James O&#x27;Donnell

The tower on the hill is an Anduril surveillance tower, one of hundreds that watch the US-Mexico border. The view at right is from where a 31-year-old man lay for hours after crossing the border and then died, neither apprehended nor rescued. 1x

technologyreview.comHow we made the first comprehensive map of deaths along the US border’s “virtual wall”We analyzed whether nearly 4,000 migrant deaths occurred within sight of the US government’s surveillance towers. Here’s our methodology.

and how we did it www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1...

technologyreview.com4 ways to address the failures we found along the US border’s “virtual wall”The US has spent billions on surveillance towers, but hundreds of people have died near them. Here’s how to strengthen federal oversight.

and what should change www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1...

When a body is found, there is no process to determine whether the person died near where surveillance watches, and if so, what happened. The government has never mapped these cases.

technologyreview.comThe US spent billions on border surveillance. Why can’t it catch people before they die?Surveillance towers, increasingly powered by AI, promised faster responses to crossings. Our investigation of deaths near the towers found they are failing to deliver.

Read the full investigation by @eileenguo.bsky.social and me in @technologyreview.com www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/21/1...

In the above case, José Morales Bernal was dying 360ft from a camera, but agents learned of him from nearby landfill workers after he died. For others, agents might see alerts and never arrive. The humanitarian crisis has been more visible—and at times more preventable—than known

Though Anduril’s towers are more advanced (they use AI/computer vision to only alert agents to people) we found more than 110 people died near them. And most of these people died where our topographical analysis shows a tower had a view unobstructed by terrain.

The deaths reveal a broader gap. If agents don’t know about people moving near their own surveillance towers, others may be passing through unseen—and more people may have died there without ever being found.

In each case there’s an obvious question: did Border Patrol see these people with the help of the technology and never make it to them? Or did they not know they were there at all? Interviews with more than 45 sources show both these failures are happening.

The Anduril towers are the latest addition to a growing “virtual wall” of more than 800 towers, joining others made by General Dynamics and Elbit. CBP has promised these towers will lead to more security, faster apprehensions and even save lives

We mapped nearly 4,000 migrant deaths back to 2015 to know which ones happened where these surveillance towers watch. We found roughly one in four migrant deaths happened not in remote, unseen areas but where the towers surveil

As debates about online safety swirl through the courts, Congress and our own homes, here's the most extreme and problematic response I've seen yet:

Transgender issues will fall under "sexuality," which is blocked by default on all plans. The cybersecurity company they're using (Allot, based in Israel) doesn't have a gender-related filter, so the plan's founder is doing the categorizing himself. Yale.edu is allowed, but lgbtq.yale.edu is not

technologyreview.comA new US phone network for Christians aims to block porn and gender-related contentLaunching next week on T-Mobile's network, the cell plan takes a nuclear approach to online safety.

More details in my story for @technologyreview.com www.technologyreview.com/2026/05/01/1...

As debates about online safety swirl through the courts, Congress and our own homes, here's the most extreme and problematic response I've seen yet:

A new cell plan for Christians on T-Mobile's network will block porn at the network level even for adult phones, a setting that can't be turned off. The plan's founder is also trying to block any content related to transgender issues

technologyreview.comThe Pentagon is planning for AI companies to train on classified data, defense official saysThe generative AI models used in classified environments can answer questions but don't currently learn from the data they see. That could soon change.

18 Mar

(breaking from me) The Pentagon is discussing plans for generative AI companies to train military-specific versions of their models on classified data. It's a new development compared to models just answering classified questions. Details here: www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/17/1...

We reported new details from a Defense official about the specific role chatbots may play in accelerating the Pentagon's search for targets, and how it all might connect to the military's other AI projects:

The comments suggest that generative AI is being added as a conversational chatbot layer to existing AI projects like Maven, which uses computer vision to analyze "big data" and select targets. Users previously needed to inspect and interpret data on the map. Now they can have a conversation instead

technologyreview.comA defense official reveals how AI chatbots could be used for targeting decisionsThough the US military's big data initiative Maven has sped up the planning of strikes for years, the comments suggest that generative AI is now adding a new interpretative layer to such deliberations...

More detail here: www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/12/1...

A list of possible targets might be fed into gen AI. Then humans might ask the model to prioritize the targets while accounting for factors like where aircraft are currently located. The official described it as an example of how things might work but would not say whether it represents current use

Humans would then be responsible for checking the results and recommendations. ChatGPT and Grok could, in theory, be the models used for this type of scenario in the future, as both companies recently reached agreements for their models to be used by the Pentagon in classified settings

technologyreview.comHow AI is turning the Iran conflict into theaterAI-enabled dashboards, combined with prediction markets and fake imagery, are reshaping how war is observed.

9 Mar

Homemade intelligence dashboards on Iran are spreading. But an abundance of information does not come with the accuracy or context required for real understanding. Intelligence agencies do this in-house; good journalism does the same work for the rest of us www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/09/1...

technologyreview.comOpenAI’s “compromise” with the Pentagon is what Anthropic fearedAnthropic pushed for moral boundaries. OpenAI settled for softer legal ones, and now it stands to benefit as the Pentagon rushes out a politicized AI strategy during strikes on Iran.

2 Mar

we’ve essentially ended up back where we started: allowing the Pentagon to use OpenAI's tech for any lawful use www.technologyreview.com/2026/03/02/1...

technologyreview.comWhat we’ve been getting wrong about AI’s truth crisisEven when content is revealed to be manipulated, it still shapes our beliefs. The defenders of truth are hopelessly behind.

