Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagTechnology

catch-the-star-a-person-is-standing-next-to-the-milky-way-galaxy-pointing-on-a-bright-star-stockpack-adobe-stock
Catch the star. A person is standing next to the Milky Way galaxy pointing on a bright star.
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 3, 2023
Categorized
Philosophy
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A Return to the Reality of the Soul

Materialism has depersonalized the universe, but the evidence for the soul remains
Peter Biles
June 3, 2023
5
Philosophy

Contemporary Western culture is disillusioned. Under the mainstream narrative of materialism, moderns struggle to connect their lives with a transcendent meaning beyond the self. In the United States, we enjoy a level of privilege and wealth foreign to the majority of prior generations, and yet we see “deaths of despair,” frightening rates of anxiety and depression, and heightened political tensions. None of this is news to you, I’m guessing. I’ve personally written a variation of that paragraph in other articles a number of times. The question behind our collective disillusionment is, frankly, why? Why do we struggle to make something of our lives? Why do we enjoy technological and scientific progress but lack the moral and cultural means to enjoy Read More ›

abstract-technology-black-background-futuristic-digital-motherboard-texture-neon-blue-light-stockpack-adobe-stock
Abstract technology black background. Futuristic digital motherboard texture. Neon blue light
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post
Author
News
Date
June 2, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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Carver Mead on the Future of Tech and Science

Listen to a classic lecture from Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead
News
June 2, 2023
1
Technology

We’ve been featuring lectures and interviews from the 2022 COSM conference, but today’s video is from a bit further back. Carver Mead, the winner of the 2022 Kyoto Prize, spoke at a Discovery Institute event about his pioneering work in transistor technology. Mead said, Any time you have a leading-edge technology you’re pushing, you will uncover fundamental questions there aren’t answers to in the literature. When you first look at the literature it it looks overwhelming. It looks like everything’s been done and everything that needed to be known is already known. And it turns out. That’s only an illusion. Watch the full talk below:

the-variety-of-different-types-of-chips-and-electronic-components-on-the-printed-circuit-board-stockpack-adobe-stock
the variety of different types of chips and electronic components on the printed circuit board
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post
Author
News
Date
June 1, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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Celebrating an Internet Pioneer: Frederico Faggin

Faggin discussed his background and how he came to design the first commercial microprocessor at Intel
News
June 1, 2023
1
Technology

For today’s featured video from the COSM 2022, check out this interview between journalist Maria Teresa Cometto and Frederico Faggin. Faggin discussed his background and how he came to design the first commercial microprocessor at Intel. For more similar material, visit the Center’s YouTube page to enjoy more lectures and videos from past COSM conferences.

light-bulb-global-internet-connection-business-global-internet-connection-application-technology-and-digital-marketing-financial-and-banking-digital-link-tech-big-data-bulb-light-energy-lamp-stockpack-adobe-stock
Light bulb Global Internet connection. Business global internet connection application technology and digital marketing, Financial and banking, Digital link tech, big data, bulb, light, energy, lamp,
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post
Author
Jeffrey Funk
Date
May 29, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Technology
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Review of “Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity”

This new book on tech, AI, and economic prosperity by Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson is incredibly timely
Jeffrey Funk
May 29, 2023
7
Artificial Intelligence, Technology

This book by two MIT economists is very timely because the world is now dealing with the latest in the “Thousand Year Struggle,” in the form of artificial intelligence, the claims that many white-collar jobs will be automated, OpenAI’s call for regulation, and the possibility that AI will bring a further concentration of power among the big tech companies. Much of the book sets the stage for this discussion by summarizing the history of technology. This review focuses on the economic and social impact of automation and information technology over the last 50 years. For instance, “the distribution of income between capital and labor began to change significantly in the late 20th century. While throughout most of the century, about Read More ›

cctv-security-room-stockpack-adobe-stock
CCTV Security Room
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post
Author
News
Date
May 25, 2023
Categorized
Surveillance
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New Surveillance Tech in the UK

The debate over security and privacy rights is reaching a new level
News
May 25, 2023
1
Surveillance

The government in the United Kingdom is reportedly working on a new surveillance technology that could monitor the online activity of millions of people. Critics say implementing the tech in practice would be a radical intrusion of privacy. Matt Burgess writes at Wired, Haidar of Privacy International says that creating powers to collect more of people’s data doesn’t result in “more security” for people. “Building the data retention capabilities of companies and a vast range of government agencies doesn’t mean that intelligence operations will be enhanced,” Haidar says. “In fact, we argue that it makes us less secure as this data becomes vulnerable to being misused or abused.” -Matt Burgess, The UK’s Secretive Web Surveillance Program Is Ramping Up | Read More ›

finger-touching-phone-with-social-media-concept-and-dark-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
Finger touching phone with social media concept and dark background
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post
Author
News
Date
May 24, 2023
Categorized
Social Media
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Social Media is Hurting Kids. Does Big Tech Care?

