Jacob Ward
As seen in:
CNN,
The Rip Current with Jacob Ward,
Medium,
MSN,
MSN Canada,
The New York Times,
The New York Times Magazine,
Yahoo News,
Aol,
CNBC,
NBC News,
The MIT Press
and
CNN contributor. Investigative journalist covering AI, surveillance & power. Author of The Loop. Founder of The Rip Current. Subscribe now!
Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Jacob Ward
The Rip Current with Jacob Ward
This is not investment advice; I’m just a reporter who gets asked on TV to explain the business case for AI, and is increasingly having trouble doing it. While New York was asleep, traders in Seoul were fighting for their lives last night. South Korea’s KOSPI fell about 10 percent, led down by Samsung and SK Hynix, the two firms that make most of the world’s memory chips. By the time the opening bell rang here, the contagion had crossed to our shores.
Jacob Ward: AI subtly manipulates human choices, our brains distort reality, and prioritizing Earth over space colonization is essential | Jordan Harbinger
Key Takeaways AI can subtly influence human choices without needing consciousness or malicious intent. Our perception of reality is often distorted by cognitive biases, affecting decision-making. Prioritizing Earth over speculative space colonization is crucial for sustainable development. Current technology is insufficient for long-term space travel, such as generation ships. AI’s long-term generational effects are a significant concern for future societal impacts.
The Rip Current with Jacob Ward
Pope Leo’s moral pronouncement on AI is an intense read, and it’s clearly been informed by some of the great investigative scoops in tech journalism. I’ve included a speculative bibliography at the end of this piece — the kind of work I’m imagining may have helped form Leo’s structurally and technically sophisticated analysis. At 11:30am today in Rome, the Vatican published Magnifica Humanitas, its official moral teaching about protecting the value of human beings in the age of AI.
Tech News Weekly 437
Category: News Jacob Ward joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly! More insights into the Musk vs. OpenAI trial. Everything unveiled at The Android Show: Google I/O Edition 2026. And the Canvas cyberattack. Jacob has been covering the Musk vs. OpenAI trial since he was last on the show. He talks about the trial and some of the more interesting things that have occurred during the trial.
Tech News Weekly 435
Category: News Jacob Ward of The Rip Current joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly! Jacob shares firsthand impressions from the Elon Musk v. OpenAI trial. Razr unveiled the latest iterations of its foldable phones. And Microsoft released the earliest known DOS source code to the public! Jacob just returned from covering the Elon Musk v. OpenAI trial in person! He shared his experience getting inside the courthouse to cover the trial and shares firsthand observations from the courtroom.
The Rip Current with Jacob Ward
The White House handed Congress its long-awaited AI legislative framework today, and I’ll be honest with you: I went surfing this morning because I felt confident I knew what was going to be in it. What's In the White House's AI Plan? Here's My Guess. Everything we’ve watched David Sacks and the administration signal since December’s executive order pointed here — to a document that promises a “national st… Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Jacob Ward.
The Rip Current with Jacob Ward
Val Kilmer died in 2025 at the age of 65, his voice destroyed by a tracheotomy after years of throat cancer. He never made it to the set of As Deep as the Grave, an indie film he’d been cast in five years before his death. And yet, as Variety just reported, the film’s director, Coerte Voorhees, realized his vision of having Kilmer in the ensemble by using generative AI — with the cooperation of the late actor’s estate and his daughter.
The Rip Current with Jacob Ward
My friend David is deeply triggered by dumb numerical mistakes, and he holds a special phrase of derision ready for it. So here’s the sentence I began to write just now: a disaster is brewing at the center of the tech industry, and it’s a math problem: Meta is reportedly preparing to lay off roughly 20% of its workforce — up to 16,000 people — to help offset a capital expenditure plan that could reach $135 billion this year.
