Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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megaphone-wrapped-in-barbed-wire-the-concept-of-banning-freedom-of-speech-censorship-barbed-wire-megaphone-stockpack-adobe-stock
megaphone wrapped in barbed wire. the concept of banning freedom of speech. censorship barbed wire megaphone
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post
Author
News
Date
August 25, 2023
Categorized
Censorship
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World Famous Psychologist Loses Appeal to Avoid “Social Media Training”

Does this decision legitimately restrict free speech?
News
August 25, 2023
2
Censorship

Clinical psychologist, world-renowned speaker, and author Jordan B. Peterson, who rose to international fame in 2017 after speaking out against an impending Canadian speech law involving mandatory gender pronoun use, may be compelled to take in “social media training.” (RELATED: Three More Key Takeaways From the Twitter Files and Their Fallout | Mind Matters) Several complaints regarding Peterson’s online rhetoric were sent to the College of Psychologists of Ontario in 2022, and the organization decided to have him undergo a professionalism training in order to address his online tone. Peterson appealed the decision, but lost, according to CBC: Three Ontario Divisional Court judges unanimously dismissed Peterson’s application, ruling that the college’s decision falls within its mandate to regulate the profession in Read More ›

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Nuclear war concept. Explosion of nuclear bomb. Creative artwork decoration in dark.
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post
Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
August 25, 2023
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Arts & Culture
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What Oppenheimer Teaches Us About Today’s Cultural Moment

Let us hope we have the wisdom to take heed of the messages the movie communicates.
Wesley J. Smith
August 25, 2023
6
Arts & Culture

Oppenheimer is the best film Hollywood has produced since The Godfather. The movie brilliantly recounts how the theoretical physicist and genius J. Robert Oppenheimer led the urgent U.S. effort to develop the atomic bomb during World War II that culminated in the obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and inducted the world into the Atomic Age. The movie is gripping in the (mostly) true story it tells, with acting tours de force by its stars and supporting players, brilliant writing, and terrific cinematography. But, like all great art, it evokes reactions in the viewer beyond what the filmmaker might have intended. For me, even though the story takes place between the 1920s and 1950s, the film highlights two cautionary lessons acutely relevant to Read More ›

video-player-app-on-phones-screen-and-wireless-earphones-on-dark-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
Video player app on phone's screen and wireless earphones on dark background
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post
Author
News
Date
August 24, 2023
Categorized
Censorship
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“Deeply Unsettling:” Popular YouTube Host Concerned Over Online Censorship

After one of his videos was removed from YouTube, economist and talk show host Glenn Loury had questions.
News
August 24, 2023
2
Censorship

Glenn Loury is a professor at Brown University and a Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. In addition, he hosts the Glenn Show on YouTube where he interviews several different thinkers, writers, etc. However, one of Loury’s videos, an interview he performed with Mark Goldblatt, author of I Feel, Therefore I Am: The Triumph of Woke Subjectivism, was taken down from YouTube on the charges of violating the platform’s community guidelines. Loury and Goldblatt discussed the sensitive issue of transgenderism, and the latter’s opinion on the matter was deemed controversial enough to count as hate speech. In this video, Loury and his production assistant, Nikita Petrov, talk about online censorship, free speech, Substack as an alternative to Twitter/X, and how Read More ›

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Julie Love at COSM 2021 interviewed by Jay Richards
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Author
News
Date
August 24, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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Microsoft’s Julie Love on Quantum Computing

How might quantum computing change the technology in the future?
News
August 24, 2023
2
Technology

In today’s featured video from a past COSM conference, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jay Richards interviews Julie Love, Director of Quantum Computing Business Development at Microsoft, about how quantum computing differs from classical computing and what the future holds for this technology. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) COSM is an exclusive national summit on the technologies remaking the world as we know it. The mission of the conference is to stimulate debate and deliberation amongst industry leaders, illuminating the synergy between Seattle and the world and providing a scene of civilized conversation and exchange. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at Read More ›

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flags
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Author
News
Date
August 23, 2023
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Technology
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Meta Introduces New Translator Tool

Meta's goal of making a universal translator is starting to materialize
News
August 23, 2023
2
Technology

