North Korea is now allegedly cashing in on AI-assisted labor while cooking up weapons programs with that hard currency, and you can bet the mainstream media is bending over backward to spin this narrative. Outlets like CNN and MSNBC are likely to frame this as the “evil North” using tech to bolster its military, while conveniently ignoring that the same AI advancements are being exploited by corporations in their own countries for profit, too. Isn’t it funny how the narrative shifts depending on who’s using the technology?

Fox News will jump on this story, playing the national security card and whipping up fear among its audience, claiming the rogue nation is somehow outsmarting everyone with tech. Meanwhile, they’ll forget to highlight that the United States isn’t exactly living in a glass house either. In fact, we should be looking in our own backyards, where companies are turning a blind eye to costs, ethics, and the potential for AI to be weaponized domestically.

Let’s be real: this tone and framing are part of a larger agenda to demonize North Korea while absolving corporate complicity. The same politicians wagging their fingers at Pyongyang will bask in the private sector’s profits, conveniently ignoring who really benefits from AI’s exploitation. It’s time we cut the theatrics and hold everyone accountable, instead of playing favorites in this dangerous game of international politics.