Hard Fork
Hard Fork

A.I. Goes to War + Is ‘A.I. Brain Fry’ Real? + How Grammarly Stole Casey’s Identity

March 13, 2026 · 1 h 7 min

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Show notes

A.I. is changing the ways war is waged. This week, we explore how the U.S. and Israel are using A.I. to identify targets in the conflict with Iran — and why data centers and fiber optic cables are targets on the front lines. Then, researcher Julie Bedard breaks down “A.I. brain fry,” a new condition she and her colleagues studied among A.I. users at work. And finally, Casey shares his battle with Grammarly after the company used his identity in a new A.I. feature, without his consent.

Guest:

• Julie Bedard, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group who is also the lead author of a survey of “A.I. brain fry” in the workplace.

Additional Reading:

• U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says

• How A.I. Is Turbocharging the War in Iran

• Anthropic’s A.I. tool Claude central to U.S. campaign in Iran, amid a bitter feud

• A.I. Fatigue Is Real and Nobody Talks About It

• Token Anxiety

• A.I. Doesn’t Reduce Work — It Intensifies It

• Grammarly Is Using Our Identities Without Permission

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