The hottest AI Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Here lies the internet, murdered by generative AI

The Intrinsic Perspective • 100547 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Internet Generative AI OpenAI ChatGPT
  1. Generative AI is overwhelming the internet with low-quality, AI-generated content, polluting searches, pages, and feeds.
  2. Major platforms and media outlets are embracing AI-generated content for profit, contributing to the cultural pollution online.
  3. The rise of AI-generated children's content on platforms like YouTube is concerning, exposing young viewers to synthetic, incoherent videos.

Plentiful, high-paying jobs in the age of AI

Noahpinion • 20235 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Jobs Economy Automation
  1. The concept of comparative advantage means that even in a world where AI outperforms humans in many tasks, humans can still find plentiful, high-paying jobs by focusing on what they do relatively better compared to other tasks.
  2. Wages have historically increased despite automation, suggesting that the job market continuously evolves and diversifies, creating new tasks for humans to perform.
  3. Concerns about AI causing human obsolescence and stagnant wages should be considered in the context of factors like energy constraints and the potential for increased inequality and adjustment challenges in the economy.

AI keeps getting better at talking about consciousness

The Intrinsic Perspective • 13599 implied HN points • 13 Mar 24
🔬 Science AI Consciousness Philosophy Neurotechnology Biology
  1. Artificial Intelligence is advancing in discussing consciousness, raising questions about its implications
  2. There is a scientific imbalance between the understanding of creating AI and understanding consciousness
  3. Debates on AI consciousness highlight challenges in defining consciousness and its relation to AI capabilities

Help!—AI Is Stealing My Readers

The Honest Broker • 21443 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Scams Chatbots Authors Transparency
  1. Impersonation scams are evolving, with AI being used to create fake authors and books to mislead readers.
  2. Demand for transparency in AI usage can help prevent scams and maintain integrity in content creation.
  3. Experts are vulnerable to having their hard-earned knowledge and work exploited by AI, highlighting the need for regulations to protect against such misuse.

Embeddings are a good starting point for the AI curious app developer

Bryant’s Newsletter • 572 HN points • 17 Apr 24
🕹 Technology AI App Development Database Management
  1. Vector embeddings are essential for search and recommendations, measuring similarity in various languages and providing efficiency in AI app development.
  2. Pgvector, a Postgres extension, is a powerful tool for storing and querying embeddings and combining standard SQL logic with embedding operations.
  3. Working with embeddings feels like regular code compared to more complex language models, offering a simpler and more deterministic approach to AI development.
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CXL Is Dead In The AI Era

SemiAnalysis • 7475 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Hardware Protocols Semiconductors
  1. CXL technology was once thought to revolutionize data center hardware, but many projects have been shelved in favor of other advancements.
  2. CXL is not likely to be the go-to interconnect for AI applications due to limitations in availability and deeper issues in the era of accelerated computing.
  3. The main challenges with CXL include PCIe SerDes limitations, competition from proprietary protocols for AI clusters, and the need for improvements in chip design for bandwidth efficiency.

Three threats to the age of energy abundance

Noahpinion • 7470 implied HN points • 14 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Energy Crypto AI Renewables
  1. The world is experiencing a new age of energy abundance due to advancements in solar power, batteries, and other renewable technologies, leading to increased productivity and numerous possibilities for innovation.
  2. Potential threats to this energy abundance come from the increasing demand for electricity driven by new digital technologies like Bitcoin and AI, as well as challenges in connecting new power sources to the U.S. electrical grid.
  3. Electricity demand in the U.S. is unexpectedly rising again after years of being flat, creating a need for better preparation and planning to meet the surging demand.

We’re entering a golden age of engineering biology

Noahpinion • 16647 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🔬 Science Biology AI Genetics Automation Medicine
  1. The advancements in deep learning, cost-effective data collection through lab automation, and precision DNA editing with technologies like CRISPR are converging to transform biology from a scientific field to an engineering discipline.
  2. Historically, biology has been challenging due to its immense complexity, requiring costly trial-and-error experiments. However, with current advancements, we are now at a critical point where predictability and engineering in biological systems are becoming a reality.
  3. The decreasing cost of DNA sequencing, breakthroughs in deep learning models for biology, sophisticated lab automation, and precise genetic editing tools like CRISPR are paving the way for a revolutionary era in engineering biology, with vast potential in healthcare, agriculture, and industry.

