Why it matters: These failures answer many unanswered questions about technology, including how and who moderates what the technology produces, whether we trust too much the answers chatbots generate, and what to do with chatbots. It shows that there are a lot of questions. A pile of “AI slop” is increasingly sweeping the internet. Above all, they illustrate the many pitfalls of blindly pushing AI into every product we handle.
bits and bytes
What’s it like to be a pedestrian in the world of Waymos?
Technology columnist Jeffrey Fowler noticed that Waymo robotaxis often didn’t stop at the crosswalks he used every day. Although it can make eye contact with a human driver and decide whether to stop, Weymoth lacks that “social intelligence,” Fowler wrote. (Washington Post)
AI Hype Index
MIT Technology Review publishes the AI Hype Index, a highly subjective take on the latest topics in AI, in each print issue. See where facial recognition, AI replicas of your personality, and more fall in the index. (MIT Technology Review)
What is happening at the intersection of AI and spirituality?
Just as previous generations experimented with radio, television, and the Internet, modern religious leaders are experimenting with A. Among them is Rabbi Josh Fixler, who created Rabbibot, a trained chatbot based on his old sermons. (New York Times)
Mehta appointed the most prominent Republican to lead his global policy team