Why it matters: These failures show that there are tons of unanswered questions on the technology, including who will moderate what it produces and the way, whether we’re getting too trusting of the answers that chatbots produce, and what we’ll do with the mountain of “AI slop” that’s increasingly taking on the web. Above all, they illustrate the various pitfalls of blindly shoving AI into every product we interact with.
Bits and Bytes
What it’s like being a pedestrian on this planet of Waymos
Tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler finds that Waymo robotaxis usually fail to stop for him at a crosswalk he uses each day. Though you may sometimes make eye contact with human drivers to gauge whether or not they’ll stop, Waymos lack that “social intelligence,” Fowler writes. (The Washington Post)
The AI Hype Index
For every print issue, publishes an AI Hype Index, a highly subjective tackle the most recent buzz about AI. See where facial recognition, AI replicas of your personality, and more fall on the index. (MIT Technology Review)
What is going on on on the intersection of AI and spirituality
Modern religious leaders are experimenting with A. just as earlier generations examined radio, television, and the web. They include Rabbi Josh Fixler, who created “Rabbi Bot,” a chatbot trained on his old sermons. (The Latest York Times)
Meta has appointed its most outstanding Republican to steer its global policy team