Body image issues, low self-esteem, and social comparison are all typical outcomes of excessive social media use among teens and children
News
May 24, 2023
2
Social Media

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning in a briefing this week on the negative impact of social media on kids, particularly teenage girls. Murthy called tech companies to provide “safeguards” to protect children who are at a critical stage in brain development. Early exposure to social media, numerous studies show, are correlated with anxiety and depression in young people. Murthy said, “We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address.” Social media could harm youth mental health, U.S. Surgeon General warns | Reuters Problems like body image issues, low self-esteem, and social comparison are all 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.
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post
Author
News
Date
May 24, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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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 ›

audiobook-education-smartphone-screen-with-audiobook-application-on-paper-books-black-background-ebook-e-learning-electronic-internet-mobility-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
Audiobook education. Smartphone screen with audiobook application on paper books black background. Ebook e learning electronic internet mobility concept.
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post
Author
News
Date
May 23, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
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Audiobook Voice Actor: Storytelling Should Stay Human

Handing the narrative baton to a machine can bankrupt stories of their human element
News
May 23, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

New AI systems have carved inroads into many industries, not least of all those involving voice and audio. Now the audiobook business is in trouble; since AI has the increasingly good ability to mimic the human voice and generate words, many voice actors and readers have watched the demand for their contributions steadily fall. According to a report from Tech Explore, voice actor Tanya Eby, who has been in the business for 20 years, has seen her workload drop “by half.” Several of her colleagues report similar trends in their own work. AI startups like DeepZen, based in London, cheapen audiobook projects tremendously, making it a challenge for human actors to stay viable. DeepZen technology takes several different human voices Read More ›

diverse-culture-in-society-and-social-justice-together-as-a-crowd-of-diverse-people-representing-community-and-black-history-or-cultural-celebration-of-diversity-stockpack-adobe-stock
Diverse culture in society and social justice together as a crowd of diverse people representing community and black history or cultural celebration of diversity
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post
Author
News
Date
May 22, 2023
Categorized
Relationships
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Dealing with Social Anxiety: Set Some Goals

Without an overarching goal, we can't effectively practice the practical steps that can get us over social anxiety
News
May 22, 2023
2
Relationships

It’s no secret that rates of anxiety and depression have risen drastically in the modern American context. A cacophony of factors is to blame–everything from the decline of faith, loss of community, and digital media addiction. And for many, even when the possibility of social interaction arrives, the anxiety kicks in and leaves them feeling immobile and paralyzed. So, what can we do to practice confidence and ease in public situations? A new article at Psyche goes into depth on practical steps people can take to overcome social anxiety. The first recommendation is goal-setting. What’s your vision? What are the goalposts you’re shooting for in life? Fallon Goodman writes, Without an overarching goal, we can’t effectively practice the steps that Read More ›

manhattan-project-development-of-nuclear-weapons-history-of-science-of-the-20th-century-art-collage-with-a-nuclear-explosion-stockpack-adobe-stock
Manhattan project, development of nuclear weapons, history of science of the 20th century. Art collage with a nuclear explosion
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 20, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Technology
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“I Can Perform This Miracle”

The new "Oppenheimer" trailer gives a chilling hint of the atom bomb race
Peter Biles
May 20, 2023
1
Arts & Culture, Technology

Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Interstellar, is breaking ground in the historical film genre with his upcoming film Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and Emily Blunt. The film, currently slated for release in July, has a chilling new trailer that gives a larger sense of the movie’s scope, and the profound moral dilemma at the heart of the creation of the atomic bomb. J. Robert Oppenheimer was the theoretical physicist largely responsible for the develop of the bomb in World War II. The new trailer emphasizes the United States’ fierce “arms race” with Germany. In the trailer, Oppenheimer says, “We’re in a race against the Nazis. And I know what it means Read More ›

deepfake-deep-learning-fake-news-generator-modern-internet-technology-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
Deepfake deep learning fake news generator modern internet technology concept.
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post
Author
News
Date
May 19, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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“Suddenly There’s No More Reality”

The deepfakes and AI scams abound
News
May 19, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

