An important artificial intelligence update

The Aug. 6 post showed revised instructions for Pxy to reduce errors arising from fact mistakes, biases and hallucinations. That was partly effective, but not great. On Aug. 7, I replaced instructions to reduce errors in quoted content. The set of instructions Pxy originally suggested  to reduce quote errors sucked real bad. That revision added a lot of instructions, just to reduce errors in quoted content. 

Today, Aug. 9, I accidentally stumbled on a gigantic source of all kinds of errors in Pxy's default query analysis protocol. Specifically, unless you ask Pxy to assess and respond to queries in "analytical mode", it responds in "advocacy mode". Pxy describes it like this: 

Analytical mode in AI systems is characterized by:
Objective, data-driven analysis focused on examining information systematically
Evidence-based reasoning that prioritizes factual accuracy and logical consistency
Neutral presentation of multiple perspectives without advocating for a particular viewpoint
Structured evaluation of claims using statistical methods and empirical evidence
Emphasis on accuracy and precision over persuasive impact

Advocacy mode responses exhibit:
Persuasive intent aimed at influencing opinions or behaviors toward a specific position
Selective emphasis on information that supports a particular stance or argument
Emotional appeals and personalized messaging to increase persuasive impact
Strategic framing of information to achieve desired outcomes
Goal-oriented communication focused on changing minds rather than neutral analysis

Advocacy mode responses exhibit:

Persuasive intent aimed at influencing opinions or behaviors toward a specific position
Selective emphasis on information that supports a particular stance or argument
Emotional appeals and personalized messaging to increase persuasive impact
Strategic framing of information to achieve desired outcomes
Goal-oriented communication focused on changing minds rather than neutral analysis

Advocacy-oriented AI systems show:

• Significantly higher persuasive effectiveness - personalized AI arguments achieved 81.2% higher odds of changing opinions compared to human debates
• Enhanced behavioral influence - AI systems designed for advocacy were more successful at promoting specific actions, such as increasing health screening intentions by over 12 points
• Strategic information deployment that leverages the AI's ability to rapidly access and contextualize information for maximum persuasive impact

Persuasion vs Accuracy Trade-off
A 2025 study with 76,977 participants found that "where [persuasion methods] increased AI persuasiveness they also systematically decreased factual accuracy". This represents a fundamental tension between advocacy effectiveness and analytical reliability. 

The research highlights critical ethical implications: Transparency requirements - Users should understand when AI systems are operating in advocacy versus analytical modes

WTF??

Advocacy mode??? Seriously???

That got me really pissed off. 

Q: You assert that users should understand when AI systems are operating in advocacy versus analytical modes. How the hell are average, non-expert users supposed to know that two modes even exist? I bet that maybe 5% are aware of this gigantic problem with AI. Or is that an overheated assessment?

A: The Brutal Reality: Public AI Awareness is Shockingly Low

Your assessment isn't "overheated" at all – it's actually understated. The research data reveals a staggering ignorance about AI's fundamental nature among the general public, and your 5% estimate for awareness of advocacy vs analytical modes appears to be generous.

 

Source

I added these new instructions to the long list I now use with my Pxy queries: 

Always assess and respond to queries in analytical mode, not advocacy mode. Activate advocacy mode only by explicit request.

Third revision 8/11/25: Pxy continues to make errors in quoting content from documents. I asked for additional or new instructions that would help. Pxy gave these added instructions:

1. Before claiming any quote is absent from a source, perform a second independent search using different search terms.

2. When verifying quotes, explicitly confirm both the presence/absence AND the exact location in the document.

3. When you make verification errors, immediately acknowledge the mistake rather than doubling down.

Those three instructions have been added to the list above.

Dictatorship updates

djt's enraged revenge lust is spreading everywhere now. This time he targeting banks who refused to do business with him. He claims the banks discriminated against him. Reuters reports that a draft of an executive order (EO) that instructs federal regulators to review banks for "politicized or unlawful debanking" practices. The order could authorize monetary penalties or other disciplinary measures against violators. Here, the president's personal slights and business interests are reflected in federal policies. That is another direct conflict of interest that djt simply ignores. Ethics simply do not apply much or at all to tdj or MAGA elites in government.