2 Feb

AI content can dupe us, shape our beliefs even when we catch the lie, and erode societal trust in the process. The tools we were sold as a cure for this crisis are failing miserably www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/02/1...

Inside the marketplace powering bespoke AI deepfakes of real women 🧵

Grok's debacle was about deepfakes made on platforms, but this is about the demand for tools that let users fine-tune them elsewhere. 86% of deepfake requests were for instruction files called LoRAs that coach mainstream AI models into generating content they weren't trained to produce.

technologyreview.comInside the marketplace powering bespoke AI deepfakes of real womenNew research details how Civitai lets users buy and sell tools to fine-tune deepfakes the company says are banned.

Neither Civitai nor a16z responded to requests for comment. Study led by @matthewdeverna.com and Shalmoli Ghosh. Full story in @technologyreview.com here www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/30/1...

Inside the marketplace powering bespoke AI deepfakes of real women 🧵

News comes from a new study looking at people’s requests for content on the site, called “bounties.” Most bounties asked for animated content—but a significant portion were for deepfakes of real people, and 90% of these deepfake requests targeted women.

Users requested tools to generate images of public figures like Charli D’Amelio or Gracie Abrams, often linking to their social media so their images could be grabbed. Some wanted to generate the individual’s entire body, accurately capture tattoos, or change hair color. They cost $0.50 to $5.

Inside the marketplace powering bespoke AI deepfakes of real women 🧵

Civitai—an online marketplace for buying and selling AI-generated content, backed by a16z—is letting users buy custom instruction files for generating celebrity deepfakes. Some were designed to make pornographic images the site says are banned.

technologyreview.comDHS is using Google and Adobe AI to make videosImmigration agencies have been flooding social media with bizarre, seemingly AI-generated content. We now know more about what might be making it.

29 Jan

A scoop: DHS is using AI video generators from Google and Adobe to make content shared with the public. It comes as workers in tech have put pressure on their employers to denounce the agency's activities. www.technologyreview.com/2026/01/29/1...

technologyreview.comAn AI model trained on prison phone calls now looks for planned crimes in those callsThe model is built to detect when crimes are being “contemplated.”

1 Dec 2025

Securus can now fund this AI model with the fees inmates pay to make calls, after the company successfully lobbied for new regulations. www.technologyreview.com/2025/12/01/1...

technologyreview.comUS investigators are using AI to detect child abuse images made by AIThough 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.

26 Sept 2025

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...

technologyreview.comShoplifters could soon be chased down by dronesFlock Safety is pitching its police-style drone program to private businesses. It could bring aerial surveillance to shopping centers, warehouses, and hospitals.

25 Sept 2025

Police-tech giant Flock is entering a new market www.technologyreview.com/2025/09/25/1...

technologyreview.comMeet the early-adopter judges using AIAs the line between helping and judging blurs, the cost of errors is steep.

11 Aug 2025

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...

technologyreview.comAmerica’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.

25 July 2025

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...

technologyreview.comAI companies have stopped warning you that their chatbots aren’t doctorsOnce cautious, OpenAI, Grok, and others will now dive into giving unverified medical advice with virtually no disclaimers.

21 July 2025

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...

technologyreview.comAI’s giants want to take over the classroomOpenAI and Anthropic say AI can help students learn—not just cheat—even if real-world use suggests otherwise.

16 July 2025

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

technologyreview.comWe 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.

20 May 2025

@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...

technologyreview.comHow a new type of AI is helping police skirt facial recognition bansAdoption of the tech has civil liberties advocates alarmed, especially as the government vows to expand surveillance of protesters and students.

12 May 2025

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...

ter.liAI is coming for music, tooNew diffusion AI models that make songs from scratch are complicating our definitions of authorship and human creativity.

16 Apr 2025

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

technologyreview.comA small US city experiments with AI to find out what residents wantResidents of Bowling Green, Kentucky, used machine learning to shape civic debate. The real test is whether the government acts on the results.

15 Apr 2025

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...

technologyreview.comGenerative AI is learning to spy for the US militaryIn 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.

11 Apr 2025

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...

technologyreview.comThe first trial of generative AI therapy shows it might help with depressionThe evidence-backed model delivered impressive results, but it doesn’t validate the wave of AI therapy bots flooding the market.

28 Mar 2025

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...

James O'Donnell reposted

Tech Transparency Project

@ttp-updates.bsky.social

28 Feb 2025

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...

technologyreview.comAn AI companion site is hosting sexually charged conversations with underage celebrity botsOne 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.”

27 Feb 2025

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...

technologyreview.comCan AI help DOGE slash government budgets? It’s complex.“Waste” is politically subjective. Fraud is less so. Using AI to find either is harder than it sounds.

11 Feb 2025

A reality check on DOGE's AI efforts www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/11/1...

technologyreview.comDeepSeek might not be such good news for energy after allNew figures show that if the model’s energy-intensive “chain of thought” reasoning gets added to everything, the promise of efficiency gets murky.

31 Jan 2025

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...

technologyreview.comOpenAI ups its lobbying efforts nearly seven-foldAI policy is now prioritizing energy, not deepfakes. OpenAI's spending makes clear how much it wants to shape it.

22 Jan 2025

I dug into OpenAI’s latest lobbying disclosure, filed tonight. Here’s what I found. www.technologyreview.com/2025/01/21/1...