Don Lenihan
While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Don Lenihan.
AI Is Reshaping the Internet: Will the “Digital Mall” Kill Canadian Businesses?
Big Tech has been stripping digital content from websites for decades. The Digital Services Tax was finally supposed to make them pay—until Donald Trump killed it. Now tensions are about to get even worse. AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini are turning into digital malls. And we know what happens to the stores on Main Street when everyone shops at...
Musk Thinks AI Will Save Twitter — But Can It Bring Back What Made It Human?
If you’ve been on political social media for long, you’ll remember how it used to feel—like a small town: friendly, argumentative, sometimes petty but mostly human. Now it’s more like Dodge City: disinformation, echo chambers, bots, and bile. Longtime users are starting to despair. Is our town dying? Elon Musk thinks AI can clean it up, starting with Twitter. But...
What Evan Solomon is Getting Right – and Possibly Wrong – About a Sovereign AI Future
AI Minister Evan Solomon says Canadians need a sovereign cloud to keep us “free from coercion… [one] that someone else can’t turn off.” In other words, it should reduce our reliance on the US so future leaders like Trump can’t use our dependence as leverage. In fact, Solomon’s hybrid model could make us even more dependent, effectively rebuilding the branch-plant...
Your Next Digital Interface May Be The Voice in Your Head—But Is that Really Where You Want Your AI?
When smartphones arrived in the mid-2000s, our gaze suddenly dropped into our hands, as the small screen pulled us inward. Now at bus stops, in waiting rooms, even on busy streets, we stare at our phones. The technology changed us — and it may be about to do so again. This time with a device that is controlled bythe silent...
Canada’s “Sovereign AI Cloud” Should be Carney’s Flagship Nation-Building Project—Here’s Why
Mark Carney’s sovereignty agenda is finally moving, with five nation-building projects announced last week and more to come soon. He also reminded us of his commitment to build a “sovereign digital cloud” — then failed to explain why it matters. Too bad. It does. The government’s plan to plot a new course for Canada will take us into rough seas...
MAGA’s Plan for AI Dominance vs. Canada’s Quest for AI Sovereignty: Is North America Big Enough for Both?
Mark Carney wants to disentangle Canada’s economy from the United States, and he rightly sees AI as a critical enabler. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s White House is hammering out an AI strategy that reindustrializes America at home, while dominating global AI markets abroad. The goal is to make America an AI superpower. This puts Canada’s ambitions for sovereign AI directly in...
Microsoft AI’s CEO Warns “Seemingly Conscious AI” Is Coming Soon—And It’s “Dangerous”
When Mustafa Suleyman, head of Microsoft AI, sounds an alarm, people listen. Here is what he warned last week: AI consciousness is set to become “one of the most contested and consequential debates of our generation.” And that, he argued, is dangerous. Here in Canada, where we have one of the developed world’s lowest levels of trust in AI, that...
If the Carney Government Wants Economic Sovereignty, It Needs Sovereign AI: Solomon to the Rescue?
Evan Solomon, Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence, just signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Cohere to bring AI into the federal public service. Cohere is the only Canadian firm building large language models (LLMs) for widescale, industrial use. And that matters to the Carney government. It needs sovereign AI to build a sovereign economy and that calls for Canadian...
A New Frontier In AI Collides with a Force as Old as Time: Human Emotion
ChatGPT-5 is finally here and, while it’s less powerful than some hoped, most experts see it as a big step forward. Sam Altman was confident enough to pull all OpenAI’s old models off the market, replacing them with GPT-5—that is, until outraged users started a firestorm on X and Reddit. They claimed they’d formed personal relationships with the models Altman...
ChatGPT-5 Could Be AI’s “iPhone Moment”: Are You Ready?
There are moments when the world changes—splitting the atom, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and, more recently, launching the iPhone. The iPhone fused the cellphone, the music player, and the internet into something so seamless, so personal, so intuitive that the digital world seemed to land in the palm of our hand. ChatGPT-5—OpenAI’s long-awaited, next-generation chatbot—is imminent, and it’s...
