Popcorn Game, released by Marx Toys in 1976, was one of my favorite childhood games. There was nothing like the chaotic rattle-clack sound of those plastic balls hitting the dome. Such a classic piece of 1970s toy engineering; simple, but surprisingly competitive. I recently restored a broken one I bought off eBay to play with my kids. Can’t wait for game night!
— Will Bermender (@WillBermender) Sep 21, 2026
The biggest risk of AI is
— Will Bermender (@WillBermender) Sep 18, 2026
I’ve been following AI development for 40 years, since discovering ELIZA in high school, and invested in and implemented machine learning for 15. From my vantage point, an uncontrolled or misaligned superintelligence escaping human oversight is a real risk. But I think the classic “AI takeover” story still requires capabilities we just haven’t demonstrated. Sustained autonomous agency, the ability to evade oversight and preserve access, and capability growth that outruns our ability to maintain effective control are some of the precursors to that apocalyptic vision. Those aren't Hollywood props. They also aren't here yet, at least not at an effective level. And that's where serious people split. Some of the researchers closest to frontier models think we're closer than the public debate admits. Others think scaling current methods will plateau short of that. Who’s right? I don’t know. What I do know is that the probability is not zero, and that “not zero” on this class of outcome is already an investment and policy problem. The scenario I treat as the base case is not some conscious mind rebelling. It’s general-purpose models deployed in increasingly autonomous, task-specific systems producing cascading cyber-physical damage. Think force multipliers for human actors, or agents whose failures propagate through interconnected infrastructure. That mess can look like collapse without anyone building a god. If a true loss-of-control event happens, I expect it to arrive through that channel first: agents, tools, networks, access and incentives. Not Skynet. And, in my second career as a screenwriter, I know a little about movie villains, too.
— Will Bermender (@WillBermender) Sep 14, 2026
Every September 11th, I avoid the news. It’s been 25 years and my memories are still vivid; I don’t need to relive them. But one third of Americans alive today were born after 9/11 — or were too young to have any personal memory of what happened that day. For them, recounting 9/11 serves as a reminder that there are heroes among us and that Americans can set aside our differences and unite.
— Will Bermender (@WillBermender) Sep 11, 2026
If you believe dangerous AI development is inevitable, then talented safety researchers may be most valuable inside the organizations building it. 🤷♂️ https://t.co/POby7r8iAW
— Will Bermender (@WillBermender) Sep 9, 2026
The theft itself is damaging to Netflix, but the bigger reputational problem is the perception that the company then responded by arguing about encryption, causation, and damages rather than saying “You entrusted us with your film, it disappeared from our premises, and we're going to make this right.” 🤷♂️
— Will Bermender (@WillBermender) Sep 1, 2026
The view of Millennium Park and Lake Michigan from Cindy’s Rooftop in downtown Chicago is spectacular. https://t.co/vpIip3ortk
— Will Bermender (@WillBermender) Aug 31, 2026
