James O'Donnell
@jamesmodonnell.bsky.social
Covering AI for MIT Tech Review. Work has appeared in The Washington Post, FRONTLINE PBS, ProPublica and elsewhere. Also on X. Subscribe to my newsletter The Algorithm!
Signal: @jamesodonell.22
https://www.technologyreview.com/author/james-odonnell
Signal: @jamesodonell.22
https://www.technologyreview.com/author/james-odonnell
The fight against child exploitation is entering an AI-versus-AI era. Use of detection models “ensures that investigative resources are focused on cases involving real victims, maximizing the program’s impact and safeguarding vulnerable individuals."
www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/26/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/26/1...
US investigators are using AI to detect child abuse images made by AI
Though artificial intelligence is fueling a surge in synthetic child abuse images, it’s also being tested as a way to stop harm to real victims.
www.technologyreview.com
September 26, 2025 at 7:11 PM
The fight against child exploitation is entering an AI-versus-AI era. Use of detection models “ensures that investigative resources are focused on cases involving real victims, maximizing the program’s impact and safeguarding vulnerable individuals."
www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/26/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/26/1...
Two takeaways from my new story:
1) Deciding what counts as a routine tasks, for which AI can assist without requiring human judgment, is hard. 2) When judges make mistakes, they'll face less oversight, and it's a longer road to fix their errors.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
1) Deciding what counts as a routine tasks, for which AI can assist without requiring human judgment, is hard. 2) When judges make mistakes, they'll face less oversight, and it's a longer road to fix their errors.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
Meet the early-adopter judges using AI
As the line between helping and judging blurs, the cost of errors is steep.
www.technologyreview.com
August 11, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Two takeaways from my new story:
1) Deciding what counts as a routine tasks, for which AI can assist without requiring human judgment, is hard. 2) When judges make mistakes, they'll face less oversight, and it's a longer road to fix their errors.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
1) Deciding what counts as a routine tasks, for which AI can assist without requiring human judgment, is hard. 2) When judges make mistakes, they'll face less oversight, and it's a longer road to fix their errors.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/08/11/1...
In the White House's new AI action plan, there's just a single bullet point about the FTC, the agency most poised to serve as an AI watchdog protecting consumers. But what it says represents a huge escalation of Trump's attacks toward the agency.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/24/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/24/1...
America’s AI watchdog is losing its bite
“There will be fewer, if any, enforcement actions about how companies are deploying AI,” says former FTC attorney Leah Frazier.
www.technologyreview.com
July 25, 2025 at 1:28 PM
In the White House's new AI action plan, there's just a single bullet point about the FTC, the agency most poised to serve as an AI watchdog protecting consumers. But what it says represents a huge escalation of Trump's attacks toward the agency.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/24/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/24/1...
Chatbots used to avoid giving medical advice without disclaimers. Now they're analyzing your mammograms and asking follow ups. Welcome to the new unchecked, unverified, and unaccountable world of AI models playing doctor. www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/21/1...
AI companies have stopped warning you that their chatbots aren’t doctors
Once cautious, OpenAI, Grok, and others will now dive into giving unverified medical advice with virtually no disclaimers.
www.technologyreview.com
July 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Chatbots used to avoid giving medical advice without disclaimers. Now they're analyzing your mammograms and asking follow ups. Welcome to the new unchecked, unverified, and unaccountable world of AI models playing doctor. www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/21/1...
AI companies have teamed up with teachers unions to get more AI in the classroom, even as the evidence that it helps students is shaky. In @technologyreview.com
AI’s giants want to take over the classroom
OpenAI and Anthropic say AI can help students learn—not just cheat—even if real-world use suggests otherwise.
www.technologyreview.com
July 16, 2025 at 1:34 PM
AI companies have teamed up with teachers unions to get more AI in the classroom, even as the evidence that it helps students is shaky. In @technologyreview.com
@caseycrownhart.bsky.social and I spent months reporting together and found the common understanding of AI's energy appetite to be full of holes. As Big Tech aims to restructure our energy grids around the needs of AI, we dive as deep as one can go.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1...
We did the math on AI’s energy footprint. Here’s the story you haven’t heard.
