The hottest Tech Policy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

On OpenAI's Model Spec 2.0

Don't Worry About the Vase • 985 implied HN points • 21 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Software Development Data Ethics Tech Policy
  1. OpenAI's Model Spec 2.0 introduces a structured command chain that prioritizes platform rules over individual developer and user instructions. This hierarchy helps ensure safety and performance in AI interactions.
  2. The updated rules emphasize the importance of preventing harm while still aiming to assist users in achieving their goals. This means the AI should avoid generating illegal or harmful content.
  3. There are notable improvements in clarity and detail compared to previous versions, like defining what content is prohibited and reinforcing user privacy. However, concerns remain about potential misuse of the system by those with access to higher-level rules.

Weekly Top Picks #99

The Algorithmic Bridge • 191 implied HN points • 24 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Research Tech Policy Software Development Data science Innovation
  1. AI labs need to find the right balance between scaling their systems and efficiency in their processes.
  2. There's an AI model that criticized famous figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump, showing it might lean towards leftist views.
  3. Tyler Cowen believes the slow integration of AI into our society is due to human limitations, not the technology itself.

Hard-forked! Casey Newton’s distorted portrait of Gary Marcus and AI skepticism

Marcus on AI • 6679 implied HN points • 06 Dec 24
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Data Ethics Tech Policy Regulation
  1. We need to prepare for AI to become more dangerous than it is now. Even if some experts think its progress might slow, it's important to have safety measures in place just in case.
  2. AI doesn't always perform as promised and can be unreliable or harmful. It's already causing issues like misinformation and bias, which means we should be cautious about its use.
  3. AI skepticism is a valid and important perspective. It's fair for people to question the role of AI in society and to discuss how it can be better managed.

Who Will Buy TikTok From China? Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1567 implied HN points • 14 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Civil Rights Judiciary Tech Policy Media influence Criminal Justice
  1. There is a legal case challenging Biden's transgender prison policy. A woman is arguing that sharing spaces with transgender inmates makes her feel unsafe.
  2. With a potential ban on TikTok approaching, there are talks about who might buy the platform, including possible buyers like Trump or Elon Musk.
  3. In Los Angeles, wildfires have caused many people to flee their homes, and volunteers are working hard to provide support and shelter for those affected.

It's time to come to grips with AI

Silver Bulletin • 922 implied HN points • 27 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Digital innovation Tech Policy Software Development Data Ethics
  1. AI is becoming very powerful and it could change many things in society. We need to talk about its risks and benefits honestly.
  2. The left is not fully engaging in discussions about AI, which is concerning as this technology is rapidly evolving. Everyone should be part of the conversation to shape its future.
  3. Dismissing AI as overhyped is misguided; rather, we should explore its potential impacts and work together to ensure it benefits everyone.
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AI #92: Behind the Curve

Don't Worry About the Vase • 2777 implied HN points • 28 Nov 24
🕹 Technology AI Machine Learning Tech Policy Programming Innovation
  1. AI language models are improving in utility, specifically for tasks like coding, but they still have some limitations such as being slow or clunky.
  2. Public perception of AI-generated poetry shows that people often prefer it over human-created poetry, indicating a shift in how we view creativity and value in writing.
  3. Conferences and role-playing exercises around AI emphasize the complexities and potential outcomes of AI alignment, highlighting that future AI developments bring both hopeful and concerning possibilities.

Stop pretending Meta cares about free speech

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 6598 implied HN points • 08 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Free speech Tech Policy Censorship Activism Media Regulation
  1. Meta doesn't really care about free speech. They are making rules that often silence voices that challenge their views or threaten their profits.
  2. People who say they support free speech often try to shut down discussions that go against their beliefs. This includes laws that restrict what can be taught in schools about racism and LGBTQ+ issues.
  3. Billionaires like Zuckerberg use the idea of free speech to protect themselves from consequences while preserving their power. Real change requires creating an internet that serves everyone's needs, not just the powerful.

America's Self-Defeating Chip War on China

Nonzero Newsletter • 271 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Foreign Policy Tech Policy Trade Relations National Security
  1. The US is limiting chip imports from China, which could create tension leading to potential conflict in Taiwan.
  2. There hasn't been much discussion about the risks of this chip war among US foreign policy experts.
  3. A Chinese AI model called DeepSeek r1 is gaining attention and showing that the US's strategy against Chinese tech might have serious flaws.

