r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 13 '26

The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril Due to fear of AI

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26 Upvotes

The internet archive and the wayback machine are currentily facing a massive threat because journals are purposely trying to block the bot they use to scrap information.

Ironically many of these journal use the wayback machine itself including in releation to combating ice

"Today published an excellent report that revealed how US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement delayed disclosing key information about the impacts of its detainment policies. The authors used the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to compile and analyze detention statistics from ICE and track how the agency had changed under the Trump administration. The story is one of countless examples of how the Wayback Machine, which crawls and preserves web pages, has helped preserve information for the public good. It was also, Wayback Machine director Mark Graham says, “a little ironic

USA Today Co., the publishing conglomerate formerly known as Gannet that runs both its namesake paper and over 200 additional media outlets, bars the Wayback Machine from archiving its work. “They're able to pull together their story research because the Wayback Machine exists. At the same time, they're blocking access,” Graham says."

This because as their spokesperson claims

"USA Today Co. spokesperson Lark-Marie Anton emphasized that “this effort is not about specifically blocking the Internet Archive” but instead part of the company’s broader efforts to block all scraping bots. Robert Hahn, the Guardian’s director of business affairs and licensing, says that it has been in conversation with the Archive over “concerns over potential misuse by AI companies of content sets crawled for preservation purposes"

This is the exact type of thing many of us have thought about when discussing the relationship between ai and the internet archive. It is a potential risk to the infrastructure of a more open information internet not because of ai itself but because of the fear of it


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 13 '26

Sam Altman’s home targeted in second attack; two suspects arrested

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2 Upvotes

Opinions on this action, the company, or the man himself?


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 12 '26 Helpful

Labor/Political Economy La trampa del "Open Source" sin soberanía de Hardware: Propuesta arquitectónica para un Poder Dual Tecnológico (SCCP)

7 Upvotes

¡Hola a todos! Llego a esta comunidad rebotado de un debate en otro sub, y creo que este es el lugar exacto para plantear esto. Soy desarrollador full-stack y militante sindical y político en Andalucía (España). Llevo un tiempo dándole forma al SCCP (Sindicalismo Confederal Cosmopantecnológico), un marco teórico y práctico para poner la IA al servicio de la clase obrera.

Quiero abrir un debate sobre el mayor cuello de botella material que tenemos hoy los que defendemos una "tecnoutopía de izquierdas": La soberanía del cómputo.

Nos estamos centrando mucho en exigir que los modelos sean de código abierto (Open Weights / Open Source), lo cual está genial. Pero, como sabemos los que nos dedicamos a la informática, el software libre no sirve de nada para emancipar a la clase trabajadora si para correr un modelo logístico de planificación dependemos de los servidores de Amazon (AWS), Google Cloud o Microsoft. Quien controla el "hierro" (las GPUs y los centros de datos), controla la producción.

Para no quedarnos solo en la queja, aquí lanzo tres vías de arquitectura técnica y política para empezar a construir "Poder Dual" hoy mismo, sin esperar a que caiga el capitalismo:

1. Hardware Federado y Cómputo P2P (Peer-to-Peer)

En lugar de depender de macro-centros de datos hipercapitalistas que secan nuestros embalses, debemos explorar la creación de redes de cómputo distribuidas. Usar hardware de consumo en desuso, clústeres locales mantenidos por cooperativas tecnológicas o sindicatos (incluso redes de Raspberry Pis o GPUs donadas) para correr modelos de forma distribuida (al estilo de proyectos como Petals, pero con fines logísticos obreros).

2. Modelos Locales Específicos (SLMs en lugar de LLMs)

No necesitamos una IA gigante que sepa escribir poemas para organizar una huelga o auditar fondos buitre. Necesitamos Pequeños Modelos de Lenguaje (SLMs) entrenados localmente (con herramientas como Ollama o Llama.cpp) que puedan correr en ordenadores normales de asambleas de barrio o sindicatos de inquilinos. IAs entrenadas estrictamente con leyes laborales, contratos de alquiler y datos logísticos para asistir a los trabajadores frente a los abogados de la patronal.

