Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagElon Musk

digital-chatbots-on-smartphones-access-data-and-information-in-online-networks-robot-applications-and-global-connectivity-ai-artificial-intelligence-innovation-and-technology-stockpack-adobe-stock
Digital chatbots on smartphones access data and information in online networks. Robot Applications and Global Connectivity AI Artificial Intelligence innovation and technology
Type
post
News
Date
July 14, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , ,

Musk: My AI Will “Understand Reality”

xAI, Musk's alternative to OpenAI, is shrouded in ambitious hopes
News
July 14, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Tech giant and billionaire Elon Musk is starting yet another company, and this one has to do with the talk of the town: artificial intelligence. The name of the venture is “xAI.” It’s been an interesting week in the tech and AI world. Meta released “Threads,” a Twitter alternative, and OpenAI is now under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, calling the AI company into question for its data scraping methods and ChatGPT’s tendency to spin false information. Now that AI is the apple in ever tech mogul’s eye at the moment, I guess it makes sense that Musk is reaching for the branch of temptation. He’s been teasing his hopes for his own AI company for a few months Read More ›

sports-concept-of-fighting-without-rules-two-athlete-wrestlers-in-the-arena-of-the-octagonal-scene-mood-fights-without-boxing-rules-mma-alternative-look-at-sporting-battles-through-the-metal-cage-stockpack-adobe-stock
Sports concept of fighting without rules. Two athlete wrestlers in the arena of the octagonal scene. Mood fights without boxing rules MMA. Alternative look at sporting battles through the metal cage
Type
post
News
Date
July 7, 2023
Categorized
Social Media
Tagged
, , ,

Really, a Cage Match?

Rumor has it that Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are going to fight each other (physically, not figuratively) in a cage match.
News
July 7, 2023
2
Social Media

Rumor has it that Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are going to fight each other (physically, not figuratively) in a cage match. Yes, you heard that right. After an online squabble, the two are purportedly interested in an actual fight. Today, the news broke that Musk has agreed to train with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre offered his services to Musk in a tweet, to which Musk replied, “Okay, let’s do it.” No one really knows if this fight will actually happen, but it could. It’s ludicrous that men of such stature should be entertaining the notion of a cage match. Nonetheless, Zuckerberg is apparently trained in martial arts, and seemed open to the idea given Read More ›

birds-symbol-carry-on-dialog-with-each-other-plasticine-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
Birds symbol carry on dialog with each other. Plasticine illustration.
Type
post
Peter Biles
Date
July 6, 2023
Categorized
Censorship, Social Media
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Twitter’s Copycat Rival is Coming to You via Meta. Will It Survive?

Meta will again co-opt the ideas of its competitors and hope for the best
Peter Biles
July 6, 2023
3
Censorship, Social Media

Meta is reportedly trying to compete with Twitter by introducing a similar app called Threads. The app will be connected to Instagram and will allow a cross-over of followers, etc. Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, some have complained about loosened constraints regarding speech and expression. A number of formerly suspended accounts, such as those belonging to psychologist Jordan Peterson, the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee, and a number of other (mostly conservative) voices, were reestablished following Musk’s “takeover.” Now Meta is trying to capitalize. If they’re going to launch Threads, now is probably the best time to do it. Apart from the overarching complaints against Twitter and Musk, the platform is now limiting how many tweets a user Read More ›

smartphone-screen-with-smart-home-technologies-on-a-blue-backdrop-internet-of-things-isometric-conceptual-image-digital-residence-utilizing-a-mobile-phones-fingerprint-to-get-access-to-iot-systems-stockpack-adobe-stock
Smartphone screen with smart home technologies on a blue backdrop. Internet of things isometric conceptual image. Digital Residence utilizing a mobile phone's fingerprint to get access to IOT systems
Type
post
Gary Smith
Date
June 12, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The LLM Deep Fake—Follow the Money

Hype sells. Just look at what's happening with AI
Gary Smith
June 12, 2023
7
Artificial Intelligence

Large language models (LLMs) are far more impressive now than they were just a few months or a year ago. Compare these exchanges I had with GPT-3 in June 2022 and with ChatGPT two days ago: Gary:          Can I improve my test scores if I study after taking the test? GPT-3:        That’s a good question. I’m not sure if you can improve your test scores by studying after taking the test, but it couldn’t hurt to try! ChatGPT:   Studying after taking a test is unlikely to directly improve your scores on that particular test since the test has already been completed. Once a test is finished, the opportunity to answer questions and provide responses has passed. However, studying after taking Read More ›

robot-take-over-solarized-image-stockpack-adobe-stock
robot take over solarized image
Type
post
Robert J. Marks
Date
June 5, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , ,

Not to Worry–AI Isn’t Going to Take Over

AI hype isn't new. Here's Robert J. Marks writing on the topic in 2017
Robert J. Marks
June 5, 2023
11
Artificial Intelligence