🌞☁️ Pro-growthers are having a moment. But so are degrowthers

Faster, Please! • 548 implied HN points • 10 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Political Ideologies Tech Policy Energy Policy Innovation
  1. There is a growing movement called 'Up Wing' that focuses on progress and abundance. This movement includes people from both sides of the political spectrum who want to see technological advancements.
  2. Factors like AI, nuclear energy acceptance, and competition with China are helping this movement gain strength. These elements create a push for new tech and policies that encourage innovation.
  3. However, there are still strong opposing views known as 'Down Wing', which challenge the focus on growth and progress. This resistance shows that not everyone agrees on how to approach the future.

Last week at The Lunduke Journal (Nov 24 - Nov 30, 2024)

The Lunduke Journal of Technology • 574 implied HN points • 01 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Software Programming Open Source Tech Policy Hardware
  1. The C++ Standards Group made headlines by banning a contributor just for using the word 'Question' in their work. It shows how strict and odd some technical communities can be.
  2. The Linux Code of Conduct Board also banned a developer for not apologizing enough, highlighting tensions in developer communities around behavior expectations.
  3. Microsoft has faced accusations from Google about using 'dark patterns' in their Edge browser, pointing to ongoing issues with user experience and ethical design in tech.

Shortsighted tech bros seek to leave American STEM talent even further behind.

The Dossier • 277 implied HN points • 26 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Immigration Education Labor Economy Tech Policy
  1. There is a belief that the U.S. needs to bring in foreign workers to fill tech jobs because there aren't enough qualified Americans. This argument has sparked a lot of discussion and pushback.
  2. Many Americans are struggling because our education system often overlooks local talent in favor of foreign students for prestigious programs. This makes it tough for U.S. students to find good jobs in tech.
  3. Some argue that America should prioritize its own citizens in tech hiring, as other countries have successfully developed their tech sectors without relying heavily on foreign immigrants.

Dingus of the week: Mark Zuckerberg

Men Yell at Me • 753 implied HN points • 10 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Tech Policy Social media Misinformation Free speech Political Commentary
  1. Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta is shutting down its fact-checking department, claiming it's biased. This means users can share their opinions without being corrected.
  2. Misinformation on social media has led to real violence and harm, raising concerns about the consequences of this new policy. People have been hurt or even died because of false information spread online.
  3. The community has shown kindness by supporting important causes, like abortion access. Together, people can make a difference and help those in need.

Import AI 374: China's military AI dataset; platonic AI; brainlike convnets

Import AI • 339 implied HN points • 27 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Research Search Engines Neural Networks Tech Policy
  1. UC Berkeley researchers discovered a suspicious Chinese military dataset named 'Zhousidun' with specific images of American destroyers, presenting potential implications for military use of AI.
  2. Research suggests that as AI systems scale up, their representations of reality become more similar, with bigger models better approximating the world we exist in.
  3. Convolutional neural networks are shown to align more with primate visual cortexes than transformers, indicating architectural biases that can lead to better understanding the brain.

Your guide to AI: January 2025

Guide to AI • 7 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Tech Policy Startups Research Hardware
  1. The new US administration is making changes to AI policy, which might affect tech companies and regulations. These changes could ease some restrictions, but their real impact is still unclear.
  2. NVIDIA remains a strong player in AI hardware, especially as demand for Chinese chips grows. However, there's skepticism around whether newer companies can truly compete with established ones like NVIDIA.
  3. Europe is pushing to increase AI adoption and innovation, but there are concerns about their regulations stifling progress. Meanwhile, big investments are happening in AI startups across various sectors.

AI Oligarchs: Money Before Country, Again

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 115 implied HN points • 28 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Industrial Policy Tech Policy Economic Policy Corporate Influence Regulatory Affairs
  1. U.S. industrial policy has focused on moving jobs overseas to benefit the wealthy, which has hurt the country's economy. Instead of helping the average person, it seems to make the rich even richer.
  2. The tech industry in the U.S. has missed out on competition and innovation because companies put profit before progress. This has allowed cheaper and better technologies from other countries, like China, to take over.
  3. Lina Khan, a regulatory leader, warned that lack of competition in the tech industry would hurt U.S. companies in the long run. It looks like her concerns have come true as American firms are now struggling against more agile competitors.