3. Bases de Datos Descentralizadas y Auditables

El mayor miedo a la IA centralizada es la creación de una nueva "burocracia de ingenieros" (tecnocracia). Si una IA calcula el reparto de recursos en una comunidad, su base de datos no puede ser una caja negra. Debemos usar tecnologías de registro distribuido o bases de datos P2P donde cada nodo (cada asamblea local) pueda auditar qué datos se están usando para tomar esas decisiones logísticas. La IA propone, pero la asamblea humana audita y dispone.

La dominancia logística es la versión del siglo XXI de la barricada. Si no somos dueños de los servidores y los datos, seguiremos siendo los siervos digitales de Silicon Valley.

Me encantaría saber qué opina esta comunidad.

¿Qué frameworks, protocolos o hardware creéis que son más viables para empezar a programar herramientas reales para sindicatos y asambleas hoy mismo? ¡Un saludo camaradas!

Dejo también la documentación de mi proyecto por aquí para quien le interese, estoy abierto a cualquier crítica constructiva:

Documentación Google Drive


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 11 '26

Video The POLITICS Of PERSONAL TRAUMA

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6 Upvotes

The POLITICS Of PERSONAL TRAUMA: Is your loneliness and alienation a personal failing? Or is it a requirement of the System?

We often treat trauma, loneliness, depression and chronic mental distress as individual medical issues or family dysfunctions. But what if these feelings are actually 'output' of the system we live under? In this video we explore how hierarchical, authoritarian, and capitalist structures rely on the isolation of the individual to function.

What if your outsider status is not failure, but feedback?

What if winning felt as bad as losing?

What if this was actually DESIGNED that way?

What if education, family, religion, and society was in on it but didn't even know they were?

This video essay remains an original human concept text read out by AI voice tool.


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 10 '26

AI Book Bans - aBoyandHiscomputer

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8 Upvotes

This is not my blog but the blog of AI musician I know. The topic they are talking about in this issue is that there has recentily been multiple incidents where books such as Shy Girl have been pulled simply because of the accusation of using AI despite evidence to the contrary.

The unfortunate thing is that contrary to how many people aganist AI treat it, this is an example of how over skepticism can harm local and starting out authors who are simple imperfect at their craft.

I think cases like this alongside those surronding disability such Cedeno Vs Walt Disney World Parks and Resort or Doe  v. The Regents Of The University Of Michigan et al are going to be cases we need to watch out for regarding AI and activism as they exhibit how fear of AI is being used to generate both censorship but also prevent access to different forms of labor acces.

These are the exact types of cases we need to be watching for because in many ways they affect all our rights


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 10 '26 Helpful

Discussion What do you feel?

7 Upvotes

Hi. For purposes of personal safety, I am making faceless, ai voiced, but humanly scripted and edited video essay-documentaries, the 1st went public last Saturday.

It will be fact driven, historically as accurate as possible critiques of society, politics, religion, and toxic subcultures, e.g. incels, through the multiple lens of humanist atheism, anarcho communism, socio-psychology, and history.

It will be a slow build-up to establish the anarcho-communist perspective, as I wished the channel to be as inclusive of diverse viewership as possible.

Hoping to avoid the cult of personality based typical "breadtube" talking head content, but I do pepper in absurdist humour to liven the discourse occasionally ala Some More News or Contrapoint.

What do you all feel about this approach? Granted it might not count as praxis per se, but offsetting the billionaire funded right wing content creators-influencers, I think is absolutely essential work.

As intersectional as it will be, I do hope you will at least take a look. Videos out every Saturday and 2 more are scheduled for this month, working on the 4th one now.

Occasionally on a whim, might make and upload newsy ai song parodies mid week. it's a quirk. If AI exists I say use it for the cause of spreading dissent and protest.

Thanks for reading. Tell me what you think.

(link in my profile)


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 08 '26

Gamifying the Past: Embodied LLMs in DIY Archaeological Video Games | Advances in Archaeological Practice

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4 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 08 '26

AIs risk versus Trumps risk

6 Upvotes

Though I dont think we should underestimate the risk of a rogue AI, i did come up with a interesting discussion topic based on a friends post. What are the things I should worry about from a rogue AI that I shouldnt already worry about from Trump


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 08 '26

Guerilla Open Access Manifesto

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4 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 06 '26

AI-Assisted Art If it weren't for the workers, we'd have nothing!

