Artificial intelligence. It's the buzzword of the decade, the technological bogeyman, and the potential savior of humanity, all rolled into one confusing package. We're promised a future of self-driving cars, personalized medicine, and robot butlers. What we're more likely to get is mass unemployment, algorithmic bias, and AI-generated spam that's indistinguishable from reality.
In today’s post:
- Mistral's AI assistant: Is it a genuine threat to Silicon Valley, or just another flash in the pan?
- Meta's alleged book piracy: Because stealing from authors is apparently the new normal.
- Google's watermarks: A valiant effort to combat misinformation, destined to fail spectacularly.
- The Musk/OpenAI feud: Billionaires behaving badly, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.
OPENAI/MUSK
Musk vs. OpenAI: A Billionaire Battle Royale for the Soul of AI Elon Musk is suing OpenAI, claiming they've abandoned their original mission.
- Musk alleges OpenAI has become a for-profit entity controlled by Microsoft.
- He wants them to return to their open-source roots. (Good luck with that.)
- The lawsuit is a messy, public fight between two tech titans.
The Takeaway: This is a classic case of billionaires behaving badly. It's hard to say who's right or wrong, but it's clear that the future of AI is at stake (or at least, that's what they want us to believe). Whose side are you on? (Or are you just enjoying the show?)
MISTRAL
Le Chat: Europe's Answer to ChatGPT? Mistral, the French AI startup, has unleashed its AI assistant, Le Chat, upon the world.
- It's available on iOS and Android, because who uses desktops anymore?
- It boasts impressive speed and image generation.
- A Pro tier exists for those who want to pay extra for the privilege of talking to a machine.
The Takeaway: Mistral is trying to break into a market dominated by giants. Good luck with that. The lack of voice mode is a curious omission. Are we supposed to type our existential anxieties now?
META
Meta Accused of Training AI on Stolen Books: A New Low for Corporate Ethics? Meta is facing a lawsuit for allegedly using pirated books to train its AI models.
- Authors are claiming copyright infringement. (Rightfully so.)
- Internal emails suggest Meta knew what it was doing. (Quelle Surprise!)
- The lawsuit raises questions about the ethics of AI development. (As if ethics mattered in tech.)
The Takeaway: This is a PR nightmare for Meta, but will it actually change anything? Probably not. They'll pay a fine, issue a statement and go back to business as usual.
Google's AI Watermarks: A Futile Attempt to Control the Uncontrollable? Google is implementing invisible watermarks on AI-generated images.
- The goal is to help people identify AI-altered content. (As if that's the real problem.)
- The watermark is designed to survive editing. (We'll see about that.)
- But not all AI tools will use watermarks. (So, what's the point?)
The Takeaway: It's a nice gesture, but ultimately ineffective. Bad actors will always find ways around these measures. It's like trying to stop a flood with a sandbag. Will a watermark really make you more trusting of an image?
Quote of the week.
“Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity,” Altman said. “I feel for the guy. I don’t think he’s, like, a happy person.” Altman on Musk
ETHICAL GUIDELINES
AI Ethicists Propose New Guidelines: Will Anyone Actually Listen? A group of AI ethicists has released a set of proposed guidelines for responsible AI development.
- The guidelines emphasize fairness, transparency, and accountability. (All good things.)
- They call for greater oversight of AI algorithms. (Easier said than done.)
- They advocate for clear lines of responsibility. (Who's going to volunteer for that?)
The Takeaway: Ethical guidelines are important, but they're only as good as the people who enforce them. And in the world of AI, enforcement is a tricky thing. Will these guidelines make a difference? (Don't bet on it.)
PROTEIN STRUCTURE PREDICTION
MIT Researchers Develop AI That Can Predict Protein Structures: Because We Needed More Ways to Mess with Biology Researchers at MIT have created an AI model that can predict protein structures with unprecedented accuracy.
- This could revolutionize drug discovery. (Or create new bioweapons. Who knows?)
- The model is faster and more accurate than previous methods. (Progress!?)
- It could help us understand the building blocks of life. (Or destroy them.)
The Takeaway: This is a significant scientific achievement, but it also raises some serious ethical questions. Just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should.
Content of the week:
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FRANCE
France's $112B AI Move: A Desperate Attempt to Stay Relevant? France is investing billions in AI, hoping to become a global leader.
- Macron is calling it France's "Sputnik moment."
- The money will go towards data centers and AI startups.
- France has a nuclear power advantage. (Finally, something to brag about.)
The Takeaway: France is making a bold move, but it's unclear if it will pay off. Still, on the plus side, it’s now overtaken bottlecaps to become the European poster child of innovation.
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PIC OF THE WEEK
Prompt: A minimalistic illustration of a full crocodile, its teeth made of book text or scribbles, forming part of its open mouth. Inside the crocodile, a 19th-century Russian clerk sits, reading or writing at a small desk. The composition blends literature and imagery in a clean, conceptual design --ar 16:9 --quality 2 --style raw --stylize 250
