Hacker News with Generative AI: Conspiracy Theories

'Unauthorized' change to Grok made it blather on about 'White genocide' (theregister.com)
Elon Musk's xAI has apologized after its Grok generative chat-bot started spouting baseless conspiracy theories about White genocide in response to unrelated questions.
Generative AI, Conspiracy Theories, Artificial Intelligence, Social Issues
13 points by gizzlon 6 days ago | 5 comments
Do these Buddhist gods hint at the purpose of China's super-secret satellites? (arstechnica.com)
Until recently, China's entries in the realm of spaceflight patches often lacked the originality found in patches from the West.
Space Exploration, China, Culture, Religion, Conspiracy Theories
7 points by bundie 6 days ago | 0 comments
Conspiracy theorists can be deprogrammed (nautil.us)
AI-delivered evidence might be better at changing minds than you are
Psychology, Artificial Intelligence, Conspiracy Theories
49 points by rbanffy 10 days ago | 108 comments
The Dave and Busters Anomaly (searchengine.show)
A small group of Americans becomes convinced they’ve discovered something strange about their iPhones: a forbidden phrase the phone will refuse to transmit. A crack podcasting team searches for answers, wherever they may lead.
Conspiracy Theories, Podcasts, Social Media, Technology
6 points by adamhowell 13 days ago | 4 comments
Trump and DOJ try to spring former county clerk Tina Peters from prison (arstechnica.com)
President Donald Trump is demanding the release of Tina Peters, a former election official who parroted Trump's 2020 election conspiracy theories and is serving nine years in prison for compromising the security of election equipment.
Politics, Law, Elections, Conspiracy Theories
13 points by ossusermivami 17 days ago | 0 comments
A militarized conspiracy theorist group believes radars are 'weather weapons' (cnn.com)
Conspiracy Theories, Military, Weather
26 points by everybodyknows 18 days ago | 18 comments
SpaceX pushed "sniper" theory with the feds (arstechnica.com)
Space Exploration, Government, Conspiracy Theories
100 points by jnord 18 days ago | 52 comments
New Oklahoma curriculum includes pro-Trump conspiracy theories (popular.info)
Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, thousands of high school students in Oklahoma will be required to learn about President Trump's debunked claims that the 2020 election was tainted by fraud.
Education, Politics, Conspiracy Theories, Oklahoma
12 points by monsieurpng 18 days ago | 1 comments
The little-known database at the heart of Kennedy's vaccine conspiracy theory (nbcnews.com)
For as long as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has falsely claimed that vaccines cause widespread harm — from autism to sudden death — he has pointed to the one source he says could immediately prove it.
Misinformation, Vaccines, Conspiracy Theories, Health, Politics
11 points by coloneltcb 22 days ago | 0 comments
Someone Said It to Joe Rogan's Face (theatlantic.com)
Recently, I felt a great disturbance in the world of podcasts, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in horror and were suddenly silenced. Someone had been on Joe Rogan’s show and pointed out that getting your opinions entirely from stand-up comics, Bigfoot forums, and various men named Dave might not be the optimal method for acquiring knowledge. Rogan fans were appalled at this disrespect.
Joe Rogan, Podcasts, Stand-up Comedy, Conspiracy Theories
7 points by handfuloflight 22 days ago | 3 comments
TikTok Brainrot Is Normalizing Alt-Right Ideologies (pitchfork.com)
The TikTok begins with a video of YouTube music reviewer Anthony Fantano dissing underground artist Nettspend’s debut album, BAD ASS F*CKING KID, saying he’s “not really a super skilled rapper.” There’s a pause with a fabricated Wikipedia entry saying Fantano is of Jewish descent (the actual page says “Sicilian descent”), and then a barrage of flashy Nettspend clips zip across the screen, woven into bursts of military gliders and colossal temples.
Social Media, Music, Conspiracy Theories
10 points by wk_end 23 days ago | 1 comments
Your phone isn't secretly listening to you, but the truth is more disturbing (newatlas.com)
Perhaps one of the most pervasive longstanding technology conspiracy theories is that your smartphone is constantly listening in on your private conversations.
Privacy, Technology, Conspiracy Theories, Smartphones
369 points by zeech 28 days ago | 327 comments
Anti-Vaxxers Are Grifting Off the Measles Outbreak and Claim Bioweapon Caused It (wired.com)
Anti-vaccine activists with close ties to US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are falsely claiming that the measles public health crisis in Texas is caused by a “bioweapon” targeting the Mennonite community.
Health, Misinformation, Conspiracy Theories, Public Health
25 points by mohi-kalantari 31 days ago | 7 comments
White House replaces covid.gov website with 'lab leak' theory (techcrunch.com)
The government-run website covid.gov used to host information about COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatment. Now, under President Trump’s purview, the page redirects to a White House website espousing the unproven theory that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory.
Politics, COVID-19, Conspiracy Theories, Government Websites
19 points by ljf 34 days ago | 13 comments
'Lab Leak,' a flashy page on the virus' origins, replaces government Covid sites (npr.org)
The White House has taken down some government websites providing COVID-19 information and replaced them with a new boldly styled page dedicated to the controversial theory that the pandemic was caused by the virus leaking from a Chinese government laboratory.