Meta has developed a new speech-to-text model that can translate almost 100 languages, according to The Verge. The announcement reflects Meta’s recent attempts to expand their AI sector. (RELATED: Meta’s Weird New Speech AI | Mind Matters) Emilia David writes, SeamlessM4T, which stands for Massively Multilingual and Multimodal Machine Translation, that the company said can translate speech-to-text and text-to-text for nearly 100 languages. For speech-to-speech and text-to-speech actions, it recognizes 100 input languages and converts them into 35 output languages. -Emilia David, Meta releases multilingual speech translation model – The Verge Meta’s ultimate goal is to make a “universal translator.” The multi-billion dollar technology company compared the new model to the “Babel Fish” in the novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Read More ›

electric-car-charging-stockpack-adobe-stock
Electric car charging
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post
Author
Walter Myers III
Date
August 23, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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Hybrid Cars Are the Future

Plug-in hybrids offer motorists a balanced option with virtually no downsides, writes Walter Meyers III
Walter Myers III
August 23, 2023
6
Technology

Mark P. Mills, Senior Fellow at Manhattan Institute, just released his latest report on electric vehicles, titled “Electric Vehicles for Everyone? The Impossible Dream.” In his detailed 48-page report, Mills provides compelling evidence to support his thesis that proposed government mandates on tailpipe emissions will effectively eliminate gasoline-powered vehicles and force automobile manufacturers to produce primarily all-electric vehicles (EVs). Mills’ report confirms my view that plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), with a caveat, should ultimately win the day from a practical perspective in terms of providing the best option for most motorists, as compared to EVs and mild hybrids. Mills’ key argument — one that seems to be entirely lost on states that have instituted EV mandates — is that building out Read More ›

brain flowers water
brain made from water and flowers on pastel background concept art, photo, Shot on 65mm lens, Shutter Speed 1 4000, F 1.8 White Balance, 32k, Super-Resolution, Pro Photo RGB, Half rear Lighting, Backl
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 22, 2023
Categorized
Neuroscience, Psychology
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The Left and Right Brain Both Want Pop Science Media to Chill

Neuroscience is not an especially rewarding field for the pursuit of dogma
Denyse O'Leary
August 22, 2023
5
Neuroscience, Psychology

A staple of coffee room chatter has been left brain vs. right brain thinking. You know, “He’s one of those left-brain types; he’d fire us all to save money!” Or, “She’s really a right-brain kind of person so if something looks beautiful, she probably isn’t thinking about what would happen if…” Left brain, right brain. It’s one of those complex cultural concepts that starts in conventional science fact, explodes into pop psychology chatter, and then settles into a small, murky world that can only be navigated by serious thinking. First, vertebrates generally have brains divided into two lobes, an arrangement that may go back half a billion years. The right hemisphere usually controls the left side of the body and Read More ›

science-and-research-of-the-universe-spiral-galaxy-and-physical-formulas-concept-of-knowledge-and-education-stockpack-adobe-stock
Science and research of the universe, spiral galaxy and physical formulas, concept of knowledge and education
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post
Author
News
Date
August 22, 2023
Categorized
Mathematics
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From Physics to Faith?

A podcast episode looking at how physics points to more than meets the eye
News
August 22, 2023
2
Mathematics

Do you recognize the number 1/137.035999206? It might seem arbitrary, but if the fine-structure constant were any higher or lower than it is, you might not exist! On this episode of ID the Future, host Brian Miller kicks off an engaging conversation with Rabbi Elie Feder and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast. Feder has a PhD in mathematics and has published articles on graph theory. Zimmer has training in physics, and has studied mathematics, philosophy, and psychology. Both men also have extensive rabbinical training. Through their podcast, Feder and Zimmer invite both secular and religious listeners on a journey through modern physics as they offer rational arguments for an intelligent cause of the universe. In Part 1 of Read More ›

humanoid-robot-artist-painting-a-portrait-on-a-canvas-in-an-artist-studio-showing-the-concept-of-science-and-artificial-intelligence-technology-computer-generative-ai-stock-illustration-image-stockpack-adobe-stock
Humanoid robot artist painting a portrait on a canvas in an artist studio showing the concept of science and artificial intelligence technology, computer Generative AI stock illustration image
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post
Author
News
Date
August 22, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

