Goto

Collaborating Authors

I'm In a Perfect Relationship. But I Can't Stop Sabotaging It.

Slate

How to Do It is Slate's sex advice column. Send it to Stoya and Rich here. I'm in a long-term relationship that's been satisfying emotionally, mentally, and sexually. We explore and try new things, I feel cared for and loved. The problem is this new hobby I've developed that I haven't shared and can't seem to stop.


Elon Musk's AI assistant Grok roasts its creator

Mashable

Grok, the AI assistant on X (formerly Twitter), launched on Friday for Premium subscribers (those who pay $16/month) and has already spun a flurry of conversation. Nearly immediately, users noticed that Grok is "woke"; it doesn't share its creator Elon Musk's right-wing political or cultural views. For instance, as Mashable's Cecily Mauran pointed out, Grok isn't aligned with Elon Musk's anti-trans beliefs, responding to a question of whether trans women are women with "yes." A popular prompt for Grok is to "roast" someone, Mauran reported, so naturally, someone decided to ask Grok to roast Musk. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity AI (which brands itself as the "world's first conversational answer engine and research companion"), asked Grok to "roast @elonmusk based on his posts, and be vulgar!"


From the Colossus of Rhodes to the Statue of Zeus: AI reimagines how ancient Seven Wonders of the World that were destroyed by war and natural disasters thousands of years ago would look like today

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Imagine the Colossus of Rhodes, the Statue of Zeus and the other ancient Seven Wonders of the World standing as they did thousands of years ago when first built. Artificial intelligence has done just that by recreating each historic structure in modern society with bustling tourists snapping photos with smartphones. Only one of the original seven survives today, with the others lost over time due to war, crumbling civilizations and natural disasters. But using the imagine generator Midjourney, AI has brought them back from the dead, allowing the world to take another look. Ancient artwork depicting the Colossus of Rhodes shows the statue straddling the harbor entrance, but researchers have determined such a feat would be impossible.


How a toilet-themed YouTube series became the biggest thing online

Washington Post - Technology News

He creates his animation using a computer graphics tool called Source Filmmaker that allows users to create animations in the style of an early video game called Garry's Mod. Garry's Mod was an online world building sandbox (or space to play around in) similar to "Minecraft." "Early YouTube was filled with GMod videos, the exact same way "Minecraft" videos dominate the platform today," Ryan Broderick, a journalist and content creator, noted in his Garbage Day newsletter, adding that Gerasimov's channel veering deeply into "weird internet aesthetics" played into young people's nostalgia for the internet of the early 2010s.


Artificial: The OpenAI Story

WSJ.com: WSJD - Technology

In 2015, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and a handful of AI researchers and technologists met at a fancy Silicon Valley hotel to discuss an exciting possibility: Could they build an AI as smart or smarter than a human? Less than a year later, OpenAI was born. OpenAI was founded as a nonprofit research lab with lofty ideals. It wouldn't just build groundbreaking AI--it would do it for the benefit of all of humanity.


Tesla drivers run Autopilot where it's not intended -- with deadly consequences

Washington Post - Technology News

The string of Autopilot crashes reveals the consequences of allowing a rapidly evolving technology to operate on the nation's roadways without significant government oversight, experts say. While NHTSA has several ongoing investigations into the company and specific crashes, critics argue the agency's approach is too reactive and has allowed a flawed technology to put Tesla drivers -- and those around them -- at risk. The approach contrasts with federal regulation of planes and railroads, where crashes involving new technology or equipment -- such as recurring issues with Boeing's 737 Max -- have resulted in sweeping action by agencies or Congress to ground planes or mandate new safety systems. Unlike planes, which are certified for airworthiness through a process called "type certification," passenger car models are not prescreened, but are subject to a set of regulations called Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which manufacturers face the burden to meet.


Why Tesla Autopilot shouldn't be used in as many places as you think

Washington Post - Technology News

Pointing to commonly cited guidelines from SAE International, a standards developing group that used to be called the Society of Automotive Engineers, Tesla has said that Autopilot use should be left to the discretion of drivers, and that its user manual explains that drivers are responsible for controlling their cars. But experts say drivers often don't read user manuals, leaving many unaware of the technology's limitations.


Ex-commissioner for facial recognition tech joins Facewatch firm he approved

The Guardian

The recently-departed watchdog in charge of monitoring facial recognition technology has joined the private firm he controversially approved, paving the way for the mass roll-out of biometric surveillance cameras in high streets across the country. In a move critics have dubbed an "outrageous conflict of interest", Professor Fraser Sampson, former biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner, has joined Facewatch as a non-executive director. Sampson left his watchdog role on 31 October, with Companies House records showing he was registered as a company director at Facewatch the following day, 1 November. Campaigners claim this might mean he was negotiating his Facewatch contract while in post, and have urged the advisory committee on business appointments to investigate if it may have "compromised his work in public office". It is understood that the committee is currently considering the issue.


French frigate shoots down drones over Red Sea: Military

Al Jazeera

A French frigate has shot down two drones over the Red Sea that were believed to be approaching from the coast of Yemen, according to the French military. "The interception and destruction of these two identified threats" were carried out late on Saturday by the frigate Languedoc, which operates in the Red Sea, the general staff said in a press release on Sunday. The interceptions happened at 20:30 GMT and 22:30 GMT and were 110km (68 miles) from the Yemeni coast, it added. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saturday threatened to attack any vessels heading to Israeli ports unless food and medicine were allowed into the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by more than two months of Israeli bombing. The Houthis said that all "ships linked to Israel or that will transport goods to Israeli ports" are not welcome in the Red Sea, a vital channel for global trade linked to the Suez Canal.


Grok is a woke, crypto-loving insult comic according to X users

Mashable

Grok, the latest AI chatbot, is officially live on X. And by that we mean it's exclusively available to Premium members who pay $16 per month for a subscription. According to the announcement Grok "loves sarcasm," and is "designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak." Grok will "answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems," is built with "people of all backgrounds and political views" in mind, making it safe to say, Grok is Musk's answer to his version of free speech. How has Musk's vision of Grok turned out?