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The Download: metaverse ethics, and spotting AI text

We’re in desperate need of ways to differentiate between human- and AI-written text in order to counter potential misuses of the technology, and researchers are developing tools to do exactly that. But... Read more »

How to spot AI-generated text

Because large language models work by predicting the next word in a sentence, they are more likely to use common words like “the,” “it,” or “is” instead of wonky, rare words. This... Read more »

I just watched Biggie Smalls perform ‘live’ in the metaverse

The team created a database of “micro-expression reference materials,” analyzed “pore-level resolution imagery,” and tracked the elasticity of sub-skin layers to understand how Smalls’s facial skin moved, Scott explains. Those minute changes... Read more »

The Download: generative AI, and psychedelic hype

—Jessica Hamzelou Jessica’s story is from The Checkup, her weekly biotech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s... Read more »

Sam Altman: This is what I learned from DALL-E 2

I think there’s an important set of lessons for us, about what the next decade’s going to be like for AI.  The first is where it came from: which is a team... Read more »

Artists can now opt out of the next version of Stable Diffusion

A spokesperson for Stability.AI did not respond to a request for comment. In a tweet, Stability.AI’s founder Emad Mostaque said the company is not doing this for “ethical or legal reasons.” “We... Read more »

Mind-altering substances are being overhyped as wonder drugs

Others are using AI to analyze “trip reports” to figure out what exactly psychedelic drugs do to our brains, I reported in March.  There’s lots of anecdotal data to draw from. Plenty... Read more »

Generative AI is changing everything. But what’s left when the hype is gone?

The big breakthrough behind the new models is in the way images get generated. The first version of DALL-E used an extension of the technology behind OpenAI’s language model GPT-3, producing images... Read more »

A stealth effort to bury wood for carbon removal has just raised millions

Following a series of devastating fire years across the West, a number of states are increasingly funding efforts to clear out forests to reduce those dangers. That includes removing undergrowth, cutting down... Read more »

The Download: Twitter’s decline, and explaining fusion

Podcast: Optimizing for convenience We’re in the middle of another major disruption in retail—one that’s been accelerated by the pandemic, and looks to take the convenience of e-commerce and apply it to... Read more »