Dead Man’s AI Speaks To His Killer in Court And It’s Divided The Internet, & Today’s News
PDS Published 05/07/2025
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I really wanna know how y’all feel about this one: an AI video of a man who was killed in a road rage accident was used in court to “address” his killer.
Right, back in 2021, Chris Pelkey was shot and killed by Gabriel Horcasitas (Hor-Cah-See-Tuss) in Chandler, Arizona, after an argument had taken place while they were driving.
According to reports, the men had stopped at a red light when Pelkey got out of his vehicle and walked toward Hor-Cah-See-Tuss, who was in a car behind him, and responded by firing multiple rounds.
And heading into the trial, Pelkey's sister, Stacey Wales, began collecting impact statements and and preparing her own when she had an idea:
“We received 49 letters that the judge was able to read before walking into sentencing that day. But there was one missing piece. There was one voice that was not in those letters.” 00:49 - 1:01
So she turned to her husband and a friend of his who had been working in AI for a while.
And together, they created an AI rendering of Chris that delivered his impact statement in a video shown in court, with Stacey further explaining:
“I have my own thoughts and feelings about how much time I want the sentence to be. If I forgave the shooter or not. I have very definitive opinions about that. But it was important not to make Chris say what I was feeling and to detach and let him speak because he said things that would never come out of my mouth, but I know would come out his.” 1:38 - 2:05
Though, notably here, she told other local reporters that she was the one who wrote the script that the AI-Chris read before the court:
“I said, ‘I have to let him speak,’ and I wrote what he would have said, and I said, ‘That’s pretty good, I’d like to hear that if I was the judge.’” 00:27 - 00:40
Right, and in the video shown in court — which also included real footage of Chris — the AI-renderin thanked everyone who was present at the trial and the judge overseeing the case before addressing Hor-Cah-See-Tuss directly:
“To Gabriel Horcasitas, the man who shot me: It is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances. In another life, we probably could’ve been friends. I believe in forgiveness and in God who forgives. I always have, and I still do.” 2:32 - 2:49
Right, and that AI-rendering seemed to be received very well by many in the courtroom — including Chris’ other family members, who Stacey said she had surprised with the video to get their genuine reaction.
With their brother John also telling reporters:
“There was something about seeing Chris and the man that I knew and the belief that I thought in my head that Chris would have forgiven this guy," said John. "To see his face and to hear his voice say it. Just waves of healing washed over my soul. Because that was the man that I knew.” 2:41 - 3:03
And it wasn’t just family members — the judge overseeing the case also appeared to be moved by the AI, saying:
“I love that AI. Thank you for that. I felt like that was genuine; that his obvious forgiveness of Mr. Horcasitas reflects the character I heard about today.” 2:18 - 2:31
In fact, the Pelkey’s family told reporters that the judge was so moved that he ended up giving Hor-Cah-See-Tuss a longer sentence.
Sentencing him to 10.5 years, even though prosecutors had recommended 9.5.
Right, and this whole situation is very significant because, according to one local report:
“It was the first time in Arizona judicial history — and possibly nationwide — that AI has been used to create a deceased victim’s own impact statement.”
But this also comes amid the growing use of AI in the court system.
For example, back in March, a man in New York who was representing himself in an employment dispute hearing tried to use a video of an AI-generated avatar to make his legal infront of a panel of judges.
But that… uh… didn’t go over too well:
“I don’t appreciate being misled.” 20:29 - 20:33
“SHUT THAT OFF. If you want to have oral argument time, you may stand up and give it to me.” 20:52 - 20:59
Right, so very different from what went down in Pelkey’s case.
But that just illustrates how the court system has responded to the AI boom with a broad patchwork of differing rules and mixed responses.
On one hand, you have some courts embracing the use of AI for more administrative tasks or to deliver news of rulings or important opinions.
And some state supreme courts have issued rules allowing judges and/or lawyers to use AI in their work under certain, limited conditions.
But others have also pushed for more restrictions.
Like in Virginia, where lawmakers recently proposed a bill that would regulate the use of AI in courtroom proceedings.
And just last week, a federal judicial panel advanced a proposal that would also set rules for the introduction of AI-generated evidence at trial.