AI “Art” Can’t Be Copyrighted, Judge Rules

Copyright entails original, human creation, which AI images don't reflect
News
August 22, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

A federal judge has ruled that AI-generated artwork can’t legally be attributed to the person who prompted the work, according to The Verge. AI-generated artwork systems like DALL-E and Midjourney, despite their impressive capabilities, have sparked debate and legal controversies regarding the rights of artists and whether AI images should be treated as independent and original creations. For United States District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell, AI art isn’t original and therefore can not be copyrighted. (RELATED: Will Stability AI Go Down in Court? | Mind Matters) In justifying her decision, Howell said that copyright always involves a human hand. Wes Davis reports, In her decision, Judge Howell wrote that copyright has never been granted to work that was “absent Read More ›

smart-city-dot-point-connect-with-gradient-grid-line-connection-technology-metaverse-concept-night-city-banner-with-big-data-stockpack-adobe-stock
Smart city dot point connect with gradient grid line, connection technology metaverse concept. Night city banner with big data.
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post
Author
News
Date
August 21, 2023
Categorized
Technology, Virtual Reality
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Dan Mapes and the “Spatial Web”

Is this the next step of the evolving Internet?
News
August 21, 2023
2
Technology, Virtual Reality

In an interview with philosopher Jay Richards, Dan Mapes, Founder of Verses Technologies, describes what he sees as the next step in the evolution of the Internet: the spatial web. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) “In a way you’re shrink-wrapping the world with data,” said Mapes in describing “digital twinning,” which seeks to compute 3-D spaces to an online world. “You want to be able to navigate to these places just like they were websites.” Mapes noted that users of the “spatial web” could also visit fantasy worlds like Hogwarts, not just real-life places like airports, city blocks, and work offices. He thinks it will have major implications in air travel, directing autonomous drones, etc. You can watch the full, Read More ›

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Laboratory technician checking CDC specimen submitting form, laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 Coronavirus disease infection,global pandemic crisis,swab collection patient specimen procedure
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post
Author
Wesley J. Smith
Date
August 21, 2023
Categorized
Medicine and Health
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CDC Neglects to Include Assisted Deaths in Official Suicide Report

Assisted dying is a form of suicide, regardless of the ways our culture has euphemized the term
Wesley J. Smith
August 21, 2023
2
Medicine and Health

2021 was among the worst years ever for suicides in the U.S., with 2022 looking to have been even worse. According to the CDC, in 2021, 48,183 people killed themselves. That number is projected to increase to 49,449 for 2022 once the data are tabulated. That’s a terrible tragedy. But it is even worse than that because assisted suicides are not included in the suicide statistics. Why? Because the laws legalizing assisted suicide in most states — which is euphemistically referred to as “medical aid in dying” (MAID) or “death with dignity” — redefine a doctor-prescribed overdose as other than what it is: suicide. Indeed, most of these laws require doctors to lie about the actual cause as the underlying disease Read More ›

the-arched-stone-colonnade-with-lanterns-stockpack-adobe-stock
The arched stone colonnade with lanterns
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 19, 2023
Categorized
Media, Philosophy, Politics, Science
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When Science Writers Say Things We Hardly Expected…

Some science writers are monotonous boosters for Answers from Science but the better ones challenge themselves, and thus challenge us too
Denyse O'Leary
August 19, 2023
6
Media, Philosophy, Politics, Science

Science writers have the sort of relationship to science that automotive writers do to cars. Readers often hear a thumbs up! or down! about one trend, theory, or school of thought. But in the rush and press of news, we less often hear a philosophical reflection that goes beyond cliches like “Science is self-correcting.” But, every now and again, we do. Here are three recent examples. The “Scientific Method” is Rather Messier than We Think… Philip Ball, author of Beautiful Experiments: An Illustrated History of Experimental Science (University of Chicago 2023), discusses the messy truth about how theories win out in a recent article at Nautilus: Scientists often assert that their practice is governed by the “scientific method,” in which Read More ›

human-hand-shakes-artificial-intelligence-robotic-hand-concept-of-union-between-human-being-and-artificial-intelligence-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
Human hand shakes artificial intelligence robotic hand, concept of union between human being and artificial intelligence, Generative AI
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
August 19, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality
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Artificial Intelligence: The Final Stage of Disembodiment?