[The AI hype isn’t new. The history of exaggerating its potential goes back decades. In this article, Robert J. Marks echoes many of the views covered in more detail in his 2022 book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will. Today we share it with you, originally written on October 3rd, 2017, and published at The Stream.] A.I. is transforming our world. Should we worry about that? Entrepreneur billionaire Elon Musk is worried. Woody Allen once said, “What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet.” Musk thinks he overpaid for his carpet. He believes there’s a good chance the world as we know it is a sophisticated Read More ›

thinking with gears
Thinking mechanisms
Type
post
News
Date
June 1, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , ,

New Conversation Article: ChatGPT Can’t Think

Will AI ever reach a point where it can independently analyze, think, and transcend itself?
News
June 1, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Will AI ever reach a point where it can independently analyze, think, and transcend itself? Furthermore, will it ever become sentient? Some experts in the field, like Blake Lemoine, think AI has already breached the boundaries of sentience. Others, though, remain skeptical. A new article from The Conversation discusses ChatGPT, the Turing test, and the question of consciousness. For Turing, “thinking” meant simply passing the test, but his assumptions were misguided. Philip Goff writes, Turing was wrong, however, when he said the only clear notion of “understanding” is the purely behavioural one of passing his test. Although this way of thinking now dominates cognitive science, there is also a clear, everyday notion of “understanding” that’s tied to consciousness. To understand Read More ›

neurotechnology-and-neuromodulation-conceptual-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
Neurotechnology and Neuromodulation - Conceptual Illustration
Type
post
News
Date
May 26, 2023
Categorized
Technology
Tagged
, , , , ,

Neuralink All Set for Human Trials

What could go wrong?
News
May 26, 2023
2
Technology

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s bio-engineering company that launched in 2016, received approval from the FDA to begin human experiments with its brain implant technology. The company has struggled for years to gain such approval, and up to this point, has been investigated on occasion for potential dangers the implants might pose. Musk, however, is optimistic about the technology, and thinks it may have the potential to heal a range of disorders and illnesses including autism, depression, and schizophrenia. However, the organization is being “probed” by various governmental agencies. According to a Reuters report, The Department of Transportation is separately probing whether Neuralink illegally transported dangerous pathogens on chips removed from monkey brains without proper containment measures. Neuralink is also under investigation by the U.S. Department Read More ›

aerial-view-of-the-pentagon-and-the-united-states-air-force-memorial-in-arlington-virginia-stockpack-adobe-stock
Aerial view of the Pentagon and the United States Air Force Memorial in Arlington, Virginia
Type
post
News
Date
May 24, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Fake Fire at the Pentagon

An AI image of a fire near Pentagon stokes panic
News
May 24, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

An AI-generated image showing a billowing fire near the U.S. Pentagon caused panic this week. False alarms of an explosion started to proliferate across social media, with even a Russian state outlet reporting on the situation, according to TMZ. Nonetheless, the image showed various distortions and was quickly dismantled as a hoax by a number of vigilant viewers. Even so, the image looks realistic at first glance, and was enough to ignite concern; the incident occurs amidst legislative talks on Capitol Hill over AI regulation. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (which was originally funded by Elon Musk) testified before Congress and noted that while he sees great benefits in new AI systems, the possibilities of their abuses are evident. The Read More ›

3d-rendering-artificial-intelligence-ai-research-of-robot-and-cyborg-development-for-future-of-people-living-digital-data-mining-and-machine-learning-technology-design-for-computer-brain-stockpack-adobe-stock
3D rendering artificial intelligence AI research of robot and cyborg development for future of people living. Digital data mining and machine learning technology design for computer brain.
Type
post
News
Date
May 24, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

Opinion: They Were Right to Call for AI’s Pause

Could ChatGPT end up making us subservient to it?
News
May 24, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Brad Littlejohn wrote an opinion piece at World claiming that Elon Musk and the many others who signed a petition calling for AI to pause research were onto something–and that the rest of us should pay attention. He writes, In a famous essay at the dawn of the personal computing era, “Thinking About Technology,” Canadian philosopher George Grant examined the statement, “Computers do not impose on us the ways they should be used.” It expressed, he argued, the quintessential modern idea of technology as simply an extension of human freedom. The claim is that we remain at all times the masters of our technological instruments, free to bend them to our will. More often, however, they have an uncanny way Read More ›

tv-studio-with-camera-and-lights-stockpack-adobe-stock
TV studio with camera and lights
Type
post
News
Date
May 18, 2023
Categorized
Media
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Tucker Carlson and the Decline of Cable TV

What does Carlson's move to Twitter mean for legacy media?
News
May 18, 2023
2
Media

Tucker Carlson, longtime host of “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on Fox News, “parted ways” with the media empire, and just weeks later, announced that he would be starting a new, independent show. It was a quick turnaround. Interesting thing is, Carlson said the show would air not on cable television, but on Twitter. He said that Twitter is basically the forum where today’s ideas are formulated, exchanged, and debated, and that there’s currently no better place to practice video journalism. Here’s the clip of Carlson so you can hear him for yourself. Fox News lost considerable ratings since Carlson’s departure. He was their most popular host by a longshot. On the same day he was let go, CNN fired their own Read More ›

twitter check marks
Blue check mark logos on a heap on a table. Copy space. Verification concept
Type
post
News
Date
April 6, 2023
Categorized
Social Media
Tagged
, , , , , ,

Is This the End of Twitter?

