Investigation: all 6 figures in a Guardian AI story funded by same donors
jessi_cata · x · 2026-09-06
- An Effort investigation alleges 'Potemkin articles': in a Guardian piece on AI 2027, all six participants — publisher, reporter, and quoted 'experts' — are paid by three megadonors (Coefficient Giving, SFF, Effective Ventures).
- Key figures: the Guardian received $3M+ from Coefficient; reporter Aisha Down's salary is paid via the Tarbell Fellowship; subject Daniel Kokotajlo's AI 2027 got $400K from Coefficient plus $2M from SFF; all three quoted experts are funded within the same ecosystem.
- The Guardian reportedly discloses none of this while proclaiming 'fierce independence'; AI 2027 authors have admitted their predictions were off by years or decades.
- A controversial, unverified deep-dive into how AI Safety funding shapes media narratives.
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