The Download: escalating pandemic risks, and ask us anything on Reddit

AI hype is built on high test scores. In the past few years, multiple researchers claim to have shown that large language models can pass cognitive tests designed for humans, from working through problems step by step, to guessing what other people are thinking. These kinds of results are feeding a hype machine predicting that these machines will soon come for white-collar jobs. But there's a problem: There's little agreement on what those results really mean. The Sun turned blue 200 years ago and no one knew why--until now. There's nothing better than a surreal TV crossover (Arrested Development Law & Order: SVU, anyone?)