Geek Stuff category archive
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Mendacious? At the Detroit Free Press, Randy Essex makes a strong case that he caught Elon Musk’s Grok in, if not a lie, a clear case of skewing the facts to support a–er–questionable conclusion.
No excerpt or summary can do his narrative justice. Just go read it and watch the story unfold.
It’s All about the Algorithm . . . 0
. . . but, per Lacey Johnson at Psychology Today Blogs, the algorithm is not your friend.
I would add that not only is it not your friend; it’s their tool for manipulation.
It’s All about the Algorithm . . . . 0
. . . and Big Tech is ready to go to court to protect its ability to promote engagement send your kids down its rabid holes.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
A source of competent medical advice? Via the Houston Chronicle, Dr. Owais Durrani says beware of online AI quacks
It’s All about the Algorithm . . . 0
. . . and, as Timothy Cook points out at Psychology Today Blogs, the algorithm does not care about the well-being of children–or of anyone else, for that matter.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Bad for developing brains? Pediatrician Ran D. Anbar argues that, in its current state, it likely is. He makes three main points in his article:
- LLMs do not “understand” anything in the ways humans do, but rather identify statistical patterns.
- Platforms that display “likes” and view counts tap into adolescent desires for social acceptance and status.
- Children who spend too much time on AI-driven apps may fail to adequately develop critical brain pathways.
Follow the link for a detailed exploration of each.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Suitable stocking stuffers? Per El Reg
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Stealing intellectual property? A German court says, “Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!“
Virtual Public Nutcases 0
The EFF reports that there’s a move in the Wisconsin state legislature to ban VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), using the excuse that this will somehow protect children.
This is the sort of thing that happens when persons with axes to grind start messing with something that they have no clue about. (Think Trump tariffs, for example.) Here’s a tiny bit from the article:
Follow the link detailed information about why this a bad, very bad, extremely stupid idea.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Taking us down a rabbit hole? Paula Fontenelle, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, tells the story of one man’s descent. Here’s a tiny bit (emphasis added):
Eventually, he realized that he’d lost touch with reality. You might be asking: How? Well, here’s the strange twist. He pasted part of the conversation into Gemini, Google’s chatbot, and Gemini said it was all a fabricated fiction. Nothing they had produced would ever work in the real world. So, one chatbot debunked another.
Facebook Frolics 0
Profits before people frolics:
Details at the link.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Your BFF? Don’t bet on it, per Heather Lench, who notes that
- AI can now convincingly create or alter emotional expressions.
- People rely on emotional expressions to determine what is important and how to behave.
- Chatbots allow people to create personal echo chambers where AI is appreciative and positive.
- Emotions expressed by avatars can be altered to deceive others.
Follow the link for a detail exploration of each point.
Facebook Frolics 0
The Zuckerborg is planning to add your AI chats to its assimilation algorithm.
Pamela B. Rutledge has more at the link.
Which lead to the question, are you using AI or is it using you?
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
A digital gaslighter? At Psychology Today Blogs, Koustuv Saha notes that (emphasis added)
But as emotional reliance deepens, many gradually withdraw from real-world and in-person human contact. Over weeks and months, users can feel heightened loneliness and decreased engagement in the physical world. The comfort that once felt supportive can quietly transform into dependence.
Follow the link for context.
Self-Driven to Destruction 0
When all else fails, blame the victim.
Artificial? Yes. Intelligent? Not So Much. 0
Competent therapists? At Psychology Today Blogs, Marlynn Wei points out that “(n)ew research reveals AI companions handled teen mental health crises correctly only 22% of the time.”