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Chris Hambrick

Chris Hambrick

KQED Contributor

By Chris Hambrick
From left to right — taking up the left two-thirds of the composite — images of conservative AI-generated influencer Emily Hart, who has long blonde hair and blue eyes: Hart wearing sunglasses and a red hat; Hart wearing blue scrubs and a stethoscope; Hart in a white crop top and jeans; Hart in an American flag bikini taking a photo of herself in a mirror. These images overlap each other and are interrupted by several glitches. A person’s hand holding their phone, tinged in blue, takes up the bottom right corner of the composite. The background is a blue, red, and purple ombre. The text "Close All Tabs" appears in white text in the upper right corner.

The Emily Hart Saga, Part 2: The AI Thirst Trap Grift

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Why Piedmont Isn't Part of Oakland

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From behind a shadowy figure, a laptop is lit up by an AI assistant displaying three social media posts of AI-generated influencer Emily Hart, who has long blonde hair and blue eyes. From left to right: Hart in a hot tub wearing sunglasses and a red hat holding a beer, with the text, “Of course Democrats protest against ICE… Cuz they are deporting half of their voters…”; Hart in an American flag bikini taking a photo of herself in a mirror; Hart standing in front of a brick building wearing nursing scrubs and a stethoscope. The laptop and figure are glitchy with blue and red hues. The background of the image is of glitchy, light blue broken glass. The text "Close All Tabs" appears in white text in the lower right corner.

The Emily Hart Saga, Part 1: MAGA’s AI Dream Girl

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In the lower left corner, political Twitch streamer Denims is wearing a black and purple suit and gold plastic crown next to a mic. She overlaps a screenshot of content creator Ethan Klein’s YouTube video, where he is speaking into a mic while in a bedroom. Below the screenshot is a pink video progress bar, along with a glitchy white cursor to its lower right. The background of the image is a blue and orange gradient with small pink dots interspersed throughout. The text "Close All Tabs" appears in white text in the lower right corner.

Why The Ethan Klein Fair Use Lawsuits Are Way More Than Internet Beef

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A stretched out gray hand holds a pink birth control pill. Another hand on the top left corner holds pink and white pills, while another hand in the lower right corner holds a white pill. Pink and white pills float in the background along with squiggly shapes. A ring of numbered dots representing a 28 day menstrual calendar sits in the center of the image. The text "Close All Tabs" appears in white text in the lower left corner.

The Pink Pill Pipeline and the Online War Against Birth Control

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A colorful digital altar, or ofrenda, fills the background in a virtual Day of the Dead scene. The ofrenda is decorated with digitally rendered marigolds, candles, cat and panther heads, and Day of the Dead green, red, yellow, blue, pink, and purple tissue paper garlands, otherwise known as a “papel picado banners.” In the foreground is an image of a 3D animated character wearing a virtual husky dog fursuit and glasses smiles with their hands clasped. In the lower left corner the words “Close All Tabs” appear in pixelated black font overlaid on a pink and purple gradient rectangle that looks like a computer tab.

How the Furry Fandom Says Goodbye (Reload)

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A glitchy person is walking in a post-apocalyptic scene, layered behind a smartphone showing the words “No Internet.” The person and phone are covered in a purple hue. “Close All Tabs” is stamped on the bottom left corner.

Are We Doomed If The Internet Goes Dark?

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Protesters in black and white advocating against Flock Safety cameras are holding signs that read ‘Get the Flock Out’ and other anti-surveillance slogans. The protesters are surrounded by automated license plate readers and other surveillance cameras. The text "Close All Tabs" appears in black text in the upper right corner.

'Get The Flock Out': The Fight Over License-Plate Readers Heats Up

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Graduates during a graduation ceremony. Graduates have their back turned away from the camera and are wearing black graduation caps and black and purple gowns.

Meet the Grads Grappling With AI and Their Futures

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A glitchy illustration of a handshake. The two hands are a lighter and darker shade of pink. One arm has a yellow sleeve and the other has a pink and blue sleeve. The Sims green “plumbobs”, the iconic green jewels that hover over the heads of characters in The Sims, are up against a glitchy blue background. The text "Close All Tabs" appears in white text in the lower right corner.

The $55B Deal That Has Sims Players Worried

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A composite image of The Sims avatars on top of a rainbow background. The text "Close All Tabs" in white text appears in the lower left corner with The Sims green “plumbob” on top of the text.

A Queer History of The Sims

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A glitchy, colorful photograph showing an AI (Artificial Intelligence) logo blended with fake social media accounts showing profile pictures apparently generated by Artificial Intelligence software. The background is purple and pixelated with gray and purple diamond shapes. The text "Close All Tabs" in black text appears in the upper right corner.

How To Prove You're Not AI

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