When an Algorithm Almost Started a War In the tense, high-stakes environment of modern warfare, there are moments when the difference between peace and conflict hangs on the thinnest of threads. Such a moment unfolded recently when the United States came perilously close to a military confrontation with China—not because of deliberate aggression, political brinkmanship, or even a misinterpreted radio transmission between human commanders, but because of a mistake made by an artificial intelligence chatbot. As American forces were engaged in the Iran war, an intelligence report crossed the desks of senior military officials with alarming urgency: a Chinese vessel…

I recently received an email from my U.S. House representative, Bill Foster, and I am sure the same message went to many other voters in Illinois’ 11th District. It was not the kind of note that makes you feel proud or informed. It was the kind that makes you stop, read it twice, and wonder whether the person who signed it actually trusts the people he represents. The email was about his vote against the Secure America Act, a bill that finally funded the pay of the brave men and women of ICE and Border Patrol. Those are the people…