Amba Kak
@ambakak.bsky.social
I co-direct @AINowInstitute; @Signalapp board. Cover art by my mother https://shoumabanerjeekak.com/about-the-artist/
new piece in @thenation.com with @ainowinstitute.bsky.social @smw.bsky.social @ambakak.bsky.social www.thenation.com/article/econ...
The Great AI Grift
Tech leaders and the Trump administration want you to believe that AI is the key to a new golden age. The reality looks more like a bold daylight heist.
thenation.com
Last month, we proposed ways to "reframe" the AI Summit conversation to bring meaning back to co-opted terms like sovereignty, democratization, and accountability. How can we turn the seeds of the alternative agenda into action? Read our final essay: ainowinstitute.org/general/beyo...
Beyond Impact Lingo: Questioning, Concretizing, Building - AI Now Institute
In the lead-up to this year’s India AI Impact Summit, we attempted to pre-bunk a new kind of AI hype that was circulating. We observed that the “right” words were being used to have the wrong conversa...
ainowinstitute.org
AI Now is excited to announce our Board of Directors: Lucy Suchman, @karenhao.bsky.social and @veenadubal.bsky.social, all longstanding advisors and supporters of the institute. We’re grateful for their support and excited to take our work into the next phase. ainowinstitute.org/about
India has positioned itself as a “third way” for AI — an alternative to U.S. and Chinese approaches — that promises to use the technology to benefit the public, not not corporations or the state New from @ambakak.bsky.social and Astha Kapoor: restofworld.org/2026/india-a...
Can India be a “third way” AI alternative to the U.S. and China?
The AI Impact Summit in India, the first in a developing country, proposes an option that focuses on public good and development. But can it deliver without capitulating to Big Tech?
restofworld.org
What does it mean for the criminal legal system to be increasingly reliant on privately developed technologies in the age of AI hype? On 2/5, @ambakak.bsky.social will keynote at @nacdl.org on AI, Markets, and the Privatization of State Authority www.nacdl.org/Event/Code,-...
NACDL - Code, Culpability, and Constitutional Law: AI in the Criminal Legal System
LOCATION: American University’s Washington College of Law, Washington, DC DATE:Thursday, February 5, 2026 COST: FREE, Registration Required CLE Credit: Not available;
nacdl.org
In two weeks, world leaders and tech executives will descend on Delhi for the AI Impact Summit 2026. There, power brokers will paint a pretty picture of the role AI will play in saving the world - from sharing prosperity to fixing climate change.
The India AI Impact Summit is a month away. We're launching Reframing Impact: AI Summit 2026 with Aapti Institute and @themaybe.org to analyze Summit themes and offer critical alternatives. Read our first essay: shorturl.at/oN538
It’s all happening in NYC! Taking real steps towards a politics of hope that's already diffusing far beyond this city and country: I couldn't be more excited to serve on Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani's wide-ranging and hugely inspiring transition team: www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces transition committees
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Monday the creation of 17 transition advisory committees made up of more than 400 people.
cbsnews.com
Ruha Benjamin@ruha9.bsky.social · 8mo agoSooo many folks I’m excited to work with on Mamdani’s technology transition committee. All hands on deck to bring the Affordability Agenda to life: childcare, housing, transportation. While its easy to get swept up in personality, this is a group focused on peoples real needs. LETS KEEP THE FOCUS.
Sooo many folks I’m excited to work with on Mamdani’s technology transition committee. All hands on deck to bring the Affordability Agenda to life: childcare, housing, transportation. While its easy to get swept up in personality, this is a group focused on peoples real needs. LETS KEEP THE FOCUS.
🚨The final event in our popular series with the NYPL is happening on Thursday, w an incredible panel of experts discussing the value of human labor in the face of increasing automation. Reserve your in-person spot (they're going quickly) or RSVP to join us online! www.showclix.com/event/unders...
oh hey its @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social !! bsky.app/profile/404m...
404 Media@404media.co · 9mo agoTech 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...
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...
NEW: Tech companies are betting big on nuclear energy to meet AIs massive power demands and they're using that AI to speed up the construction of new nuclear power plants. And despite expert concerns about potential disaster, the US government is on board.
Power Companies Are Using AI To Build Nuclear Power Plants
Tech companies are betting big on nuclear energy to meet AIs massive power demands and they're using that AI to speed up the construction of new nuclear power plants.
404media.co
Bonus bonus: @ainowinstitute.bsky.social's Sarah West and @ambakak.bsky.social in the WSJ today.... "...the federal government is already bailing out the AI industry with regulatory changes and public funds that will protect companies in the event of a private sector pullback."
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.
wsj.com
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.
wsj.com
Anthropic’s partnership with the DOE to keep Claude from building a nuclear weapon makes for good headlines. @heidykhlaaf.bsky.social calls it security theater. The real risk is AI firms gaining access to national security data. www.wired.com/story/anthro...
Anthropic Has a Plan to Keep Its AI From Building a Nuclear Weapon. Will It Work?
