Justin Hendrix
@justinhendrix.bsky.social
Concerned with tech, media and democracy. CEO & Editor at Tech Policy Press. Research & Adjunct Professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Opinions mine.
"Look, the U.S. has not got a perfect record. There’s no doubt about that, and it has betrayed its values many times, but this is of a different order. This is just a blatant throwing-the-whole-thing-out and making a claim to be able to use force whenever it wants." - @oonahathaway.bsky.social
January 4, 2026 at 2:28 AM
"Look, the U.S. has not got a perfect record. There’s no doubt about that, and it has betrayed its values many times, but this is of a different order. This is just a blatant throwing-the-whole-thing-out and making a claim to be able to use force whenever it wants." - @oonahathaway.bsky.social
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Now that MDC Brooklyn is back in the spotlight because of Maduro, I’m re-upping this thread I posted from Sept. 2024 detailing a string of stories I’ve written about the place. I’ve written a number of stories since, but this is a good primer for those with interest.
Good afternoon, Bluesky. Now that there's more attention on MDC Brooklyn, where P. Diddy is locked up, here's some of my past coverage about conditions there.
The MDC made our P1 in July, when we got a video of a brutal stabbing, and the jail's anemic response.
www.nydailynews.com/2024/07/27/s...
The MDC made our P1 in July, when we got a video of a brutal stabbing, and the jail's anemic response.
www.nydailynews.com/2024/07/27/s...
See it: Video from inside troubled Brooklyn federal jail shows brutal gang stabbing
Shocking video from inside Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center shows MS-13 members stab a man 44 times, attacking him for an agonizing 37 seconds before a lone correction officer arrives…
www.nydailynews.com
January 3, 2026 at 11:39 PM
Now that MDC Brooklyn is back in the spotlight because of Maduro, I’m re-upping this thread I posted from Sept. 2024 detailing a string of stories I’ve written about the place. I’ve written a number of stories since, but this is a good primer for those with interest.
"Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot has generated sexualized images of children that have been shared on social media platform X, raising concerns about the safety of a model used by millions."
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot generates child sexual images
Grok created sexually explicit images of minors in recent days that have been shared on social media platform X
www.ft.com
January 3, 2026 at 7:54 PM
"Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot has generated sexualized images of children that have been shared on social media platform X, raising concerns about the safety of a model used by millions."
"A delivery driver for DoorDash has been ousted from the platform after allegedly attempting to trick a customer into thinking their order had been delivered to their door with an AI-generated image."
www.kxan.com
January 3, 2026 at 6:47 PM
"A delivery driver for DoorDash has been ousted from the platform after allegedly attempting to trick a customer into thinking their order had been delivered to their door with an AI-generated image."
During a rambling press conference, Trump appears to think he's some kind of international Batman, ending crime and corruption domestically and internationally with impunity.
January 3, 2026 at 4:56 PM
During a rambling press conference, Trump appears to think he's some kind of international Batman, ending crime and corruption domestically and internationally with impunity.
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
It's just becoming so dangerous. The United States has virtually unchecked ability to project military power abroad. The only thing checking it is rules and norms, but those have crumbled and now it can happen merely at the whims of one person. That person is immoral and untrustworthy.
January 3, 2026 at 2:11 PM
It's just becoming so dangerous. The United States has virtually unchecked ability to project military power abroad. The only thing checking it is rules and norms, but those have crumbled and now it can happen merely at the whims of one person. That person is immoral and untrustworthy.
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Grok's on-demand nudification service doesn't appear to have slowed down. As of about 9 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time the chatbot is still complying with user demands to digitally strip women of their clothing.
January 3, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Grok's on-demand nudification service doesn't appear to have slowed down. As of about 9 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time the chatbot is still complying with user demands to digitally strip women of their clothing.
I reckon 'almost anywhere' includes right here in the US as well.
Whatever you might think of Maduro, the seizure and kidnapping of a head of state takes us to a very dark place. Vast, arbitrary, extra-legal power, which could be exercised almost anywhere, regardless of the character of the target government.
January 3, 2026 at 1:44 PM
I reckon 'almost anywhere' includes right here in the US as well.
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
"By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement, Mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors."
NYT Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
NYT Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Opinion | Trump’s Attack on Venezuela Is Illegal and Unwise
www.nytimes.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:25 PM
"By proceeding without any semblance of international legitimacy, valid legal authority or domestic endorsement, Mr. Trump risks providing justification for authoritarians in China, Russia and elsewhere who want to dominate their own neighbors."