The social media giant has been struggling on multiple fronts since Musk's takeover
News
April 6, 2023
3
Social Media

Twitter isn’t in such great shape at the moment. In fact, rumors of bankruptcy loom over the company as financial woes continue to mount, and solutions seem few and far between. Dave Karpf is a professor of “internet politics” at George Washington University and wrote an article describing Twitter’s current predicament. He writes, A few weeks ago, Elon Musk said that ad revenues had fallen 50%. The site has experienced major outages at a higher rate than usual. During one such outage, Elon was laser-focused on the important stuff: reply-guying Jordan Peterson. The Twitter Blue rollout was such a disaster that he fired almost the entire team. Yesterday, he appeared to backtrack on his big plan to revoke legacy checkmarks. Twitter hasn’t been paying rent on its office space. It recently tried Read More ›

self driving car
Self driving car on a road. Autonomous vehicle. Inside view.
Type
post
News
Date
March 31, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

The Irony in Musk’s AI Distrust

As a leader in AI, why is Musk advocating a pause on its development?
News
March 31, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk joined a petition to “pause” AI research, citing concern over its potential harms and overreach. This is interesting, since Musk originally funded OpenAI, which is now at the forefront of cutting-edge AI systems like ChatGPT. In addition, Musk’s ventures with self-driving cars and his confidence in neural technology all cast him as a leader in the AI revolution. So why is he calling for a hiatus? According to a recent Slate article, the warnings against Large Language Models (LLMs) are a distraction from the more dangerous AI inventions like the self-driving car. Musk uses sci-fi alarmism to exacerbate the fear of a machine takeover, while his own experiments in automation have also proved to be dangerous for human Read More ›

Elon_Musk_at_a_Press_Conference
Type
post
News
Date
March 30, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Elon Musk to AI Labs: Press Pause

The petition reflects growing concern over the proper role of AI in human society and its potential for overreach
News
March 30, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Over 1,000 leaders and experts in technology and science, including Elon Musk, are now urging artificial intelligence labs to pause their research and distribution of new AI technologies. They believe moving forward so swiftly on AI research could bring about unintended consequences in the future, and that we don’t understand AI well enough yet to be casting so much trust in it. According to The New York Times, The open letter called for a pause in the development of A.I. systems more powerful than GPT-4, the chatbot introduced this month by the research lab OpenAI, which Mr. Musk co-founded. The pause would provide time to introduce “shared safety protocols” for A.I. systems, the letter said. “If such a pause cannot be Read More ›

nanobot
Cell repairing nanobot technology, illustration
Type
post
News
Date
March 29, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , ,

Pre-order Immortality Now (It’s Only 8 Years Away, Apparently)

A Google engineer predicts the "singularity" is coming and that we should get on board
News
March 29, 2023
3
Transhumanism

Ray Kurzweil, a former Google engineer, thinks that humanity is a mere “eight years away” from achieving immortality. No, he’s not a spiritual leader predicting the eschaton. He’s not telling you to seek union with God and achieve immortality the old-fashioned way. He thinks we’ll be able to live forever via age-reversing “nanobots.” These “tiny robots” will correct damaged cells and make us immune to disease, thus leading to radically increased human longevity. Stacy Liberatore writes at Daily Mail, Now the former Google engineer believes technology is set to become so powerful it will help humans live forever, in what is known as the singularity. Singularity is a theoretical point when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence and changes the path Read More ›

hive mind
Artificial intelligence. Network in hive mind brain. Vintage futuristic poster.
Type
post
News
Date
March 19, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

Is the “Singularity” Already Here?

