High hopes for the imminent arrival of general AI have been there from the very beginning, and the successes of machine learning keep them high. - The New Atlantis
I believe there exists a modicum of groupthink in an established expert community; solidarity in opinions may be seen as desirable among some in the scientific community, sometimes at the expense of intellectual debates and scientific discourse. - Future
Though a wide range of A.I. technologies have improved by leaps and bounds over the past decade, even the most impressive systems have ended up complementing human workers rather than replacing them. - The New York Times
Conventional wisdom has it that cultural divisions now matter most, and that plenty of people feel they have nothing in common with liberal, supposedly “globalist” elites. Yet that idea is far from the truth. - New Statesman
Could you sing this song at your nonprofit, apropos of nothing? Even with all the caveats in the world ahead of actually singing it? Can anyone sing this song outside the confines of an arts presentation? In that presentation, would trigger warnings be required? - Alan Harrison
Emergent technologies have gained far-reaching power over our politics, our economy, and our lives, and no consensus exists on what—if anything—to do about it. - The Atlantic
Climate science shows we desperately need insects to keep the planet in any kind of balance. Horror films have disagreed - but it might be time for a change. - The Guardian (UK)
"The arts can be especially beneficial for public health in five key areas: collective trauma, racism, mental health, social exclusion and isolation, and chronic disease." - The Nation's Health
Red tape and regulations have largely put paid to a congenial and very possibly no-less-profitable art world, as has the workload in oppressed, ever-leaner organisations dominated by accountants or hit by government cuts. - Apollo
If we want to figure out how network technologies like Internet and Blockchain will change the world, we need to understand how the nature of previous technologies determined the emergence of new political systems. - Uncharted Territories
It has long been known that making eye contact with a robot can be an unsettling experience. Scientists even have a name for the queasy feeling: the "uncanny valley". - Reuters
The modern online public sphere, a place of rapid conclusions, rigid ideological prisms, and arguments of 280 characters, favors neither nuance nor ambiguity. - The Atlantic
"I know something about this rhetorical vagary because it involves nominally the same efforts America supposedly applies to strengthen its own communities that are “vulnerable,” “underserved,” “traditionally overlooked” — you choose the euphemism for poor." - Medium
Sixty years after Kennedy’s speech to Congress, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone willing to make the case that accomplishing hard tasks, solving hard problems, and committing to collective action are particular ambitions or ideals or strengths of American democracy. - The Walrus
The ubiquity of overwork is a serious obstacle for many of the ideas about how we might reshape our professional lives in the months ahead. - The New Yorker