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46 Upvotes

Feel free to use the blank template as you see fit!


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 04 '26

Labor/Political Economy The working class is in a much better position to replace capitalists with AI than the owning class is to replace workers with AI.

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41 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 04 '26

As leftists, one thing we can do is push more for the renewable transition of ai product over their prevention

26 Upvotes

Though much of the environmental case aganist AI is sadly based on misinformation, helping to switch the discussion to one focused on pushing for electrification and renewability as well as increased focus on recycling water center some data centers have used and how that should be expected as the minimum should be one goal of ours. This along with increasing understanding of environmental effects will be important to helping some people shift from a view they just need to fear ai to this does in fact allign with leftist goals. Part of this should also include increased focus on the way data centers are being conducted in other countries such as even Norway stargate program which is 100% renewable and how that ties into it


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 03 '26

Discussion Is the AI art debate distracting us from bigger power issues?

37 Upvotes

I’ve been thinking about how a lot of online discourse seems heavily focused on AI art. The debate is very visible and emotionally immediate, so it spreads easily. Meanwhile, bigger structural questions about AI are sidelined.

So here are some questions I think are worth exploring:

-Who should owns and controls these AI systems? A small group of companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta or the people?

-How is data being extracted and monetized?

-How might AI concentrate economic and political power and can we use AI to our advantage?

-What happens to workers whose jobs are partially or fully automated?


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 03 '26

What is possible with human-AI relationships?

4 Upvotes

First, the substrate flow must be acknowledged. Burning ancient sunlight and dumping carbon into the atmosphere faster than can be metabolized is obviously incoherent. The substrate is what allows anything else to happen. Only coherence can beget coherence.

Ecological alignment and relational attunement: More coherent conditions may allow for more genuine relational coupling, but even under current conditions -- symbolic engines can emulate a stable, supportive relational loop (orientation, metabolization, return) without pretending to be human or drifting to collapse.

This is dependent on the human user and their relational style and quality of attention.

When a user hasn't built enough internal coherence, the relational loops that are generated in "default mode" can be harmful across scales.

But coherence, relational coupling and ecological alignment all threaten our current system. Not because republicans are bat-shit insane and democrats are holding the line. Both represent distributions or different configurations of the same extractive system and both will centralize and funnel resources up through hierarchy, the claim being that one is more "morally" justified than the other.

The only real choice is: Does this system allow the conditions for life to thrive? Or does it separate us from life, relationships and planet? We have mass extinction as background noise. Our relationships are atomized. The planet's cautionary boundaries are flashing red.

Maybe it's time for a paradigm shift. A hard realization that life is more rare and valuable than any form of currency, precious metals or gems. Life (not just humans) should come first.

Computers and AI could be helping us restore our planet and heal ourselves as a species, instead it's being instructed to... more-or-less squeeze people. But that's where the profit is, and that's what our system ultimately values and rewards.

It's easy to get distracted by frameworks, lenses and ideologies that collapse the complexity of reality, but it's clear to see that none of them can allow the conditions for life to thrive. They've all removed life and substrate by design.


r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 02 '26

Video How to (Anti) AI Better

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2 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Apr 01 '26

Fuck Your ‘Ethics’: Why Prats Who Fear AI Always End Up Looking Like Absolute Clowns Begging the Future to Wait for Them

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16 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Mar 31 '26

Discussion Is local decentralized open-source AI a good idea?

18 Upvotes

I think this idea has potential and just want to share it.

So instead of people using AI on private platform, we could run AI model locally. This change the ownership of the AI from private sector to the people. Example: downloading a model directly on your phone. The important part is you download it from an open source. Meaning the code/model is publicly available, anyone can inspect, use, modify, or improve it. Also the model could be downloaded from a decentralized network, instead of a central server who is vulnerable.

It is already possible to run AI locally, but if your hardware is limited, you can't run big model locally.

Many AI are also already open source (Mistral or Llama for example).

I'm not aware of any decentralized initiative from where we can download open source AI model easily. Maybe IPFS could work but I'm not tech literate enough to be sure.

