Sarah Myers West
@smw.bsky.social
Current: Co-Executive Director @AINowInstitute | Former: Senior Advisor on AI @FTC | She/her
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
Tech companies are betting big on nuclear energy to meet AI’s massive power demands—and Trump’s done a lot to make it easier for them. Heidy Khlaaf, the head AI scientist at the AI Now Institute, tells us why that’s dangerous.
@mjgault.bsky.social has the story:
www.404media.co/power-compan...
@mjgault.bsky.social has the story:
www.404media.co/power-compan...
November 14, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Tech companies are betting big on nuclear energy to meet AI’s massive power demands—and Trump’s done a lot to make it easier for them. Heidy Khlaaf, the head AI scientist at the AI Now Institute, tells us why that’s dangerous.
@mjgault.bsky.social has the story:
www.404media.co/power-compan...
@mjgault.bsky.social has the story:
www.404media.co/power-compan...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
New podcast! Justin Hendrix discussed whether the AI investment boom is an unsustainable bubble and how a crash could reshape policy and public sentiment with Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research's Ryan Cummings, AI Now Institute's Sarah West, and Blood in the Machine's Brian Merchant.
What Are the Implications if the AI Boom Turns to Bust? | TechPolicy.Press
A conversation with Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research's Ryan Cummings, AI Now Institute's Sarah West, and Blood in the Machine's Brian Merchant.
www.techpolicy.press
November 13, 2025 at 10:09 PM
New podcast! Justin Hendrix discussed whether the AI investment boom is an unsustainable bubble and how a crash could reshape policy and public sentiment with Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research's Ryan Cummings, AI Now Institute's Sarah West, and Blood in the Machine's Brian Merchant.
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
Absolute must read on the AI bailout-in-progress: apparently it's not enough that lifetimes of human ingenuity and creativity have been stolen and enclosed to create generative AI and balloon billionaire wealth - much more public looting is in store...
This week Open AI walked back a call for the govt to backstop financing for its trillion dollar investments in data centers. This was only the tip of the iceberg; a slow bailout for AI firms is already underway. Read more from @ambakak.bsky.social and I in @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
Opinion | You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business
Washington is treating the industry as if it’s too big to fail, even as the market sends lukewarm signals.
www.wsj.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Absolute must read on the AI bailout-in-progress: apparently it's not enough that lifetimes of human ingenuity and creativity have been stolen and enclosed to create generative AI and balloon billionaire wealth - much more public looting is in store...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
"Federal policy has jumped the gun: We don’t yet know if AI will transform the economy or even be profitable. Yet Washington is insulating the industry from all sorts of risk. If a bubble does pop, we’ll all be left holding the bag." [Gift Link] www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
November 12, 2025 at 11:09 PM
"Federal policy has jumped the gun: We don’t yet know if AI will transform the economy or even be profitable. Yet Washington is insulating the industry from all sorts of risk. If a bubble does pop, we’ll all be left holding the bag." [Gift Link] www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
New Report: Fission for Algorithms. We draw on our nuclear expertise to dissect the risky fast-tracking initiatives hastening nuclear development in service of AI. This includes proposals to use Gen AI for nuclear licensing, whilst lowering well-established nuclear thresholds.
Fission for Algorithms: The Undermining of Nuclear Regulation in Service of AI - AI Now Institute
A report examining nuclear “fast-tracking” initiatives on their feasibility and their impact on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards.
ainowinstitute.org
November 12, 2025 at 11:05 AM
New Report: Fission for Algorithms. We draw on our nuclear expertise to dissect the risky fast-tracking initiatives hastening nuclear development in service of AI. This includes proposals to use Gen AI for nuclear licensing, whilst lowering well-established nuclear thresholds.
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
OUR @wsj.com OPED: The AI bubble debate misses what's already happening: a massive gov bailout, fast-tracked infrastructure, guaranteed contracts & regulatory exemptions. AI firms get a taxpayer-funded insurance policy that dot-com companies could only dream of.
www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
Opinion | You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business
Washington is treating the industry as if it’s too big to fail, even as the market sends lukewarm signals.
www.wsj.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:55 PM
OUR @wsj.com OPED: The AI bubble debate misses what's already happening: a massive gov bailout, fast-tracked infrastructure, guaranteed contracts & regulatory exemptions. AI firms get a taxpayer-funded insurance policy that dot-com companies could only dream of.
www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
New podcast! I discussed whether the AI investment boom is an unsustainable bubble and how a potential crash could reshape policy and public sentiment with Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research's Ryan Cummings, AI Now Institute's Sarah West, and Blood in the Machine's Brian Merchant.
