AI Is Not the New Crypto

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Recent breakthroughs in generative AI, such as the image generator DALL-E and the large-scale language model ChatGPT, “may resemble the release of the iPhone in 2007, or the invention of the desktop computer,” said Derek Thompson. I’m here. told me in December. Here are some of the latest AI developments to watch in the coming weeks and months.

But first, three new stories from Atlantic.


hype machine

Investors are pouring money into AI.

Last year, investors at least $1.37 billion It invested in generative AI companies in 78 deals, according to a market data firm. That’s about as much as we’ve invested in the last five years. pitch book.

Microsoft in particular has made a big leap. Since 2019, the company has invested It has invested $3 billion in OpenAI, which designed DALL-E and ChatGPT, and is reportedly in talks to invest another $10 billion. Microsoft has purchased exclusive licenses to some of OpenAI’s technology and is working with OpenAI on a new version of search engine Bing that incorporates tools like ChatGPT.

The school cares about academic integrity.

How will these tools change our lives? As Derek told me recently: “We don’t know. We know very few architects of these technologies. But it’s very interesting and technology is advancing so fast that It should be taken seriously as if it were inevitable.”

some universities change Courses to minimize the risk of extradition of students essay Generated by AI tools. And you’ll soon have to deal with even more sophisticated tools. OpenAI is reportedly planning to release GPT-4 with better text generation capabilities than the current version. on the other hand, 22 year old computer science student I created an app that identifies if a text was written by a bot.

It may be time to worry about deepfakes — again.

You may remember this term way back in 2018. That’s when media outlets and disinformation experts panicked at the rise of fake real-life videos. (in the famous example buzzfeed Engineer Barack Obama seemed to say “President Trump is a complete and complete asshole”

That panic persisted, but with advances in generative AI, “experts fear a deepfake apocalypse is on the horizon,” says deputy editor-in-chief Matteo Wong. report last month. As AI-generated media becomes more sophisticated, these experts argue that over the next few years the internet will be flooded with fake videos and audios promoting false information.

Tools like ChatGPT may not be as smart as they seem…

last week, of Atlantic Ocean Staff Writer Ian Bogost He threw skepticism into the debate over AI. “ChatGPT doesn’t actually know anything— instead outputting compositions that simulate knowledge through compelling structures. ” I have written“As its marvelous novelty wears off, ChatGPT is becoming more apparent as an interpretive sparring partner rather than a magical wish-granting machine.” He asks if we’re chasing ideas.

But don’t expect the hype to quickly evaporate.

Some ask if we’re witnessing Crypto 2.0. A complex new technology grabs media attention and wins investor money, only to see several high-profile businesses built around it collapse spectacularly. Not a good model to think about, Derek told me. “am.Generative AI is “clearly something, even if you want to claim it teeth is currently toy,” He said.

Moreover, Derek said AI is already succeeding in ways that cryptocurrencies could not. Some people may be using Artificial intelligence As an umbrella term, the current breakthrough technology is driving force kind — A tool that allows you to create new content such as text and images. We have all lived with artificial intelligence for years. “Go to Instagram. Why are certain articles and posts appearing above others? Thanks to AI,” says Derek. “You live in an AI-built world when you use the most popular social media apps.”

Related:


news of the day

  1. Death toll in China last year Inferiority The government announced that she gave birth for the first time in 60 years.
  2. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg restrained by German police while protesting a planned coal mine expansion.
  3. Russell Gage, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took He was taken to hospital after suffering a concussion in Monday’s playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys.

dispatch

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night reading

Martin Parr / Magnum

American Religion Isn’t Dead Yet

Wendy Cudgee and Elan Babchuk

Driving down the main streets of nearly every major city in the country can lead to a stagnant housing market, with more churches for sale than houses. This phenomenon is unlikely to change any time soon. According to the author of his 2021 report on the future of religion in America, her 30% of the congregation is unlikely to survive the next 20 years. Add in declining attendance and declining enrollment, and it’s safe to conclude that religion in America is on the verge of extinction.

But the old indicators of success—attendance and affiliation—or, more colloquially, “ass, budget, and building,” may no longer capture the state of religion in America. Attendance (churches, synagogues, mosques, schools, etc.) is declining, but signs of life are appearing elsewhere. You can also eventually form direct ties, such as conversations with pastors, communities started online, and more. In social justice groups rooted in shared faith.

Read the full article.

see more Atlantic


culture break

From Netflix's
From Netflix’s “The Lying Life of Adults” (Eduardo Castaldo / Netflix)

read. Still imageJanet Malcolm’s posthumous memoir, criticizes the idea of ​​the memoir itself.

clock. adult liar lifethe Netflix adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel, is sometimes infuriating for its slowness, but also surprising in that nothing has really happened since. mad menour critic wrote.

Play our daily crossword.


PS

If you want to dig deeper into the rabbit hole of AI, check out technology writer Max Read’s newsletter. Maximum readRead is working on a project to understand how we should think about AI, and last week he 7 thoughtful and provocative questions He uses it to guide studies such as “Why have so far advances in AI technology caused so little noise?” and “Is AI bullshit?”

— Isabel

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