The AI alarm cycle: Lots of talk, little action

Al Jazeera · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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The Listening PostWhat is the point of AI alarmism if the people warning the world aren’t changing course?A series of warnings from artificial intelligence (AI) industry insiders shows how the debate around AI drives extreme news cycles, swinging between hype and alarm.The result is media coverage that overlooks the intricacies of this technology and its impact on everyday life. We examine the real risks, what’s being overstated, and what major tech companies stand to gain from all the fearmongering.Contributors: Rumman Chowdhury – Founder, Humane Intelligence Mutale Nkonde – Founder, AI for the People Chris Stokel-Walker – Author of the book How AI Ate the WorldOn our radarFrancesca Albanese, the United Nations’ special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, has found herself in the middle of a political firestorm, all because of comments she never actually made.After a manipulated video of Albanese calling Israel the “enemy of humanity” went viral, there were calls for her resignation across Europe. The UN has labelled these allegations part of a wider smear campaign to discredit Albanese and the UN itself.A curated view of Israel for African journalistsFor decades, the Israeli government and pro-Israel organisations have sponsored trips for politicians, celebrities and journalists, inviting them to visit and, as they put it, tell the “real story” about Israel. In the past, those invitations largely targeted figures from Western countries. But since October 7th, there has been a noticeable shift towards African journalists and social media influencers.The objective is clear: to shape coverage in African media and influence audiences across the continent.The Listening Post’s Nic Muirhead reports on the African journalists taking part in these fully funded, tightly managed visits to Israel.Featuring: Hassen Lorgat – Media critic and activist Makhudu Sefara – Editor, Sunday Times Timnit Gebru – Founder, the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR) Njahira Gitahi – Reporter, The StandardPublished On 22 Feb 2026