The Rip Current with Jacob Ward
On March 2, hacktivists calling themselves “Department of Peace” claimed to have breached the Department of Homeland Security, and declared that they’d be revealing what DHS is paying companies to do. The documents, published by the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, and reported by TechCrunch, lay out contracts between DHS, ICE, and more than 6,000 companies. Two weeks later, The Guardian has just reported on the specific AI capabilities those contracts describe.
Big News: The Rip Current is Changing
Hi team, Here’s the reality: Right now, I’m publishing daily video analysis about AI, tech policy, and corporate power. It’s work that takes real time and reporting resources. And I can’t sustain doing that for free while also keeping the lights on and feeding my family. So I’m moving most of my daily content behind a paywall.
Oracle's TikTok Takeover Starts With Outage
Guests: Dan Moren, Emma Roth Category: News Jacob Ward joins the show this week! Big Tech is brewing up a battle for your kids. Scientists are using AI to identify dinosaur footprints. Looking into Apple's Creator Studio. And TikTok USDS blames Sunday's outages on a power outage. Jacob Ward talks about recently released documents in lawsuits against big tech that showcase how social media companies are aggressively recruiting teens to their platforms.
Utah Trusts AI to Renew Prescriptions
Guests: Stephen Robles, Ruth Reader Category: News Jacob Ward of The Rip Current joins Mikah Sargent on the show this week! Lego unveils its Smart Brick. Jacob kvetches about AI's overwhelming presence at CES. We get some on-site reporting from CES. And Utah becomes the first state to allow artificial intelligence to renew medical prescriptions. Mikah talks about Lego's new Smart Brick technology that allows you to interact and play with your Lego sets more directly.
OpenAI's 'Code Red'
Guests: Rita Omokha, Adam Rogers Category: News Jacob Ward of The Rip Current is hosting Tech News Weekly this week, joined by Abrar Al-Heeti of CNET as well! Samsung unveils its upcoming tri-folding phone. OpenAI declares a 'code red' to improve the quality of ChatGPT. How do you feel about the idea of ChatGPT being a dating coach for you? And Scott Weiner's work on shaping AI regulation. Abrar chats about Samsung's unveiling of its upcoming tri-folding phone, the Galaxy Z TriFold.
Testing Valve's Steam Frame, Machine & Controller
Guests: Zac Bowden, Scott Stein Category: News Jacob Ward of The Rip Current joins Mikah Sargent this week! Tech titans are investing millions into genetically engineered babies. A lot of those who worry about data privacy feel like their actions make no difference. Comments from Windows lead Pavan Davuluri on the future of Windows received a lot of blowback online. And Valve announced a trio of new hardware for.
235. The Impact of Artificial Intelligence w/ Jacob Ward
The player is loading ... 235. The Impact of Artificial Intelligence w/ Jacob Ward Your browser does not support the audio tag. Show Notes Transcript Guest Profile Join us as we welcome Jacob Ward, a veteran journalist and thought leader, to explore the profound impact of artificial intelligence on our lives. In this episode, we delve into how AI interacts with human behavior, the societal implications of predictive policing and surveillance, and the future of work in an AI-driven world.
MAX 2025: Adobe's Multi-Model AI Strategy
Category: News Jacob Ward of The Rip Current joins Mikah Sargent this week! OpenAI disclosed stats on mental health from its users' chats within ChatGPT. How deepfake videos are becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate. Cybersecurity concerns over AI-powered browsers. And the latest from Adobe Max! Jacob talks about OpenAI's release of stats surrounding mental health, warning signs, and how its model is doing to recognize and support people in moments of distress.
How AI Futures, Authoritarianism, & Behavioral Science Fit Together - Jacob Ward | #55
Welcome to the Urgent Futures podcast, the show that finds {signals} in the noise. Each week, I sit down with leading thinkers whose research, concepts, and questions clarify the chaos, from culture to the cosmos. 👉 Never miss an episode! 👉Subscribe to Urgent Futures now: Youtube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify.
iPhone Air First Impressions
Jacob Ward of The Rip Current podcast and newsletter joins Mikah Sargent this week! The impact that generative AI is having on energy and our climate. The privacy and social issues around AI wearables. And everything that was announced at Apple's 'Awe Dropping' event. Jacob shares a paper published recently that covered generative AI and how the massive use of GPU energy is causing concerns about its impact on the climate.
