The Banality of Artificial Intelligence

What happens when an AI hallucination leads to bombing an elementary school?

By Michael Altfield
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
https://tech.michaelaltfield.net/

It appears likely that the US government is using Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and/or xAI data models for processing signals intelligence (SIGINT), for AI-generated "kill lists" to determine where to drop their bombs.

[right] This AI datacenter is a machinery of war. Its LLM hallucinations decide which children to assassinate [left] This IG Farben (Bayer/BASF) factory in Auschwitz produced Zyklon B for the Nazis, who murdered over a million children

In Apr 2024, +972 (an Israeli news outlet) published a >9,000 word article describing how the Israeli military had been using Artificial Intelligence to decide which (residential) buildings, hospitals, and schools to bomb in Gaza.

In Feb 2026, the US (and Israel) bombed Iran -- killing over 100 schoolchildren (and Ali Khamenei).

In Mar 2026, it appears that the US has likely built a similar system, leveraging US AI companies' tech to decide which (school) buildings to bomb, false-positive hallucinations be damned.

Who targeted the Shajareh Tayyiba girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran? Could it have been an AI hallucination? A false-positive?
...

Read the full article here:

• https://tech.michaelaltfield.net/2026/03/03/ai-venezuela-iran/

Paul Cheon seems to have been included in the layoffs 😞 Huge bummer for all of the laid off employees given how well MTG itself seems to be doing.

We have three MagicCon events taking place in 2024, and each will feature a Premier Play event:

• February 23-25, 2024 – MagicCon: Chicago featuring Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor
• June 28-30, 2024 – MagicCon: Amsterdam featuring Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3
• October 25-27, 2024 – MagicCon: Las Vegas featuring Magic World Championship 30

cross-posted from: https://mtgzone.com/post/176303

Wizards announced new efforts to promote Standard play that start next year. Some highlights:

• Special promos for new weekly Standard events at LGSs
• $75k Standard Open at MagicCon Chicago, which is "the first large, open field Standard tournament in quite some time"
• Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction (second PT in 2024) will be Standard

cross-posted from: https://mtgzone.com/post/152841

Magic World Championship XXIX will be streamed from MagicCon: Las Vegas all three days of the event, September 22–24, at twitch.tv/magic.

On Friday and Saturday—September 22 and 23—broadcast begins at 2 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CEST // 3 a.m. JST 9/22–23) with three rounds of Wilds of Eldraine draft followed by four rounds of Standard constructed.

On Sunday, September 24 for the Top 8 playoff, broadcast begins at 1 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CEST // 1 a.m. JST 9/25) with all four quarterfinal matches played concurrently, followed by semifinals matches then the finals.

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/mtg@mtgzone.com/t/314841

Preordain is unbanned in modern. Mind's Desire is unbanned in legacy.

Wizards' announced the Summer Superdrop 2023 titled "Shredding a Wave of Everything." In this drop are:

More Adventures in Middle-earth™: 4 cards with art from legendary artist Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated classic, The Lord of the Rings.

• Slip on the Ring
• Gandalf, Friend of the Shire
• Mirror of Galadriel
• Shire Terrace

Featuring: the Mountain Goats: John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats loves Magic! He set these cards on Lorwyn, created the art descriptions, hand selected the artists, and reviewed the art as it was being produced. On top of all that, he penned the epic prophecy featured in the flavor text across these 10 cards.

• 10x Mountain with different art

Death Is Temporary, Metal Is Forever: 5 cards drawn by Mark Riddick in a scratchy black-and-white:

• Syr Konrad, the Grim
• Underworld Dreams
• Waste Not
• Wheel of Misfortune
• Nekusar, the Mindraze

Goblin & Squabblin': 5 classic goblins drawn by Wizard of Barge:

• Goblin Lackey
• Goblin Matron
• Goblin Recruiter
• Muxus, Goblin Grandee
• Shattergang Brothers

Bad to the Bones: 5 skeleton-themed cards drawn by Ryan Quickfall:

• Bottomless Pit
• Necrogen Mists
• Reassembling Skeleton
• Tinybones, Trinket Thief
• Geier Reach Sanitarium

Artist Series: Ryan Alexander Lee: inspired by the liner notes in an old heavy metal album, these cards show a hero charged by the gods to do battle with a colossus in the shadowlands beyond the known world.

• Nemesis of Reason
• Gaea’s Blessing
• Twilight Prophet
• Worldspine Wurm
• Wurm Token

The Stars Gaze Back: Art by Yu Maeda in a very celestial style.

• Flamekin Harbinger
• Omnath, Locus of Rage
• Risen Reef
• Voice of Resurgence

Badges available starting Friday, June 16 (today) at https://mcvegas.mtgfestivals.com/. Magic World Championship XXIX and a $100,000 Limited Open are also taking place.

Las Vegas – we’re coming back! MagicCon: Las Vegas is our final MagicCon event in 2023, and we are pulling out all the stops! Join us for an incredible weekend full of epic cosplay, immerse yourself in the Wilds of Eldraine, meet special guests and artists, shop exclusive merch and incredible products, enjoy panels and events on the main stage and more!

This show will be full of Magic and will host the pinnacle premier level play event of the season 2022-23 season - Magic World Championship XXIX. On top of the CommandZone and Free Play areas, MagicCon: Las Vegas will feature a variety of on-demand and ticketed play events throughout the weekend such as the Unknown with Gavin Verhey, the Secret Lair Showdown and our brand new 100K Limited Open!

Get your badges, book your flights and ready your favorite deck–we'll see you in Las Vegas!

In this edition:

• One Week Left to Preorder The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™
• Prep for Prerelease with Early Access, June 15–16
• Videos of The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Mechanics
• Card Image Galleries Complete!
• Event Schedule