The Internet invites a disembodied existence. Is AI the next step?
Peter Biles
August 19, 2023
6
Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality

Dr. Read Schuchardt, professor of communications at Wheaton College (IL), identifies five primary ways digital technology can erode our lives and relationships, or produce what he calls “vices of the virtual life”: Speaking of disembodiment, which he regards as perhaps the primary negative effect of virtual life, Schuchardt writes, On the phone, on the web, on the TV, you are simultaneously everywhere and nowhere. This creates a mind-body separation that both mimics death and parodies angels, eliminates the possibility of natural law, and allows you to become pure ‘information,’ simply wearing the corporate body as your own. -Read Schuchardt, Media, Journalism, and Communication, p. 56. I’ve found this to be true in my own experience; time online produces an inner Read More ›

black-labyrinth-background-with-dof-focus-stockpack-adobe-stock
Black labyrinth background with dof focus
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post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
August 19, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction
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Westworld Episode 10 Review (Part One)

The maze isn't the only thing that's hard to navigate in this episode.
Gary Varner
August 19, 2023
8
Arts & Culture, Science Fiction

I’ll start out with the most irrelevant plot first because almost no screen time is devoted to it, and it amounts to nothing in the end anyway. Hale successfully convinces the Board to fire Ford, not that he really cares. But Hale has been convinced this entire time that Ford is going to delete the park’s data out of spite. So, after Theresa is killed, she enlists Sizemore, a jaded writer who works for the park, to smuggle the data out through one of the decommissioned robots. This plan doesn’t work; however, because all the robots wake up by the end of the episode, and the data is lost in the vengeful horde. So, it’s a plot point that goes Read More ›

abstract-scene-of-overcoming-the-temporary-space-stockpack-adobe-stock
abstract scene of overcoming the temporary space
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 19, 2023
Categorized
Philosophy, Physics, Science Fiction
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The Big Bang: Last Summer, Doubt Suddenly Exploded. Why?

Why did a story that cast doubt on the Big Bang quickly go viral about a year ago? An experimental physicist offers some thoughts
Denyse O'Leary
August 19, 2023
7
Philosophy, Physics, Science Fiction

Earlier this month, we learned from the National Academy of Sciences that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is prompting a rethink of how galaxies form. Experimental physicist Rob Sheldon wrote to comment that “The doubts about ‘galaxy formation’ are trickling upwards into mainstream channels.” There is talk of the JWST observations as a “watershed moment,” of dark energy and dark matter failing, and … while theorists are not quite at the point yet of criticizing the Big Bang model itself, that’s certainly not as implausible now as it might have seemed a decade ago. Many People Seem to Harbor Doubts About the Big Bang Well, we do live in unsettled times. Roughly a year ago (August 13, 2022), I Read More ›

close-up-image-of-a-human-cell-nucleus-with-chromatin-strands-cytology-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
Close-up image of a human cell nucleus with chromatin strands, cytology Generative AI
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 18, 2023
Categorized
Biology, Information Theory
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Can Information Be Separated From Intelligence? Part 3

Theoretical biologist Barbieri’s practical dilemma is that a popular, dominant idea like “life is just chemistry” need not be proved, only insisted on
Denyse O'Leary
August 18, 2023
6
Biology, Information Theory

We’ve been following the efforts of University of Ferrara theoretical biologist Marcello Barbieri to make sense of the enormous amount of information in life forms. His 2016 paper proposes to do it in a thoroughly physicalist science environment where life is just chemistry that once happened to swish together in an unusual way. As we have seen in Part 1 and Part 2, the project is not going well. Meaning Cannot Exist in an Intellectually Null Universe The idea that information is a mere linguistic metaphor that does not really belong in science is popular in biology today. It supports conventional biologists’ greatest intellectual commitment: That Darwinian evolution, by natural selection acting on random mutation, creates the entire complex, specified Read More ›

group-of-college-students-studying-in-the-school-library-a-girl-and-a-boy-are-using-a-laptop-and-connecting-to-internet-stockpack-adobe-stock
Group of college students studying in the school library, a girl and a boy are using a laptop and connecting to internet
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post
Author
News
Date
August 18, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Education
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Teachers Gear Up for a New Year – and ChatGPT