The meaning of “children” in wills and trusts
Wills and trusts often refer to beneficiaries in general terms, rather than specifically by name, for example, “I give £10,000 to each of my children”. This practice, whilst convenient and allowing for the possibility of the expansion of the class as a result of the birth of further children following the execution of the will or trust, can give rise to significant legal questions, particularly in the context of modern family structures.
Modernising Wills: The Law Commission Publishes Its Final Report
M Macfarlanes LLP More We are a London-based law firm, built and shaped around the needs of our clients. Our blend of expertise, agility and culture means we have the flexibility to meet our clients’ most challenging demands and to champion innovation.
Separation surgery with cement-augmented short-segment fixation for spinal metastasis: early experience with carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone instrumentation in: Neurosurgical Focus Volume 58 Issue 5 (2025) Journals
Keywords: short segment; cement augmentation; carbon fiber–reinforced polyetheretherketone; hardware failure; spine oncology; spinal metastases; instrumentation Metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) remains a burden affecting cancer patients with an estimated prevalence of 5%–10%.1,2 Despite differences in survival rates depending on the primary cancer type, the overall prognosis of cancer patients with MESCC is poor, with a median overall survival of 3–4 months.2,3 Management...
Durability of carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK spinal instrumentation in spine oncology: a single-institution longitudinal experience
Keywords: spine oncology; CFR-PEEK; hardware failure; spinal fusion Spinal neoplasms, both primary and metastatic, cause significant morbidity and mortality for patients. Indications, technique, and technology for surgical intervention in spine oncology has developed rapidly over the past 2 decades.1–3 Concurrently, advances in systemic therapy and radiation therapy (RT) have substantially improved patient survival, thus testing the durability of instrumentation.
The AI Stock Market Crash Isn't an Emergency. Here's What Is.
The stocks of the big AI companies cratered this morning, and it really screwed up my day. I had a loose and experimental meditation all written up and ready for you about the importance of anticipating the unanticipated, but I had to shelve those hippie ramblings once news broke that Wall Street is punishing American AI giants like Meta and Microsoft. Why are those companies suddenly worth hundreds of billions of dollars less?
The AI industry is pushing a nuclear power revival - partly to fuel itself Original
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addresses a speech during a meeting, at the Station F in Paris on May 26, 2023. Joel Saget | AFP | Getty Images Tech firms and Silicon Valley billionaires have been pouring money into nuclear energy for years, pitching the sustainable power source as crucial to the green transition. Now they have another incentive to promote it: artificial intelligence.
The AI industry is pushing a nuclear power revival — partly to fuel itself | Flipboard
Middle East 5 hours ago Saudi Arabia’s First Male Robot Sparks Outrage For Inappropriately Touching Female Reporter During Live Interview Mashable - Omair Pall • 5h The debut of Saudi Arabia's first male humanoid robot, 'Muhammad', at the DeepFast event in Riyadh has stirred quite a debate following an incident involving a female news reporter during the unveiling.
Visions of a Digital Nation
Description Praise Open Access Why the privatization of British Telecom signaled a pivotal moment in the rise of neoliberalism, and how it was shaped by the longer development and digitalization of Britain's telecommunications infrastructure. When Margaret Thatcher sold British Telecom for £3.6 billion in 1984, it became not only, at the time, the largest stock flotation in history, but also a watershed moment in the rise of neoliberalism and deregulation.
Race To Patent Your AI Innovations: Strategize With Your IP Attorney And File PPAs Quickly
With artificial intelligence (AI) usage accelerating exponentially across industries, many entrepreneurs find themselves in a gold rush to stake IP claims in this dynamic landscape. Companies are scrambling to file patents on machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing and other AI-driven technologies.
