Computer Says Kill: The AI Safety Circus w/ Heidy Khlaaf

The AI industry loves to talk about safety, but their version of safety is putting us at risk.

More like this: The Palestine Laboratory w/ Antony Loewenstein

For our second to last series episode of Computer Says Kill, we’re joined by Heidy Khlaaf, a global expert in designing safe critical systems for high-risk infrastructures such as energy grids, nuclear power plants, and weaponry. Heidy outlines how the AI industry is working to redefine and shrink this essential, established field of expertise. By parading around sham “safety benchmarks”, this circus of an industry is marketing statistics that literally amount nothing at best, and proof that today’s LLMs aren’t safe at all, at worst. We explore the centuries of precedent and practice established in the safety field and examine how today’s AI safety “experts” are eroding this work to rush the incorporation of shoddy tech into the lucrative nooks and crannies of our militaries, economies, and physical infrastructure.

Further reading & resources:

Safety Co-Option and Compromised National Security: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Weakened AI Risk Thresholds — Heidy Khlaaf & Sarah Myers West, 2025
Social Benefit versus Technological Risk: What is our society willing to pay for safety? — Chauncey Starr, 1969
Israel built an ‘AI factory’ for war. It unleashed it in Gaza. — WaPo December 2024

Join The Maybe Collective to explore the politics of technology through fresh ideas that you won't hear anywhere else. Sign up for monthly insights, access to exclusive digital events, and real ways to get more involved on issues you care about.

Computer Says Maybe is produced by Georgia Iacovou, Kushal Dev, Marion Wellington, Sarah Myles, Van Newman, and Zoe Trout

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(140)

The Kids Are Online: Are Social Media Bans the Answer? w/ Cori Crider and Pamela Wisniewski

Almost everyone studying kids’ safety online agrees that a blanket social media ban won't work. And nearly every government moving on the issue is passing one anyway. This week, a researcher and a pol...

25 Sep 52min

When Kids Can’t Consent: The Case Against Tech in the Classroom w/ Andrew Liddell

No tech that your kid uses in the classroom was designed for their benefit. Not the tablet, not the "learning app," not the AI chatbot helping with homework. It was designed to benefit the company tha...

18 Sep 49min

The Battle for Power Inside Big Tech: Against Tech Oligarchy w/ JS Tan & Clarissa Redwine

Over the last decade, tech workers have staged walkouts, signed open letters by the tens of thousands, and built more than a dozen new unions across the industry. And yet, over that same decade, tech ...

15 Sep 56min

Meet the Mom Winning Against AI in Schools w/ Ifeoma Ozoma

Imagine dropping your kid off at school, assuming they’ll spend the day being taught by… teachers, of course. But then you find out that part of their day is actually spent talking and reading out lou...

11 Sep 53min

The Digital Delusion: The False Promise of Ed Tech w/ Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath

A screen is built to do one thing well: split your attention across as many things as possible, as fast as possible. A developing brain needs the opposite— sustained, undivided focus— to learn anythin...

4 Sep 42min

Meet the Guy (Actually) Passing Tech Laws

You've likely heard of the National Sexual Assault Hotline. What you might not know is that it's operated by RAINN, an organization that has become one of the more unlikely players in tech policy. Sin...

28 Aug 54min

How Anduril Tried to Kill Democracy in Ohio (& How Farmers Fought Back)

In Madison Township, Ohio, families have farmed the same land for generations. Then a commercial real estate company started buying up their neighbors' fields under the code name "Project Thor." They ...

21 Aug 51min

A Sneak Peek into The Maybe Collective

We’re taking a short summer break and will be back on your feed in a couple of weeks. But we've got news before we go.Catch up on our most recent series: Computer Says Kill & REAL ResistanceWe're cook...

31 Jul 2min