It’s Time to Stop Taking Sam Altman at His Word
Understand AI for what it is, not what it might become.
Artificial Intelligence
The dawn of a new machine age.
My Deepest Condolences. Signed, ChatGPT.
When a friend’s in need and you’re at a loss for words, why not use AI?
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Shh, ChatGPT. That’s a Secret.
Your chatbot transcripts may be a gold mine for AI companies.
The Next Big Thing Is Still … Smart Glasses
A computer for your face—now with AI. What could go wrong?
AI Is a Language Microwave
Easy, convenient, and far from perfect
High School Is Becoming a Cesspool of Sexually Explicit Deepfakes
AI-generated child-sexual-abuse images are flooding the web.
OpenAI Takes Its Mask Off
Another restructure, and the clearest signal yet of what the company really is
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AI Could Still Wreck the Presidential Election
Regulators have largely taken a hands-off approach to the use of AI in political ads—and the consequences may be severe.
For Now, There’s Only One Good Way to Power AI
Chatbots are saving America’s nuclear industry.
Microsoft’s Hypocrisy on AI
Can artificial intelligence really enrich fossil-fuel companies and fight climate change at the same time? The tech giant says yes.
OpenAI’s Big Reset
With its new model, the company wants you to think ChatGPT is human.
The Real AI Threat Starts When the Polls Close
Whichever candidate loses in November will have an easy scapegoat.
What I Learned When My AI Kermit Slop Went Viral
Sometimes generative artificial intelligence is just another diversion.
Ted Chiang Is Wrong About AI Art
It’s real. But it isn’t revolutionary.
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AI Is Coming for Amateur Novelists. That’s Fine.
An annual speed-writing contest lets in the robot overlords, and I, for one, welcome them.
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Chatbots Are Primed to Warp Reality
A growing body of research shows how AI can subtly mislead users—and even implant false memories.
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AI Doomers Had Their Big Moment
Did they waste it?
Silicon Valley Is Coming Out in Force Against an AI-Safety Bill
California State Senator Scott Wiener responds to his many critics.
The MAGA Aesthetic Is AI Slop
Far-right influencers are flooding social media with a new kind of junk.
San Francisco’s Nocturnal Taxi Ballet
Why can’t I stop watching a livestream of a parking lot?
AI Cheating Is Getting Worse
Colleges still don’t have a plan.
Why Does AI Art Look Like That?
Every tech company wants its image generator to be the best. But they all produce oddly similar work.
No One Is Ready for Digital Immortality
Do you want to live forever as a chatbot?
The AI Search War Has Begun
And tech companies might not be the winners.
Google Wins the Gold Medal for Worst Olympic Ad
The company suggests using AI to write a child’s fan letter. Why?
Silicon Valley’s Trillion-Dollar Leap of Faith
Tech companies are spending as if AI’s transformative uses are a foregone conclusion. They’re not.
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OopsGPT
OpenAI just announced a new search tool. Its demo already got something wrong.
AI’s Real Hallucination Problem
Tech executives are acting like they own the world.
AI Can’t Make Music
But that doesn’t mean it poses an empty threat to musicians.
Tony Blair, Prophet of the Inevitable, Embraces AI
He pushed the British left to accept capitalism. Now he’s asking the world to make peace with artificial intelligence.
AI Has Become a Technology of Faith
Sam Altman and Arianna Huffington told me that they believe generative AI can help millions of suffering people. I’m not so sure.
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Every Time You Post to Instagram, You’re Turning on a Light Bulb Forever
Even simple actions online can take a toll on the environment.
We Need to Control AI Agents Now
Automated bots are about to be everywhere, with potentially devastating consequences.
Hot AI Jesus Is Huge on Facebook
Synthetic images showing curiously handsome versions of Jesus Christ are flooding the internet.
Generative AI Can’t Cite Its Sources
How will OpenAI keep its promise to media companies?
Google Is Turning Into a Libel Machine
Another reason not to trust the search engine in the generative-AI era
A Generation of AI Guinea Pigs
AI is quickly becoming a regular part of children’s lives. What happens next?
Excuse Me, Is There AI in That?
Businesses and creators see a new opportunity in the anti-AI movement.
The iPhone Is Now an AI Trojan Horse
Generative AI has become truly inescapable.