With the draft rule there specifically being designed to make sure that evidence produced by generative AI can meet the same reliability standards as evidence from human expert witnesses.
But, on that note, I want to pass the question off to you — what do you think of the AI-video of Pelkey and the use of AI in the courtroom more broadly?
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DOGE is building a single centralized database with the personal information of millions of U.S. citizens and residents.
That’s what the Washington Post is reporting today – with government workers telling the paper that DOGE’s work often violates or disregards core privacy and security protections meant to keep the information safe. []
And the whole thing just seems to be a reminder that even if Elon Musk is stepping back, DOGE may just be getting started.
Right, so far, the Department of Government Efficiency has reportedly eliminated protections around sensitive information including Social Security numbers, birth dates, employment history, disability records, and medical documentation. []
And that’s as it’s still fighting for more access, with the Trump administration just a few days ago making an emergency request to the Supreme Court to let DOGE access sensitive information held by the Social Security Administration.
And security experts are claiming the administration’s actions increase the risk of hackers or other adversaries getting their hands on sensitive data.
With one telling the Post:
“Separation and segmentation is one of the core principles in sound cybersecurity.”
“Putting all your eggs in one basket means I don’t need to go hunting for them — I can just steal the basket.” []
And of course, that doesn’t mean data can’t ever be shared, there are often good reasons for doing so.
It just means that there’s a multiple-step process that has to be followed – including getting legislative permission, notifying the public, and finalizing inter-agency agreements specifying what exactly is to be shared and why.
With independent inspectors general – several of whom have been fired by Trump – also helping to make sure information is used appropriately. []
But now what’s reportedly happening is that DOGE is bypassing these procedures – at least according to employees from TEN federal agencies who spoke to the Post.
With some saying, for example, that many agencies have stopped creating records of who accesses or changes information, while also granting some individuals more authority over computer systems.
And similarly, some saying DOGE staffers have been empowered to add new accounts and disable automated tracking logs at several departments, while officials who objected were fired, placed on leave or sidelined. []
Also, notably, some new DOGE employees have reportedly started working with laptops that did not have the security programs typically installed by White House officials.
With these employees then taking their devices to various agencies and pushing for access beyond even what those agencies’ own security teams had. []
And with all that, you have people like the head of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project telling the Post:
“This threat isn’t just going to exist tomorrow, but it is going to exist for decades to come.”
“Whenever we’re thinking about privacy, it’s really hard to un-bake the cake.”
The White House, of course, has pushed back.
With a spokesperson saying in a statement “every action taken is fully compliant with the law.”
And adding that “By advancing secure data-sharing across agencies, DOGE is enhancing accountability, eliminating fraud, and streamlining operations across the board” []
Of course, even without the privacy and security concerns, that’s up for debate.
Right, a number of experts actually say DOGE has done major damage.
Right, Musk, for example, has claimed that it saved the government $160 billion.
And that number is in dispute given his past history of making exaggerated and erroneous claims about its success, but also because it doesn’t account for the cost of the cuts he’s making.
One recent analysis, for example, finding that DOGE’s work will cost taxpayers $135bn this fiscal year.
Notably, with some saying we’re still far away from seeing the full impact.
Martha Gimbel, the head of the Yale Budget Lab, for example, saying:
“Things will definitely get worse.” []
And also claiming that there is waste DOGE could be targeting but doesn’t seem interested in, adding:
“What you have is a relatively expensive exercise in slash-and-burn that sometime in the future will cost a lot to fix.” []
And to that point, DOGE’s full-speed ahead, sledgehammer-like approach to use of AI is also coming under a lot of scrutiny.
Just over the past week, for instance, you’ve had WIRED reporting that, one:
A college undergrad was put in charge of using AI to find ways to legally roll back housing regulations
And two: a DOGE recruiter is looking to hire new engineers to deploy “AI agents” across the government with the aim of replacing tens of thousands of federal workers.
Also, notably, earlier this month, for example, you had Reuters reporting that DOGE was using AI to to surveil at least one federal agency’s communications for hostility to Trump and his agenda.
Which is actually one answer to the question a lot of people are asking: if DOGE Isn’t actually saving money, what is it really doing?