Two experts in the tech field warn that the singularity, as we've come to imagine it, might be right around the corner
News
March 19, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

The singularity refers to the future point when the human and the machine will merge––when the personal and technological distinction breaks down entirely. It sounds dystopian and far off. But, two experts in the tech field warn that the singularity, as we’ve come to imagine it, is right upon us. Writing for The Conversation, John Kendall Hawkins and Sandy Boucher comment, To understand why this isn’t the stuff of fairy tales, we need only look as far as recent developments in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). BCIs are a natural beginning to the singularity in the eyes of many futurists, because they meld mind and machine in a way no other technology so far can. Elon Musk’s company Neuralink is seeking permission from the US Food Read More ›

rocket
Landscape illustration with rocket taking off, vaporwave style. Generative AI
Type
post
Peter Biles
Date
February 22, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , ,

Developing a Penchant for Pynchon

The bizarre novel on the impact of tech on society turns 50 this month
Peter Biles
February 22, 2023
3
Arts & Culture

50 years ago this month, writer Thomas Pynchon published the 1973 National Book Award Winner Gravity’s Rainbow, a 700-page novel/biopic on the absurdity and technocratic madness of modern life. While I haven’t personally read the book, I now plan to this year after reading an entertaining memorial review of the book over at Wired. Pynchon was famous for being un-famous—that is, for evading the limelight while making an indelible mark on the unfolding postmodern literary landscape. Along with tomes like Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, Pynchon’s book often seems devoid of a storyline with its cacophony of events, characters, and nebulous sub-plots. An Almanac of its Time But that might be kind of the point, according to this review Read More ›

brain-activity-stockpack-adobe-stock
brain activity
Type
podcast
Andrew Knox and Robert J. Marks
Date
January 12, 2023
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , ,

Ways the Brain Can Heal

Andrew Knox and Robert J. Marks
January 12, 2023
1

Robert Marks and Andrew Knox continue their conversation on neurology, epilepsy, and mental illness. In this episode, they focus on the medications and practices that can help restore proper brain function, from antidepressants to forms of surgery to Elon Musk’s potential “Neuralink.” Additional Resources

online-payments-girl-holds-a-smartphone-and-a-credit-card-european-woman-shopping-online-beautiful-young-woman-using-a-credit-card-and-mobile-phone-for-online-shopping-stockpack-adobe-stock
online payments. Girl holds a smartphone and a credit card. European woman shopping online. Beautiful young woman using a credit card and mobile phone for online shopping.
Type
post
News
Date
December 22, 2022
Categorized
Business and Finance, Censorship
Tagged
, , , , , ,

PayPal Today Betrays Its Founders’ Vision for Democratizing Money

The payments processor, famously, now often drops customers for what appear to be political reasons, as Indian economist Rupa Subramanya explains
News
December 22, 2022
5
Business and Finance, Censorship

Earlier this year, we wrote about PayPal starting to “fine” users for “misinformation” and wrongthink. While there is certainly misinformation out there, the alarming Disinformation Governance Board proposal and the Twitter files revelations underline the limits of what Big Government, Big Tech, or Big Business can do beyond simply imposing an official opinion. Of course, the official opinion may be based on a faulty understanding of the problem. The banned individuals may merely be better informed. PayPal, famously, now often drops customers for what appear to be political reasons, as Indian economist Rupa Subramanya explains: One by one, they go to start their business day only to find a baffling message from their payments app informing them: “You can no Read More ›

reaching toward chatbot
Chat bot Robot Online Chatting Communication Business Internet Technology Concept
Type
post
Peter Biles
Date
December 5, 2022
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

OpenAI Launches Impressive New Chatbot: ChatGPT

The sophisticated AI tool could revolutionize the internet, and come with big cost
Peter Biles
December 5, 2022
4
Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is making great strides in 2022. A few months ago, the company OpenAI introduced DALL-E, a text-to-image generator, which they made open to the public. Some have raised concerns over the future role of artists and copyright issues considering AI art generators. Does AI pose a threat to human creators? Well, that question just got weightier and more multifaceted. OpenAI just released ChatGPT, what writer Jacob Carpenter calls, “the most advanced, user-friendly chatbot to enter the public domain.” ChatGPT can “write lines of code, pen a college-level essay, author responses in the voice of a pirate, and write a piano piece in Mozart’s style.” Carpenter goes on to point out that some are wondering if the chatbot threatens Read More ›

getting laid off
Unemployed hold cardboard box and laptop bag, dossier and drawing tube in box. Quiting a job, businessman fired or leave a job concpet.
Type
post
Peter Biles
Date
November 23, 2022
Categorized
Social Media
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

Twitter Gets Blasted While Meta Struggles

While Musk’s every move is being scrutinized, Zuckerberg’s struggles fall to the wayside
Peter Biles
November 23, 2022
4
Social Media

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and founder of PayPal, radically reorganized Twitter in October and November, and now, is the subject of much criticism from the media. He has laid off hundreds of employees and fired the advisory board. In addition, he reinstated the formerly suspended accounts of Jordan Peterson, parody news site The Babylon Bee, and most outrageously, former president Donald Trump. A few days ago, somehow it was assumed across the Twitter sphere that the entire platform was about to implode. I started seeing people post things like, “If this is my last tweet, I’m okay with that…” Not sure what was happening, I experienced a sudden flood of similar tweets prophesying the Twitter era’s impending Read More ›