Essays
The Problem With Museums
Today’s special sections in the New York Times reminded me why I love museums, and why I see such opportunity for them to do more and be more to more people. They also made me sad.
AI
There Aren’t Two Sides To The AI Debate
We have been led into a dead-end debate between two opinions of AI that don’t exist much beyond the machinations of people who have something to gain from casting the debate in such terms.
AI
Humane AI Pin Is Scary
Maybe the shape won’t be a brooch, but incorporating AI and its commensurate surveillance and active control into the everyday fabric of our lives is the ultimate wet dream for tech.
AI
German Robots Get A Day Off
Maybe we all deserve a day off. One day each week to step back, slow down, and stop the buzz of endless tasks that otherwise constitute our every waking…or operating…moment.
AI
But Robots Don’t Eat Tacos
Companies have been using tech to improve their performance for centuries and there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with automating processes and services. But there are some “big” questions about AI that Taco Bell’s owners are challenging us to ask.
AI
EU Enshrines Robot Takeover Into Law
The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act will only help ensure that the robot takeover is unstoppable. But thank goodness it will be orderly.
AI
AI Is A Human Rights Story
AI challenges our most basic assumptions about our rights as citizens, not to mention our rights as human beings
AI
AI Growing Pains, Or The Shape Of Things To Come?
We’ve have been enlisted as subjects in this grand experiment. We aren’t informed about what’s happening, don’t possess the knowledge to understand or assess it, and haven’t an ounce of agency to do something about it.
AI
Should States Regulate AI?
I’m not optimistic that laws passed by state legislatures will do much if any good. The wording will be difficult, considering the Constitution protects our right to free speech irrespective of its accuracy. Also, one person’s fake is another’s truth. Defining what AI will and won’t be allowed to do sounds like a daunting task.
AI
Lives Examined By AI
Why spend hours sitting with a group of people debating some arcane aspect of life when GPT-4 can summarize the conversation and provide a conclusion for you?