The hottest Automation Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

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.

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.

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.

🤖 AI and the economy: scenarios for a world with artificial general intelligence

Faster, Please! • 456 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Economy Future Automation Labor
  1. Artificial General Intelligence is a concept that doesn't exist yet and may never be achieved, but some experts believe it's coming soon.
  2. AI is viewed as a tool to enhance human capabilities and create new opportunities rather than a threat to job security.
  3. The impact of AI on the economy will depend on whether there is a limit to the complexity of tasks humans can perform.

The robotics company working with OpenAI to eat every warehouse worker's lunch

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 642 implied HN points • 05 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Robotics Artificial Intelligence Automation Investment Competition
  1. Brett Adcock's humanoid robot company aims to replace human workers in warehouses with subscription-based robots that can work 20 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  2. Figure AI collaborates with OpenAI to combine robotics and AI, aiming to create 'embodied AI' by leveraging OpenAI's strengths in language models and Figure's expertise in robotics.
  3. Adcock positions Figure AI to compete with Elon Musk's humanoid robotics effort 'Optimus' and dismisses other competitors due to limitations in hardware or software capabilities.
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👴👵🤖 Humanity’s Great Fight for the Future: Demographics vs. AI

Faster, Please! • 1370 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Demographics Economy Future scenarios Automation
  1. There may be a tug-of-war between AI-led productivity gains and the budget impacts of retirees and falling population growth.
  2. The analysis examines key megatrends like technology, demographics, fiscal deficits, globalization, and energy transitions.
  3. Two scenarios are presented: One where aging population and retirees limit growth, and another where productivity surges through AI-led automation.

Wait, ChatGPT Didn't Take My Job?

Big Technology • 10258 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
🕹 Technology AI Automation Jobs
  1. Artificial intelligence is used by companies to increase productivity without reducing jobs.
  2. There was a fear that many professions would be automated by AI, but it hasn't happened as quickly as expected.
  3. Individuals can access full articles on Big Technology with a 7-day free trial.

One True Love

thezvi • 937 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Dating Neural Networks Automation Ethics
  1. The story discusses a man's use of AI to find his One True Love by having the AI communicate with women on his behalf.
  2. The man's approach included filtering potential matches based on various criteria, leading to improved results over time.
  3. Ultimately, the AI suggested he propose to his chosen partner, which he did, and she said yes.

🤖👷‍♂️ Beyond disruption: AI, expertise, and the future of middle-class workers

Faster, Please! • 822 implied HN points • 14 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Jobs Artificial Intelligence Automation
  1. Tech progress involves creative destruction - some jobs are lost, but new ones are created, especially in AI-related fields.
  2. Advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping the workforce as companies invest in AI systems and technologies.
  3. The impact of AI on the job market is a big question for the future - will it lead to widespread technological unemployment or follow historical patterns of job creation and loss?

AI Won't Kill Us But It Will Take Our Souls

Discourse Blog • 1061 implied HN points • 31 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Industry Ethics Art Automation
  1. AI is being developed with a focus on maximizing profit and control rather than enhancing human life or creativity.
  2. There are concerns about AI replacing human jobs, especially in fields like content writing, where the quality of AI-generated work is still inferior.
  3. There is a fear that AI industry leaders prioritize profit and control over preserving aspects of the human experience that should be kept free from AI influence.

Numlock News: January 8, 2024 • Robots, Ramen, Star Citizen

Numlock News • 786 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Food Books Automation Software
  1. Star Citizen is a video game in alpha development raising massive funds through selling digital spaceships.
  2. Instant ramen sales are booming globally, with a spicy chicken-flavored soup gaining popularity in the US.
  3. Automation struggles as some tasks are easy for humans but difficult for robots, showcasing a low robot usage rate in US manufacturing plants.

Robot Nags

David Friedman’s Substack • 242 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Smartwatches Artificial Intelligence User Experience Automation Privacy
  1. Technology like smart watches and apps can provide constant reminders or notifications, sometimes without the option to stop them.
  2. Encouraging reading habits through rewards or forced reading can have unintended consequences, such as making reading seem like a chore to children.
  3. Various instances of 'robot nags' exist in everyday technology, aimed at influencing behavior or decision-making, sometimes intrusively.

Gods, slaves and playmates

imperfect offerings • 139 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Big Data Automation Ethics
  1. The essay/post explores AI fantasies and their significance in education.
  2. People tend to relate to synthetic models as if they have agency, even though they don't.
  3. Big tech industry creates a narrative around AI as gods or monsters, while in reality, these AI systems are often designed to serve in subservient roles.

When Will AI Take Your Job?

Uncharted Territories • 2908 implied HN points • 21 Mar 23
🕹 Technology AI Automation Employment Productivity Innovation
  1. Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly and may lead to job automation, especially in intellectual and unregulated fields.
  2. Industries that can withstand automation vary based on factors like demand saturation, regulations, and non-informational work components.
  3. New businesses are easier to start but may not create a large number of jobs, leading to a future with more billionaire founders and few employed individuals.

The Automation Paradox: How More Tech Can Mean More Human Challenges

UX Psychology • 297 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Automation UX Design Autonomous Vehicles Language Models
  1. Increased automation can lead to unexpected complications for human tasks, creating a paradox where reliance on technology may actually hinder human performance.
  2. The 'Irony of Automation' highlights unintended consequences like automation not reducing human workload, requiring more complex skills for operators, and leading to decreased vigilance.
  3. Strategies like enhancing monitoring systems, maintaining manual and cognitive skills, and thoughtful interface design are crucial for addressing the challenges posed by automation and keeping human factors in focus.

