Exclusive | Inside the high-stakes AI race: Death spreadsheets, burning demons and no need to save for retirement

The Greenwich Sentinel first positioned Kevin Roose, a New York Times journalist, as an expert on the accelerating AI race, setting the stage for a series of related pieces. That initial framing was quickly followed by a New York Times book review of Roose’s own work, ‘The AGI Chronicles,’ and a Wired article confirming that Roose did not employ AI to author the book, underscoring a factual counterpoint to expectations about AI‑generated content.

New York Magazine added a markedly optimistic voice with a headline declaring, “I Don’t Think We’re All F***ed Anymore,” while the New York Post ran an exclusive that painted the competition as a high‑stakes arena of “death spreadsheets, burning demons and no need to save for retirement,” a tone that diverges sharply from both the measured review and the factual clarification offered by Wired. The contrast highlights a fragmented narrative: one outlet focuses on Roose’s expertise and literary contribution, another stresses the absence of AI in his writing process, and a third amplifies dramatic stakes.

Current reporting therefore presents a mixed picture of the AI race, with no single narrative dominating the discourse.