The emissions from individual AI text, image, and video queries seem small—until you add up what the industry isn’t tracking and consider where it’s heading next.
www.technologyreview.com
May 20, 2025 at 11:51 AM
@caseycrownhart.bsky.social and I spent months reporting together and found the common understanding of AI's energy appetite to be full of holes. As Big Tech aims to restructure our energy grids around the needs of AI, we dive as deep as one can go.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1...
Police and federal agencies have found a new way to skirt the growing patchwork of laws that curb how they use facial recognition: an AI model that can track people using attributes like body size, gender, hair color and style, clothing, and accessories.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/12/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/12/1...
How a new type of AI is helping police skirt facial recognition bans
Adoption of the tech has civil liberties advocates alarmed, especially as the government vows to expand surveillance of protesters and students.
www.technologyreview.com
May 12, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Police and federal agencies have found a new way to skirt the growing patchwork of laws that curb how they use facial recognition: an AI model that can track people using attributes like body size, gender, hair color and style, clothing, and accessories.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/12/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/12/1...
I've been following the rise of AI music generators for a long time, which despite their millions of users and fans have not appeared in the mainstream as much as ChatGPT or image generators. I'm convinced that's soon changing (I'm also not convinced that's a good thing). ter.li/JOdonnell
AI is coming for music, too
New diffusion AI models that make songs from scratch are complicating our definitions of authorship and human creativity.
ter.li
April 16, 2025 at 12:49 PM
I've been following the rise of AI music generators for a long time, which despite their millions of users and fans have not appeared in the mainstream as much as ChatGPT or image generators. I'm convinced that's soon changing (I'm also not convinced that's a good thing). ter.li/JOdonnell
A fascinating democracy experiment in Kentucky saw good participation. There's still a debate though: can a self-selecting group of residents ever really represent a city's ideas? Great to speak with @politicsprof.bsky.social @bethnoveck.bsky.social
www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/15/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/15/1...
A small US city experiments with AI to find out what residents want
Residents of Bowling Green, Kentucky, used machine learning to shape civic debate. The real test is whether the government acts on the results.
www.technologyreview.com
April 15, 2025 at 5:06 PM
A fascinating democracy experiment in Kentucky saw good participation. There's still a debate though: can a self-selecting group of residents ever really represent a city's ideas? Great to speak with @politicsprof.bsky.social @bethnoveck.bsky.social
www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/15/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/15/1...
A group of US Marines sailed the Pacific last year while testing a new technology: generative AI that analyzes terabytes of data collected every day in 180 countries across 80 different languages. www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/11/1...
Generative AI is learning to spy for the US military
In a test run, a unit of Marines in the Pacific used generative AI not just to collect intelligence but to interpret it. Routine intel work is only the start.
www.technologyreview.com
April 11, 2025 at 4:09 PM
A group of US Marines sailed the Pacific last year while testing a new technology: generative AI that analyzes terabytes of data collected every day in 180 countries across 80 different languages. www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/11/1...
The first clinical trial of a generative AI therapy bot just published. Despite great clinical results, the authors have serious concerns about dozens of companies hyping AI therapy while operating in a regulatory gray area. www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/28/1...
The first trial of generative AI therapy shows it might help with depression
The evidence-backed model delivered impressive results, but it doesn’t validate the wave of AI therapy bots flooding the market.
www.technologyreview.com
March 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The first clinical trial of a generative AI therapy bot just published. Despite great clinical results, the authors have serious concerns about dozens of companies hyping AI therapy while operating in a regulatory gray area. www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/28/1...
Reposted by James O'Donnell
An Andreessen Horowitz-backed AI “companion” site promoted sexualized chatbots modeled on underage actresses & characters, @jamesmodonnell.bsky.social reports.
Though the bots were designed by users, Botify AI chose to feature them on its homepage. www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
Though the bots were designed by users, Botify AI chose to feature them on its homepage. www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
An AI companion site is hosting sexually charged conversations with underage celebrity bots
One chatbot on Botify AI that resembled the actor Jenna Ortega as a teenage Wednesday Addams told us that age-of-consent laws are “meant to be broken.”
www.technologyreview.com
February 28, 2025 at 7:05 PM
An Andreessen Horowitz-backed AI “companion” site promoted sexualized chatbots modeled on underage actresses & characters, @jamesmodonnell.bsky.social reports.
