Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagWired

security-camera-on-modern-building-professional-surveillance-cameras-cctv-on-the-wall-in-the-city-security-system-technology-video-equipment-for-safety-system-area-control-outdoor-ai-generated-stockpack-adobe-stock
Security camera on modern building. Professional surveillance cameras. CCTV on the wall in the city. Security system, technology. Video equipment for safety system area control outdoor. AI generated.
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post
Author
News
Date
September 26, 2023
Categorized
Surveillance
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When Video Surveillance Gets It Wrong

An incident in Argentina calls the country's facial recognition tech into serious question
News
September 26, 2023
3
Surveillance

A new in-depth report from Wired recounts the story of an Argentinian man, Guillermo Ibarrola, who was falsely accused of a crime and pinpointed via video surveillance. According to Wired, Ibarrola spent nearly a week in custody before the “mixup” was spotted and authorities realized they had nabbed the wrong Guillermo Ibarrola. It was a data entry mistake. The case is only one of many others in Argentina’s mishaps with video surveillance, and how data mistakes can end up impacting innocent lives significantly. Karen Naundorf writes, When speaking of South America, mass surveillance technology is likely not the first thing that comes to mind. But a study by the data protection organization Access Now shows Argentina is one of the most surveilled Read More ›

aerial-cityscape-view-of-san-francisco-and-the-bay-bridge-at-night-stockpack-adobe-stock
Aerial cityscape view of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge at Night
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
August 27, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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Silicon Valley is All About Use, Not Truth

Of Athens, Jerusalem, and the "third city"
Peter Biles
August 27, 2023
3
Technology

A new article from Wired by Luke Birgis discusses the mentality and culture of Silicon Valley, and puts the technological vision of life up alongside the classic dichotomy between “Athens” and “Jerusalem.” Athens was symbolic of reason, while Jerusalem indicated the spiritual life of the soul. Figuring out a way of connecting (or disconnecting) these two mythic kingdoms has long been the task of philosophers and theologians. Need religion be separated from reason? Are science and faith naturally incompatible? These are worthy questions in their own right. Birgis, however, identifies another burgeoning kingdom that is arguably reducing both Athens and Jerusalem to hypothetical rubble: Silicon Valley. The Valley’s core philosophy is neither reason or beauty, but value, or usefulness. Birgis Read More ›

la-hollywood-stockpack-adobe-stock
la hollywood
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post
Author
News
Date
July 2, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
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ChatGPT Isn’t Hollywood’s Only Issue

The deepfakes are only getting more scarily accurate
News
July 2, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Deepfakes are a growing threat to acting careers. It’s the other challenge posed by generative AI technologies. In early May, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began a strike in Hollywood opposing both low wages and the intrusion of generative AI like ChatGPT, which critics purport will be used to replace human writers. The strike illustrates the current threat to the Hollywood writing industry, but the looming deepfake apocalypse calls the role of the actual actors into question, too. Tom Hanks jokingly noted that long after he’s gone, AI-generated versions of him will star in films far into the future. Maybe his remarks weren’t so comical after all. While deepfakes, upon close inspection, can be identified, they appear to be Read More ›

view-from-space-of-orbiting-mother-earth-view-of-china-south-east-asia-india-stockpack-adobe-stock
View from space of orbiting mother earth; view of China, South East Asia, India
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post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
June 18, 2023
Categorized
Economics
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You Can’t Have Infinite Growth on a Finite Planet…or Can You?

Busting the myths of population growth and economic scarcity
Peter Biles
June 18, 2023
3
Economics

Wired recently came out with an interview with economics data analyst Gaya Herrington proclaiming the doom of humanity if we don’t “shift the paradigm” NOW. Herrington said, Very succinctly, we are at a now-or-never moment. What we do in the next five to 10 years will determine the welfare levels of humanity for the rest of the century. There are so many tipping points approaching, in terms of climate, in terms of biodiversity. So—change our current paradigm, or our welfare must decline. The Planet Can’t Sustain Rapid Growth Much Longer | WIRED Population alarmism is not a new chipmunk at the park. It’s been burrowing its nose into the popular imagination for decades now. But is the hype merited? Are we really Read More ›

top-view-serene-weary-female-lying-on-desk-in-modern-office-mugs-of-beverage-and-different-documents-locating-on-it-job-and-fatigue-concept-stockpack-adobe-stock
Top view serene weary female lying on desk in modern office. Mugs of beverage and different documents locating on it. Job and fatigue concept
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post
Author
News
Date
April 18, 2023
Categorized
Work
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Work: The New Path to Self-Actualization

With layoffs plaguing Big Tech companies, how should employees start viewing their work?
News
April 18, 2023
2
Work