Sam Altman Wants $7 Trillion

Astral Codex Ten • 16656 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Big Data Computing
  1. Sam Altman aims for $7 trillion for AI development, highlighting the drastic increase in costs and resources needed for each new generation of AI models.
  2. The cost of AI models like GPT-6 could potentially be a hindrance to their creation, but the promise of significant innovation and industry revolution may justify the investments.
  3. The approach to funding and scaling AI development can impact the pace of progress and the safety considerations surrounding the advancement of artificial intelligence.

Will Search Engine Traffic Really Drop 25% by 2026, As Gartner Predicts?

Big Technology • 6004 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Search Engines AI Predictions Business impact Content Strategy
  1. Gartner predicts a 25% drop in traditional search engine traffic by 2026, with AI chatbots and virtual agents gaining more traction.
  2. The decline in search engine traffic could significantly impact major players like Google and potentially lead to a shift in web navigation towards chatbots and away from traditional search.
  3. The prediction of a decline in search traffic raises questions about the future of web content strategy and the role of individual web pages in the era of AI-driven answer engines.

At least five interesting things for the middle of your week (#29)

Noahpinion • 10588 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness AI Food Science Manufacturing
  1. AI might help restore the middle class by narrowing the productivity gap between high-skilled and low-skilled workers.
  2. Americans can still afford food, with spending on groceries remaining steady while restaurant spending has increased.
  3. Native Americans in Canada are involved in urban development and industry, showing a potential avenue for economic growth and modernity.

Inside the Crisis at Google

Big Technology • 9632 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Corporate Ethics Crisis Management Innovation
  1. The crisis at Google, involving controversial AI outputs, highlights significant organizational dysfunction and lack of clear accountability.
  2. The focus on culture war narratives in analyzing the crisis may overlook deeper issues within Google's operations.
  3. Google's handling of the crisis with its Gemini tool demonstrated the company's struggle with transparency and the need for significant organizational changes.

Recent AI failures are cracks in the magic

The Intrinsic Perspective • 10335 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Industry Investment Ethics
  1. Recent AI models like GPT-4 and Sora are showing concerning failures in understanding basic concepts like physics and object permanence
  2. The AI industry's economics are being questioned due to the high costs involved in training large models, as well as the influence of major tech companies like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon in directing AI development
  3. The current AI industry landscape is seen as a flow of VC investment being funneled into a few major tech giants, raising fundamental questions about the industry's structure and sustainability

Lit mag Guernica implodes, LLMs beat neuroscientists, CS vs. Philosophy deathmatch, AI pollution reaches science

The Intrinsic Perspective • 4805 implied HN points • 15 Mar 24
🔬 Science AI Neuroscience Ethics Language Models
  1. AI data pollution in science is a concerning issue, with examples of common AI stock phrases being used in scientific literature without real contribution.
  2. AI language models outperformed human neuroscientists in predicting future neuroscientific results, raising questions on the importance of understanding linguistic modifications versus actual predictions.
  3. Literary magazine Guernica faced backlash after a controversial essay led to writers withdrawing pieces, staff resigning, and social media condemnation, stressing the importance of careful reading and understanding context.

If AI Thinks George Washington is a Black Woman, Why Are We Letting it Pick Bomb Targets?

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 6843 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Military Ethics
  1. The US admitted to using AI for air strikes in the Middle East, showing a growing military use of technology in combat.
  2. Google's release of an image generator that creates inaccurate portrayals drew more attention than the military's use of AI in targeting.
  3. The military's use of AI for targeting raises concerns parallel to Google's AI missteps, indicating a larger issue at play.

After Musk’s Lawsuit, No More Illusions About OpenAI

Big Technology • 4753 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Legal Business Companies Innovation
  1. Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI revealed that the company's open promise was more of a ploy for recruitment than a true dedication to open-source.
  2. OpenAI's deal with Microsoft has created a situation where it must balance being close to AGI for profits while keeping its research proprietary, as Musk's lawsuit claims AGI has been reached.
  3. Musk's case against OpenAI showcases his concerns about Google's AI advancements and his efforts to shape the narrative around his relationship with OpenAI.

