Profile: 111890fa...
AI's Big Gift to Society Is … Pithy Summaries?
Companies keep rolling out AI features that boil down various kinds of text. They're making us dumber.
https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-ai-summaries-make-us-dumber/
How This Video Game Controller Became the US Military’s Weapon of Choice
After decades of relying on buttons, switches, and toggles, the Pentagon has embraced simple, ergonomic video-game-style controllers already familiar to millions of potential recruits.
OpenAI's ChatGPT Breaks Out of Its Box—and Onto a Canvas
ChatGPT’s new canvas interface can suggest improvements to writing and code as well as make in-line changes.
Google’s Visual Search Can Now Answer Even More Complex Questions
Launched in 2017, Google Lens processes 20 billion visual searches a month. Now it will work with video and voice, too.
License Plate Readers Are Creating a US-Wide Database of Political Lawn Signs and Bumper Stickers
From Trump campaign signs to Planned Parenthood bumper stickers, license plate readers around the US are creating searchable databases that reveal Americans’ political leanings and more.
https://www.wired.com/story/license-plate-readers-political-signs-bumper-stickers/
Hacking Generative AI for Fun and Profit
The Sundai Club meets once a month with a goal of pushing the limits of generative AI. Earlier this year, its members built me a handy tool for journalists.
https://www.wired.com/story/sundai-club-generative-ai-hackathon-group/
How to Generate an AI Podcast Using Google's NotebookLM
A little-known AI notebook tool from Google is going viral for its Audio Overviews that mimic the speech cadence of podcasters. Here’s how to try it out.
Microsoft’s AI Boss Wants to Bring ‘Emotional Support’ to Windows and Office
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman is overseeing an overhaul that gives Copilot an empathetic voice, the ability to see, and more advanced reasoning skills.
https://www.wired.com/story/mustafa-suleyman-interview-microsoft-ai-ceo-copilot/
This Startup Wants YouTube Creators to Get Paid for AI Training Data
While big platforms like Reddit have signed deals with the AI giants, YouTube leaves licensing in the hands of individual creators. The “License to Scrape” program aims to give those streaming stars proper leverage.
https://www.wired.com/story/license-to-scrape-youtube-ai-data-license-creators/
How to Renovate Your Home for a Billion Children
I kept seeing more and more utterly absurd, hugely viral home remodeling videos on TikTok. So I tracked down where they actually come from.
https://www.wired.com/story/inside-tiktok-unhinged-home-remodeling-videos/
An ‘iPhone of AI’ Makes No Sense. What Is Jony Ive Really Building?
LoveFrom is working with OpenAI to build AI devices that are less “socially disruptive” than the iPhone. Is Ive looking for absolution or a new computing soul?
Chat Podcasts Rule the Market—and Always Will
“That appointment—that relationship—is everything,” says audio executive Eric Eddings. But that doesn't mean the industry isn't innovating.
https://www.wired.com/story/dial-up-eric-eddings-hartbeat-podcasts/
Chat Podcasts Rule the Market—and Always Will
“That appointment—that relationship—is everything,” says audio executive Eric Eddings. But that doesn't mean the industry isn't innovating.
https://www.wired.com/story/dial-up-eric-eddings-hartbeat-podcasts/
No, Sam Altman, AI Won’t Solve All of Humanity's Problems
The OpenAI CEO’s recent mini-manifesto argues (again) that AI will make the future impossibly bright. He could use a refresher course on the basics of human behavior.
https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-no-sam-altman-ai-wont-solve-all-of-humanitys-problems/
China’s Plan to Make AI Watermarks Happen
New Chinese regulation attempts to define how AI content labeling should work and stamp out AI-generated disinformation.
https://www.wired.com/story/china-wants-to-make-ai-watermarks-happen/
Is AI More Sustainable if You Generate it Underwater?
AI takes a lot of energy to run, but underwater data centers might not be the answer.
Soon After the Deadly Hezbollah Pager Explosions, This AI-Generated Podcast Went Up
The Pager Protocol podcast went up hours after exploding pagers and two-way radios killed dozens and injured hundreds in Lebanon last week. How did it do it? Lots of artificial intelligence tools.
https://www.wired.com/story/pager-protocol-pager-explosion-ai-podcast/
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati Is Leaving the Company
In a letter to the OpenAI team posted on X, Murati wrote that “this moment feels right” to step down.
https://www.wired.com/story/openai-cto-mira-murati-is-leaving-the-company/
Meta Teaches Its Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Some New AI Tricks
The on-board Meta AI agent can now set a reminder to buy whatever the camera is pointed at, among other enhancements.
https://www.wired.com/story/ray-ban-meta-smart-glasses-connect-2024/
The Most Capable Open Source AI Model Yet Could Supercharge AI Agents
A compact and fully open source visual AI model will make it easier for AI to take control of your computer—hopefully in a good way.
https://www.wired.com/story/molmo-open-source-multimodal-ai-model-allen-institute-agents/