90 Seconds Yâall
Tik Tock
Noteworthy that AI gets a shout out:
The dangers of AI
One of the most significant technological developments in the last year involved the dramatic advance of generative artificial intelligence. The apparent sophistication of chatbots based on large language models, such as ChatGPT, led some respected experts to express concern about existential risks arising from further rapid advancements in the field. But others argue that claims about existential risk distract from the real and immediate threats that AI poses today (see, for example, âEvolving biological threatsâ above). Regardless, AI is a paradigmatic disruptive technology; recent efforts at global governance of AI should be expanded.
AI has great potential to magnify disinformation and corrupt the information environment on which democracy depends. AI-enabled disinformation efforts could be a factor that prevents the world from dealing effectively with nuclear risks, pandemics, and climate change.
Military uses of AI are accelerating. Extensive use of AI is already occurring in intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, simulation, and training. Of particular concern are lethal autonomous weapons, which identify and destroy targets without human intervention. Decisions to put AI in control of important physical systemsâin particular, nuclear weaponsâcould indeed pose a direct existential threat to humanity.
Fortunately, many countries are recognizing the importance of regulating AI and are beginning to take steps to reduce the potential for harm. These initial steps include a proposed regulatory framework by the European Union, an executive order by President Biden, an international declaration to address AI risks, and the formation of a new UN advisory body. But these are only tiny steps; much more must be done to institute effective rules and norms, despite the daunting challenges involved in governing artificial intelligence.
Do I really want to save that bottle of Laphroaig for a special occasion? I should open it up tonight.
Any excuse, man
Sports Illustratedâs decline runs in parallel to the ongoing, continuing collapse of real journalism and the whole accurately informing the public thingâwhich has never been much of a money maker. There were a record number of media layoffs last year, as trust fund brunchlords and the incompetent stewards of a dying press hustle and jockey to make a quick buck shuffling bloated brand corpses around.
Itâs more profitable to make a quick buck striking acquisition deals and pointless mergers for the tax breaks â generating automated clickbait and bullshit at historic scale and using whatâs left of popular brands to sell junk â than it is to pay real reporters a living wage to create quality journalism. The end result of that lazy mindset is everywhere you look. And it seems to be getting worse.
Despite a lot of lip service, weâve never really spent a whole lot of time actually trying to find creative new funding options for real journalism at any meaningful scale. Certainly nowhere near the time and effort put into get rich quick tech fads like NFTs. The stewards of whatâs left have no interest in real journalism, or funding it. Theyâre in it to make a quick buck off the fading remnants of a dying industry, cutting corners, firing employees, and pursuing easy money wherever possible.
As a result journalism â sports or otherwise â is steadily being replaced by a parade of automated gibberish, clickbait, well-funded propaganda, and marketing, and itâs getting increasingly difficult to find anybody with the ethics and resources interested in reversing â or even combating â the trajectory.
Useful for future:
As it turns out United cancelled by return leg because of the Max9 recall. They rebooked me on a flight with an overnight layover in Denver. Thanks United!
As NSA buys up Americansâ browser records, Uncle Sam is asked to simply knock it off
US Senator Ron Wyden on Thursday asked US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to stop US intelligence agencies from purchasing Americansâ unlawfully collected personal data from data brokers.
In a letter [PDF] to Haines, Wyden (D-OR) said that not only are US intelligence agencies buying location data harvested from Americansâ smartphones that would normallyrequire a court order, but the NSA has been purchasing Americansâ domestic internet metadata, including their browsing habits. All seemingly without a warrant in sight.
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Give em hell, Ron!
If it isnât illegal for the companies to sell the data, why should it be illegal for the government to buy it? One solution is to make it illegal to sell the data at all, which would make the current internet economy collapse. Which would be really really bad for lots of small creative people. If it is illegal to sell that data, then whomever is buying it needs to be charged and tried for the crime, even if it is a government agency.
It already is illegal, as per the blurb:
Ah, I was reading too quickly. Thanks.
Alabama also âmonetizesâ its prisoners:
Al.com is doing some quality investigative reporting on the horrific Alabama prison industrial complex.