COVID-19, Government, Conspiracy Theories, Science
14 points by anigbrowl 35 days ago | 2 comments
White House replaces covid.gov website with 'lab leak' theory (techcrunch.com)
The government-run website covid.gov used to host information about COVID-19 vaccines, testing, and treatment. Now, under President Trump’s purview, the page redirects to a White House website espousing the unproven theory that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory.
Politics, Government, COVID-19, Conspiracy Theories
18 points by gpi 35 days ago | 0 comments
Trump Turns Covid.gov into a Lab Leak Theory Fan Page (gizmodo.com)
The White House has changed covid.gov into a website for promoting the so-called lab leak theory for the origins of covid-19.
Politics, COVID-19, Conspiracy Theories, Government Websites
30 points by rntn 35 days ago | 0 comments
Lab Leak: The True Origins of Covid-19 – The White House (whitehouse.gov)
“The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2” publication — which was used repeatedly by public health officials and the media to discredit the lab leak theory — was prompted by Dr. Fauci to push the preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated in nature.
COVID-19, Science, Politics, Conspiracy Theories
18 points by janmo 35 days ago | 6 comments
Conspiracies Are Often Unnecessary (curi.us)
David Deutsch wrote an article about conspiracy theories and we had conversations about them. It's an interesting topic which is worth analyzing not just dismissing. I now think he was right about some of the logic of his analysis, but wrong about how it applies to the world. Deutsch says:
Conspiracy Theories, Logic, Analysis
5 points by speckx 38 days ago | 0 comments
John Titor (wikipedia.org)
John Titor and TimeTravel_0 are pseudonyms used in communications and on internet forums between 1998 and 2001 by an individual claiming to be an American military time traveler from the year 2036.[1][2]
Time Travel, Internet Culture, History, Conspiracy Theories
6 points by sans_souse 46 days ago | 0 comments
Why Did Elon Musk Go After Bunkers Full of Seeds? (nytimes.com)
In a climate-controlled bunker in an unremarkable building in rural Aberdeen, Idaho, there are shelves upon shelves of meticulously labeled boxes of seed.
Elon Musk, Seeds, Climate Change, Survivalism, Conspiracy Theories
13 points by xbmcuser 59 days ago | 8 comments
Poor sleep may fuel conspiracy beliefs, research suggests (medicalxpress.com)
A new study from the University of Nottingham has revealed that poor sleep quality may increase susceptibility to conspiracy beliefs, with depression likely playing a key role in this relationship.
Sleep, Mental Health, Conspiracy Theories, Psychology
8 points by PaulHoule 61 days ago | 0 comments
The Canadian roots of Elon Musk's conspiracist grandpa (cbc.ca)
Raised in Saskatchewan, Joshua Haldeman was a tech-utopian, politician and apartheid fan
Elon Musk, Canada, History, Politics, Conspiracy Theories
12 points by raattgift 64 days ago | 0 comments
The CIA is a Terrorist Organization [video] (youtube.com)
Politics, Conspiracy Theories, Media
11 points by xbmcuser 64 days ago | 0 comments
PARANOIA SANS a self-censoring, conspiratorial typeface (fleg.de)
Moon Landing: PARANOIA SANS is a self-censoring, conspiratorial typeface that will automatically redact more than 150 words popular in conspiracy myths/theories.
Typography, Design, Conspiracy Theories
4 points by bj-rn 69 days ago | 0 comments
Why is there so much [deleted] on Reddit, they clearly didn't delete themselves? (ycombinator.com)
I can't ask this question on Reddit, because I have serious suspicions and the moderators banned me for fun when I registered on my LanskoyK account. If you open these questions on the Internet by searching on Reddit itself, the main answers are deleted along with the users, it's the same in politics, and not only there.
Reddit, Censorship, Social Media, Moderation, Conspiracy Theories
11 points by Lanskoy_Kirill 75 days ago | 10 comments
Memes are a key tool for extremist communities and conspiracy theories (elpais.com)
Memes are not just a simple game of images and text, with more or less irony or grace. According to the Institute for Digital Safety and Behaviour (IDSB) of the University of Bath in the UK, they are the main “internet language for communicating narratives in simple, shareable formats,” “cultural representations” that unite and involve groups. But this popular communication tool is not harmless.
Social Media, Conspiracy Theories, Extremism, Communication, Culture
13 points by geox 79 days ago | 6 comments
Ukraine's $500B rare earths scam:they don't exist, and we should know [video] (youtube.com)
Ukraine, Rare Earths, Conspiracy Theories, Geopolitics, Media
7 points by xbmcuser 84 days ago | 2 comments
The FBI's lab leak investigation (vanityfair.com)
In the five years since the COVID-19 pandemic erupted in Wuhan, China, a bitter international debate has raged among scientists, politicians, and journalists over the virus’s origin and who is to blame for the more than 7 million deaths it’s caused worldwide.
COVID-19, Politics, International Relations, Conspiracy Theories
16 points by purglet 85 days ago | 17 comments
A son spent a year trying to save his father from conspiracy theories (npr.org)
About a year ago, my dad bet me $10,000 that he could foretell the future.
Family Relationships, Conspiracy Theories, Social Impact
82 points by js2 85 days ago | 94 comments