With analysts at the libertarian Cato Institute, for example, having come up with “six possibilities for understanding DOGE’s action to date” –
Including not only that it’s trying to purge progressive influence within the government, but also that it’s looking to expand presidential power or provide political cover to Congress. []
But ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see what kind of information continues to come out, how all these legal battles connected to DOGE play out, and if Musk’s stepping away does actually have any kind of impact.
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In big international news, the U.S. is putting an end to its attacks on the Houthis in Yemen.
With Trump announcing that in exchange the group had agreed to stop targeting most ships traveling through key shipping lanes in the region.
Though, notably, the group also saying it will absolutely not stop attacking Israel.
Right, since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – claiming they’re linked to the U.S., UK, or Israel – and sinking two of them, seizing a third, and killing four crew members. []
In March the White House ordered the military to step up strikes against the Houthis in March.
And by the end of April, it said it had hit more than 800 targets as well as "killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders."
While Houthi officials claimed more than 100 civilians have been killed. []
Notably, with that all being before a suspected U.S. airstrike reportedly killed 68 African migrants.
And so you’ve of course had rights groups criticizing the campaign for making an already bad humanitarian situation worse, but you’ve also had others questioning its effectiveness.
Right, just three weeks in, congressional officials reportedly claimed the operation had run up a billion-dollar tab while having a limited impact.
And you also had the New York Times reporting that the military was burning through existing munitions stockpiles – leading officials to worry they’d need to dip into stockpiles in Asia and leave the country less prepared for a potential conflict with China.
Not to mention, just this week, a second $67 million Navy fighter jet fell off an aircraft carrier and into the Red Sea.
And I didn’t misspeak, I said second, because last week, A WHOLE ‘NOTHER $67 million jet fell off the SAME aircraft carrier.
With this reportedly happening at least partly as a rest of the turning hard to position itself against the threat of Houthi missiles and drones.
And notably, with these two accidents being far from the first major mishaps we’ve seen over there in the past year –
And that’s not counting some of the country’s highest-ranking officials talking about their attack plans for the Houthis in Signal chats with a stranger and family members.
Right, back in December, a third fighter jet from this aircraft carrier was accidentally shot down over the Red Sea by another Navy warship.
While that aircraft carrier was also involved in a collision in the Mediterranean Sea in February.
But with all that, Trump is able to claim this as a win in a way, with him saying the Houthis capitulated.
While one Houthi leader similarly claiming it was the US that "backed down” –
Also adding that the group’s support for the Palestinian people in Gaza "will not change" and that it will continue to launch attacks against Israel.
And with that, connected to this, tensions between the two have been especially high since a Houthi missile landed near Israel’s main airport over the weekend.
Right, Israel first responded by striking a key port in Yemen – which is the entry point for about 80% of the country’s food imports.[]
And it then carried out an airstrike on the main airport in Yemen – reportedly targeting three civilian planes, the departures hall, the runway and a military air base.
With one official telling AFP that the airport had been "completely destroyed".[]
While the Israeli military simply said it had "fully disabled” the airport.
But in any case, while we may be seeing the U.S. pull back on this one front, there’s obviously still a lot going on in the region to keep an eye on.
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Just as we were wrapping up the show yesterday we started seeing reports of something crazy: India launched air and missile attacks against Pakistan.
The two countries have always had a lot of animosity and both claim control over the region of Kashmir, so occasionally they do exchange fire.
But as we got more and more reports it was clear that this was a much bigger attack than just a missile or two.
Right, in what India has called “Operation Sindoor” missiles hit “terrorist infrastructure” in both Pakistani-controlled sections of Kashmir as well as Pakistan itself in the early hours of Wednesday -- local time.
But Pakistan claims that’s now what happened and that multiple civilian sites were struck -- such as mosques.
And military officials from the country claim that at least 26 civilians were killed in the strikes.
Additionally they claim the operation was costly for India, with 5 Rafale jets being shot down in dog fights -- according to Pakistani officials like the Prime Minister.[][]
…although this is where the fog of war makes things really hard to prove.
Right, we have some images of what seem to be destroyed Rafale jets floating around.
But then users were claiming the images were actually old, leading to an entire back and forth to “prove” that the images were new and genuine to this conflict.
