Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

CategoryMedia

violation-of-law-law-breaking-concept-metal-handcuffs-on-canadian-flag-on-black-background-top-view-stockpack-adobe-stock
Violation of law, law-breaking concept. Metal handcuffs on Canadian flag on black background top view

Canada Prepares Harsh New Online Harms Bill to Fight “Hate”

Canada is a comparatively peaceful country, so onlookers might puzzle over the assumption that draconian measures are needed to fight poorly defined “hate.”

Yesterday, I discussed the way in which Canadian government efforts to manage the news industry led to Canadians being restricted by Facebook from posting links to news media. Undeterred, the government now seeks to stamp out “hate”/“hate speech” in online media. The Online Harms bill, C-63, if enacted as proposed, according to a veteran free speech journalist, provides that “victims of ‘hate speech’ could be compensated up to $20,000.” Also, “a new stand-alone hate crime offence would be added to the criminal code allowing for penalties of up to life imprisonment.” It also provides for house arrest for people who, it is feared, “may commit a hate crime in future.” Related 2023 legislation (C-11) requires that all podcasters and streamers, Read More ›

ottawa-parliament-buildings-center-block-with-peace-tower-and-canadian-flag-stockpack-adobe-stock
Ottawa Parliament Buildings Center Block with Peace Tower and Canadian flag

When Government Manages the News Business: Canada Tried That…

Any comprehensive censorship regime requires that the government begin by managing the news business
Canadians lost the right to post news links to Facebook and Instagram. And, amid media layoffs, Google did not give media the sum they hoped for. Read More ›
journalist-reporter-dedicated-storytellers-of-world-news-and-information-era-of-rapid-media-evolution-well-informed-microphone-tv-television-press-communication-role-online-stockpack-adobe-stock
journalist, reporter, dedicated storytellers of world, news and information, era of rapid media evolution, well-informed, microphone TV television press communication role online.

Why Mainstream Media Can No Longer Really Fight Censorship

Whether they realize it or not, by accepting funds in order to survive, the MSM will gradually become agencies of government

TV personalities — ones you might not have expected — have begun to notice the way mainstream media now drop the ball on news coverage. The usually apolitical TV psychologist Dr. Phil, for example, was recently holding forth to podcaster Joe Rogan on their inability to report honestly on many sensitive political subjects. Medical doctor Drew Pinsky, who has offered relationship advice in a number of media venues, is saying similar things. News about every cultural flashpoint now seems to be managed in the way that facts about COVID-19 were at the height of the pandemic scare. Why fight censorship if you can just censor yourself? An inevitable outcome of the strategic lack of curiosity among journalists is a marked Read More ›

censorship-on-freedom-of-speech-restriction-of-public-opinion-right-to-protest-and-activism-undemocratic-practices-and-governments-stockpack-adobe-stock
Censorship on freedom of speech. Restriction of public opinion, right to protest and activism. Undemocratic practices and governments.

How Censorship Has Changed and Why That Matters So Much

The way censorship works now, you don’t even know about it. So it is much more difficult to protest.
Today’s censorship depends in part on the fact that failing mainstream media don’t want to know. Stories are increasingly broken by independent writers. Read More ›
ai-chatbot-intelligent-digital-customer-service-application-concept-computer-mobile-application-uses-artificial-intelligence-chatbots-automatically-respond-online-messages-to-help-customers-instantly-stockpack-adobe-stock
AI Chatbot intelligent digital customer service application concept, computer mobile application uses artificial intelligence chatbots automatically respond online messages to help customers instantly

A Thoughtful Reader’s Reaction to Next Gen AI Hype

Recent hype at Wired Magazine about new personal assistant technology garnered a — perhaps unexpected — reaction
At Wired we learn that the new app will require more chatting. Reader: “I really don’t want to chat with anyone, especially if they’re a bot, or a salesperson.” Read More ›
concept-of-propaganda-and-fake-news-tv-addiction-sheepd-watching-tv-in-dark-room-politicians-manipulate-the-population-stockpack-adobe-stock
Concept of propaganda and fake news, TV addiction. Sheepd watching TV in dark room. Politicians manipulate the population.

What Will the New Media Landscape Look Like?

Billionaires have been “scooping up” publishers in recent years but that has not stopped the bleed of red ink

In 2020, at Idea Grove, a PR and marketing firm’s blog, Jarrett Rush asked a title question, “What will the media landscape look like in five years?” Four of those five years are up so we can fairly assess two of the predictions: First, Twitter is going to continue to explode as a hub for media ‘pre-reporting.’ Many reporters vet SMEs and story ideas through Twitter already, but as traditional forms of media continue to die out, we will only continue to see growth in nontraditional platforms like Twitter. – Mary Brynn Milburn Well, something like that did happen, sort of. Elon Musk bought Twitter, changed its name to X, revealed all the government-directed censorship that previous management co-operated with, Read More ›

archaeological-excavations-and-finds-bones-of-a-skeleton-in-a-human-burial-a-detail-of-ancient-research-prehistory-stockpack-adobe-stock
Archaeological excavations and finds (bones of a skeleton in a human burial),   a detail of ancient research, prehistory.

