Showing posts with label AI antics. Show all posts

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Breaking the Silence: " The IDF delegated target identification to an AI system, a deeply problematic step in itself. This enabled the military to carry out strikes at an unprecedented pace. Combined with the IDF’s extremely permissive collateral damage policy, this sent the death toll in Gaza skyrocketing. "

The IDF's AI-generated assassination list. Now that everyone is talking about NAZA, the Hebrew acronym for “collateral damage,” let’s talk about how the IDF identified some of the targets for these strikes.

This soldier gave us testimony about some of the crucial policies behind the astronomical death toll in Gaza.

The IDF delegated target identification to an AI system, a deeply problematic step in itself. This enabled the military to carry out strikes at an unprecedented pace. Combined with the IDF’s extremely permissive collateral damage policy, this sent the death toll in Gaza skyrocketing.

The IDF allowed up to 20 civilians to be killed as collateral damage for every low-ranking Hamas operative targeted, whether a militant or a truck driver. This threshold could be raised dramatically when a senior Hamas member was the target.

Testimony: “We worked with an artificial intelligence system, ‘Lavendar.’ They developed technological capabilities to establish that they (Hamas operatives) exist and they’re present there, and they expanded it (the identification of wanted people) to include anyone that you could somehow say belonged to Hamas.”

Interviewer: What does belong to Hamas mean? "AI-[generated] things plus a few verifications that it’s actually the person [in question]." “You’re genuinely targeting someone from the military wing, [but] how significant is he really? There’s a question mark over that. Let’s say, even if he is a fighter, would you now take down twenty people for a fighter? [...] [If] the person isn’t in a combat position, or say, a fighter is now fleeing to the south of the [Gaza] Strip, do I really need to go and kill him?”

Allowing such a high death toll in advance proved to be devastatingly destructive, and it is also deeply dehumanising. Palestinian lives are cheapened to the point where the killing of over a dozen people can be routinely sanitised under the label of “collateral damage.”

https://x.com/BtSIsrael/status/2103103416062886316/photo/1

Find more testimonies from soldiers who have served in the occupied Palestinian territories on our website. Since 2004, we have collected, verified, and published thousands of testimonies.

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies here, there- and everywhere]

https://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/testimonies/database/199893

breakingthesilence.org.il

Breaking the Silence › Testimony › The enemy is finite

A year after Israeli strikes killed journalists at a hospital, no one has been held accountable

West Bank siege exposes Israel army inaction on settler violence

'Lords of the Land': Israeli Soldiers Describe How Settlers Manage Military Reality in the West Bank

I Joined Rep. Ro Khanna on His West Bank Visit. Here's What I Saw

The collaboration between the Israeli army and the most extreme and violent settlers is not a new phenomenon – we at Breaking the Silence have been documenting it for years. It's an omnipresent characteristic of the occupation. Anyone who has served in the occupied territories knows that settlers are an integral part of the mechanism of control over Palestinians.

Settler-only IDF units functioning as ‘vigilante militias’ in West Bank

The hagmar system had led to “the establishment of what are effectively settler militias within the IDF’s own ranks”, said Nadav Weiman, the executive director of Breaking the Silence, an advocacy group for former Israeli soldiers. “These soldier-settlers are driven by a violent, zero-sum ideology, and have all the authority of regular IDF soldiers to put that ideology into action.”

‘To call it a ceasefire is a joke': Israeli soldiers share rare accounts from Gaza with AP

Israel’s military has said most of the people killed crossing the line posed a threat to troops. But soldiers who spoke to AP and Breaking the Silence — the whistleblower group that has collected troops’ testimonies throughout the war — say that at times soldiers were too far away, acting too quickly and under too much pressure to tell.

Israel's 'retrospective incrimination: First we shoot, we kill & then find a reason why it happened

Monday, June 1, 2026

"For ease and speed, we are degrading our ability to connect and to organise our societies. We must assert our trust in humans over machines" Nesrine Malik

OpinionAI (artificial intelligence)

AI is devoid of meaning and humanity. That’s why its vapid voice suits this political moment

Nesrine Malik

Here is a nightmare scenario for you. You are writing a book about how AI reshapes reality. You start using it as a research partner, confident that you are applying the right hygiene by not letting it actually write a sentence of the book. You think you’ll be careful, you will double check everything. And then your book comes out and it appears that it includes more than a half dozen misattributed or fake quotes. Steven Rosenbaum, the unfortunate writer, acknowledged that sometimes the output of AI was “staggeringly wrong”, but still, errors crept in.

There are others. A Commonwealth prize-winning short story became engulfed in claims that it carried the hallmarks of AI. And every time I see a story of a journalist caught out by fake AI quotes during research, I cross myself – there but for the grace of God go I. But to make sure it is not left up to grace alone, I never touch the thing. When AI results pop up as the default in a search engine, I reject them, rebuke them, as if they contained a dark sorcery that would through mere engagement creep into my synapses and take control.