(France -- which makes the Rafale -- claims that only it was shot down and it’s the first Rafale ever lost in combat).[]
For some this all sounded a lot like the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, where propaganda efforts were in full swing,
Leading some to meme that there was a “Ghost of Kashmir” -- a reference to the “Ghost of Kyiv,” which was an alleged fighter pilot at the start of the war that shot down many Russian jets.
So just like we warned at the start of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, I’d take a lot of things with a massive grain of salt right now.
Especially because it looks like both sides are trying to spread their version of events all over the internet.
But back to the conflict itself.
India claims that in response to these strikes, Pakistan has launched artillery strikes over what’s called the Line of Control.
Which is pretty much the de facto border within Kashmir that divides it between the two.
But after hearing all of this it obviously begs the question: why?
India claims it was in response to a massacre in Indian-Kashmir that killed over two dozen civilians - mostly tourists -- that it believes Pakistan was involved in.
Pakistan has denied any involvement whatsoever, but clearly India doesn’t believe it.
So what’s next?
It’s widely viewed that this attack puts the two on the brink of a full-blown war -- which could be catastrophic.
Right, both have massive populations they could use in any war.
Not to mention that both are nuclear powers, with Pakistani Prime Minister Sheh-baz Sha-reef warning that “We are a nuclear power and a conventional warfare power. There is no higher respect and honor than this.”|[]
That being said, the Pakistani Defense Minister added that while the country was prepared for a war it still wanted to avoid a “full-fledged war.”[]
Either way, both sides seem to be taking the risk of an all-out war very seriously.
In India there were nationwide civil defense drills which included emergency responders practicing and school children learning how to hide in case of a missile attack.
The possibility of a bigger conflict has also worried world leaders.
The UAE urged both sides “...to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and avoid further escalation that could threaten regional and international peace.”
Over in the US President Trump called the situation “a shame” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to military officials from both countries and urged “both to keep lines of communication open and avoid escalation.”
Turkey was also worried that the attack “raises the risk of an all out war” and backed up Pakistan’s push for an investigation into last month’s terror attack.
We’ll have to keep an eye on this situation.
Hopefully this just ends up being another one of the dumb attacks the two sides do to each other that fizzles out.
Because as we’ve seen with other modern conflicts, things can get very bloody and drag out for years.
And there’s already been too many innocent people dying around the globe.
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Kai Cenat wants to teach you how to be a streamer!
Right, Kai Cenat just launched his “Streamer University” - which he announced plans for back in February.
Saying at the time,
“I’m gonna rent out a university over the course of a weekend. It’ll be Streaming University. I’m gonna rent it out. I’m going to put out enrolls and applications of people to enroll into the university. No matter if you’re big, no matter if you’re a small streamer. You can stream the entire weekend. I will get dorms - girls will have they own shit, boys will have they own shit. I’m principal.” 0:00-0:24
He also added that alongside courses like film and acting, music production, and more, Kai wants to bring in content creation giants like MrBeast and Mark Rober.
Though we haven’t gotten any confirmation from them about participation.
And yesterday, we saw the official launch - with Kai posting a Harry Potter-style trailer on X yesterday and saying,
“Streamer university will be [an] all inclusive trip paid to where all creators will be living on a college campus for FREE and just enjoying getting content in general if you want to be a teacher or student apply now ! You don’t have to be a streamer just a general creator is needed. As quick as possible!” []
And ending with an all-caps message telling people to enroll now.
But that call to “enroll now” and “as quick as possible” seems to have caused problems.
Because within minutes of the website’s launch, it reportedly crashed due to high demand.
With Kai posting on Instagram that they received over 1 million visitors within just a few minutes and almost 7 million within an hour.
Now, the general reaction online to the “Streamer University" was pretty mixed - with some people chomping at the bit to sign up and be involved in any way possible while others called it a scam.
Saying things like,
“This is more of a cash grab than real university, I didn’t know it could get worse than that.” []
And while Kai’s “Streaming University” stands on its own because he’s one of the biggest creators in the world right now, it does come as more higher education institutions lean into influencer education. []
Big-name creators have jumped into existing courses to shed some light on how they’ve built their brand - like MrBeast making an appearance at the Harvard Business School a couple years ago.