The End of the Golden Age of Tech Accountability

The Klonickles • 412 implied HN points • 03 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Big Tech Regulation Social Impact Tech Policy Corporate Accountability
  1. The economic downturn has impacted the soft power of technology civil society and projects aimed at improving technology and social welfare.
  2. In the last five years, tech companies voluntarily engaged in initiatives for transparency and accountability, which were more significant than perceived.
  3. Despite the progress made, this voluntary cooperation is not enough, and there is a need for regulations to enforce continued efforts by tech companies.

The death of early career gigs, encryption, and the Thread Boys' ascendency

Alex's Personal Blog • 32 implied HN points • 25 Nov 24
🕹 Technology AI Encryption Startups Data Privacy Tech Policy
  1. AI is taking over entry-level jobs, making it harder for newcomers to gain the experience they need. This could leave a gap when it comes to filling senior positions in the future.
  2. Encryption is really important for protecting our information and ensuring a stable economy. Weakening it could lead to big security problems for everyone.
  3. There's a trend of tech billionaires gaining more influence over government. This could change how policies are made, depending on who has the most money to back their causes.

Litho World & Commerce: Lost in Translation?

ChinaTalk • 444 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Tech Policy Export Controls
  1. The US and its allies are in a technology cold war with China over semiconductor capabilities.
  2. Export restrictions and regulations around lithography in semiconductors have led to misunderstandings between the Commerce Department and manufacturers.
  3. Recent export controls aim to restrict Chinese access to advanced technology, but loopholes and circumventions still exist.

A Generative Year: 2023

Cybernetic Forests • 119 implied HN points • 31 Dec 23
🎨 Art & Illustration AI Art Tech Policy Music Documentary Exhibition
  1. Subscribers to the newsletter tripled this year, showing growth and increased interest in the content.
  2. The author created and taught a course on AI Images, which was referenced by other educational institutions, showcasing influence in the field.
  3. The Algorithmic Resistance Research Group presented at the DEFCON 31 AI Village, demonstrating involvement in cutting-edge AI art and research.

Apple Calls for National Repair Law

Fight to Repair • 78 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Tech Policy Consumer Tech Sustainability E-Waste Legislation
  1. Apple is pushing for a national right-to-repair law in the US after California's legislation, aiming to balance repairability with product integrity, usability, and safety.
  2. Apple's announcement reveals a strategic shift to shape the national law and potentially exclude certain aspects by emphasizing safety and privacy concerns.
  3. The tech industry is exploring creating Memorandums of Understanding to navigate right-to-repair laws, aiming to standardize repair practices and influence legislation.

Should Car Safety Features Have A Paywall?

Fight to Repair • 59 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Automotive Consumer Rights Tech Policy Regulations
  1. Consumer Reports campaign seeks to make safety features like Automatic Crash Notifications (ACN) standard rather than paid subscriptions by car companies.
  2. The trend of companies turning safety features like Apple's Emergency SOS into subscription services raises concerns about access to potentially life-saving features.
  3. Regulators like the FTC are taking steps against companies like Tesla and John Deere for using software controls to enforce subscriptions and deny access to users, highlighting the need for government intervention to protect consumer rights.

Commentator

Castalia • 79 implied HN points • 18 Nov 22
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics War National Security Foreign Relations Political Commentary Tech Policy
  1. The war in Ukraine is ongoing with Ukraine recapturing Kherson, highlighting the differences in motivation and organization between Ukrainian and Russian forces. Despite fatigue from the constant news, it's important to recognize the significance of these events.
  2. The collapse of FTX and the downfall of Sam Bankman-Fried has brought a mix of schadenfreude and concern over the fragile state of the crypto industry. Many view the situation as a cautionary tale about the financial reality of crypto and the dangers of unchecked ambition.
  3. There’s a growing call to ban TikTok in the U.S. due to national security concerns, as the app is seen as a tool for espionage by the Chinese government. This reflects a shift in how we view technology, realizing it can be controlled and influenced by powerful entities.