NYT Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
NYT Editorial Board
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/o...
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Unless I'm missing something, and I'm pretty sure I'm not, Twitter's AI is cranking out CSAM deepfakes, Elon Musk is making jokes about it, and nobody is doing anything to stop it or hold anyone at Twitter accountable for its creation and distribution.
Is that right?
Is that right?
January 2, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Unless I'm missing something, and I'm pretty sure I'm not, Twitter's AI is cranking out CSAM deepfakes, Elon Musk is making jokes about it, and nobody is doing anything to stop it or hold anyone at Twitter accountable for its creation and distribution.
Is that right?
Is that right?
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Most read on Tech Policy Press in 2025: "The problem is that those of us outside of the AI industry don’t know what rules they are following. That’s not a black box. It’s just a policy decision." — Eryk Salvaggio.
The Black Box Myth: What the Industry Pretends Not to Know About AI | TechPolicy.Press
Tech Policy Press fellow Eryk Salvaggio says it's a problem is that those of us outside of the AI industry don’t know what rules they are following.
buff.ly
January 2, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Most read on Tech Policy Press in 2025: "The problem is that those of us outside of the AI industry don’t know what rules they are following. That’s not a black box. It’s just a policy decision." — Eryk Salvaggio.
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
By itself this would just be sort of tacky and inappropriate for a news organization, but “and make no apologies for saying so” is the real tell.
Incredible. CBS Evening News announces five new “simple values” — instead of their “38-page handbook” — as they roll out Tony Dokoupil is lead anchor.
One of those values is simply: “We love America and make no apologies for saying so.”
One of those values is simply: “We love America and make no apologies for saying so.”
January 2, 2026 at 9:17 PM
By itself this would just be sort of tacky and inappropriate for a news organization, but “and make no apologies for saying so” is the real tell.
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
NEW: People are using Elon Musk's chatbot, Grok, to alter images to depict real women being sexually abused, humiliated, hurt, and even killed.
futurism.com/future-socie...
futurism.com/future-socie...
Grok Is Being Used to Depict Horrific Violence Against Real Women
People are asking Elon Musk's Grok chatbot to alter images to depict women being sexually abused, humiliated, and even killed.
futurism.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:52 PM
NEW: People are using Elon Musk's chatbot, Grok, to alter images to depict real women being sexually abused, humiliated, hurt, and even killed.
futurism.com/future-socie...
futurism.com/future-socie...
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
“‘The body cam software and the AI report writing software picked up on the movie that was playing in the background, which happened to be ‘The Princess and the Frog…'”
Cops Forced to Explain Why AI Generated Police Report Claimed Officer Transformed Into Frog
AI-powered software Draft One automatically generates police reports from body camera footage. It thought an officer turned into a frog.
futurism.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:50 PM
“‘The body cam software and the AI report writing software picked up on the movie that was playing in the background, which happened to be ‘The Princess and the Frog…'”
California's "model" news deal with Google "is tangled in budget cuts, bureaucratic infighting and unresolved questions about who controls the money, leaving journalists empty-handed and casting doubt on whether the lofty experiment will ever live up to its promise," Politico reports.
How budget bickering and Dolly Parton politics warped California’s Google news deal
There’s still no word on when journalists will receive money, more than a year after the deal.
www.politico.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:49 PM
California's "model" news deal with Google "is tangled in budget cuts, bureaucratic infighting and unresolved questions about who controls the money, leaving journalists empty-handed and casting doubt on whether the lofty experiment will ever live up to its promise," Politico reports.
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Google “said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information about a topic or question, are ‘helpful’ and ‘reliable’”.
“…some of the summaries, which appear at the top of search results, served up inaccurate health information and put people at risk of harm.”
“…some of the summaries, which appear at the top of search results, served up inaccurate health information and put people at risk of harm.”
Google AI Overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice
Exclusive: Inaccurate information presented in summaries, Guardian investigation finds
www.theguardian.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Google “said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information about a topic or question, are ‘helpful’ and ‘reliable’”.
“…some of the summaries, which appear at the top of search results, served up inaccurate health information and put people at risk of harm.”
“…some of the summaries, which appear at the top of search results, served up inaccurate health information and put people at risk of harm.”
"Greg Brockman, the president and co-founder of OpenAI, donated $25 million to a super PAC controlled by allies of President Donald Trump in September, according to a new filing with the Federal Elections Commission."