Anthropic partnered with the US government to create a filter meant to block Claude from helping someone build a nuke. Experts are divided on whether its a necessary protection—or a protection at all.
wired.com
1/ NEW: Read our new report, “Calculated Need: Algorithms and the Fight for Medicaid Home Care.” We show how automated eligibility determinations are political tools that draw a subjective line between who is deserving and undeserving of getting care in their home. www.upturn.org/work/calcula...
LIVE NOW: AI Now’s @ambakak.bsky.social joins UN Secretary General António Guterres, President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock, UN Tech Envoy Amandeep Gill, and nation leaders to launch a Global Dialogue on AI Governance on the floor of the UN. Livestream: webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1p...
High-level multi-stakeholder informal meeting to launch the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance
The high-level informal meeting is convened pursuant to General Assembly resolution 79/325, which established the Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance as a follow-up to the Pact for t...
webtv.un.org
Tune in on Wednesday, September 24th 5-6pm ET for our live show at Climate Week NYC breaking down the real impacts of the AI data center boom on communities across the US. RSVP to watch it live here: luma.com/l7m3nzzn
Let Them Eat Compute: Computer Says Maybe Climate Week Livestream · Luma
Hearing a lot about AI and data center expansion? That it's happening quickly, behind closed doors, putting huge demands on strained energy grids, leading to…
luma.com
The Maybe@themaybe.org · 11mo ago1/3 Hearing a lot about AI and data center expansion? That it's happening quickly, behind closed doors, putting huge demands on strained energy grids, leading to rising utility costs, reversing climate progress, and draining water from communities?
Tech leaders are tempering AI promises. The US government isn’t. Today in @inc.com, @ambakak.bsky.social says the alliance between Big Tech and the federal government means the biggest AI companies are positioning themselves as “too big to fail.” www.inc.com/sam-blum/sam...
Did Sam Altman Accidentally Admit That the AI Bubble Is Here?
A recent CNBC interview with the OpenAI CEO shows that tech leaders are changing how they judge AI models.
inc.com
That push reach AGI before 2030 has real-world consequences - to the environment, data privacy, democracy, and labor - that don’t disappear with the promises that AI will someday solve humanity’s hardest problems. “The future we’re being sold is not inevitable,” Kak said. (3/3)
Their recent report, Artificial Power, pushes back on the "too big to fail" myth, arguing that AI firms are pouring billions into compute infrastructure and foundational models, often with government support, despite shaky business models and limited public accountability. (2/3)
On this week's episode of @equity.bsky.social, I interviewed @ambakak.bsky.social and Dr. Sarah Meyers West of @ainowinstitute.bsky.social about Trump's AI Action Plan and who really benefits from the AI boom. (1/3) techcrunch.com/podcast/who-...
Who really benefits from the AI boom?
Equity breaks down Trump’s AI Action plan and a new report challenging the “too big to fail” myth, AI spending, and accountability.
techcrunch.com
NEW RESEARCH ALERT 🚨 TechEquity just published “Take the Mic: How Worker Voice Shapes Workplace Technology,” which explores different models of worker voice and why it matters.
Trump announced its AI Action plan for American AI dominance. What we really need is a People's AI Action plan to ensure Trump + Silicon Valley don't weaponize AI against working people, exacerbate the climate crisis and fortify the surveillance state. Proud to have signed on and endorsed this call
AI Now Institute@ainowinstitute.bsky.social · last yr.The White House released its AI Action plan this morning. We know where it came from: straight from Big Tech. But there’s another path available to us: we and over 100 other orgs called for a People’s AI Action Plan. Read it here: peoplesaiaction.com apnews.com/article/trum...
An AI action plan written by and for tech billionaires cannot and will not serve the interests of the broader public. We cannot let Big Tech special interests buy Washington and write the rules for AI and our economy. That's why we need a People’s AI Action Plan. peoplesaiaction.com
People's AI Action Plan
peoplesaiaction.com
The Trump admin’s AI plan will prioritize industry profits. We need an AI policy that protects democracy, civil rights, and working people. That’s why we’ve joined 70+ orgs to support a People’s AI Action Plan — a vision that puts people before profit. 📍Read at: peoplesaiaction.com
Tomorrow, Trump will sign several EO’s on AI, including the "AI Action Plan". They are....not good. While setting the stage for federal land giveaways and air & water pollution, they also penalize states that put safeguards in place. So we signed the PEOPLE'S AI Action Plan. 🧵
People's AI Action Plan
peoplesaiaction.com
Amazon Employees for Climate Justice@amzn4climate.bsky.social · last yr.Today Amazon released its “Sustainability” report. Predictably, what it leaves out is vastly more important than what it says. Amazon is building a dirty energy empire, spending literally hundreds of billions on data centers that will rely primarily on new fossil fuel infrastructure.
The White House released its AI Action plan this morning. We know where it came from: straight from Big Tech. But there’s another path available to us: we and over 100 other orgs called for a People’s AI Action Plan. Read it here: peoplesaiaction.com apnews.com/article/trum...
People's AI Action Plan
peoplesaiaction.com