New report says restricting social media access can help kids ... but only sometimes
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released Wednesday grapples with the questions: Is social media harming teenagers? And what can parents, and the government, do about it? The authors surveyed hundreds of studies across more than a decade and came to complicated, occasionally contradictory, conclusions. On one hand, they found there isn’t enough population data to specifically blame social media for changes in adolescent health.
Is social media harming teens? A dive into the research cites risks but returns few hard answers
By signing up for our newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Is social media harming teens? A dive into the research cites risks but returns few hard answers
Dec. 13, 2023, 5:00 PM UTC By A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released Wednesday grapples with the questions: Is social media harming teenagers? And what can Congress, the Education Department and parents do about it? The answers are murky. The authors surveyed hundreds of studies across more than a decade and came to complicated, occasionally contradictory, conclusions.
Misinformation expert says Meta's influence on Harvard led to her firing
One of the most respected researchers on social media and disinformation whose sudden departure from Harvard University made waves throughout the industry was the source of a whistleblower disclosure Monday against the university. The disclosure is the latest development in a dispute between the university and Joan Donovan that began in 2019. It could have far-reaching implications for academic freedom, social media research and donor relations at universities.
Misinformation expert says Meta's influence on Harvard led to her firing
By signing up for our newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Misinformation expert says Meta's influence on Harvard led to her firing
Create your free profile or log in to save this article Dec. 5, 2023, 8:05 PM UTC By and One of the most respected researchers on social media and disinformation whose sudden departure from Harvard University made waves throughout the industry was the source of a whistleblower disclosure Monday against Harvard University. The disclosure is the latest development in a dispute between the university and Joan Donovan that began in 2019.
Apple rolls out a new iPhone - and embraces USB-C
Apple will abandon its unique Lightning port in the next generation of iPhones and Apple Watches, the company announced Tuesday. All new Apple products, including the forthcoming iPhone 15, will no longer be manufactured to fit the proprietary chargers Apple has used to charge its devices since 2012. Instead, Apple will introduce USB-C, a far more common port used to charge most other phones and gadgets.
Apple Rolls Out iPhone 15 With USB-C Charging Port
Create your free profile or log in to save this article Sept. 12, 2023, 9:01 PM UTC / Source: NBC News By and Apple will abandon its unique Lightning port in the next generation of iPhones and Apple Watches, the company announced Tuesday. All new Apple products, including the forthcoming iPhone 15, will no longer be manufactured to fit the proprietary chargers Apple has used to charge its devices since 2012.
Apple rolls out a new iPhone - and embraces USB-C
Create your free profile or log in to save this article Sept. 12, 2023, 6:46 PM UTC Apple will abandon its unique Lightning port in the next generation of iPhones and Apple Watches, the company announced Tuesday. All new Apple products, including the forthcoming iPhone 15, will no longer be manufactured to fit the proprietary chargers Apple has used to charge its devices since 2012. Instead, Apple will introduce USB-C, a far more common port used to charge most other phones and gadgets.
‘We don't feel safe at our own home”: Couple speaks out on how swatting has cost them their peace
Author Patrick Tomlinson and his wife, business owner Niki Robinson, have been "swatted" at their home in Milwaukee more than 40 times, often resulting in police pointing guns at their heads. Their tormentors have also called in false bomb threats to venues using their names in three states. Yet law enforcement hasn’t been able to stop the calls. The couple’s terror comes as these incidents appear to be on the rise in the U.S., at least on college campuses.
The FBI has formed a national database to track and prevent 'swatting'
Author Patrick Tomlinson and his wife, business owner Niki Robinson, have been "swatted" at their home in Milwaukee more than 40 times, often resulting in police pointing guns at their heads. Their tormentors have also called in false bomb threats to venues using their names in three states. Yet law enforcement hasn’t been able to stop the calls. The couple’s terror comes as these incidents appear to be on the rise in the U.S., at least on college campuses.
