I combed the internet to find you the funniest/most important/scary/fascinating stories about technology today.
1 ChatGPT doesn’t always tell the truth
But it states things so confidently that it’s easy to be fooled. (New York Times $)
+ It has been recommending some disturbing counter-terrorism measures, including torture. (to intercept)
+ For some users, it doesn’t matter whether it’s accurate or not. (wettable powder $)
+ ChatGPT isn’t going to take the stand-up comedian’s job anytime soon. (wall street journal $)
+ ChatGPT is OpenAI’s latest fix to GPT-3. It’s sleek, but still talking bullshit. (MIT Technology Review)
2 Investors are rapidly exiting cryptocurrencies
They were spooked by the FTX debacle and are withdrawing record levels of Bitcoin from crypto exchanges (Financial Times $)
+ Chinese police have cracked down on a massive cryptocurrency money laundering ring. (South China Morning Post $)
+ FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried will testify before the US Congress this week. (protector)
3 NASA’s Artemis I moon landing mission complete
After 26 days, it returned to Earth. (new scientist $)
+ The mission paved the way for humans to return to the Moon. (wall street journal $)
+ Looking down on Earth from space is an emotional experience. (Atlantic Organization $)
4 Restart of Twitter subscription service
iPhone users are being asked to pay more, possibly in retaliation for the App Store’s built-in fees. (Reuters)
+ The company’s community-annotated misinformation service has also been improved. (Engadget)
+ Elon Musk knows exactly who he’s attracting. (Atlantic Organization $)
+ Elon Musk has created a toxic mess for the LGBTQ+ community. I know. (MIT Technology Review)
5 Might Be Time To Delete Your Photos From The Internet
Making deepfakes will only get easier. (technical art)
+ A terrifying new AI app can transform women into pornographic videos with just one click. (MIT Technology Review)
+ Lensa’s AI avatar is worrisome, especially for women. (wall street journal $)
6 Amazon fell short on its promise to help Tijuana residents
It promised to develop the area around its operations center, but workers say nothing has changed. (rest of the world)
7 This year is a bit messy
But hard data can help us understand why — and what to prepare for next year. (sound)
8 tech grads who are fighting for too few jobs
Talented graduates are ready to work, but hardly anywhere is hiring right now. (NBC)
9 Star Gazing At Risk 🌌
Light pollution is the main culprit—much of it completely unnecessary. (protector)
10 Match.com Things to Know About Love
It’s the first major dating site to use a scientific method to calculate couple compatibility. (Atlantic Organization $)
+ Here’s how the web’s newest matchmaker can help you find true love. (MIT Technology Review)
daily quote
“It made me feel so much better. Happier; freer.”
— Irish author Julian Gough, who wrote a poignant poem that is displayed when players complete Minecraft, explains why he decided to put it in the public domain for anyone to use, motherboard report.
big story
Minneapolis police use fake social media profiles to spy on black people
April 2022
The Minneapolis Police Department has violated civil rights law through racist policing practices, according to a denunciation report from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. The report found that police stop, search, arrest and use force against people of color at a much higher rate than white people, and use social media to spy on black people who are not suspected of crimes.