This monastic, almost paranoid approach is not only because AI is a risky and unreliable research tool. It is a voice, a tone, a frequency. AI language haunts me in a million similar tinny chants from customer care to social media posts to press releases. I worry even as I write this column that it might sound like AI. That I have somehow through relentless exposure assimilated its blandness and excess. Its short declarative sentences. Its advertorial narration. Its informal mimicry of personhood. Hi there! Hope all is well. I thought you might be interested in a column about AI, an issue that is increasingly occupying thought leaders and writers. Would you like to learn more?

What are we losing in this fire? Writing is not just about rendering thoughts through words in a certain style: analysis, literary fiction, storytelling. It is about the particular alchemy of a single individual drawing on their own unique profile to construct an idea. It is about the way their brain works, the quirks they have picked up along the way, their politics, their history, their relationships, the very way they see the world. You can produce a thousand Dickenses and Rumis through AI, but you can’t create a new iconic writer. You can only draw on the chorus of styles that already exist. You can only derive, never create.

And then there is the atrophy. The loss of the ability to struggle for a word, to craft a verbal image. I could save precious minutes as a deadline approaches and ask AI to cook me up a nice line, or I could linger and conceptualise that resisting AI writing feels like trying not to inhale an airborne virus. It might not be a great simile, but it’s mine goddamit. And it helps me, in writing, to consolidate what I am thinking. Whether it’s a political text or an email, leaning on AI for everything from research to writing severs the connection between feeling and expression. It drains the colour from everything and suffocates one’s ability to channel and meet and be surprised by what is knocking about in your head. When tech becomes about reducing labour in every way, it ends up becoming an inhibitor of actual consciousness. Entirely unsurprising research shows that leaning on LLMs may reduce brain engagement.

Even more depressing is how well suited this cauterisation of the self is to the political moment, one of a glut of content and bad information. AI is rampant on social media, where accounts authoritatively post long texts on everything from the wars in the Middle East to dramatic personal experiences that didn’t happen in a sort of reality fan-fiction. And in politics, where... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/01/ai-meaning-humanity-political-moment-trust-humans-over-machines

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Dear America- Russia's illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and Russia's current war on Ukraine is clearly following in the footsteps of Israel: The Zionist Project has been usurping land, rights, and peace from the indigenous people of historic Palestine since 1948.

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Bamewawagezhikaquay ('Woman of the Sound that the stars make Rushing Through the Sky')

letter I just sent to my elected leaders-

Dear America,

The United States of America has a fascinating and complex history that we should be preserving in every possible way. Our books and libraries and schools, our public TV and radio, our National Parks and museums, our support for the arts, science, etc... AND most important of all, our slow but sure empowering of the rule of fair and just laws for ALL men and women which in turn have helped shape true peace and prosperity for many people.

One of our first known poets was Jane Johnston Schoolcraft 1800-1842 who was the daughter of a Scotch-Irish fur trader. Her mother was a respected Ojibwe leader. Though Jane never published her work, she wrote approximately fifty poems in English and Ojibwe, as well as versions of Ojibwe stories, songs, and other traditionally oral texts. https://poets.org/poet/jane-johnston-schoolcraft.

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft's poem Lines Written at Castle Island, Lake Superior finds solace in nature as she concludes:

"Ah, nature! here forever sway
Far from the haunts of men away
For here, there are no sordid fears,
No crimes, no misery, no tears
No pride of wealth; the heart to fill,
No laws to treat my people ill"

That last line bears repeating: "No laws to treat my people ill"

Jane Johnston Schoolcraft should be considered one of our great nation's founding mothers. Her ideas ring true today too, at a time when laws and policies are being shaped to empower the wealthy and corporate greed- and pollution rather than the peoples needs.

Modern life is not perfect, but it most certainly has been huge improvement over times past when slavery, injustice, and inequality were the norm.

In 1948, after the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust, The United Nations came together, carefully built with diplomacy and the wisdom of many who understood we are "Better Together"

The idea of Universal Human Rights underscores the crucial importance of true equality with freedom and respect for ALL people, not just wealthy and privileged ones.

International law matters immensely- for everyone's sake.

Russia's illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and Russia's current war on Ukraine is clearly following in the footsteps of Israel: The Zionist Project has been usurping land, rights, and peace from the indigenous people of historic Palestine since 1948.

American money, weaponry, and support have been helping Israel violate international law- destroying the lives & livelihoods of countless increasingly vulnerable civilians who have been cruelly denigrated, harassed, impoverished and displaced by Israel. There is a Israeli-made famine in the prison camp called Gaza and Israel is bombing men, women, and children trapped in the rubble and ruin of their homes and tents.

AI has the power to lie and mislead- and to bury the truth in much the same way our legacy media hides the full ugly truth about Zionism, so that We the People are increasingly clueless about right and wrong. Please STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN ! Tyrants worldwide will no longer need to burn books- just the click of a computer program will seek out and erase infinite reams.

We should be stepping up to champion diplomatic, compassionate, and intelligent ways to veer away from a world filled with bigotry, violence, injustice, poverty, pollution, AI antics, scams, ignorance, greed, and endlessly escalating war.