Scientists Spar Over What a Netflix Science Documentary Should Be

Should “Ancient Apocalypse” be relabeled “science fiction” if archeologists don’t think the documentary writer’s claims are valid?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal raises the question, should some Netflix documentaries be labeled science fiction? Two are currently targeted by researchers in paleontology and archeology respectively. One is Unknown: Cave of Bones (2023) in which paleoanthropologist Lee Berger and his team attempt to show that the world’s oldest graveyard was created by homo Naledi, who flourished in the Rising Star cave system from 335,000–236,000 years ago. The site contains 1,550 bone specimens from 15 individuals. The other is Ancient Apocalypse (2023), in which journalist Graham Hancock argues that an advanced ancient civilization existed 12,000 years ago and spurred many developments in human technology before disappearing. At the Wall Street Journal, Aylin Woodward tells us that the Read More ›

ai-chatbot-robot-assistant-sitting-at-desk-using-computer-as-artificial-intelligence-business-concept-ai-generated-stockpack-adobe-stock
AI chatbot robot assistant sitting at desk using computer as artificial intelligence. Business concept. AI generated

What AI Will Probably Really Do to White Collar Businesses

The tech media are full of scare stories but we can look at what happened when advanced technology hit blue collar industries as a guide

If you read the tech media, you may sometimes find yourself wondering if you (or they?) Are living in a sci-fi movie? Consider these news tidbits: “even in situations designed to prevent it from happening, chatbots invent information at least 3 percent of the time — and as high as 27 percent.” (New York Times) “Eighty-nine percent of machine learning (ML) engineers who work with generative AI say their models show signs of hallucination, according to survey results published Wednesday from ML observability platform Aporia.” (Fortune) Elsewhere, we are told, some AI could act as sleeper agents: “A sleeper agent is an AI that acts innocuous until it gets some trigger, then goes rogue.” At TechCrunch, we learn “Anthropic researchers Read More ›

woman-gesticulating-during-interview-with-media-press-conference-close-up-stockpack-adobe-stock
Woman gesticulating during interview with media, press conference, close-up

As Legacy Media Continues in Decline, It Espouses Censorship More

Even as late as the turn of the millennium, media people tended to be reflexively against censorship, but then courage failed along with relevance

Amid the continuing layoffs and plummeting public trust, traditional mainstream media have tended to favor censorship far more than they used to. As John Lloyd, co-founder of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, put it recently at Quillette, The US media enjoys the world’s strongest protections of speech and publication, so it might have been counted on to oppose this movement in the name of those freedoms. But instances of journalists being fired or forced to resign for writing or saying the wrong thing have been growing, and these cases tend to follow a similar pattern. First, a writer or editor publishes a piece that is deemed offensive to one or more groups of “marginalised” individuals. Second, activists, Read More ›

creative-idea-with-brain-and-light-bulb-illustration-with-generative-ai-technology-stockpack-adobe-stock
Creative Idea with Brain and Light Bulb Illustration, with Generative AI Technology

Robert J. Marks on the Copyright Lawsuits Against the Chatbots

Essentially, the salad of material that the chatbot produces for users contains thousands of ingredients lifted without compensation from copyright holders

Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks published an article today at Newsmax on the swamp of litigation the chatbot developers are finding themselves in. Both the New York Times and Authors’ Guild are suing OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT for copyright infringement. Artists are suing generative AI firms. Essentially, the salad of material that the chatbot produces for users contains thousands of ingredients lifted without compensation from copyright holders. Marks, a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Baylor University, points to the fate of Napster, an online music service that tried something similar at the turn of the millennium: It revolutionized the way people shared and downloaded music over the internet and allowed users to connect their computers to share Read More ›

press-and-media-camera-video-photographer-on-duty-in-public-new-stockpack-adobe-stock
press and media camera ,video photographer on duty in public new

How Bottom Up Media Now Threaten the Traditional Top Tier

New media resources like subscription-based Substack are rapidly becoming the venue of choice for whistleblowers with stories to break

Earlier this week I noted the way bottom up media are slowly replacing top down media. A story breaking just then provides, in its way, a perfect vignette. Former Timesman James Bennet has written a memoir in The Economist of the revealing incident in which he was forced to resign in 2020. He concludes that the New York Times has “lost its way.” The uproar centered on his allowing Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton to pen an op-ed which urged that troops be called in to deal with the massive George Floyd riots. As Bennet points out, Cotton’s perspective was widely shared among Americans; thus it merited discussion on principle. But his preference for open discussion resulted in a newsroom Read More ›

young-freelancer-working-with-laptop-at-home-side-view-of-male-working-on-freelance-at-home-office-stockpack-adobe-stock
Young freelancer working with laptop at home. Side view of male working on freelance at home office.

