AI Companies and Their Fanatics — Information

Hello and welcome to the weekend.

Since launching our weekend section in November 2021, we’ve been chronicling the generative AI boom almost obsessively. Our first cover story, written by you, was about Sam Altman and his optimistic vision for OpenAI.

We then went on to report on how AI image generators are disrupting the design profession, the software that launched thousands of music deepfakes, and e-commerce companies looking for backdoors into chatbot responses. rice field. We’ve compiled extensive research on generative AI startups, met the Texas-based visionaries behind Jasper, explored every nook and cranny of the San Francisco AI underground, and explored AI from Washington to Hollywood. tracked hysteria driven by

But none of those articles gave me a “jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Jon talks about Character.AI, a consumer chatbot company founded by two of his AI pioneers at Google. They created what could be with us for a very long time: a personalized, surreal, bespoke chatbot trained to act as a user’s friend, therapist, and part-time lover. . I think the idea behind this company is both thrilling and terrifying. John writes: It is a “real version of the sci-fi movie ‘Her'”.

With the CEO already being tracked and harassed at home and office by one of the company’s 15 million registered users, he knows he’s in a dangerous place. And Character.AI’s story is sure to get even crazier from here. You may not yet see the uses of chatbots impersonating Elon Musk or Tony Soprano (both of which are currently waiting for you at Character.AI), but one day this product will directly impact your life. There is no doubt that you will evolve into what you give.

I will write about that when the day comes. Let’s move on to this week’s story. . .

14 million chatbots on Character.AI can provide companionship, emotional support, and even romantic love. But can its pioneering founder control its creation? Jon meets the former Google engineer who turned a powerful large-scale language model into the dizzying multiverse of chatbots.

Just as Instagram launched its Twitter clone, four former Meta employees are playing the same card on Instagram, launching a nostalgic (and imitative) photo-sharing app called Retro. When Annie spoke to the founders, they were quick to admit that the app “wouldn’t surprise me with anything new.”

1950’s style female cyborg. Stylized letter A. Cartoon roses. All original tattoo designs are all made with the help of artificial intelligence. Journalist Chris Stokel-Walker guides us through the burgeoning world of AI-generated tattoos and the cottage industry of startups automating their creation.

Watching: Rockumentaries for Millennials
As hundreds of New Yorkers spent July 4 soaking to the bone watching the storm-delayed Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest, I sat down with Max for John Early’s new comedy special, Now I spent my time laughing while listening to “More Than Ever”. This special takes place in the style of his 1970s rockumentary, combining observational stand-up with behind-the-scenes sketches and actual live numbers that reveal Early’s legitimate musical talents. The sketch dramatically depicts the dynamics of Early’s fictional band, This Is Spinal Tap, and serves as a kind of nostalgic B-roll to his comedy routines, which are mostly millennial-focused. To do. It’s all silly and over the top, but Early has the ability to occasionally slam-dunk things that will haunt product managers for years to come, like his analysis of Apple’s app-tracking transparency prompt. — Becky

Spotlight: The Dog Era of ChatGPT
Global traffic to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s flagship chatbot, dropped nearly 10% in June, according to analytics firm SimilarWeb. But please don’t cry for Sam Altman. It may just be a sign that school is on summer break (according to Alice Cooper). A recent episode of The Daily podcast artfully details how ChatGPT usage is prevalent among students. Middle Georgia State University history professor Andrew Reeves is heartbroken. “Even in advanced-level classes, even among history students, I’m going to struggle with this problem,” he said. “And it was just a gut punch.” Later in the episode, anonymous students were handed a microphone, and one of them asked the most harrowing question imaginable. —Annie

Reading: Real News on Fake Posters
The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell has delved into the social media presence of a radically liberal Twitter personality named Erica Marsh, who appears to be a hoax from most reportable angles. appear. Marsh, who has amassed more than 130,000 followers since she suddenly popped up on Twitter last September, is undetectable online outside of her Twitter-matched TikTok account. Her profile picture seems to have been manipulated. She regularly spouts outrageous topics that double as red meat to provoke the wrath of conservatives. (Perhaps the most despicable phrase is, “No black person can succeed in a meritocratic system, which is why we needed a program based on affirmative action.”) False flags are everywhere, moderation Even Twitter, which hates ignore them. She suspended her Marsh account last week shortly after the paper inquired about the matter. -John