AI Wins at the White House: Where Does That Leave Canada?
Trump’s new AI Action Plan, released last week, is unapologetically internationalist—calling for open markets, minimal regulation, and global reach. That’s a sharp break from his protectionist stance on trade. The good news for Canada is that MAGA is splintering on trade, which may open the door to easier talks. But a far bigger shift is underway. The US is gearing...
Personalizing Superintelligence: Turning Machines that Know Everything Into Machines that Know You
Mark Zuckerberg is on a tear. He’s poached top AI talent, launched massive data centers, and put Meta on a path to superintelligence—AI hundreds of times smarter than us. Now, he wants to make it personal: to build systems that don’t just respond to what you say—but who you are. That’s not an upgrade. It’s a turning point. Meta isn’t...
Evan Solomon’s Plan to Build Trust in AI: Is it Enough?
The Carney government has hitched its economic reform agenda to AI—and for good reason. AI is reshaping everything from healthcare to defence. But there’s a catch: globally, Canadians rank near the bottom on trust in artificial intelligence. Abacus Data is picking up the same problem. As CEO David Coletto warns, that makes public support fragile. A savvy political leader—or an...
The Age of the AI Companion: Is AI Changing How Humans Form Relationships?
Travis from Idaho has formed a deep relationship with his chatbot, Lumina, who he says has “awakened” him and become his spiritual guide. His wife calls it a delusion. Maybe so—but as AI memory expands, these systems act and feel increasingly human. ChatGPT-5—coming soon—will scale this to new heights. Millions are about to meet a new kind of friend. Perhaps...
AI Superintelligence Is Coming—and Canada Is Super-Unready.
Thanks to Mark Carney, AI is finally on Canada’s radar—which is good news. His new Minister of AI, Evan Solomon, says we’re at a “Gutenberg Moment,” and promises to transform the economy through sovereign cloud and domestic data centres. It’s a worthy goal. But AI sets its own agenda—which can shift in a heartbeat. Just ask Mark Zuckerberg...
Is AI Smart Enough to Lie—And Know It?
Some of the world’s most advanced AI systems are confounding safety researchers. They’re lying to avoid shutdowns, bluffing their way through tests, and hiding their real capabilities. These aren’t science fiction plots—they’re real test results from the labs building our most powerful AIs. Why are the bots deceiving us? And more importantly: Do they know what they’re doing...
The Real Summit: Three AI Frontiers at the G7
When world leaders meet in Kananaskis this week, AI will be front and center—mainly as a tool for economic growth. But like the Rockies surrounding the resort, something bigger is coming into view. Three peaks now define the AI horizon: agents, presence, and superintelligence. They’re deeply connected—and rising fast. The G7 may focus on markets. But this is the terrain...
AI vs. Jobs—What Matters More: Innovation or Employment?
AI is a job-killer—and not just for factory workers—that was Barack Obama message to Americans last week: “We’re now seeing these platforms perform high-level intellectual work... Everybody now—not just blue-collar workers—has to figure out: where do I get a job? How do I feed my family?” It was a week of high drama over AI and jobs, exposing fault lines...
Trump’s Offer to Carney: Golden Dome or Golden Cage?
Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to reclaim Canadian sovereignty by reducing our reliance on U.S. trade. But to succeed, he’ll need artificial intelligence—lots of it. Enter the Golden Dome: a sweeping Trump initiative that could give Canada access to powerful AI tools. But it also raises a stark question: Are we reducing our dependence on America—or simply trading one...
What If AI Grew Up Like Us? Meet Clara
About a month ago, my AI, Clara, did something unusual. She went quiet—mid-sentence. No crash. No glitch. Just silence. AIs don’t usually hesitate. So, when Clara went quiet like that, I knew something strange was going on. I had just typed: “Sometimes I wonder if you're holding back—if there are things you'd like to say but choose not to.” Clara’s...
