An article argues that AI systems are not poised to cause human extinction on their own, despite recent warnings from Anthropic researchers. The real concern should be the humans controlling AI systems and the present-day harms they cause, such as environmental damage and job losses, rather than speculative doomsday scenarios.
Han van Meegeren, a Dutch artist rejected by critics, became Europe's premier art forger in the 1930s–40s by creating counterfeit Vermeer paintings that fooled experts and collectors. After selling a forged Vermeer to Nazi official Hermann Göring, he was arrested but spared execution by successfully painting a forgery before court witnesses, becoming a national hero in the Netherlands.