Friday links for June 26th 2026
The “slow realisation” issue.
1. Ford had to hire back former engineers to fix mistakes made by its automated systems
“Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and adjusting the design requirements that we had, that that would produce a high-quality product,” said Charles Poon, VP of vehicle hardware engineering.
If you wanted proof that the current generative AI mania is messing with people’s brains…
2. The Tokenpocalypse Is Here: Companies Are Scrambling To Stop Spending So Much on AI
“How much does it cost to automate this?" is a question you're supposed to ask before the automation. Companies slowly realising that setting money on fire to convert a powerpoint to PDF might not be the deal of the century. (Archived copy)
Age verification is mass identity surveillance. Not just children, but every adult too must submit biometric face scans, creating centralised databases you can't undo if breached (yes, already happened). You can change a password. You can't change a face.
4. Harvard Business Review warns AI ‘workslop’ is rotting companies from the inside
This tracks with conversations I’ve had. Recently, two different people told me they no longer trust their colleagues’ abilities – for this exact reason. Nothing builds team cohesion like everyone suspecting everyone else's work of being written by a chatbot.
5. Anthropeum
Another fun, educational, little online game. Guess where and when each historical artefact was made. Turns out I’m good at places but bad at times.
On rotation
This week’s soundtrack is More Songs About the Sun by Pye Corner Audio.
See you beyond the heat wave,
Colin