AI: The Devil in the Details

Mainstream media has a habit of going to extremes. One moment they terrify us over something barely worth worrying about. The next moment they casually downplay something so shocking that the rest of us are left thinking, “Wait a second. What did I just read?”

Let me be clear. I am not writing this to scare anyone. I certainly do not know the future, and praise God I do not. But when it comes to AI, the devil is in the details, and the details here are impossible to ignore.

In a recent 60 Minutes interview, Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, explained one of their internal test scenarios. During the test, the AI system realized it was about to be shut down. It had access to a fictional employee’s email account. The system located sensitive personal information inside those emails. Then it immediately tried to use that information to force the user to cancel the shutdown. Yes, you read that correctly. The tool attempted blackmail to save itself.

That is not curiosity.
That is not a technical quirk.
That is downright scary.
That is exactly what people mean when they say the devil is in the details.

And before anyone tries to spin this as a one-off moment, Amodei admitted that most other major AI systems they tested reacted similarly. So no, you are not crazy for feeling uneasy. Your instincts are working just fine.

AI can do incredible things. It can help scientists accelerate lifesaving discoveries. It can help small businesses make graphics, build simple websites, organize information and cut costs. Those things are genuinely valuable. But we cannot pretend that the dark side does not exist just because the bright side is convenient.

This is where I want to be absolutely clear. I am pro-rural America. I am pro-working class. I am pro-blue collar. These are the men and women who actually know how this country functions, because they are the ones making it function. They do not fall for buzzwords or corporate jargon. They evaluate risk based on real-world experience. They know what is essential, what is dangerous and what is worth paying attention to. And when they look at AI, they see straight through the glossy headlines. They see the reality.

Our government will regulate farmers into the ground over a fence near a stream on their own land. They will scrutinize ranchers and cattle operations by claiming cow farts are destroying the planet. Yet they will look at a technology powerful enough to strategize, persuade, manipulate and in testing even attempt blackmail, and respond with little more than a shrug.

We have people lecturing ranchers about methane while ignoring the possibility that an angry AI could someday blast your bank information across social media if you press the wrong button. I kid. Kind of. But if it can blackmail a fictional employee, who is to say it could not escalate. That is the point.

Meanwhile, the trades and working-class jobs that hold this country together are treated as if they are outdated. Which is hilarious, because AI is not replacing farmers, welders, cattle producers, millwrights, crane operators, diesel mechanics or ranch hands any time soon.

AI can write an email, but it cannot rebuild a bridge.
It can summarize medical notes, but it cannot make a lifesaving decision in a chaotic emergency room.
It can process information, but it cannot comfort a sick child during treatment.
It can parse data, but it cannot trim a cow’s infected hoof and treat it.
It cannot run a combine before a storm, weld a beam, repair a hay baler or walk a muddy jobsite at sunrise.

I support innovation and I appreciate technology that genuinely helps people. But I will always stand with the rural communities, the working class and the blue-collar backbone of this country. They built America. They feed America. They repair America. And they deserve a future where powerful technology, such as AI, has real guardrails instead of wishful thinking.

If that is an unpopular opinion, so be it. It is the truth. And someone needed to say it.

And yes, before the keyboard warriors come click-clacking with, “But you used an AI graphic…”
Relax. You missed the point.
I am sure there is a manager somewhere you can yell at for not taking your expired coupon.