What Are the Implications if the AI Boom Turns to Bust? | TechPolicy.Press
A conversation with Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research's Ryan Cummings, AI Now Institute's Sarah West, and Blood in the Machine's Brian Merchant.
www.techpolicy.press
November 13, 2025 at 10:38 AM
New podcast! I discussed whether the AI investment boom is an unsustainable bubble and how a potential crash could reshape policy and public sentiment with Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research's Ryan Cummings, AI Now Institute's Sarah West, and Blood in the Machine's Brian Merchant.
This week Open AI walked back a call for the govt to backstop financing for its trillion dollar investments in data centers. This was only the tip of the iceberg; a slow bailout for AI firms is already underway. Read more from @ambakak.bsky.social and I in @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
Opinion | You May Already Be Bailing Out the AI Business
Washington is treating the industry as if it’s too big to fail, even as the market sends lukewarm signals.
www.wsj.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:56 PM
This week Open AI walked back a call for the govt to backstop financing for its trillion dollar investments in data centers. This was only the tip of the iceberg; a slow bailout for AI firms is already underway. Read more from @ambakak.bsky.social and I in @wsj.com: www.wsj.com/opinion/you-...
New work on the effects of the 'AI arms race' on nuclear licensing and deployment. It highlights that key protections - particularly to ensure the safety of communities where nuclear plants are operating - are being rolled back in order to speed AI deployment. Read more below 👇
New Report: Fission for Algorithms. We draw on our nuclear expertise to dissect the risky fast-tracking initiatives hastening nuclear development in service of AI. This includes proposals to use Gen AI for nuclear licensing, whilst lowering well-established nuclear thresholds.
Fission for Algorithms: The Undermining of Nuclear Regulation in Service of AI - AI Now Institute
A report examining nuclear “fast-tracking” initiatives on their feasibility and their impact on nuclear safety, security, and safeguards.
ainowinstitute.org
November 12, 2025 at 3:31 PM
New work on the effects of the 'AI arms race' on nuclear licensing and deployment. It highlights that key protections - particularly to ensure the safety of communities where nuclear plants are operating - are being rolled back in order to speed AI deployment. Read more below 👇
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
This is one of our biggest arguments: that OpenAI is vampirizing universities for the cachet and legitimacy that affiliation with higher education affords
October 26, 2025 at 4:12 PM
This is one of our biggest arguments: that OpenAI is vampirizing universities for the cachet and legitimacy that affiliation with higher education affords
I've been feeling a little bit crazy reading the news lately about what's going on in the AI market and what it means for the economy at large. So I'm grateful I got to knit the threads together with @alixdunn.com last week.
I don’t want AI companies to get a bailout. I said this to @smw.bsky.social of @ainowinstitute.bsky.social last week, and she said they already were being bailed out. We sat down to talk about it in our first full-form video interview here:
youtu.be/WvN1wQ_CBlY?...
youtu.be/WvN1wQ_CBlY?...
Are AI Companies Cooking the Books? w/ Sarah Myers West
YouTube video by The Maybe
youtu.be
October 1, 2025 at 1:29 PM
I've been feeling a little bit crazy reading the news lately about what's going on in the AI market and what it means for the economy at large. So I'm grateful I got to knit the threads together with @alixdunn.com last week.
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
In today’s Senate Commerce Hearing the White House endorsed support for federal preemption of state AI laws. The fight against preemption did not disappear with the moratorium—in fact, Sen. Cruz introduced a bill today putting us directly on the path to preemption. A thread on its risks below: 🧵
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s recent Times op-ed on AI regulation seems like a reasonable middle ground. But it is also a reminder of a threat on the horizon: an industry-scripted federal standard that would effectively eclipse state legislation, write Kate Brennan, Sarah Myers West, and Amba Kak.