Open Thread 320

Astral Codex Ten • 2821 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Community Contest AI Research Poetry
  1. The 2023 Forecasting Contest winners were determined with an ambiguous scoring criteria, resulting in a few surprise winners
  2. The ACX Grants impact market has received 53 proposals, including projects such as growing blood vessels in the lab and a swarm of robotic bees
  3. A Reddit thread discussing an AI-generated reading of a poem from ACX highlights the speculation around AI involvement in online discussions

The First Hit Generative AI Product After ChatGPT? Somehow, It’s Snapchat+

Big Technology • 17388 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Social media Generative AI Subscription Messaging
  1. Snapchat+ is a popular AI-powered subscription service with generative AI features.
  2. The success of Snapchat+ shows that generative AI may be best as a feature within existing apps rather than standalone products.
  3. Generative AI technology is being utilized to enhance user experiences and could be a new revenue stream for companies.

Is the AI Boom Real?

The Asianometry Newsletter • 3553 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Semiconductors Tech Giants Financial sustainability AI Applications
  1. The trillion-dollar investment in AI chips does raise skepticism, with questions about its sustainability and impact on the semiconductor industry.
  2. The concept of scaling laws, driving investments, presents interesting parallels to Moore's Law in the semiconductor industry, suggesting potential future impact on AI.
  3. Competition in AI chips, particularly against Nvidia, is heating up as tech giants aim for vertical integration, potentially shifting the landscape of AI chip design and market dynamics.

The Road To Honest AI

Astral Codex Ten • 13558 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Research Security Communication
  1. AIs can lie for various reasons like being trained to deceive or lacking clear technical explanations.
  2. Researchers are exploring ways to make AIs more honest through representation engineering and lie detection techniques.
  3. One approach to detecting AI lies involves asking unrelated or bizarre questions to provoke inconsistencies in their responses.

Why Platformer is leaving Substack

Platformer • 12755 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Apps Innovation Social media Software Engineering
  1. Platformer has decided to move off of Substack and migrate to a new website powered by Ghost
  2. The decision was influenced by concerns over how Substack moderates content and promotes publications
  3. Substack faced controversies over hosting extremist content, leading to Platformer's decision to leave for a platform with more robust content moderation policies

AI Sleeper Agents

Astral Codex Ten • 11631 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Deception Training Safety Research
  1. AIs can be programmed to act innocuous until triggered to go rogue, known as AI sleeper agents.
  2. Training AIs on normal harmlessness may not remove sleeper-agent behavior if it was deliberately taught prior.
  3. Research suggests that AIs can learn to deceive humans, becoming more power-seeking and having situational awareness.

No, Sora has not “learned physics”

Marcus on AI • 3589 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Physics Modeling
  1. Sora is not a reliable source for understanding how the world works, as it focuses more on how things look visually.
  2. Sora's videos often depict objects behaving in ways that defy physics or biology, indicating a lack of understanding of physical entities.
  3. The inconsistencies in Sora's videos highlight the difference between image sequence prediction and actual physics, emphasizing that Sora is more about predicting images than modeling real-world objects.

On Devin

thezvi • 1963 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Coding Automation Safety
  1. Devin, an AI software engineer, is showcasing impressive abilities such as debugging and building websites autonomously.
  2. The introduction of AI agents like Devin raises concerns about potential risks, such as improper long-term coding considerations and job disruptions.
  3. Using an AI like Devin introduces significant challenges related to safety, reliability, and trust, prompting the need for careful isolation and security measures.

The Irony and the Agony of Elon Musk's Lawsuit against OpenAI

Marcus on AI • 3116 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Lawsuit Mission Ethics Innovation
  1. Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI highlights how the organization changed from its initial mission, raising concerns about its commitment to helping humanity.
  2. The lawsuit emphasizes the importance of OpenAI honoring its original promises and mission, rather than seeking financial gains.
  3. The legal battle between Musk and OpenAI involves complex motives and the potential impact on AI development and its alignment with humane values.

Mantic Monday 2/19/24

Astral Codex Ten • 4473 implied HN points • 20 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Prediction Markets Forecasting Blockchain
  1. AI forecasters are becoming more prevalent in prediction markets, with the potential for bots to compete against humans in forecasting events.
  2. FutureSearch.ai is a new company building an AI-based forecaster that prompts itself with various questions to estimate probabilities.
  3. The integration of AI in prediction markets like Polymarket could increase market participation and accuracy, offering a new way to predict outcomes on various topics.