With the proliferation of AI text and images, the issue of deepfakes is of deepening concern. The better AI gets at refashioning reality, will the already murky waters of the Internet become too surreal to navigate? Even real videos, when divorced from their proper context, can be deeply misleading. When entire clips are artificially contrived, then, it seems like the line between fact and fiction dissolves entirely. Some folks are already worried. Victor Tangermann writes at Futurism, [Given] recent developments, the situation is likely to get worse before it can get better. AI tools are making it easier to generate deepfakes every year. These days, an AI can be trained on a relatively small stockpile of audiovisual data to convincingly Read More ›

a-glacial-rivers-from-above-aerial-photograph-of-the-river-streams-from-icelandic-glaciers-beautiful-art-of-the-mother-nature-created-in-iceland-wallpaper-background-high-quality-photo-stockpack-adobe-stock
A glacial rivers from above. Aerial photograph of the river streams from Icelandic glaciers. Beautiful art of the Mother nature created in Iceland. Wallpaper background high quality photo
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post
Author
News
Date
May 17, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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The Solution for Tech Addiction

Trail Life USA is a way to get guys off their phones and into the wilderness
News
May 17, 2023
2
Technology

In a recent Mind Matters podcast episode, host Robert J. Marks spoke with Kent Marks, former Boy Scout guide who now works with Trail Life USA. In the wake of Boy Scouts’ precipitous decline over the last decade, Trail Life offers boys the chance to get outside and go on wilderness adventures. This is a huge opportunity to help young men get off the screens and into the beauty of creation. Speaking about the gravity of the problem, Robert said, The impact of social media has just been terrible. Teenage suicides are up, depression rates are up. I think a third of all girls involved in social media have body image problems. And that’s terrible. These are the symptoms of Read More ›

virus-detected-hologram-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
Virus detected hologram concept
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post
Author
News
Date
May 12, 2023
Categorized
Computer Security
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Ransomware Attacks on Public Institutions

Hackers are always coming up with new approaches, keeping IT staff on their toes
News
May 12, 2023
6
Computer Security

by Karl Stephan In what is just the latest of a lengthening series of ransomware attacks, the sheriff’s office of San Bernardino County, California reportedly paid over $1 million in ransom to an Eastern-Europe-based hacking group.  About half the money was paid by insurance and the county paid the rest from its risk-management fund.  Reporters for the Los Angeles Times were unable to determine exactly who authorized the payments, which enabled the county to restore its email servers, in-car computers, and law enforcement databases.  According to the report, the FBI discourages payments to ransomware hackers, but almost half of the state and local governments attacked worldwide pay anyway.  A survey conducted by the British security firm Sophos was cited in the report, which said that Read More ›

instagram-filter-himalaya-mountains-nepal-stockpack-adobe-stock
instagram filter Himalaya mountains nepal
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post
Author
News
Date
May 12, 2023
Categorized
Addiction, Environment
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Boy Scouts and Tech Addiction

You can't mimic the reality compared to what you see on the screen
News
May 12, 2023
2
Addiction, Environment

The Boy Scouts of America once enjoyed a booming membership. But over the last decade especially, due to some policy changes, abuse scandals, and a giant lawsuit, the once great organization has seen a colossal decline. In last week’s podcast, Robert J. Marks sat down with former Boy Scout leader and his cousin Kent Marks. Together they talked about the tragic decline in the Boy Scouts program, which coincides with the enduring need to help boys navigate the many distractions and difficulties of growing up in a digitally mediated world. Today, Kent continues to lead boys on wilderness expeditions and believes that getting guys away from the screens and into the beauty of the outdoors is a key to their Read More ›

creative-conversion-of-woman-holding-a-shard-of-broken-mirror-and-eyes-from-another-exposure-artistic-conversion-stockpack-adobe-stock
Creative conversion of woman holding a shard of broken mirror and eyes from another exposure artistic conversion
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post
Author
News
Date
May 10, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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The Real Danger in AI

We are highly susceptible to suggestions about what an image means
News
May 10, 2023
5
Artificial Intelligence

By Jeff Gardner The threat that artificial intelligence (AI) poses to us has been dominating the news cycle. Exactly what AI will do to us is hard to predict — it hasn’t happened yet. But some, like Elon Musk, worry that AI will be used primarily to peddle lies to us. Musk is right, but not because AI is the next thing in fake news. “Fake news” is already here, and it’s not composed of made-up stories. It is someone’s opinion being passed off as the story, the “facts” of the event. With fake news, the events are real, but the assigned meaning, the “frame” as it is called in the media, is manufactured. The Problem AI’s danger to us Read More ›

puppeteer-manipulates-the-doll-voting-is-dishonest-on-television-person-lowers-a-paper-ballet-box-to-put-it-in-an-urn-false-voice-fake-news-on-tv-stockpack-adobe-stock
Puppeteer manipulates the doll. Voting is dishonest. On television, person lowers a paper ballet box to put it in an urn, false voice. Fake news on TV.
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post
Author
Richard W. Stevens
Date
May 10, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Panic Propaganda Pushes Surrender to AI-Enhanced Power