The Storm Clouds Looming Past the State Moratorium: Weak Regulation is as Bad as None | TechPolicy.Press
Blind trust in the benevolence of AI firms is not an option, write AI Now Institute's Kate Brennan, Sarah Myers West, and Amba Kak.
www.techpolicy.press
September 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
In today’s Senate Commerce Hearing the White House endorsed support for federal preemption of state AI laws. The fight against preemption did not disappear with the moratorium—in fact, Sen. Cruz introduced a bill today putting us directly on the path to preemption. A thread on its risks below: 🧵
Oracle is among the latest firms to announce major layoff rounds due to AI - I spoke to @marketplace.org about why shortchanging staff talent is a misplaced gamble: www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...
AI is costing jobs, but not always the way you think
Companies making the biggest investments in AI are spending less elsewhere.
www.marketplace.org
September 9, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Oracle is among the latest firms to announce major layoff rounds due to AI - I spoke to @marketplace.org about why shortchanging staff talent is a misplaced gamble: www.marketplace.org/story/2025/0...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
Last week, @smw.bsky.social spoke at @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social about the AI arms race and mythologies around AGI. "If policymakers are hinging significant decision making on pursuit of AGI and foregoing near term concerns, that's a risky and irresponsible bet."
September 9, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Last week, @smw.bsky.social spoke at @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social about the AI arms race and mythologies around AGI. "If policymakers are hinging significant decision making on pursuit of AGI and foregoing near term concerns, that's a risky and irresponsible bet."
New census bureau data shows that the rate of AI adoption by corporations is now in decline - rough news for OpenAI, whose capital expenditure projections are now at an astonishing *$80 billion* above prior estimates:
gizmodo.com/ai-adoption-...
gizmodo.com/ai-adoption-...
AI Use at Large Companies Is in Decline, Census Bureau Says
A dip in corporate AI adoption isn't a great sign for an industry hellbent on world domination.
gizmodo.com
September 9, 2025 at 5:31 PM
New census bureau data shows that the rate of AI adoption by corporations is now in decline - rough news for OpenAI, whose capital expenditure projections are now at an astonishing *$80 billion* above prior estimates:
gizmodo.com/ai-adoption-...
gizmodo.com/ai-adoption-...
Really thrilled about the recognition of Heidy's pathbreaking and deeply necessary work - first in TIME #AI100 and now in MIT Tech Review. Wait till you see what she's cooking up next!
Being recognised in MIT's 35 Under 35 just a week after being in TIME100 AI is such an honour! The profile gets to the heart of the motivation of my work, which includes the use of AI in Gaza that has contributed to a devastating death toll: www.technologyreview.com/innovator/he...
September 8, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Really thrilled about the recognition of Heidy's pathbreaking and deeply necessary work - first in TIME #AI100 and now in MIT Tech Review. Wait till you see what she's cooking up next!
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
Today at 10:30am ET, the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social
is hosting a conversation with @smw.bsky.social, Kemba Walden, Jayshree Ullal, and others exploring the tech and trust relationships that shape global AI infrastructure.
Watch the livestream here: www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/truth-...
is hosting a conversation with @smw.bsky.social, Kemba Walden, Jayshree Ullal, and others exploring the tech and trust relationships that shape global AI infrastructure.
Watch the livestream here: www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/truth-...
Truth and trust in the AI supply chain
Artificial intelligence experts explore resilience and governance frameworks in the AI supply chain.
www.atlanticcouncil.org
September 5, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Today at 10:30am ET, the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social
is hosting a conversation with @smw.bsky.social, Kemba Walden, Jayshree Ullal, and others exploring the tech and trust relationships that shape global AI infrastructure.
Watch the livestream here: www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/truth-...
is hosting a conversation with @smw.bsky.social, Kemba Walden, Jayshree Ullal, and others exploring the tech and trust relationships that shape global AI infrastructure.
Watch the livestream here: www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/truth-...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 Episode 61 “Winning the Race to Hell”
www.buzzsprout.com/2126417/epis...
in which AI Now Institute’s @kate-brennan.bsky.social and @smw.bsky.social join me and @alexhanna.bsky.social to wade through the muck that is Trump’s AI Action Plan
www.buzzsprout.com/2126417/epis...
in which AI Now Institute’s @kate-brennan.bsky.social and @smw.bsky.social join me and @alexhanna.bsky.social to wade through the muck that is Trump’s AI Action Plan
August 27, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Mystery AI Hype Theater 3000 Episode 61 “Winning the Race to Hell”
www.buzzsprout.com/2126417/epis...
in which AI Now Institute’s @kate-brennan.bsky.social and @smw.bsky.social join me and @alexhanna.bsky.social to wade through the muck that is Trump’s AI Action Plan
www.buzzsprout.com/2126417/epis...
in which AI Now Institute’s @kate-brennan.bsky.social and @smw.bsky.social join me and @alexhanna.bsky.social to wade through the muck that is Trump’s AI Action Plan
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
NEW: DOGE affiliate Chris Sweet has developed an AI tool that is being used to rapidly slash government regulations, according to details of a meeting reviewed by @wired.com. Scoop by me: www.wired.com/story/sweetr...