But we’re also seeing courses, clubs, and entire degree programs dedicated entirely to content creation pop up in universities like Penn State, Duke, UCLA, and the University of Alabama. []
Even Cornell recently launched a Content Creator Scholars Network - which includes professor Brooke Erin Duffy who told the Hollywood Reporter,
“I’ve been studying digital content creation for more than a decade, but the topic has only recently become legible to a wider academic audience.” []
And this academic acceptance of content creation as a career makes sense when you think about it - the creator economy has been valued at $250 billion. []
Not to mention the half of all Gen Z who reportedly aspires to become influencers.
But I would love to know your thoughts about this - about Kai’s Streamer University or about higher education on content creation in general.
Let me know in those comments down below.
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And we’ve got a weird one for your daily dose of good news today.
RIght, I’d like you to meet Tim Friede and fun fact about Tim, he is a big fan of reptiles - specifically, venomous ones.
Tim used to milk the venom from scorpions and spiders as a hobby and he boasts a collection of dozens of snakes at his home in Wisconsin. []
But his passion for reptiles goes beyond house pets - over nearly 20 years, Tim allowed himself to be bitten by venomous snakes over 200 times.
And that’s on top of the 700 deliberate injections of venom that he took in that same time frame []
With Tim telling AP,
“At first, it was very scary. But the more you do it, the better you get at it, the more calm you become with it.” []
Right, this whole thing started in 2001, when Tim began injecting himself with highly diluted venom, gradually increasing the doses over time. []
And then he took his first deliberate bite - from an Egyptian cobra.
An hour later, when that didn’t cause a reaction, he took another bite from a monocled cobra. []
Which landed him in the ICU.
But that didn’t stop him - after that first time, Tim exposed himself to so many bites and injections that his immune system has reportedly adapted to withstand venom from cobras, black mambas, taipans, rattlesnakes, and more. []
And eventually, Tim realized that there may been some scientific value in what he was doing - telling the Washington Post,
“I was more concerned about protecting myself and surviving first. And then I realized that I’m beating death, and it’s great, but how do you get it out to the rest of the world?” []
And that’s absolutely a problem that needs solving - according to the World Health Organization, around 110,000 people die from snakebites every year. []
Not to mention the fact that making anti-venom is difficult, expensive, and specific - meaning that one anti-venom can only be used for specific snake bites.
With Jacob Glanville, the CEO of a biotech company leading anti-venom research, saying
“The market’s fractured into 30 to 40 products, which makes it really tiny markets, which are not attractive to innovation. For that reason, antivenom hasn’t really changed in the last 125 years.” []
But when Granville stumbled upon Tim’s posts on social media in 2017, he realized that the key to a universal anti-venom may be within Tim’s veins.
Saying,
“If anybody has these broadly neutralizing antibodies, it’s going to be in this guy’s blood, right?” []
With Tim saying that he had been waiting on that phone call for years.
Flash forward two years, Glanville is sitting at a table with Peter Kwong, a structural biologist and vaccine researcher from Columbia University.
Who, after hearing about Tim, was interested in applying his work with broadly neutralizing antibodies against viruses to snake venom. []
With Kwong saying,
“He was interested in my technology. I was interested in the antibodies that he had pulled out.” []
Which brings us to now - with a recently published study authored by Kwong indicating that mouse studies using antivenom derived from Tim’s antibodies fully or partially neutralized the venom of 19 of the world’s deadliest snakes. []
Notably, this is still very early in the process - like I said, these are mouse tests and human tests are still at least 2 years away.
But this is no doubt an amazing step forward with a lot of promise for a universal anti-venom and Tim’s work may very well save countless lives.
With Tim saying,
“It’s an overwhelming feeling knowing that what I’m doing someday can change — it already has — medical history.” []
Now, a disclaimer is important here - absolutely no one should deliberately inject venom in themselves in the name of science.
Which is exactly what Tim says to anyone who may be inspired to follow in his footsteps. []
But since he already did, Tim is absolutely our BAMF of the Day - and we’re going to have to keep our eyes on this study as we wait to see how it progresses.