We should be funding the people's needs, here at home as well as abroad with The United Nations, UNESCO, and UNRWA... for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,

Anne Selden Annab

NOTES https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/Notes

STOP THE SIEGE- stop funding crazy cruel Israeli schemes & the forced displacement, imprisonment, starvation, torture, and killing of human beings in Gaza and Palestine

Do not ‘co-opt’ the cross to divide: Bishops join church leaders in message after rally 21/09/2025: "As Christians from different theological and political backgrounds we stand together against the misuse of Christianity. The cross is the ultimate sign of sacrifice for the other. Jesus calls us to love both our neighbours and our enemies and to welcome the stranger. Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable."

A Prayer for The Holy Land- The Most Reverend Dr Hosam E. Naoum, Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem 2025

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is morally, legally & politically intolerable. The nightmare must stop. Today, I called on world leaders to do all they can to ensure the Two-State solution prevails, for the people of Israel, Palestine & all humanity." António Guterres , Secretary-General of the United Nations

Better Together: 80 Years of the United Nations- For 80 years, the United Nations has brought countries together with one purpose: to make the world better. Together, we advance peace and security, promote development and defend human rights. By uniting nations, we transform shared goals into collective action.

"It took just five days of public pressure to bring Jimmy Kimmel back to his show after a suspension. Five days, and he was back on air. But for 716 days, no amount of pressure has stopped the slaughter of Palestinian journalists, some of them killed on air. Yes, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off air for five days. Palestinian journalists are taken off the earth, on air, by American-supplied weapons." Mosab Abu Toha

"What we are witnessing right now is the rise of two Americas. One for the billionaire class. And one for everybody else" The American political system is badly broken- Bernie Sanders in The Guardian

"During the ceasefire earlier this year, we reached over 2 million people with food assistance. Since 2 March, UNRWA has not been allowed to bring aid in. In August famine was confirmed in Gaza City. This starvation is man-made by the Government of Israel. It is the direct result of banning food and other basic supplies for almost 7 months, including from UNRWA. The siege must be lifted. Our teams are ready to distribute aid in a safe and dignified way to the people in need." #UNRWAworks

“The only legal thing Israel can do in the Palestinian territories is to get the hell out.” —Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur

While welcome, the recognition of a Palestinian State doesn’t mean much if there isn’t a ceasefire in Gaza, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini tells BBC News on the margins of #UNGA80

In the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Forces have further tightened movement and access restrictions, including the installation of new road gates to control the movement of Palestinians. In the northern West Bank, operation ‘Iron Wall’ continues, with some 32 000 residents of Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Jenin Palestine Refugee camps unable to return to their homes. More than one third of those displaced are children. UNRWA is leading the emergency response to the crisis, with some 400 staff dedicated to delivering health, emergency education, waste management, and cash assistance to those forcibly displaced.

"Statehood cannot be declared in press releases while genocide burns Gaza and land is stolen daily in the West Bank. Recognition of Palestine is hollow if it ignores the uprooting of people and the violence that became a daily reality. Better to first recognize the atrocities and confront injustice than to offer symbolic statehood to a people whose very existence is already rooted in their land yet their land, and their lives are under attack." Sliman Mansour of Palestine

From Gaza to Lebanon, Syria to Yemen, Israel is slaughtering civilians and calling it self-defense...

Both doctors described the psychological warfare Palestinians in Gaza and the medical workers are enduring: no internet, no communication with families, constant bombs. Dr. Aziz: “This is a stain on our humanity. I’m ashamed to call myself human… we need absolute, unimpeded medical aid and an arms embargo now.”

"Even before the war, we lived in danger every day. And today, the suffering has only grown worse… " Mahmoud Massri from Gaza. A witness of the Genocide.

Israel spending millions on online ad campaigns to deny Gaza famine: Report Israel spent $50M on deal with Google, X, other ad platforms to deny famine in Gaza, says new report: "Israel's strategy highlights the vulnerability of the international public to emotionally persuasive narratives and the challenges faced by fact-checkers and traditional journalists in countering them..."

Israel imposes permits for Palestinians to access their own West Bank villages: Residents of three Palestinian communities now need Israeli-issued permits to access their own homes, fuelling fears of creeping annexation

As its former ambassadors, we urge the EU to sanction Israel now- Europe must not let Gaza become the graveyard of international law and human rights. STATEMENT by Former EU and Member State Ambassadors and Senior Officials

"Fashion has always been political. Now, demonstrators are putting pro-Palestinian slogans and symbols on their clothes – and not just for marches" REPORTING by Ellie Violet Bramley. Photographs by Ethan Parker in The Guardian

Civilians made up 15 of every 16 people killed by Israel in Gaza since March, data suggests Report from independent conflict tracker Acled indicates one of the highest civilian death rates since start of war

Owen Jones Goes To Palestine

Amnesty International has released a list of global companies implicated in war crimes against Palestinians, providing Israel with technologies, equipment, or services that enable human rights violations. Despite international warnings, these corporations continue their activities, making them complicit in ongoing war crimes against civilians.

Dear America- The weapons industry and a global war machine- AND INJUSTICE- burgeon with American tax payer funds.

Violence is a problem- not the answer.