A DOGE AI Tool Called SweetREX Is Coming to Slash US Government Regulation
Named for its developer, an undergrad who took leave from UChicago to become a DOGE affiliate, a new AI tool automates the review of federal regulations and flags rules it thinks can be eliminated.
www.wired.com
August 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM
NEW: DOGE affiliate Chris Sweet has developed an AI tool that is being used to rapidly slash government regulations, according to details of a meeting reviewed by @wired.com. Scoop by me: www.wired.com/story/sweetr...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
You have at least four new stops in the llm/ai pipeline: service provider, inference provider, model owner, and infrastructure provider. I wish they would prove that each of these are not just secure for users but that data is being used ethically at each stop!
August 13, 2025 at 2:09 PM
You have at least four new stops in the llm/ai pipeline: service provider, inference provider, model owner, and infrastructure provider. I wish they would prove that each of these are not just secure for users but that data is being used ethically at each stop!
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
Only two industries in America are thriving: Big Banks and Big Tech. And they both appear to want only one industry in America to thrive. So they're taking each other on in a series of regulatory fights. From me:
prospect.org/power/2025-0...
prospect.org/power/2025-0...
Silicon Valley Godzilla vs. Wall Street Mothra
The only two sectors thriving in Trump’s economy are increasingly sparring with each other.
prospect.org
August 7, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Only two industries in America are thriving: Big Banks and Big Tech. And they both appear to want only one industry in America to thrive. So they're taking each other on in a series of regulatory fights. From me:
prospect.org/power/2025-0...
prospect.org/power/2025-0...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
A more comprehensive analysis for @brennancenter.org of how the Trump administration's latest AI policy could leave us more divided and less informed: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
August 4, 2025 at 11:36 AM
A more comprehensive analysis for @brennancenter.org of how the Trump administration's latest AI policy could leave us more divided and less informed: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
An estimated 38% of the total corporate cash savings created by Trump and Republicans’ budget bill will flow to just four Big Tech companies: Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet.
Just so happens that each donated $1M to Trump’s inauguration.
Talk about a return on investment.
Just so happens that each donated $1M to Trump’s inauguration.
Talk about a return on investment.
August 6, 2025 at 9:31 PM
An estimated 38% of the total corporate cash savings created by Trump and Republicans’ budget bill will flow to just four Big Tech companies: Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet.
Just so happens that each donated $1M to Trump’s inauguration.
Talk about a return on investment.
Just so happens that each donated $1M to Trump’s inauguration.
Talk about a return on investment.
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
📣🚨NEW: ☁️ Big Cloud—Google, Microsoft & Amazon—control two thirds of the cloud compute market. They’re getting rich off the AI gold rush.
In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵
📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵
📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
August 6, 2025 at 2:40 PM
📣🚨NEW: ☁️ Big Cloud—Google, Microsoft & Amazon—control two thirds of the cloud compute market. They’re getting rich off the AI gold rush.
In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵
📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
In new work with @nathanckim.bsky.social, we show how Big Cloud is expanding their empire by scrutinizing their *investments*… 🧵
📄PDF: dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
Reposted by Sarah Myers West
“Calling back to the tech boom of the mid-to-late 90s, investors have been asking about the possibility that this investment cycle for data centres could be a bubble”
Huge props to the person who created this graphic for FT lmao
Huge props to the person who created this graphic for FT lmao
What’ll happen if we spend nearly $3tn on data centres no one needs?
Nineties adults remember
www.ft.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:41 PM
“Calling back to the tech boom of the mid-to-late 90s, investors have been asking about the possibility that this investment cycle for data centres could be a bubble”
Huge props to the person who created this graphic for FT lmao
Huge props to the person who created this graphic for FT lmao