Platforms don't exist

Metal Machine Music by Ben Tarnoff • 339 implied HN points • 22 Nov 19
🕹 Technology Digital Infrastructure Tech Policy Taxonomy
  1. A left tech policy should aim to reduce the central role of markets in people's lives through decommodification, providing resources as a right and enabling democratic decision-making.
  2. When considering tech platforms, it's essential to move beyond the generic term 'platforms' and analyze size, function, and type of power they have to guide regulation effectively.
  3. Methods of decommodification and democratization for digital infrastructures can include public ownership, cooperative ownership, non-ownership, or abolition, accompanied by legislative regulations on data usage and algorithms.

Diane Francis

Diane Francis • 119 implied HN points • 08 Jan 21
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Corruption Ethics Tech Policy Finance
  1. Diane Francis is a veteran columnist who focuses on important topics like power and corruption.
  2. She writes about money issues and ethics in technology, making it easier for people to understand complex subjects.
  3. Her work aims to expose wrongdoing in business and public life, helping readers stay informed.

Áo giáp và thanh gươm

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 59 implied HN points • 20 Jul 20
🕹 Technology Internet Regulation Content Moderation Tech Policy
  1. Growing up with the internet has shaped the author's worldview, encouraging critical thinking and curiosity that traditional schooling may not have fostered.
  2. Access to the internet has provided the author with valuable knowledge, career opportunities beyond Vietnam's borders, and a broader understanding of the impact of the internet on society.
  3. The Section 230 law in the US, granting websites immunity for content posted by users, has played a significant role in the development of the internet industry, emphasizing the balance between freedom, responsibility, and innovation.

2/13/22 Tech Buzz China Insider Digest

Tech Buzz China Insider • 0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 22
🕹 Technology E-commerce Tech Policy AI Market Trends China tech
  1. The concept of consumption upgrade vs. downgrade in China's consumer market is complex and impactful, with platforms like Pinduoduo challenging traditional views.
  2. Predictions from Chinese government research organizations suggest continued US-China tensions in tech, with Biden likely to tighten restrictions on exports, investments, and overseas operations.
  3. AInnovation's IPO in the

Did a "DEI Programmer" Cause the Crowdstrike Disaster?

Code and Context • 0 implied HN points • 20 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Software Development Cybersecurity Programming Languages Tech Policy Digital Culture
  1. A technical bug in CrowdStrike's code caused a major outage, mainly due to a NULL pointer dereference issue. This means the program tried to access a place it shouldn't have, causing systems to crash.
  2. The incident highlights the importance of robust testing and coding practices. It shows how a small error in a significant system can lead to serious, widespread problems.
  3. Scapegoating trends, like blaming DEI initiatives for tech failures, often distract from the real, complex issues at play. It's easier to point fingers than to acknowledge the multiple factors that contribute to such failures.

Tech Companies Helping India Battle Covid Crisis

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 0 implied HN points • 02 May 21
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Health tech Data science Digital Platforms Tech Policy
  1. Tech companies are stepping up to support India during the Covid crisis. They are using their resources to help in various ways.
  2. These companies are providing technology and solutions to improve healthcare and manage the pandemic better.
  3. The initiative shows how important technology can be in times of crisis and highlights the role of companies in helping communities.

Adaptive Defense: Redefining Security for a Dynamic World

Phoenix Substack • 0 implied HN points • 20 Feb 25
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Innovation Risk management Tech Policy Systems Design
  1. Static security is outdated. We need systems that can adapt quickly to changing threats.
  2. Trust in security should be flexible. Instead of seeing things as secure or vulnerable, we should continuously assess and improve our defenses.
  3. Effective security must understand each situation. It's about using real-time information to respond appropriately, not applying the same rules everywhere.

Our Tech & Social Cohesion Podcast Playlist

techandsocialcohesion • 0 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🎙 Podcasts Technology Tech Policy
  1. Listening to podcasts can feel like having dinner with interesting people and learning about current trends in technology and social cohesion.
  2. The podcast playlist provided includes shows that explore emerging technologies, trust in technology, tech policy, and more.
  3. Engaging with podcasts about technology and social cohesion can help understand the evolving field's dilemmas and future perspectives.