Now that chatbots are going the way of Google—moving from the miraculous to the taken-for-granted—the anxiety has shifted, too, from apocalypse to atrophy. Teachers, especially, say they’re beginning to see the rot. The term for it is unlovely but not inapt: de-skilling. - The Atlantic (MSN)
Sure, old Black Mirror episodes about AI (creepily, eerily) presaged our present — but current TV can’t quite figure out what all of the AI “spaces” will do to our future. - The New Yorker
Curing cancer? Hm, not so fast. “Slop, memes, and sex seem like such a comedown from OpenAI’s carefully cultivated reputation as an ambitious but responsible pioneer.” - Fast Company (Archive Today)
“My concern is not artificial intelligence, but natural stupidity. I think that's what drives most of the world's worst features. But I did want it to have the arrogance of Victor be similar in some ways to the tech bros. He's ... creating something without considering the consequences.” - NPR
It seems wrongheaded to feel wistful for a time when students had far less information at their fingertips. And who can blame them for letting AI do much of the work that they are likely to let AI do anyway when they enter the real world? - The Atlantic
There’s something about motion that triggers creative thoughts. This has been true for a long time. Charles Darwin’s budding theory of evolution jelled while he was riding in the back of a carriage. “I can remember the very spot on the road … when to my joy the solution occurred to me,” he wrote later. - The Walrus
The structure of our societies is such that when you’re wealthy, availability of The Commons is of negligible benefit. However, when your private command over resources is limited, i.e. you’re broke, the “cultural-infrastructure” determining which level of access to which resources is permissible, may set the entire course of your life. - 3 Quarks Daily
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s leader, had proclaimed it “the most powerful imagination engine ever built.” The truth is that using it made me want to run, screaming, into the ocean. - The New York Times
Birding is not the only hobby with an app problem. So many leisure pursuits now have their own gamified digital platforms: Untappd for beer enthusiasts. Strava for runners. Ravelry for knitters. Fishbrain for fishermen. Beli for foodies. Goodreads and Letterboxd for bookworms and movie buffs. The list goes on. - The Atlantic
The basic income for the arts (BIA) initial pilot ran from 2022 to 2025 and helped 2,000 artists. The results of an independent study found that it had a noticeable positive impact on the lives of those who received it. - The Conversation
“Today, more and more critics pay their own bills, build their own followings, and invent their own rules. ... For better and for worse, the adage “Everyone’s a critic” no longer seems like an exaggeration.” - The Atlantic (MSN)