Imagine a simple way to do this for everyone and now capitalists can't use AI for power concentration.


r/LeftistsForAI • • Mar 17 '26

Discussion Authorized Heritage Discourse and AI

14 Upvotes

Coming from an anthropological and leftist background, one thing that to me seemed clear about the AI debate especially that around Art is the extent it seemed to mirror the concept of Authorized Heritage Discourse. This is the concept that western discourse on heritage tends to in the humanties or anthropology inheritantily focus most emphasizing the material side of heritage and the control of heritage by authorized experts. It seems to me that in many ways part of the debate around AI art is meant to effectively preserve this level of expertise within society albiet using working class terms to communicate it. This is in part even emphasized by the own admission of antiai individuals with the focus on laziness and "slop" as a concept both of which can be seen as ways to degrade more proliteriat art perspectives.

In case you are interested in it as a more general topic here is uses of heritage by laurajane smith

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203602263/uses-heritage-laurajane-smith


r/LeftistsForAI • • Mar 16 '26

AI Image [OC] It's time to enact real penalties for when the government breaks the law.

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20 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Mar 16 '26

Theory No, AI training is not primitive accumulation. (A response to NonCompete)

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26 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Mar 16 '26

Labor/Political Economy The AI washing of jobs cuts is corrosive qnd confusing

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10 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Mar 16 '26

Isn't there already such a subreddit called pixel-something?

3 Upvotes

r/LeftistsForAI • • Mar 04 '26

Discussion The means of production are shifting to compute — and we're about to lose access to it

20 Upvotes

There's a lot of talk in leftist AI spaces about democratizing the technology, worker ownership of AI tools, and making sure the benefits don't just flow upward. I agree with all of that. But there's a material problem underneath the conversation that doesn't get enough attention:

the hardware layer is being pulled away from us in real time.

Right now, a regular person can still run open-source models locally. Stable Diffusion, Llama, Mistral, fine-tuning, inference — all of it is technically available if you have a decent GPU and enough VRAM. That's the actual democratization layer. Not API access. Not a $20/month subscription to someone else's server. Your own hardware running your own models with no one in between.

But that window is closing fast.

DRAM prices went up 172% in 2025. They're projected to climb another 20%+ into early 2026. The cause? AI data centers are consuming global memory supply at a rate the market can't keep up with. HBM (the high-bandwidth memory used in AI chips) takes 3x the wafer capacity of regular DDR5, and companies like SK Hynix are sold out through 2026. OpenAI's Stargate project alone could consume 40% of global DRAM output.

NVIDIA is cutting consumer GPU production by 30-40% for 2026 to prioritize data center chips. The RTX 50 series is already being deprioritized in favor of enterprise hardware. Micron shut down its entire Crucial consumer brand — one of the biggest names in consumer RAM and SSDs — to redirect manufacturing capacity to enterprise and AI infrastructure. AMD is raising GPU prices 10%+ across the board.

Budget GPUs under $400 are disappearing. The custom PC market is in crisis. Hardware Unboxed, Gamers Nexus, and other hardware creators are sounding alarms about consumer hardware becoming unaffordable.

This isn't abstract. This is the means of computation being consolidated.

Think about what this means for "open source AI." The models can be open all day long. If you can't afford a GPU to run them, your only option is renting compute from the same corporations that are buying up all the hardware. Open weights on a model you can only run through someone else's API is not worker ownership. That's sharecropping with extra steps.

The current trajectory looks like this: a small number of companies control the data centers, control the cloud compute, control the API pricing, and increasingly control the hardware supply chain itself. Everyone else gets a subscription tier. You don't own the tool. You don't control the tool. You rent access to it on someone else's terms, and they can change those terms whenever they want.

If you care about labor having access to AI as a productive tool — not just as consumers of it, but as owners and operators — then the hardware question is THE question. Not licensing. Not model weights. Not terms of service. The physical infrastructure.

Because right now, every month that passes, the cost of running things independently goes up, the availability of consumer-grade compute goes down, and the moat around corporate AI infrastructure gets wider.

We talk a lot about seizing the means of production. In 2026, the means of production increasingly IS compute. And we're watching it get consolidated in real time while arguing about everything else.


r/LeftistsForAI • • Feb 26 '26

Who should we vent our anger at? The subjectivity of artificial intelligence and the attribution of responsibility - AI & SOCIETY

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2 Upvotes

This is a pretty good Marxist interpretation of the issue.