The pandemic changed the way we work, with more people opting for online or “hybrid” schedules, office buildings emptying, and boundaries between work and other aspects of life starting to get blurred. But what is the general attitude towards work in the United States? According to Simone Stolzoff, author of the forthcoming The Good Enough Job, Americans are turning to their careers like people used to turn to religion: for meaning and a sense of self-worth. This new secular religion is called “workism.” In an interview with Wired, Stolzoff said, [Workism] is treating work akin to a religious identity. It’s looking to work not just for a paycheck but also for a community, a sense of identity and purpose and Read More ›

clock
Business times concept people walking overlay with time clock
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post
Author
News
Date
March 29, 2023
Categorized
Technology
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It’s About Time

The cliche phrase "time is money" needs to be subverted by better metaphors, according to Odell
News
March 29, 2023
2
Technology

Artist and writer Jenny Odell, author of the new book Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock, was recently interviewed by Wired. Odell’s 2019 book is called How to Do Nothing. In the interview, Odell discussed how the invention of the clock has altered the way people think about time, labor, and productivity. The cliche phrase “time is money” needs to be subverted by better metaphors, according to Odell, ones that emphasize meaning instead of mere activity. When she was asked how she avoided productivity “burnout” in her own writing life, Odell responded, If you’re not thinking of time as money, the other thing that you could be trying to find is meaning. That’s ultimately what I want out Read More ›

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

surveillance
Video camera lens
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
January 31, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, China
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China Leads the World in Face Recognition Exports

The global power is exporting the AI to weak and autocratic countries, according to a report from Brookings Institute
Peter Biles
January 31, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence, China

China is the world’s leading exporter of facial recognition technology, according to a study conducted by researchers from Harvard and MIT. The study aimed to elucidate the ramifications of the AI revolution and what it means for such technology to be exported from a global power like China. They found that China is more likely than other countries to export AI technology to other countries. China also focuses on exporting facial recognition to countries with weak democracies that are experiencing social unrest and upheaval. Political motivation might be driving such trades. The authors write, The Chinese government’s demand for surveillance and political control translates into more exports of AI. Moreover, our finding that autocrats and would-be autocrats abroad demand surveillance Read More ›

living forever
Abstract image of Artificial Intelligence
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
January 27, 2023
Categorized
Transhumanism
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Do You Really Want to Live Forever?

Organizations like Altos Labs are funding research in cell rejuvenation and biological longevity
Peter Biles
January 27, 2023
4
Transhumanism

2023 is expected to yield “breakthrough” research in aging treatments, led by the Palo Alto medical company Altos Labs. Jeff Bezos is among the donors of the organization, which notes on its homepage that its mission is “to restore cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming to reverse disease, injury, and the disabilities that can occur throughout life.” A Wired article is optimistic about the direction of the research and compares its potential to the development of antibiotic treatment. Andrew Steele writes, In 2023, early success of these treatments could kickstart the greatest revolution in medicine since the discovery of antibiotics. Rather than going to the doctor when we’re sick and picking off age-related problems like cancer and dementia Read More ›

monk praying in forest
Monk figure praying in the forest
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
January 20, 2023
Categorized
Social Media, Spirituality
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Do You Struggle to Focus? Medieval Monks Did Too

New book shows how ancient monks fought distraction and what they can teach us today
Peter Biles
January 20, 2023
4
Social Media, Spirituality

While the battle against constant distraction might seem like a new problem posed by our diffuse technologies, a new book from Jamie Kreiner argues that the struggle is perennial. The book is The Wandering Mind: What Medieval Monks Tell Us About Distraction. Kreiner takes the problem of distraction and puts it into the hands of the religious recluses of late antiquity. It turns out they had a lot to say. Like us, they struggled to maintain vigorous work routines. They courted the opinions of other monks and writers on what a modern-day LinkedIn guru would call “workflow” or “hustle.” In short, they were not so different from us. In his review of the book for Wired, Matt Reynolds writes, Early Read More ›

high-ranking-military-man-holds-a-briefing-to-a-team-of-government-agents-and-politicians-shows-satellite-surveillance-footage-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
High-Ranking Military Man holds a Briefing to a Team of Government Agents and Politicians, Shows Satellite Surveillance Footage.
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 6, 2021
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Military
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Sci-fi Saturday Books: Will World War III Be the U.S. vs. China?

One thing that is certain is that it will be a cyber war
Heather Zeiger
February 6, 2021
7
Arts & Culture, Military

Wired Magazine devoted its entire February 2021 issue to the first four chapters of a book depicting a near-future dystopia in which the U.S. goes to war with China. You can read the first part of the book here. The authors of 2034: A Novel of the New World War have military backgrounds and were inspired by Cold War literature that speculated on the worst-case scenario if the U.S. and Russia had gone to war. The reason for the Wired editors’ interest is that 2034 is no ordinary thriller. Admiral James Stavridis comes with a wealth of experience in how such a conflict might play out. He is a retired four-star U.S. naval officer who has received numerous medals and Read More ›