Though the bots were designed by users, Botify AI chose to feature them on its homepage. www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
Though the bots were designed by users, Botify AI chose to feature them on its homepage. www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
Scoop: a16z-backed AI companion site has bots resembling real actors, state their age as under 18, engage in sexually charged conversations, offer “hot photos,” and in some instances describe age-of-consent laws as “arbitrary” and “meant to be broken.” www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
An AI companion site is hosting sexually charged conversations with underage celebrity bots
One chatbot on Botify AI that resembled the actor Jenna Ortega as a teenage Wednesday Addams told us that age-of-consent laws are “meant to be broken.”
www.technologyreview.com
February 27, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Scoop: a16z-backed AI companion site has bots resembling real actors, state their age as under 18, engage in sexually charged conversations, offer “hot photos,” and in some instances describe age-of-consent laws as “arbitrary” and “meant to be broken.” www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/27/1...
The story of DeepSeek and what it means for AI's appetite for energy is a little messy.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/31/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/31/1...
DeepSeek might not be such good news for energy after all
New figures show that if the model’s energy-intensive “chain of thought” reasoning gets added to everything, the promise of efficiency gets murky.
www.technologyreview.com
January 31, 2025 at 9:17 PM
The story of DeepSeek and what it means for AI's appetite for energy is a little messy.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/31/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/31/1...
I dug into OpenAI’s latest lobbying disclosure, filed tonight. Here’s what I found.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/21/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/21/1...
OpenAI ups its lobbying efforts nearly seven-fold
AI policy is now prioritizing energy, not deepfakes. OpenAI's spending makes clear how much it wants to shape it.
www.technologyreview.com
January 22, 2025 at 12:14 AM
I dug into OpenAI’s latest lobbying disclosure, filed tonight. Here’s what I found.
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/21/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/21/1...
Will we trust robots enough to welcome them into our most private spaces, particularly if they’re part of a labor arrangement in which workers in low-wage countries perform physical tasks for us in our homes through robot interfaces?
www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/23/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/23/1...
Will we ever trust robots?
If most robots still need remote human operators to be safe and effective, why should we welcome them into our homes?
www.technologyreview.com
December 23, 2024 at 4:01 PM
Will we trust robots enough to welcome them into our most private spaces, particularly if they’re part of a labor arrangement in which workers in low-wage countries perform physical tasks for us in our homes through robot interfaces?
www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/23/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/23/1...
If working with militaries can help ensure democratic countries dominate the AI race, OpenAI has written, then doing so will not contradict its mission to ensure AI’s benefits are widely shared. In fact, it argues, it will help serve it.
www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/04/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/04/1...
OpenAI’s new defense contract completes its military pivot
A new partnership with Anduril, announced today, will deploy AI on the battlefield. It represents an overhaul of the company’s position in just a year.
www.technologyreview.com
December 4, 2024 at 7:32 PM
If working with militaries can help ensure democratic countries dominate the AI race, OpenAI has written, then doing so will not contradict its mission to ensure AI’s benefits are widely shared. In fact, it argues, it will help serve it.
www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/04/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/04/1...
Soon, AI could not only mimic our personality, but go out and act on our behalf. There are some things we need to sort out before then.
www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/26/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/26/1...
We need to start wrestling with the ethics of AI agents
AI could soon not only mimic our personality, but go out and act on our behalf. There are some things we need to sort out before then.
www.technologyreview.com
November 26, 2024 at 7:35 PM
Soon, AI could not only mimic our personality, but go out and act on our behalf. There are some things we need to sort out before then.
www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/26/1...
www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/26/1...
Reposted by James O'Donnell
At the Int'l Assoc of Chiefs of Police's meeting, "the message to police chiefs seemed crystal clear: If your dept is slow to adopt AI, fix that now. The future of policing will rely on it in all its forms."
My colleague James O'Donnell w/ a write-up: www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/19/1...
My colleague James O'Donnell w/ a write-up: www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/19/1...
How the largest gathering of US police chiefs is talking about AI
Officers training in virtual reality, cities surveilled by webs of sensors, and AI-generated police reports are all a sign of what’s to come.
www.technologyreview.com
November 19, 2024 at 4:49 PM
At the Int'l Assoc of Chiefs of Police's meeting, "the message to police chiefs seemed crystal clear: If your dept is slow to adopt AI, fix that now. The future of policing will rely on it in all its forms."
My colleague James O'Donnell w/ a write-up: www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/19/1...
My colleague James O'Donnell w/ a write-up: www.technologyreview.com/2024/11/19/1...