The hype over AI's significance makes us more vulnerable to it
Richard W. Stevens
May 10, 2023
6
Artificial Intelligence

Can you believe it? USA Today, the national news outlet, on May 4, 2023, declared (italics added): It’s the end of the world as we know it: ‘Godfather of AI’ warns nation of trouble ahead. Before digging out and playing your 1987 REM album, ask yourself: Is this headline true – and what do we do now?  The USA Today article mitigates the doom timeframe from imminent to someday in paragraph one (italics added): One of the world’s foremost architects of artificial intelligence warned Wednesday that unexpectedly rapid advances in AI – including its ability to learn simple reasoning – suggest it could someday take over the world and push humanity toward extinction. Within a day, the Arizona Republic ran Read More ›

Unlocking latest smartphone with biometric facial identification scan
Type
post
Author
News
Date
May 9, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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AI is Closer Than You Think

Most of us carry powerful AI in our pockets every single day
News
May 9, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Sometimes AI seems a bit of a niche idea, relegated to dystopian prophecies or sentient robots. But AI is much more pervasive and influential in our present world in more ways than we might assume. Oxford mathematician John Lennox reminds us in this recent podcast episode that our society teems with AI. Lennox commented, Now, the final example I would give you is the fact that we’re all involved in AI. That is any of us who own a smartphone, it’s tracking us all the time. What many of us don’t realize is that, for example, we make a purchase at Amazon. A few days later, we’ll get a pop-up saying, people that bought this book were interested in that Read More ›

creepy-tv-static-stockpack-adobe-stock
creepy TV static
Type
post
Author
News
Date
May 8, 2023
Categorized
Media
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When Disaster Strikes Through the TV

News cycles that profit off constant, sensationalized negativity aren't helping
News
May 8, 2023
2
Media

A hundred years ago it would have been unimaginable to watch a tragedy unfold on the other side of the world. Such news might get peddled via newspaper, or later through radio, but the access we now enjoy to the rest of the world is unprecedented. How is that affecting us? According to this study, covered in an article from The Conversation, televised disaster and tragedy can severely affect the mental health of children to varying degrees. The authors write, Our latest research uses brain scans to show how simply watching news coverage of disasters can raise children’s anxiety and trigger responses in their brains that put them at risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms. It also explores why some children are more Read More ›

people-standing-around-big-data-cloud-stockpack-adobe-stock
people standing around big data cloud
Type
post
Author
News
Date
May 2, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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Godfather of AI: I Regret What I’ve Done

The AI arms race will blur fact and fiction, says Geoffrey Hinton
News
May 2, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Geoffrey Hinton, often regarded as the “godfather of AI,” sat down with The New York Times and shared his concerns over the new arms race in artificial intelligence. Hinton was instrumental in AI research and is considered a pioneer in the field. Hinton revealed his departure from Google, where he worked for over a decade. Since the debut of ChatGPT-3 in November of 2022, Google has been struggling to maintain its longtime search engine dominance, trying to infuse an AI chatbot into its own search feature, alongside competitors like Microsoft. “I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have,” Hinton said. Hinton thinks that the proliferation of artificially contrived images, text, etc., will Read More ›

robotic-hand-pressing-a-keyboard-on-a-laptop-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock
Robotic hand pressing a keyboard on a laptop 3D rendering
Type
post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
April 28, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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How to Stop Troubling Abuse From Artificial Intelligence

Allowance of lawsuits will give AI developers pause before releasing their raw unvetted technology on the world
Robert J. Marks
April 28, 2023
7
Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence can give unintended and dangerous advice. What is the best way to keep things like the following from happening? ChatGPT falsely reported on a claim of sexual harassment that was never made against me on a trip that never occurred while I was on a faculty where I never taught. ChatGPT relied on a cited Post article that was never written and quotes a statement that was never made by the newspaper. Who’s responsible for these actions? How can AI be controlled to assure such careless responses are eliminated? Read on and you’ll see the answer is obvious. Attorney and Bradley Center Fellow Richard W. Stevens has talked about legal options of Professor Turley in a defamation lawsuit. But what about the Read More ›