Accelerationist Means for Vitalist Ends

From the New World • 75 implied HN points • 04 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Automation Technology Trends
  1. Technology has historically eliminated dangerous jobs and enabled improvements in quality of life, challenging the assumption that automation always eliminates meaningful work.
  2. Conservatives should not let nostalgia cloud their vision of a more prosperous and human future driven by current technological advancements like artificial intelligence.
  3. The last 20 years of automation may be considered a historical anomaly, and current technologies are aimed at reducing mundane tasks rather than eliminating meaningful work.

A Webhook Love Story

Sarah's Newsletter • 3 HN points • 17 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Automation APIs Workflow Integrations Operations
  1. Webhooks provide a plug-and-play interface for event-driven workflows, making automation in marketing efficient and scalable.
  2. Webhooks are useful when immediate automated responses are needed to events from the outside world, and relying on batch implementations would be inefficient.
  3. Effectively implementing webhooks requires observability through alerts, in-depth logs, centralized deployment, and proper scale to avoid operational challenges.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #82

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 74 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Gene-editing Space Automation
  1. Google introduced Gemma, a family of open models inspired by its Gemini technology, now available to developers, signaling openness in AI safety.
  2. MEGA is a new CRISPR tool that targets RNA instead of DNA for more precise and reversible cell therapy design, potentially leading to safer gene editing.
  3. Significant events in space this week included Varda's capsule return, Intuitive Machine's lunar landing, Blue Origin's New Glenn rollout, and a former Disney star becoming a space data company CEO.

Our Declining Tolerance for Friction & Wild Concepts Likely To Become Commonplace

Implications, by Scott Belsky • 727 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Automation AI Marketing Strategies
  1. As technology reduces friction in our lives, we are becoming less tolerant of inconvenience and obstacles.
  2. Decreased resilience and increased fragility may result from a society with minimal friction.
  3. AI advancements may further lower our tolerance for friction, potentially leading to a more automated and personalized world.

The midwit home

DYNOMIGHT INTERNET NEWSLETTER • 416 HN points • 12 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Automation
  1. Smart homes can be complicated and require a lot of technical knowledge to set up and maintain.
  2. Simple, midwit solutions like remote-controlled outlets, motion-sensing bulbs, and mechanical outlet timers can make daily tasks easier and more convenient.
  3. Using basic power control for devices can offer a surprisingly effective and user-friendly home automation experience.

These 7 Software Engineering Skills Give You an Unfair Advantage

Brain Bytes • 119 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software Engineering Cybersecurity Automation Version Control Cloud Computing
  1. Thinking like a hacker helps in identifying and fixing security flaws before they are exploited, crucial in today's cybersecurity landscape.
  2. Understanding different devices through cross-platform critical thinking gives a competitive edge and promotes reusability of business logic.
  3. Scripting and automation for repetitive tasks enhances productivity by ensuring consistency, accuracy, and freeing up time for more complex work.

Lean SRE

Certo Modo • 19 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🕹 Technology SRE DevOps Webinar Startup Automation
  1. Smaller organizations and startups can benefit from implementing Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) practices, leading to reduced operational costs and time savings.
  2. Implementing SRE practices in smaller companies may differ in approach from larger organizations, but can still yield significant benefits.
  3. Starting an SRE program at a larger company can be achieved by beginning with just one software engineering team.

Microsoft Sentinel SOC 101: Detecting and Mitigating Spear Phishing with Microsoft Sentinel

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Cloud Computing Data Analysis Automation Best Practices
  1. Spear phishing is a serious cyber-attack that targets specific individuals or organizations. Microsoft Sentinel's tools can help detect and prevent these types of threats.
  2. Microsoft Sentinel allows for the creation of custom analytics rules based on KQL queries to identify potential spear phishing activities. This helps in early detection of threats.
  3. Automation and playbooks in Microsoft Sentinel enable immediate responses like blocking URLs or initiating password resets upon detecting a spear phishing attempt.

Tech is Going to Get Much Bigger

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 232 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI Robotics Startups Automation Innovation
  1. Tech is going to expand significantly as energy, intelligence, and labor become cheaper and more abundant.
  2. Tech companies will grow larger due to their ability to provide scalable intelligence and dexterity services to various industries.
  3. Every market will start to resemble a software market with lower costs, higher margins, and increased R&D investments.

How to Deploy Microsoft Sentinel Effectively

Rod’s Blog • 59 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Security Cloud Computing Data Management AI Automation
  1. To get the most out of Microsoft Sentinel, organizations should carefully plan and prepare their deployment by assessing security needs and goals.
  2. Choosing the right subscription and pricing model is crucial for optimizing the benefits of Microsoft Sentinel, based on data requirements, user protection, and features needed.
  3. Effective management of Microsoft Sentinel involves monitoring data ingestion, leveraging AI and ML capabilities, automating workflows, and learning from security incidents and feedback.

Trending topics and word salad

Conspirador Norteño • 18 implied HN points • 10 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Social media Cryptocurrency Spam Algorithm Automation
  1. Trending topics on social media can be manipulated by spam posts containing random words instead of coherent sentences.
  2. Accounts participating in spam trends can show signs of being hijacked and may switch focus from personal topics to spam suddenly.
  3. Past spam campaigns involving hashtags and random word mashups have been successful in manipulating social media trends.