The format that works on television is the one I use with clients: one headline, what's real, what's garbage, one thing to do. These are the AI headlines of the past two years as I broke them down on Fox 5, newest first.
The people building AI are the ones warning about it
An Anthropic researcher putting the odds of AI wiping out humanity above ten percent, and Ofcom investigating Grok. What's real: the builders and the regulators are both serious. What's noise: the number. What to do: know which AI tools your household and your company use, and what goes into them.
An Anthropic researcher puts AI's odds of wiping us out above 10%. Here's how to hear that.
A researcher at one of the top AI labs said, on the record, that he puts the odds of AI wiping out humanity inside ten years at better than one in ten. My read on air: the number is less useful than the fact that the people building these systems are the ones saying it. For a business, the practical takeaway is governance, not panic: know which AI tools your team uses, what data goes into them, and who is accountable for the output.
AI governance in crisis: Ofcom's Grok investigation and what it means for you
The UK regulator opened an investigation into xAI's Grok over harmful generated content. I explained why this matters in New York: regulators are moving from guidance to enforcement, and the companies that already have an AI usage policy will be the ones that don't get caught flat-footed.
The Pope, dignity, and the 'should we' question
Pope Leo's encyclical framed AI around human dignity. I said on air that it gives non-technical people permission to ask 'should we' before 'can we', which is the question most companies skip.
AI isn't just tech, it's a crisis: breaking down the Pope's new encyclical
Pope Leo's encyclical on artificial intelligence framed AI as a question of human dignity rather than productivity. I explained why a document like this lands with boards and family offices: it gives non-technical leaders permission to ask 'should we' before 'can we'.
Self-driving cars: why not New York?
Waymo runs in Phoenix, San Francisco and Austin and not here. The reason is regulation and a labor question, not technology. My short clip on trusting a robot over some local drivers traveled further than anything else I said that month, which tells you the public is ahead of the policy.
How NYC can win the self-driving car war
Why autonomous vehicles are live in Phoenix, San Francisco and Austin but not New York. The answer is regulation and a labor question, not technology. I laid out what the city would need to decide to catch up.
A New Yorker's honest take on local drivers vs. Waymo
Thirty seconds of the truth: as a guy born in Brooklyn, I would trust a self-driving car over a fair number of the drivers I share the road with. The clip that traveled the furthest of anything I said that month.
Platforms and power: TikTok's deal, Meta's rules
The TikTok ownership deal, where the real question was who controls the algorithm; Meta dropping fact-checking, which moves reputation from the platform to you; and a segment on negotiation tactics in politics, where I stuck to the mechanics of the deal rather than the politics.
The real cost of the TikTok deal: what you're not being told
The executive order that reshaped TikTok's U.S. ownership. My focus was the part nobody covered: who controls the recommendation algorithm after the deal, because the algorithm is the business.
Meta's policy changes and their broader implications
Meta dropped third-party fact-checking and loosened moderation. I talked about what that means for brands whose customers live on Facebook and Instagram: your reputation is now more your job and less the platform's.
Trump uses the Art of the Deal strategy for border control
A segment on negotiation tactics in politics: the anchor-high, concede-late pattern from the book, applied to a border policy standoff. I stuck to the mechanics of the negotiation rather than the politics.
AI in the city and in the side hustle
Where AI is actually working in New York and what a one-person business should automate first. The business-side segments live on the Torque AI blog; these two are the ones every viewer could act on.
How AI is transforming New York City
From hospitals to the MTA to the small firms in Midtown, where AI is already working in the city and where it is still a press release. Practical, not futuristic.
Is your side hustle ready for the AI revolution?
One person with the right AI tools can now run what used to take a small team. I gave the three things a solo operator should automate first: intake, follow-up and bookkeeping.
Frequently asked questions
- What is 'AI Reality Check'?
The format Chris Dessi uses on FOX 5 New York and in his newsletter: one AI headline, what's real, what's noise, and one thing to do. He has pitched it as a recurring segment and applies the same structure with clients.
- Why aren't self-driving cars in New York City?
Regulation and labor politics, not technology. Autonomous vehicles already operate commercially in Phoenix, San Francisco and Austin. Dessi's Fox 5 segment in January 2026 laid out what the city would have to decide to catch up.
- What did Chris Dessi say about the TikTok deal?
That the ownership headline missed the point: whoever controls the recommendation algorithm controls the business, and that was the part of the deal to watch.
- How does Chris Dessi decide what to say on air?
Three questions in ninety seconds: what is real, what is noise, what should a viewer do. He avoids fear tactics and ends every segment with an action.
- Where can I see all of Chris Dessi's TV appearances?
The full archive since 2011, organized by network, is at christopherdessi.com/blog/chris-dessi-tv-appearances-archive/.
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