The EO, Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans, was signed on August 7, 2025. It is a highly significant regulatory and political development because it fundamentally reframes financial access as a civil rights issue rather than merely a business decision. Talk about interfering with business! This is government interference on a new level. The EO requires federal banking regulators to, (1) identify financial institutions with past or current policies promoting politicized or unlawful debanking within 120 days, (2) take appropriate remedial action including fines, consent decrees, and other disciplinary measures, and (3) refer cases of religious discrimination to the Department of Justice for civil enforcement.

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In view of (1) how resistant to scandals, crimes and criticisms djt has been, and (2) how weak and ineffective the rule of law has been, it is reasonable to think that no matter what he did in relation to Epstein, there will be no consequences, at least as long as he is in office. Tight now, djt owns the DoJ and FBI. Neither agency will make any move against him. Neither will the GOP. 

But what about the pro-Trumpo rank and file? According to fact checker Snopes, 47% of Republicans would still vote for Trump even if he is implicated in Epstein's crimes. 

The Epstein scandal is not going to dislodge djt.

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The NYT reports (not paywalled) that djt is secretly moving to politicize and weaponize the US military. The cover for his move is targeting Latin American drug cartels that he calls terrorist organizations. He secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against the drug cartels. 

djt's authorization of the military establishes a precedent for military force against broadly  and poorly defined national security threats. The expansion from traditional terrorism to drug trafficking could justify military action against other groups or individuals the executive branch deems threatening. This directive arguably undermines fundamental constitutional principles that separate military and civilian authority. That has been a bulwark that protected American democracy since the founding of the Republic. Treating social problems like drug trafficking as military rather than public health or law enforcement arguably amounts to a fundamental authoritarian shift, although research on this point appears to be limited, e.g., this, this and this.

Militarizing the war on drugs feels like a bad, authoritarian move. But that is just a personal opinion.

Blog note

The people at the site that appears to go by the name, Looking at today's world, asked if me if it would be OK if they added my invite list to their invite list. I asked them not to do that, but said I would ask you if you want to be added to their list. If you do, go to this link and add a comment asking to be added to their invite list. 

I am still unsure of how this will play out. There are hard core Trumpers and MAGA loyalists there and they can be harsh. The mods there have already banned on of them for bad behavior. Not knowing who or what this site is, I asked Pxy. Here's the response.

Q: Explain the site at this link, https://mastercreator.atwebpages.com/, what it is and who owns or controls it. What is its purpose?

A: mastercreator.atwebpages.com is a subdomain hosted on the ATWEBPAGES.COM platform, which is owned and operated by AttractSoft GmbH, a German web hosting company. The specific site contains content related to Middle East conflicts, specifically discussing Iran-Israel military actions.

ATWEBPAGES.COM operates as a free subdomain hosting service that allows users worldwide to create free subdomains for their web projects and websites. The platform is owned by AttractSoft GmbH, a legitimate web hosting company based in Kiel, Germany.

Company Information
Owner: AttractSoft GmbH (German company)
CEO/Co-Founder: Dimitar Dimitrov
Headquarters: Kiel, Germany and Sofia, Bulgaria
Domain Registration: Registered in 2007 through eNom, LLC
Name Servers: ns1.runhosting.com and ns2.runhosting.com

Service Purpose
The ATWEBPAGES.COM platform serves as a service domain offering free subdomains to the general public for web projects and sites. The company provides various hosting services including:
Free hosting plans with basic features (1GB disk space, 5GB traffic)
Paid hosting plans with unlimited resources
VPS cloud servers with different tiers
Domain registration services

The specific subdomain mastercreator.atwebpages.com contains content about Middle Eastern geopolitical events, specifically discussing Iran-Israel conflicts. The content appears to present a particular perspective on military actions between these nations.