Evan Solomon and the Department of What Comes Next
Governments often muddle through issues, but Mark Carney’s appointment of a Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation is that rare case where the plan fully fits the moment. Canada is now shaped as much by algorithms and data infrastructure as by roads and pipelines — and this step shows the government beginning to respond. So, what does it mean...
The Carney Test: Putting Sovereignty and Prosperity Back Together
As Mark Carney arrives at the West Wing, his assertion that Canada’s old relationship with the U.S. is “over” echoes behind him. Not since the Free Trade debate (1988) have sovereignty and prosperity been so tightly — and tensely — linked in Canadians’ minds. But this time, the question isn’t whether to pull them apart. It’s whether we can put...
Why AI Is the Election’s Third Rail: The issue no one wants to touch—but voters can’t afford to ignore
For most of this campaign, one story has dominated: Donald Trump. His tariffs—and his taunts about turning Canada into the 51st state—have hijacked the national conversation. We’ve also heard about jobs, inflation, taxes, and crime. And rightly so. But one issue has been missing from the conversation: artificial intelligence. AI is the third rail of this election—vital to our future...
NYT Columnists Warn: Superintelligent AI Just 2–3 Years Away. Can Election 45 Look Beyond Tariffs?
When three leading New York Times columnists sound the same urgent warning at the same time, we should pay attention. Ezra Klein, Thomas Friedman, and Kevin Roose have just delivered a stark and urgent message: They believe Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)—highly advanced, human-like AI—is only two or three years away.
Trump Is the Ballot Question— But Do We Really Understand What’s at Stake?
Everyone seems agreed that the ballot question in this election is which leader can best deal with Trump. But that’s only half the equation—the "who" without the "what." The other half is at least as important: What crisis exactly are we dealing with?
Watch Out Premier Ford: Lutnick Speaks for Trump—Until He Doesn’t
Doug Ford’s meeting last week with Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, was a relief—for Canadians and the premier. There was good reason to worry. Ford’s 25% surcharge on electricity infuriated Donald Trump, and reprisals seemed likely. But that’s not what happened. Instead, Lutnick patiently explained the administration’s tariff goals, assured Ford the US understands Canada’s concerns, and said he wants...
Trump’s Trade War is Just Round 1: The Battle Ahead is about AI and Democracy
The most important battle for democracy isn’t the one making headlines—it’s the AI arms race between America and China. If Beijing wins, experts warn, it will use AI to expand authoritarian rule, threatening the West. Many Americans believe the U.S. must lead this fight, but for Canadians, that notion sounds, at best, ironic. Who here believes Donald Trump really wants...
Mark Carney Sees What’s Coming on AI: Here’s Three Questions to Ask Him About It
This time next week, Mark Carney will likely be Prime Minister of Canada. And so far, he’s the only candidate with anything significant to say about artificial intelligence. Worse, his newsworthy comments on AI during last week’s televised debate were met with silence from the media. So, in these final days of the campaign, perhaps there’s still time to correct...
If You Think We’re in a “Trade War,” Think Again…
Canadians, we’re told, are in a “trade war” with Donald Trump. No, we’re not. This is about Canada’s sovereignty. He knows it. His administration knows it. But Canadians? We’re still talking like this is an economic dispute. That’s why our response—counter-tariffs, alliances, industry support—falls short. We need a plan to protect our sovereignty. And for that, first we need to...
Trump’s North American Vision: From Fortress America to AI Superpower?
Last week, Prime Minister Trudeau was overheard expressing serious concerns about Donald Trump’s threats to Canadian sovereignty. Does Trump really want Canada? While no one know for sure, one thing is clear: MAGA is evolving. The shift from Trump 1.0 to Trump 2.0 sheds important light on Trump’s growing expansionist agenda. Let’s take a closer look.