The FBI has formed a national database to track and prevent ‘swatting’
Author Patrick Tomlinson and his wife, business owner Niki Robinson, have been "swatted" at their home in Milwaukee more than 40 times, often resulting in police pointing guns at their heads. Their tormentors have also called in false bomb threats to venues using their names in three states. Yet law enforcement hasn’t been able to stop the calls. The couple’s terror comes as these incidents appear to be on the rise in the U.S., at least on college campuses.
The FBI has formed a national database to track and prevent ‘swatting’
Your Privacy Choices: Opt-out of sale of personal information and Opt-out of sharing or processing personal information for targeted ads To provide you with a more relevant online experience, certain online ad partners may combine personal information that we make available with data across different businesses and otherwise assist us with related advertising activities, as described in our Privacy Policy.
Apple launches its $3,499 virtual reality headset: Apple Vision Pro Original
June 5, 2023, 6:43 PM UTC / Updated June 5, 2023, 7:05 PM UTC Apple on Monday unveiled its most ambitious hardware effort since the iPhone: a $3,499 headset that features virtual reality and augmented reality technology. Apple announced the headset, called Apple Vision Pro, at its Worldwide Developers Conference held at its Cupertino, California, headquarters. The company also announced new versions of its Macbook laptops and updated operating systems for most of its hardware.
Adobe adds generative AI to Photoshop
May 23, 2023, 1:12 PM UTC By Jacob Ward, Xavier Rangel and Sara Ruberg Adobe said Tuesday morning it would integrate generative artificial intelligence into its popular Photoshop editing software, making the application more accessible to untrained users. The new AI tools will work similarly to other AI image creation technology, such as Midjourney and DALL-E, which allow people to produce pictures from simple text prompts.
Technology and Culture
Ashley Sweetman's Cyber and the City is valuable reading for any historian researching the intersections of finance and digital technology. The book investigates computer security in London's clearing banks from the 1960s to the 1990s across six chapters.
From brain waves, this AI can sketch what you're picturing
Create your free profile or log in to save this article March 25, 2023, 12:00 PM UTC / Updated March 28, 2023, 2:46 PM UTC Zijiao Chen can read your mind, with a little help from powerful artificial intelligence and an fMRI machine. Chen, a doctoral student at the National University of Singapore, is part of a team of researchers that has shown they can decode human brain scans to tell what a person is picturing in their mind, according to a paper released in November.
How tech CEOs and other Silicon Valley Bank funders scrambled to stay afloat
March 13, 2023, 10:27 PM UTC By Brian Cheung, J.J. McCorvey, Jacob Ward and Ben Goggin The tech community is still reeling from the abrupt collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the industry’s one-time financial engine that flamed out last Friday in the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history.
4 essential reads about the (sometimes scary) future of AI
When it comes to artificial intelligence, there’s one question on everyone’s mind: Is it going to take over the world? If a number of tech experts and futurists are to be believed, it certainly could—but not in the way you might expect. No, there probably won’t be gun-toting, red-eyed robots stalking the streets at night. But artificial intelligence is already changing our politics, our economies, and even how we use everyday technologies.
In Harvard study of Jan. 6 rioters, top motivation is clear: Trump Original
Researchers at Harvard University who conducted the largest study yet of what motivated Jan. 6 rioters say the data is clear: The most common responses focused on former President Donald Trump and his lies about the election. The study, which was shared with NBC News ahead of its publication, logged and analyzed the motives of 417 Capitol rioters, all of whom have been charged in relation to Jan. 6.
Get the weekly rundown Sign up to receive THE FUN never stops!, our weekly A&E newsletter Email* The Loop: How Technology Is Creating a World Without Choices and How to Fight Back By Jacob Ward Hachette. 320 pp. $29 - - - The backlash against tech began in books.
What's it like when an algorithm moderates your divorce?
What happens if we become too dependent on algorithms that make our shopping, media or other choices a little easier? Will that eventually erode our critical thinking? Jacob Ward (Courtesy Ward) That question is the focus of a new book from NBC News tech correspondent Jacob Ward.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Jacob
Contact Jacob, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack