Jeremy Howard taught AI and helped invent ChatGPT. He fears he's failed (2023)
(abc.net.au)
Jeremy Howard has watched his vision for the AI future crumble, even as the technology has improved.
Jeremy Howard has watched his vision for the AI future crumble, even as the technology has improved.
The Physiology of Foie: Why Foie Gras Is Not Unethical (2019)
(seriouseats.com)
I haven't always been comfortable with foie gras, though I've spent a good chunk of my life working with it.
I haven't always been comfortable with foie gras, though I've spent a good chunk of my life working with it.
The Great Scrape
(bearblog.dev)
LLMs feed on data. Vast quantities of text are needed to train these models, which are in turn receiving valuations in the billions. This data is scraped from the broader internet, from blogs, websites, and forums, without the author's permission and all content being opt-in by default.
LLMs feed on data. Vast quantities of text are needed to train these models, which are in turn receiving valuations in the billions. This data is scraped from the broader internet, from blogs, websites, and forums, without the author's permission and all content being opt-in by default.
The Blood on the Keyboard
(historynewsnetwork.org)
The history of ivory-topped piano keys and the invisible human suffering caused by our cultural commodities.
The history of ivory-topped piano keys and the invisible human suffering caused by our cultural commodities.
The Ethics of Spreading Life in the Cosmos
(centauri-dreams.org)
We keep trying to extend our reach into the heavens, but the idea of panspermia is that the heavens are actually responsible for us. Which is to say, that at least the precursor materials that allow life to emerge came from elsewhere, and did not originate on Earth.
We keep trying to extend our reach into the heavens, but the idea of panspermia is that the heavens are actually responsible for us. Which is to say, that at least the precursor materials that allow life to emerge came from elsewhere, and did not originate on Earth.
Elephants remember: companies using "block lists" to not rehire some employees
(businessinsider.com)
Workers across industries report being unknowingly blacklisted by past employers, sometimes for years. Experts say block lists are legal but raise ethical concerns, as employees often have no way to appeal the decision. For companies, block lists help reduce risk of suboptimal rehires amid turnover in management ranks.
Workers across industries report being unknowingly blacklisted by past employers, sometimes for years. Experts say block lists are legal but raise ethical concerns, as employees often have no way to appeal the decision. For companies, block lists help reduce risk of suboptimal rehires amid turnover in management ranks.
"Am I the unethical one?" (2023)
(dailynous.com)
“All I did was go to a website that is designed to facilitate cheating and set up a kind of camera to see who visited it.”
“All I did was go to a website that is designed to facilitate cheating and set up a kind of camera to see who visited it.”
Your AI Lover Will Change You
(newyorker.com)
Is it important that your lover be a biological human instead of an A.I. or a robot, or will even asking this question soon feel like an antiquated prejudice?
Is it important that your lover be a biological human instead of an A.I. or a robot, or will even asking this question soon feel like an antiquated prejudice?
Improved ways to operate a rude crawler
(marginalia.nu)
Tech news is abuzz with rude AI crawlers that forge their user-agent and ignore robots.txt. In my opinion, if this is all the AI startups can muster, they’re losing their touch. wget can do this. You need to up your game, get that crawler really rolling coal. Flagrant disregard for externalities is an important signal to the investors that your AI startup is the one.
Tech news is abuzz with rude AI crawlers that forge their user-agent and ignore robots.txt. In my opinion, if this is all the AI startups can muster, they’re losing their touch. wget can do this. You need to up your game, get that crawler really rolling coal. Flagrant disregard for externalities is an important signal to the investors that your AI startup is the one.
Bryan Johnson, Who Wants to Live Forever, Sought Control with NDAs
(nytimes.com)
That control is starting to fray as Mr. Johnson, a longevity guru known for performing experiments on his body, faces a backlash over the agreements.
That control is starting to fray as Mr. Johnson, a longevity guru known for performing experiments on his body, faces a backlash over the agreements.
How 'animal methods bias' is affecting research careers
(nature.com)
Some early-career researchers report feeling pressure to use animal models to meet journal and grant requirements, even in disciplines and projects that don’t require them.
Some early-career researchers report feeling pressure to use animal models to meet journal and grant requirements, even in disciplines and projects that don’t require them.
Roy Lee Beat Amazon's Technical Interview with AI. He Got an Offer and Was Outed
(gizmodo.com)
A Columbia University student is facing a disciplinary hearing at the college after he used an AI program to help him land internships at Amazon, Meta, and TikTok.
A Columbia University student is facing a disciplinary hearing at the college after he used an AI program to help him land internships at Amazon, Meta, and TikTok.
Non-Consensual Consent: The Performance of Choice in a Coercive World
(qualiaadvocate.substack.com)
Consider the following scenario: You're sitting in a job interview for a position you desperately need to pay rent. The interviewer asks, "Why are you passionate about working in insurance claims processing?" Despite feeling nothing resembling passion, you fabricate enthusiasm, carefully crafting a narrative about your deep interest in risk assessment and customer service.
Consider the following scenario: You're sitting in a job interview for a position you desperately need to pay rent. The interviewer asks, "Why are you passionate about working in insurance claims processing?" Despite feeling nothing resembling passion, you fabricate enthusiasm, carefully crafting a narrative about your deep interest in risk assessment and customer service.
Dad demands OpenAI delete ChatGPT's false claim that he murdered his kids
(arstechnica.com)
A Norwegian man said he was horrified to discover that ChatGPT outputs had falsely accused him of murdering his own children.
A Norwegian man said he was horrified to discover that ChatGPT outputs had falsely accused him of murdering his own children.
AI hallucinations: ChatGPT created a fake child murderer
(noyb.eu)
OpenAI’s highly popular chatbot, ChatGPT, regularly gives false information about people without offering any way to correct it.
OpenAI’s highly popular chatbot, ChatGPT, regularly gives false information about people without offering any way to correct it.
People Are Using AI to Create Influencers with Down Syndrome Who Sell Nudes
(404media.co)
Instagram’s unwillingness to moderate AI-generated content finds a new low.
Instagram’s unwillingness to moderate AI-generated content finds a new low.
Why the Law Against Business Bribes Is Good for Business
(sloanreview.mit.edu)
In February, the Trump administration announced that it was suspending enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), pending a six-month review.
In February, the Trump administration announced that it was suspending enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), pending a six-month review.
AI Scientists Are Told to Remove 'Ideological Bias' from Powerful Models
(wired.com)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued new instructions to scientists that partner with the US Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (AISI) that eliminate mention of “AI safety,” “responsible AI,” and “AI fairness” in the skills it expects of members and introduces a request to prioritize “reducing ideological bias, to enable human flourishing and economic competitiveness.”
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued new instructions to scientists that partner with the US Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (AISI) that eliminate mention of “AI safety,” “responsible AI,” and “AI fairness” in the skills it expects of members and introduces a request to prioritize “reducing ideological bias, to enable human flourishing and economic competitiveness.”
Ask HN: Is human technology advancing faster than human wisdom sustainable?
(ycombinator.com)
I think it is easy to argue human technology has advanced far faster than human wisdom.
I think it is easy to argue human technology has advanced far faster than human wisdom.
It's not cheating if you write the video game solver yourself
(robertheaton.com)
My wife and two little boys sometimes go on trips to see friends or family for whom my presence isn’t strictly required.
My wife and two little boys sometimes go on trips to see friends or family for whom my presence isn’t strictly required.
Privacy Is Also Protecting the Data of Others
(privacyguides.org)
In privacy, we talk a lot about how to protect our own data, but what about our responsibility to protect the data of others?
In privacy, we talk a lot about how to protect our own data, but what about our responsibility to protect the data of others?
How do we tell truths that might hurt? (1975)
(cs.virginia.edu)
Sometimes we discover unpleasant truths. Whenever we do so, we are in difficulties: suppressing them is scientifically dishonest, so we must tell them, but telling them, however, will fire back on us.
Sometimes we discover unpleasant truths. Whenever we do so, we are in difficulties: suppressing them is scientifically dishonest, so we must tell them, but telling them, however, will fire back on us.
Should Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment Be Retracted?
(retractionwatch.com)
Philip G. Zimbardo passed away in October 2024 at age 91. He enjoyed an illustrious career at Stanford University, where he taught for 50 years. He accrued a long list of accolades, but his singular and enduring contribution to scholarship was the Stanford Prison Experiment, a simulation carried out in the university’s psychology department in August 1971. The research project became the best-known psychological analysis of institutionalization at the time.
Philip G. Zimbardo passed away in October 2024 at age 91. He enjoyed an illustrious career at Stanford University, where he taught for 50 years. He accrued a long list of accolades, but his singular and enduring contribution to scholarship was the Stanford Prison Experiment, a simulation carried out in the university’s psychology department in August 1971. The research project became the best-known psychological analysis of institutionalization at the time.
A Post Mortem on the Gino Case
(theorgplumber.com)
On September 30th, 2023, the New Yorker published a long piece on “L’affaire Ariely/Gino”, and the role I played in it.
On September 30th, 2023, the New Yorker published a long piece on “L’affaire Ariely/Gino”, and the role I played in it.
A Student Used AI to Beat Amazon's Technical Interview
(gizmodo.com)
A Columbia University student is facing a disciplinary hearing at the college after he used an AI program to help him land internships at Amazon, Meta, and TikTok.
A Columbia University student is facing a disciplinary hearing at the college after he used an AI program to help him land internships at Amazon, Meta, and TikTok.