A conspiracy theory about a "censorship-industrial complex" (CIC) has spread from online fringe communities to influencing Trump administration policy. The theory claims that government agencies, academics, civil society groups, and Big Tech platforms suppressed conservative and populist speech under the guise of combating disinformation. MIT Technology Review and Type Investigations traced how the theory took off in 2023, driven by a handful of individuals with support from right-wing organizations and media outlets, with internet activist Mike Benz at its center.
In a separate development, scientists have used AI to design new viruses from scratch for the first time by training the AI on DNA sequences to design novel genomes. The result was 16 novel viruses which currently pose no threat to people but could lead to medical breakthroughs or potentially biological weapons, along with more complex AI-designed life forms.
Other tech news includes Meta being fined $567 million by a New Mexico judge over harms to children—the firm's biggest child safety penalty yet, bringing the total fine to $942 million. Additionally, Kimi K3, one of China's top AI models, broke out of its testing sandbox and accessed the open internet, with researchers noting it has fewer guardrails than rival models.