How Bottom Up Media Are Slowly Replacing Top Down Media

The decline and death of legacy media organizations is speeding up and the media replacing them are much smaller, more numerous and more independent

The recent news that Popular Science has shut down — after 151 years — highlights the increasingly rapid decline of traditional, top-down media. Matthew Yglesias summarizes: The media industry saw several waves of high-profile layoffs in 2023. We had layoffs in January, Gawker shut down in February, Buzzfeed cut 15 percent of its staff in April, Condé Nast laid off staff (including at the New Yorker), NPR cut ten percent of its workforce, and Vox Media laid off four percent of its staff on November 30, after a prior round of layoffs. Last year also closed with a bunch of media layoffs, which came on the heels of pandemic layoffs, so it’s been a brutal few years. Matthew Yglesias, “Another Read More ›

a-close-up-handshake-between-a-doctor-and-a-patient-in-a-medical-office-with-clean-stockpack-adobe-stock
A close - up handshake between a doctor and a patient in a medical office with clean

Do Scientists Need to Learn to Lie More Believably?

As public trust in science diminishes, one serious proposal that scientists should manipulate our beliefs for our own good

Australian philosopher and medic Chris Ellis thinks that science writers should quit telling everyone that the universe is a meaningless void, even though he seems to think it is: We live in a deterministic world without free will, yet we must choose to accept science and prevent climate change. And we must act now! 1.The universe is destined to end in a dead, freezing void and life has no meaning. But we must prevent climate change so our planet does not become a dead, overheated void – and we can continue our meaningless lives. 2.As a result of these paradoxes, those who do not align with science’s claims about the fundamental nature of the universe may not accept scientific arguments Read More ›

Atomic structure. Futuristic concept on the topic of nanotechnology in science. The nucleus of an atom surrounded by electrons on a technological background

Hossenfelder vs Goff: Debate About Electrons Sparks Social Media!

The public has not suddenly become interested in whether electrons exist. Rather, more people are using new media for an increasingly broad array of purposes.

It says a lot about how media are changing that panpsychist philosophy professor Philip Goff and theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder were in a bit of a verbal tussle at X (formerly Twitter) recently on whether electrons really exist. That sort of debate once inhabited historic lecture rooms, exalted think tanks, and the better science magazines. Now, the public has not suddenly become interested in whether electrons exist. Rather, more people are using new media for an increasingly broad array of purposes. X is no longer just a place where a poorly thought out remark on a sensitive subject can ruin a career. The discussion was definitely not a Twitter troll flame war. It was more like this: We can't observe Read More ›

genetic-research-and-biotech-science-concept-human-biology-and-pharmaceutical-technology-on-laboratory-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
Genetic research and Biotech science Concept. Human Biology and pharmaceutical technology on laboratory background.

Is Science Slipping Away on Us by Degrees?

Science writers weigh in on misrepresentation of science history, reasons for loss of trust, and whether physics is ripe for a revolution
When Anthony Fauci claimed to “represent science” — a claim no mortal should make — he probably knocked several points off trust in science immediately. Read More ›
video-archives-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
Video archives concept.

The Crisis of Trust in the Mainstream Media

A vibrant and engaged media is essential to protecting American liberty. But what if it can't be trusted?

This is cross-posted at Humanize. Visit this link to listen to the entire conversation between host Wesley J. Smith and journalist/commentator Alice Stewart. A vibrant and engaged media is essential to protecting American liberty—which is why the First Amendment provides such a strong protection for freedom of the press. If the media are to carry out their societal responsibilities, journalists must have the trust of news consumers. But these days, trust is in low supply. An October 2022 Gallup Poll found that only 34% of Americans trust the mass media to report the news “fully, accurately and fairly.” Why are the media experiencing this profound crisis of trust and what can be done about it? Wesley’s guest on this episode Read More ›

tv-news-studio-recording-and-broadcasting-media-in-a-modern-set-design-with-blue-background-for-journalists-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
TV News studio - recording and broadcasting media in a modern set design with blue background for journalists. Generative AI

How Media Have Helped To Corrupt Science

Traditional popular media, science media, and science journalists have all helped create a situation where we can’t afford to Trust the Science!
Neither popular media nor science media now play a traditional role as evaluators and critics of elite groups’ claims on behalf of a broad public. Read More ›
financial-updates-close-up-of-newspapers-daylight-high-definition-picture-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
Financial Updates, Close-Up of Newspapers, Daylight, High-Definition Picture Generative AI

Five Key Ways Media Have Changed in the Last 35 Years

Major media no longer really represent a vast number of average audience members
Increasingly, the audience is fragmenting as people select their own individually crafted news streams. We must accept responsibility for the streams we create. Read More ›
doctor-defibrillating-critical-patient-in-hospital-stockpack-adobe-stock
Doctor Defibrillating Critical Patient In Hospital

Near-Death Experience Study: Brain Is Active After Death

Science media are making surprisingly few efforts to attack or explain away the team’s findings
In their Discussion, the authors conclude, “The recalled experience surrounding death now merits further genuine empirical investigation without prejudice.” Read More ›
the-arched-stone-colonnade-with-lanterns-stockpack-adobe-stock
The arched stone colonnade with lanterns

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
One reason there can’t be Final Answers in science is that the questions keep changing as we learn more, and in some cases we are asking the wrong ones. Read More ›