It's the fantasy of Stable Diffusion image addicts, ChatGPT tinkerers, and everyone else who can't get enough of the new crop of AI content generation toys -- I mean tools: to get rich just by playing around with AI. "Ladies and gentleman it is happening: 'Prompt engineer' is now a job title, and it pays between 175k to 300k a year." So claims TikTok user @startingname in a calm but definitive tone(opens in a new tab) in his March TikTok post. To qualify for the job, he says, one just has to "spend time in the algorithm." In other words, it's a six-figure job for people who enjoy tinkering with generative AI. The New York Times called(opens in a new tab) prompt engineering "a skill that those who play around with ChatGPT long enough can add to their résumés."

According to the latest audit from NASA's inspector general, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket designed to take astronauts to the Moon is substantially over budget and far behind schedule. NASA's spending on the Artemis Moon Program is expected to reach $93 billion by 2025, including the $23.8 billion already spent on the SLS system through 2022. That sum represents "$6 billion in cost increases and over six years in schedule delays above NASA's original projections," says the report. One of the issues has been integrating older NASA technology with newer systems. "These increases are caused by interrelated issues such as assumptions that the use of heritage technologies… were expected to result in significant cost and schedule savings compared to developing new systems for the SLS," the audit states.

Sam Altman, the CEO of artificial intelligence lab OpenAI, told a Senate panel he welcomes federal regulation on the technology'to mitigate' its risks. A stranger in a coffee shop can watch you and learn virtually everything about you, where you've been and even predict your movements "with greater ease and precision than ever before," experts say. All the user would need is a photo and advanced artificial intelligence technology that already exists, said Kevin Baragona, a founder of DeepAI.org. "There are services online that can use a photo of you, and I can find everything. Every instance of your face on the internet, every place you've been and use that for stalker-type purposes," Baragona told Fox News Digital.

It was a tough week in tech. The top US health official warned about the risks of social media to young people; tech billionaire Elon Musk further trashed his reputation with the disastrous Twitter launch of a presidential campaign; and senior executives at OpenAI, makers of ChatGPT, called for the urgent regulation of "super intelligence". But to Doug Rushkoff – a leading digital age theorist, early cyberpunk and professor at City University of New York – the triple whammy of rough events represented some timely corrective justice for the tech barons of Silicon Valley. And more may be to come as new developments in tech come ever thicker and faster. "They're torturing themselves now, which is kind of fun to see. They're afraid that their little AIs are going to come for them. They're apocalyptic, and so existential, because they have no connection to real life and how things work. They're afraid the AIs are going to be as mean to them as they've been to us," Rushkoff told The Guardian in an interview.

AI chatbots have permeated virtually every app across every industry. However, social media has been one of the slowest areas for in-app chatbot integration. The only attempt so far has been Snapchat's AI-powered chatbot, which was an entire flop. Now, TikTok decided it wanted to give generative AI a try too. Another image shows an example of a user using the chatbot to learn more about a video that came up on their FYP regarding King Charles III's coronation.

Google has finally removed a controversial mobile game that allowed players to buy, sell and even inflict torture on black characters. Called'Simulador de Escravidão' (or'Slavery Simulator'), the Android game for'all ages' was created by Malaysian games developer Magnus Games. It was released to Google's Play Store on April 20 and downloaded more than 1,000 times before it was removed on Wednesday following uproar on social media. But it still remains available to people who have already downloaded it, according to Brazilian daily newspaper Folha de S Paulo. It follows claims that the hugely popular FIFA football video game perpetuates racist myths and stereotypes about black people.

The White House has met with AI executives, released an AI bill of rights and an AI risk management framework, but who should run the show? WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressional lawmakers agreed that AI needs federal oversight, but several were skeptical that President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris were capable of leading the effort. "I wouldn't trust Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to be able to successfully operate an iPhone, much less be a key focal point of AI policy," Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz told Fox News. "That said, there are some leading minds in the Democratic Party here on the Hill who I think are evaluating these issues with great thoughtfulness: Ted Lieu, Ro Khanna." Rep. Matt Gaetz said neither Biden nor Harris should run the White House's AI efforts.

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the imminent X Date when the United States hits the debt ceiling and could default; the presidential campaign announcements of Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott; and the possibilities of regulating artificial intelligence. Here are some notes and references from this week's show: Ezra Klein for The New York Times: "Liberals Are Persuading Themselves of a Debt Ceiling Plan That Won't Work" John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: "Former Google executive speaks out against AI" Emily Conover for Science News Explores: "A new supercomputer just set a world record for speed" Here are this week's chatters: John: Oliver Whang for The New York Times: "A Paralyzed Man Can Walk Naturally Again With Brain and Spine Implants"; Henri Lorach, et al., for Nature: "Walking naturally after spinal cord injury using a brain-spine interface" David: NatureSweet Twilights tomato; join David at a live taping of City Cast DC on Saturday June 3 at 1 p.m., Right Proper Brewing's Brookland production house and tasting room. For this week's Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss Harlan Crow's collections and Graeme Wood's article in The Atlantic: "Inside the Garden of Evil." Tickets are on sale now.

Deep fake videos of President Joe Biden and Republican frontrunner Donald Trump highlight how the 2024 presidential race could be the first serious test of American democracy's resilience to artificial intelligence. Videos of Biden dressed as trans star Dylan Mulvaney promoting Bud Light and Trump teaching tax evasion inside a quiet Albuquerque nail salon show that not even the nation's most powerful figures are safe from AI identity theft. Experts say that while today it is relatively easy to spot these fakes, it will be impossible in the coming years because technology is advancing at such a fast pace. There have already been glimpses of the real-world harms of AI. Just earlier this week, an AI-crafted image of black smoke billowing out of the Pentagon sent shockwaves through the stock market before media factcheckers could finally correct the record.

TikTok could soon have a new way for users to discover content. The company is in the "early stages" of testing an AI-powered chatbot, called Tako, which will be able to recommend videos and respond to queries about what users are watching. The bot, which was first reported by TechCrunch, is currently being tested in the Philippines, TikTok said in a statement. "Tako is powered by a third-party chat assistant and is designed to help make it easier to discover entertaining and inspiring content on TikTok," the company said. Despite being in an early phase of testing, TikTok is apparently featuring Tako fairly prominently in the app. A shortcut to the assistant sits in the main right-hand menu alongside shortcuts for bookmarks, and likes, according to TechCrunch, which got a peek at the feature.