OpenAI Co-Founder Donates $25M To Trump Super PAC
OpenAI Co-Founder Donates $25M To Trump Super PAC
OpenAI Co-Founder Donates $25M To Trump Super PAC
www.huffpost.com
January 2, 2026 at 5:29 PM
"Greg Brockman, the president and co-founder of OpenAI, donated $25 million to a super PAC controlled by allies of President Donald Trump in September, according to a new filing with the Federal Elections Commission."
"Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in "images depicting minors in minimal clothing" on social media platform X and that improvements were being made to prevent this."
Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of 'minors in minimal clothing' on X
Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in "images depicting minors in minimal clothing" on social media platform X and that improvements ...
www.reuters.com
January 2, 2026 at 2:43 PM
"Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in "images depicting minors in minimal clothing" on social media platform X and that improvements were being made to prevent this."
Interesting "Lunch with the FT" column on Yann LeCun and his AI "superintelligence" ambitions. Not sure how much to read into this- may have been what you say after a big French meal and glasses of wine- but is this really what "we" suffer from?
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
January 2, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Interesting "Lunch with the FT" column on Yann LeCun and his AI "superintelligence" ambitions. Not sure how much to read into this- may have been what you say after a big French meal and glasses of wine- but is this really what "we" suffer from?
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Kevin Drum was the first journalist to really get into the ties between lead and crime rates (not just serial killers) and I think it is one of the most important articles we’ve ever done www.motherjones.com/environment/...
January 1, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Kevin Drum was the first journalist to really get into the ties between lead and crime rates (not just serial killers) and I think it is one of the most important articles we’ve ever done www.motherjones.com/environment/...
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Yes. We can.
Most read from Tech Policy Press in 2025: "We can create systems that expand opportunity rather than concentrate power. We can build technology that strengthens democracy rather than undermines it." — Alondra Nelson.
Three Fallacies: Alondra Nelson's Remarks at the Elysée Palace on the Occasion of the AI Action Summit | TechPolicy.Press
Dr. Nelson was an invited speaker at a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de l'Élysée on February 10, 2025.
buff.ly
January 1, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Yes. We can.
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Curtis Yarvin, JD Vance’s friend & ideological influence, ended 2025 by claiming “only Hitler spoke the truth” about “too many subjects” & “Hitler was a genius.”
Extremism isn’t fringe on the right. Once marginal online extremists like Yarvin are influential at the highest levels of government.
Extremism isn’t fringe on the right. Once marginal online extremists like Yarvin are influential at the highest levels of government.
January 1, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Curtis Yarvin, JD Vance’s friend & ideological influence, ended 2025 by claiming “only Hitler spoke the truth” about “too many subjects” & “Hitler was a genius.”
Extremism isn’t fringe on the right. Once marginal online extremists like Yarvin are influential at the highest levels of government.
Extremism isn’t fringe on the right. Once marginal online extremists like Yarvin are influential at the highest levels of government.
The New York Times lays out a "tangled web" of Trump, Trump administration and Trump family business connections and paths to enrichment. The scale of the web is vast and the figures massive. In addition to all the crypto, one segment discuss AI entanglements.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
January 1, 2026 at 3:04 PM
The New York Times lays out a "tangled web" of Trump, Trump administration and Trump family business connections and paths to enrichment. The scale of the web is vast and the figures massive. In addition to all the crypto, one segment discuss AI entanglements.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Justin Hendrix
Most read from Tech Policy Press in 2025: "We can create systems that expand opportunity rather than concentrate power. We can build technology that strengthens democracy rather than undermines it." — Alondra Nelson.
Three Fallacies: Alondra Nelson's Remarks at the Elysée Palace on the Occasion of the AI Action Summit | TechPolicy.Press
Dr. Nelson was an invited speaker at a dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Palais de l'Élysée on February 10, 2025.
buff.ly
January 1, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Most read from Tech Policy Press in 2025: "We can create systems that expand opportunity rather than concentrate power. We can build technology that strengthens democracy rather than undermines it." — Alondra Nelson.
"As the data center industry grows across the country, concerns about noise and light pollution, water consumption and energy use are also spreading to largely Black and Brown communities like Prince George’s, whose residents have wrestled with a legacy of environmental racism."
Data centers spark a ‘fight for the soul’ of this mostly Black Maryland county
Concerns over pollution and other impacts of data centers are spreading to Prince George’s County, which has wrestled with a legacy of environmental racism.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 1, 2026 at 2:33 PM
"As the data center industry grows across the country, concerns about noise and light pollution, water consumption and energy use are also spreading to largely Black and Brown communities like Prince George’s, whose residents have wrestled with a legacy of environmental racism."