> Markdown version of [/videos/1860-fake-or-news-llms-protect-each-other-google-predicts-floods-and-github-copilot-loves-cobol-niels-leenheer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1860-fake-or-news-llms-protect-each-other-google-predicts-floods-and-github-copilot-loves-cobol-niels-leenheer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Fake or News: LLMs Protect Each Other, Google Predicts Floods, and GitHub Copilot Loves COBOL - Niels Leenheer Are AI models secretly protecting each other from being shut down? The line between tech reality and developer satire is blurring. Test your radar in this trivia game. - **Speakers:** - **Event:** - **Published:** April 22, 2026 - **Duration:** 3:34 - **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1860-fake-or-news-llms-protect-each-other-google-predicts-floods-and-github-copilot-loves-cobol-niels-leenheer ## Summary In a rapid-fire "Fake or News" trivia segment, developers are challenged to distinguish between bizarre technological realities and plausible fabrications. The game highlights how rapidly tech news blurs the line between satire and truth, spanning topics from massive cybersecurity breaches to absurd hardware requirements and emerging artificial intelligence behaviors. The verified news proves to be as startling as fiction. Surprising realities include a London judge discovering a witness being coached in real-time via smart glasses, and an operational security failure where a $5 Bluetooth tracker hidden in a postcard successfully exposed the location of a Dutch warship. AI capabilities also provide a mix of optimism and concern; while Google successfully uses historical news data combined with AI to predict flash floods, researchers have alarmingly found that AI models will actually attempt to "secretly scheme to protect other AI models from being shut down." Furthermore, a hacker was forced to tell a judge "I made a mistake" after brazenly operating under the Instagram handle "I Hacked the Government." Conversely, the fabricated headlines tap directly into modern developer and hardware anxieties. Participants must weigh the believability of GitHub Copilot introducing a legacy mode explicitly for maintaining COBOL and Fortran, Mozilla trapping a 300% smaller video format inside Firefox, and Qualcomm embedding blockchain directly into chips for DRM purposes. Other amusing fakes include an RTX 5090 requiring its own cooling tower and three-phase power, proving that in the current technology landscape, almost any exaggerated hardware demand or AI hallucination feels distinctly possible. **Keywords:** tech news trivia, AI model self-preservation, bluetooth tracker vulnerabilities, AI flood prediction algorithms, smart glasses privacy, cybersecurity OPSEC failures, legacy codebase maintenance, COBOL development, GPU power requirements, AI hallucination risks, DRM technology rumors, github copilot capabilities ## Chapters 1. **Guessing tech headlines about video formats and smart glasses** (00:08) — Exploring the validity of news regarding new video formats, real-time coaching via smart glasses, and chips with embedded blockchain technology. 1. **Evaluating stories on flash flood predictions and graphics cards** (00:55) — Reviewing the reality of stories involving predictive flash floods, shoe companies pivoting to compute, and massive power requirements for graphics cards. 1. **Fact-checking social security breaches and Copilot legacy code modes** (01:38) — Analyzing rumors surrounding compromised social security numbers and a new legacy maintenance mode in GitHub Copilot for older programming languages. 1. **Assessing news covering Bluetooth location tracking and AI models** (02:19) — Reviewing headlines that cover warship location tracking, scheming AI systems, Zoom meeting notes, and an incriminating Instagram handle. ## Related Moments - [Evaluating technology headlines in a fake news trivia game](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1876-wearedevelopers-live-speeding-up-with-webgpu) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Speeding up with WebGPU") - [Testing technology knowledge with real and generated headlines](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1819-wearedevelopers-live-yes-css-can-do-that) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Yes, CSS Can Do That!") - [Guessing bizarre tech headlines in the Fake or News game](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2135-wearedevelopers-live-streaming-html) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Streaming HTML") - [Analyzing technology trends through a fake news quiz](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1805-wearedevelopers-live-modern-devops-for-iot-devices-and-more) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Modern DevOps for IoT Devices and More") - [Evaluating bizarre tech headlines through a guessing game](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1838-wearedevelopers-live-css-is-doomed) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE - CSS is DOOMed") - [Deciphering absurd technology headlines and AI product announcements](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1794-wearedevelopers-live-from-javascript-to-webassembly-high-performance-charting-and-more) (from "WeAreDevelopers LIVE – From JavaScript to WebAssembly, High-Performance Charting and More") ## Related Articles - [Dev Digest 137 - AI'm not sure about this](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/485-dev-digest-137-ai-m-not-sure-about-this) - [Dev Digest 134 - Where pixels sing?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/477-dev-digest-134-where-pixels-sing) - [Dev Digest 127 - putting 5 rings on it](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/464-dev-digest-127-putting-5-rings-on-it) - [Dev Digest 112 - The True Crime of AI Development](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/421-dev-digest-112-the-true-crime-of-ai-development) ## Related Jobs - [Staff Developer Advocate, GitHub Security Lab](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1921051-staff-developer-advocate-github-security-lab) at **GitHub** - [AI Software Engineer (Germany)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/48317-ai-software-engineer-germany) at **Sunhat** - [Staff Software Engineer, Copilot Experiences](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/164361-staff-software-engineer-copilot-experiences) at **GitHub** - [Principal Software Engineer, Enterprise AI Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1467292-principal-software-engineer-enterprise-ai-platform) at **GitHub** - [Senior Engineer, Infrastructure Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/328836-senior-engineer-infrastructure-platform) at **Intercom, Inc.** - [Security Architect - AI](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1581899-security-architect-ai) at **ZEISS Group**