid.
I've seen the interface, it does look exactly like that www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
I've seen the interface, it does look exactly like that www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
January 15, 2026 at 2:16 PM
“It’s basically a map of the United States. It’s kind of like Google Maps.” This is how an ICE agent described the app Palantir worked on for finding neighborhoods to raid.
I've seen the interface, it does look exactly like that www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
I've seen the interface, it does look exactly like that www.404media.co/elite-the-pa...
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
"Complying to UK law" still allows you to create the same type of imagery. I was easily able to make a prompt from AI generated picture of a full dressed woman I uploaded to Grok to a woman bound, nearly fully naked, and bleeding in about 2 minutes, and I'm in the UK.
January 14, 2026 at 1:52 PM
"Complying to UK law" still allows you to create the same type of imagery. I was easily able to make a prompt from AI generated picture of a full dressed woman I uploaded to Grok to a woman bound, nearly fully naked, and bleeding in about 2 minutes, and I'm in the UK.
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
I've been working on research to inform policy spheres on how recent procurement strategies meant AI models were not being appropriately assessed for defence use (see link), but I think at this point it's obvious and they don't even bother to lie about it anymore.
defensescoop.com/2025/08/04/d...
defensescoop.com/2025/08/04/d...
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the integration of Elon Musk's xAI platform, Grok, into military networks as part of a new "AI acceleration strategy" during a visit to SpaceX.
January 13, 2026 at 1:27 PM
I've been working on research to inform policy spheres on how recent procurement strategies meant AI models were not being appropriately assessed for defence use (see link), but I think at this point it's obvious and they don't even bother to lie about it anymore.
defensescoop.com/2025/08/04/d...
defensescoop.com/2025/08/04/d...
I've been working on research to inform policy spheres on how recent procurement strategies meant AI models were not being appropriately assessed for defence use (see link), but I think at this point it's obvious and they don't even bother to lie about it anymore.
defensescoop.com/2025/08/04/d...
defensescoop.com/2025/08/04/d...
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the integration of Elon Musk's xAI platform, Grok, into military networks as part of a new "AI acceleration strategy" during a visit to SpaceX.
January 13, 2026 at 1:27 PM
I've been working on research to inform policy spheres on how recent procurement strategies meant AI models were not being appropriately assessed for defence use (see link), but I think at this point it's obvious and they don't even bother to lie about it anymore.
defensescoop.com/2025/08/04/d...
defensescoop.com/2025/08/04/d...
Reposted by Dr Heidy Khlaaf (هايدي خلاف)
I can’t emphasize enough how shocked my out of state friends and family are when I tell them what has happened in Minneapolis since Renee Good’s murder.
Without reliable media, most not-chronically-online people are completely in the dark. If you want to help Minnesota, tell people what you know.
Without reliable media, most not-chronically-online people are completely in the dark. If you want to help Minnesota, tell people what you know.
January 13, 2026 at 3:21 AM
I can’t emphasize enough how shocked my out of state friends and family are when I tell them what has happened in Minneapolis since Renee Good’s murder.
Without reliable media, most not-chronically-online people are completely in the dark. If you want to help Minnesota, tell people what you know.
Without reliable media, most not-chronically-online people are completely in the dark. If you want to help Minnesota, tell people what you know.