A.I. is a technology of averages: large language models are trained to spot patterns across vast tracts of data; the answers they produce tend toward consensus, both in the quality of the writing, which is often riddled with clichés and banalities, and in the calibre of the ideas. - The New Yorker
Confronted with a prolonged silence during conversation, most of us find ourselves ‘desperately thinking of something to say’. Silence makes us desperate. But why? - Aeon
The years between 1900-1914 have appropriately been called by historian Philipp Blom as the “vertigo years.” To find your footing in this dizzying period so often meant jumping into the unknown or, as many did, sleepwalking through it and hoping things would sort themselves out. - Novum
In creative fields such as design, writing and content, teams that paired AI with human input consistently outperformed those using either alone. "When the task requires creativity and the generation of novel ideas, human-AI collaboration tends to deliver the best outcomes," the study concludes. - Entrepreneur
The brain continues to develop and mature into one’s mid-20s, but like a muscle it needs to be exercised, stimulated and challenged to grow stronger. Technology and especially AI can stunt this development by doing the mental work that builds the brain’s version of a computer cloud. - The Wall Street Journal
Work requires and supports a certain ecology of tasks, an economy of attention. You train your mind to it. When the job’s gone, that attention economy is rendered useless. But you’ve devoted so much time to it that you don’t know how else to deploy your behavioral resources. - 3 Quarks Daily
More and more, our “mediating technologies” are in the business not of enhancing our own senses to encounter the world better, but in replacing authentic experience with “experiences.” - The Point
“Before Jaws premiered in 1975, most shark research was conducted by the U.S. Navy. Much of it involved experimenting and testing repellents to prevent shark attacks on sailors.” - The New York Times
Minnesota’s nonprofit Sahan Journal "has been working on ways to support internal workflows with AI. Now, it’s even testing a custom ChatGPT bot to help pitch Sahan Journal to prospective advertisers and sponsors.” - Nieman Lab
“As the most popular Korean dramas are desperately trying to tell us, you can’t fix a first-world problem when crucial areas of your society are still stuck in an outdated mentality.” - The New York Times
“Trump knows that culture in the hands of subjugated peoples is a political weapon that he can’t best. His lavish attempts at conjuring a culture via pageantry seem pathetic because they are. In a culture war fair fight, ... he will lose.” - The Guardian (UK)
One young adult fantasy author “doesn't say a single word in the video, but her captions on the screen speak volumes. ‘Using GenAI to write a book doesn’t make you a writer, it makes you a thief,’ reads one.” - Wired
Studies link loneliness and social isolation to increased mortality, dementia and stroke. Among adults, loneliness is linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease and obesity, and it is known to worsen job performance and commitment. - Aeon