Due to ChatGPT's popularity, many schools are seeking ways to integrate the technology into their learning environments.
News
August 18, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence, Education

GPT-3, released by OpenAI in November, swiftly undermined the integrity of many a student’s academic work. Professors across disciplines have had to contend with how to discern machine vs. human-generated work. Now, with a new school year underway, that challenge remains. Due to ChatGPT’s popularity, many schools are seeking ways to integrate the technology into their learning environments. But the question of how to do this remains murky. Bloomberg reports, But professors and administrators seeking to integrate generative AI into their curriculums are left with a big question: How? They need to find the right middle ground, said Steve Weber, vice provost of undergraduate curriculum and education at Drexel University. Educators can’t completely prohibit use of the tool and neglect to teach it, but Read More ›

aerial-perspective-of-a-crop-circle-with-mathematical-symbols-stockpack-adobe-stock
aerial perspective of a crop circle with mathematical symbols
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 17, 2023
Categorized
Education, Mathematics, Politics, Psychology
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Does Deep Social Change Underlie the War on Math?

Why is the universal language of science sinking under the weight of claims about trauma and privilege?
Denyse O'Leary
August 17, 2023
6
Education, Mathematics, Politics, Psychology

Citing a recent article in the journal Urban Education aimed at “healing practices through the use of Social Justice Mathematics.” education watchdog Joanne Jacobs notes a trend, aimed at California schools, toward turning math class into a soap opera: … Another problem read: “I have US$100. I owe 1/4 of my money to my mom, 2/5 to my grandmother, and 4/10 to my brother. Do I have enough money to pay everyone back? How much money should each person get?” After students calculate that this woman owes more money than she has, they watch a video of a single mom struggling to make ends meet. They are then asked questions like, “What are some feelings that you are having when Read More ›

ideas-escape-from-brain-of-pensive-african-man-stockpack-adobe-stock
Ideas escape from brain of pensive african man
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 17, 2023
Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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Does Left Brain-Only Thinking Impoverish Our Mental World? How?

A discussion of the left brain vs the right brain that avoids pop science can set us thinking, as psychiatrist McGilchrist and neurologist Dirckx show
Denyse O'Leary
August 17, 2023
7
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Recently, we looked at a discussion between Christian neuroscientist Sharon Dirckx and eclectic psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist on the nature of the mind. The stimulating level of their conversation on Justin Brierley’s show Unbelievable pointed up — by omission — the wasteland that eliminative materialism brings to so much discussion of the mind today. The middle part of the discussion focused on McGilchrist’s approach to the difference between “right-brain” and “left brain” thinking. Essentially, our brains are lateralized, such that two duplicate halves control opposite sides of our bodies — but they also specialize for some specific functions. So your right brain controls your left hand, and so forth. This topic often degenerates into debunkable pop science fluff. The fluff loses Read More ›

capture-the-essence-of-blockchain-technology-stockpack-adobe-stock
Capture the essence of blockchain technology
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post
Author
News
Date
August 17, 2023
Categorized
Cryptocurrency
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Blockchain and the New COSM Architecture

Investigating the past, present, and future of the Internet
News
August 17, 2023
2
Cryptocurrency

In today’s featured COSM video, telecom expert Dan Berninger facilitates a discussion examining the past, present, and future of the Internet. Together they outline a compelling picture of a next generation internet that is less cumbersome, more efficient, and more secure. Panelists include Gurdeep Pall, Corporate VP of Microsoft, Dr. Bob Metcalfe, internet pioneer, entrepreneur, and Professor of Innovation at the University of Texas at Austin, and Dan Mapes, Founder of Verses Technologies. COSM is an exclusive national summit on the technologies remaking the world as we know it. The mission of the conference is to stimulate debate and deliberation amongst industry leaders, illuminating the synergy between Seattle and the world and providing a scene of civilized conversation and exchange. Read More ›