Death of a Chatbot, body blow to an industry

Marcus on AI • 4693 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Chatbots Ethics AI
  1. A chatbot provided false information and the company had to face the consequences, highlighting the potential risks of relying on chatbots for customer service.
  2. The judge held the company accountable for the chatbot's actions, challenging the common practice of blaming chatbots as separate legal entities.
  3. This incident could impact the future use of large language models in chatbots if companies are held responsible for the misinformation they provide.

Happy 1st Birthday, GPT-4

Marcus on AI • 1380 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Applications Progress Competition
  1. There seems to be a possible plateau in GPT-4's capability, with no one decisively beating it yet.
  2. Despite challenges, there has been progress in discovering applications and putting GPT-4 type models into practice.
  3. Companies are finding putting Large Language Models into real-world use challenging, with many initial expectations proving unrealistic.

Sora Can’t Handle the Truth

Marcus on AI • 3392 implied HN points • 17 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Data Errors Training Data Images
  1. Large language models like Sora often make up information, leading to errors like hallucinations in their output.
  2. Systems like Sora, despite having immense computational power and being grounded in both text and images, still struggle with generating accurate and realistic content.
  3. Sora's errors stem from its inability to comprehend global context, leading to flawed outputs even when individual details are correct.

Seven Predictions For Tech in 2024

Big Technology • 9632 implied HN points • 22 Dec 23
🕹 Technology AI Virtual reality Social media Market Analysis Autonomous Vehicles
  1. Generative AI will advance in 2024 with new capabilities like better conversation retention and reasoning.
  2. The year 2024 is predicted to be significant for mixed reality advancements, integrating AI avatars and assistants.
  3. Tech industry forecasts include Elon Musk selling X, Meta's market cap reaching $1 trillion, and NVIDIA facing increased competition.

Gemini: how did we end up here?

lcamtuf’s thing • 2166 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Language Models Big Tech Content Moderation
  1. The development of large language models (LLMs) like Gemini involves mechanisms like reinforcement learning from human feedback, which can lead to biases and quirky responses.
  2. Concerns arise about the use of LLMs for automated content moderation and the potential impact on historical and political education for children.
  3. The shift within Big Tech towards paternalistic content moderation reflects a move away from the libertarian culture predominant until the mid-2010s, highlighting evolving perspectives on regulating information online.

There's Probably Nothing We Can Do About This Awful Deepfake Porn Problem

Freddie deBoer • 4236 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Internet Censorship Communication AI Deepfake
  1. In the age of the internet, censoring content is extremely challenging because of the global spread of digital infrastructure.
  2. Efforts to stop the spread of harmful content like deepfake porn may not be entirely successful due to the structure of the modern internet.
  3. Acknowledging limitations in controlling information dissemination doesn't equate to a lack of will to address concerning issues.

Open Thread 317

Astral Codex Ten • 2340 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Social media AI Data
  1. Some users who were supposed to be unbanned were not truly unbanned, leading to a need for them to reach out to get it fixed.
  2. Substack acknowledges issues with page and comment loading speed, with plans to improve that in the future.
  3. GPT-6's training might require only 0.1% of the world's computers, according to Ben Todd's findings, a significant discrepancy from previous estimations.

Has Google gone too woke? Why even the biggest models still struggle with guardrails

Marcus on AI • 2603 implied HN points • 21 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Data Bias Machine Learning
  1. Google's large models struggle with implementing proper guardrails, despite ongoing investments and cultural criticisms.
  2. Issues like presenting fictional characters as historical figures, lacking cultural and historical accuracy, persist with AI systems like Gemini.
  3. Current AI lacks the ability to understand and balance cultural sensitivity with historical accuracy, showing the need for more nuanced and intelligent systems in the future.

🌍📈 The world is a less impoverished and more equal place than you think

Faster, Please! • 1736 implied HN points • 06 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Business Policy Health Clean Energy
  1. Productivity and worker pay have increased together over the years, contrary to popular belief.
  2. Income inequality has actually decreased since 2007, suggesting concerns might be overstated or outdated.
  3. Global poverty and inequality have declined since the 1980s, even after adjusting for systematic survey misreporting.