Jon Stewart's 'Daily Show' Skips David Ellison-Skydance News to Take on AI

Key Points:

• John Oliver focused his recent “Last Week Tonight” episode on the Secret Service’s failings, notably avoiding discussion of the major media merger involving Warner Bros. Discovery and Skydance Corp., which owns HBO.
• Jon Stewart, on “The Daily Show,” also did not address the Skydance merger, instead dedicating his episode to a critical examination of artificial intelligence (AI) and its societal impacts.
• Stewart criticized AI leaders for making unsubstantiated promises about job creation and economic benefits, while highlighting the technology’s current uses in surveillance, drone warfare, and dynamic pricing.
• He expressed concern over the 10-25% estimated risk of AI causing human extinction, questioning the trade-offs involved given the present applications of AI.
• Stewart condemned the lack of regulation in the AI industry, particularly under the Trump administration’s approach of self-regulation by tech giants, and warned against misleading claims about AI’s economic and social benefits.