So an AI company announces a new model that is so dangerous that they cannot release it. And, as usual, a raft of folks who I guess are trying to be influencers on LinkedIn uncritically parrot this as a tectonic shift in the market. So let’s dive in.
“OpenAI, a nonprofit research company backed by Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, Sam Altman, and others, says its new AI model, called GPT2, is so good and the risk of malicious use so high that it is breaking from its normal practice of releasing the full research to the public in order to allow more time to discuss the ramifications of the technological breakthrough.”
Wait, my bad. That’s from 2019.
No, we’re talking about Claude Mythos, the “my girlfriend goes to a different school…in Canada” of technology announcements. Supposedly, the model is so good at finding exploits that it cannot be released to the general public. Sounds scary, but extraordinary claims should require extraordinary evidence. Or, at least some independently verifiable evidence. Because the AI messengers are not paragons of truth-telling.
For example, on March 11th, 2025, Dario Amodei said that in twelve months, AI will be writing 100% of code. He also said the same thing in January 2026; he routinely makes this claim. It’s the Tesla FSD of announcements. (Note, Tesla Full Self-Driving mode has been 6-12 months away since 2015.)
Another example, a CEO says their model can transform COBOL code. The stock market reacted immediately, and once again, a slew of “this changes everything!” articles are written. These mostly miss the point, which is that COBOL exists today not solely as a legacy code problem, but because the underlying platforms are the most robust, fault-tolerant solutions on the planet. COBOL on big iron is a feature and not just a problem to solve. It’s the Saturday before a major holiday. The credit card network might slow down a bit, but it doesn’t crash.
I could go on ad nauseam. We’ve all heard that blockchain, crypto, NFTs, Web 3.0, self-driving cars, VR headsets, VR glasses, the Metaverse, etc., are all going to fundamentally transform industries. I’m not saying that AI won’t be disruptive. The IT industry is changing because of it. But I am saying don’t believe everything you read or hear. Maybe Mythos is all it claims to be or maybe it’s just something to change the narrative around a company that’s being declared a “supply chain risk” by the Department of War.
Last link, “CEO Said a Thing!” Journalism is something we should all learn to recognize. https://karlbode.com/ceo-said-a-thing-journalism/.