It’s Wednesday, February 18. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: David Mamet remembers Robert Duvall. Jonathan Eig remembers Jesse Jackson. In defense of processed foods. Peter Savodnik sits down with the Republican reality TV star looking to unseat LA mayor Karen Bass. And more.

But first: Are we at an AI turning point?

Will human intelligence soon go the way of the fax machine? One tech founder thinks so. In a viral X essay last week, Matt Shumer argued that “something big is happening” in the world of AI, and racked up some 80 million views for saying so.

We are on the edge of a precipice, Shumer claimed, urging that anybody who wasn’t fully taking advantage of AI in their work needed to start doing so immediately—and that everyone should get their finances in order to prepare for the upheaval that is very quickly coming.

Shumer’s essay was shocking, and it seemed to catch a major change in the mood of the tech world. That AI is transformative is no secret. But for those closest to the tech, the changes suddenly seem to be happening with lightning speed. Are we, in fact, on the edge of the great AI cliff? And should we be terrified, excited, or more sanguine? We asked some of the best thinkers on AI—both believers and skeptics—a simple question: Is something big happening? Read what they had to say.

—Mark Gimein

David Mamet: Robert Duvall Was the Best Actor of His Generation

David Mamet

Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall died Sunday at age 95. But before the acclaimed performer began racking up Oscar nominations, there was a different, edgier Duvall: one who flipped the bird and kicked set materials into livid Broadway audiences while starring in the 1977 production of David Mamet’s “American Buffalo.” Today, Mamet remembers Duvall’s grit, heart, and raw talent: “There was, in his performance, no embellishment, no interpretation, no ‘character’; only a man onstage, with a simple objective—telling the truth.” Read full story

In Defense of Processed Foods

Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg

For the Make America Healthy Again movement, processed foods are public enemy number one. But just how bad are they, really? That’s the central question in a new book by professors Jan Dutkiewicz and Gabriel N. Rosenberg, “Feed the People! Why Industrial Food Is Good and How to Make It Even Better.” In an adapted excerpt from the book, the authors argue that Big Food has dramatically improved food access and safety—and that vanquishing MAHA’s dietary demons might actually leave us worse off. Read full story

Spencer Pratt Is the Former Reality Star Taking On Karen Bass

Peter Savodnik

Spencer Pratt, best known for his role on MTV’s “The Hills,” has entered the crowded race for the mayor of Los Angeles—as a Republican. He says homelessness, illegal immigrant crime, and LA’s response to the Palisades fire—which destroyed his home—persuaded him to take on the city’s wildly unpopular incumbent, Karen Bass. Peter Savodnik sat down with Pratt over tacos this week to see if he can parlay his Hollywood star power into a successful campaign—or whether Angelenos will dismiss his bid as little more than a celebrity vanity project. Watch now

I Didn’t Ask Jesse Jackson for His Autograph. But I Got One Anyway.

Jonathan Eig

Whether or not you agreed with his politics, it’s difficult to deny the courage of Jesse Jackson, who died yesterday at 84. Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Jonathan Eig knew Jackson personally through his work as a biographer, and saw his strengths and weaknesses up close. Read Eig’s tribute to a “straight shooter” with a “complicated” career. Read full story

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