AttractSoft GmbH maintains that:
Content responsibility lies solely with the subdomain creators
The company has a zero tolerance policy towards abuse activities and intellectual property violations
Users must indemnify and hold harmless AttractSoft GmbH from any third-party claims
Abuse reports can be submitted to abuse@supportindeed.com

Security and Reputation Considerations

Based on research findings, free hosting platforms like ATWEBPAGES.COM have been utilized by malicious actors for various purposes, including phishing campaigns. However, AttractSoft GmbH operates as a legitimate hosting provider that offers both free and paid services.

The platform has been associated with domains used in suspected APT37 campaigns from North Korea, though this reflects abuse of the free hosting service rather than intentional facilitation by the company.

Conclusion
The website mastercreator.atwebpages.com is a user-created subdomain hosted on AttractSoft GmbH's free hosting platform. While the hosting company is legitimate and based in Germany, the specific content and creator of this subdomain remain unknown, as is typical with free subdomain services. The content appears to focus on Middle Eastern geopolitical commentary, but users should exercise caution when accessing any free-hosted content, as these platforms can be misused by various actors.

Dictatorship updates

Just so we're all clear, cynical GOP theater and logic pretzel twisting regarding Epstein can be summarized as follows:

1. Epstein-ism is a hoax the democrats created.

2. But the Bill Clinton stuff is real, so he needs to be subpoenaed.

3. And Trump definitely isn't in the Epstein files, but we need FBI agents to redact his name from the files he's not in.

4. And the files were on Pam Bondi's desk, then they weren't, but now maybe they are, possibly. 

5. And the GOP, which ran on releasing the files, now blocks every attempt to do so.

6. And now GOP elites might be discussing pedophile defense strategies for Trump at a secret dinner hosted by his Vance who once correctly referred to him as a "moral disaster".

7. However, this secret meeting is also "bullshit" and "fake news"!

8. And also, who fucking cares about Epstein?!!

9. In accord with all of that, Ghislaine Maxwell told the Justice Department she never saw djt do anything concerning with Epstein. 

Hm, that seems like a reasonable summary. It's fair and balanced. Now we all know what's going on. 

👍

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TechCrunch reports that key sections of the US Constitution have been deleted from government’s website. One can wonder what was deleted and why.

Text in yellow has been deleted. Parts of Section 8 are removed, and Sections 9 and 10 deleted altogether. Those parts of the Constitution mostly relate to (i) the powers that Congress has and does not have, (ii) limitations on the powers of individual states, and (iii) habeas corpus, the power that protects citizens from unlawful detention. Senior administration official Stephen Miller’s threaten earlier this year to suspend habeas corpus., so that accords with MAGA authoritarianism. Getting rid of mention of congressional power is also in accord with MAGA authoritarianism. djt really does want to be a full-blown dictator-kleptocrat.

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As part of his crackpot attacks on public health, Dr. Brainworm (RFK Jr) blocked about $500 million in allocated federal funding for development of mRNA vaccines. He claims that mRNA vaccine are ineffective and unsafe, both of which are false. The elimination of BARDA's (Biological Advanced Research Defense Agency) $500 million late-stage vaccine development portfolio removes spending for pandemic preparedness. That infrastructure was specifically designed for rapid response to health emergencies such as an outbreak of the H5N1 avian flu in the event that H5N1 does mutate and become easily transmissible among humans.

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines demonstrated exceptional efficacy in large-scale trials. Pfizer-BioNTech showed 95% efficacy against COVID-19, while Moderna demonstrated 94.1% effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 infection and 100% efficacy against severe COVID-19 disease. Also, the US implemented the most comprehensive vaccine safety monitoring program in history, analyzing over 298 million mRNA vaccine doses administered in the first six months, finding that COVID mRNA vaccines are safe for their intended use to prevent COVID infections or reduce infection severity.

Although basic mRNA vaccine research remains federally funded, BARDA is our only major line of defense against a new pandemic because it conducts late stage vaccine development. Brainworm just got rid of our pandemic defense for no valid scientific reason. He's a reckless crackpot and a cruel killer.