There's a new definition of artificial general intelligence in town, and unsurprisingly... it's bad! Alex and Emily rip up the tissue-paper-thin premises behind this latest attempt to define "intelligence." Plus, we discover that AI hypers love using logos that look like buttholes.

References:

• "A Definition of AGI" landing page and paper-shaped object

Fresh AI Hell:

• "What If Sea Monkeys Constantly, Sometimes Dangerously, Bullshitted People"
• Doctronic, the "AI doctor"
• NIST reports companies cheat on "AI" evaluations
• "Microsoft Lowers Sales Staff's Growth Targets For Newer AI Software"
• "PEN Guild wins landmark arbitration on AI protections"
• "AI" assistant pop-up whack-a-mole

Check out future streams on Twitch. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see.

Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now.

Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown.

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Emily

• Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social
• Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender

Alex

• Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social
• Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex
• Twitter: @alexhanna

Music by Toby Menon.
Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park.
Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

Tech leaders are pushing the idea that automation can strengthen democracy — but as usual, their bold suggestions are based on castles made of sand. Alex and Emily tear down some flimsy arguments for AI governance, exposing their incorrect assumptions about the democratic process.

References:

• "This Is No Way to Rule a Country"
• "Four ways AI is being used to strengthen democracies worldwide"

Also referenced:

• Collective Intelligence Project surveys
• Interview with CalMatters CEO

Fresh AI Hell:

• Amazon introduces AI translation for Kindle authors
• Nature op ed recommends AI versions of Einstein, Bohr, and Feynman
• An AI Podcasting Machine Is Churning Out 3,000 Episodes a Week
• AI dating café to open in New York
• Recipe slop flooding social media
• AI slop about Autism published in Nature
• Upwork ad for fixing LLM editorial
• "Hundreds of Chicago residents sign petition to pause robot delivery pilot program over safety concerns"

Check out future streams on Twitch. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see.

Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now.

Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown.

Follow us!

Emily

• Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social
• Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender

Alex

• Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social
• Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex
• Twitter: @alexhanna

Music by Toby Menon.
Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park.
Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.

Last month, Senate Democrats warned that "Automation Could Destroy Nearly 100 Million U.S Jobs in a Decade." Ironically, they used ChatGPT to come to that conclusion. DAIR Research Associate Sophie Song joins us to unpack the issues when self-professed worker advocates use chatbots for "research."

Sophie Song is a researcher, organizer, and advocate working at the intersection of tech and social justice. They’re a research associate at DAIR, where they're working with Alex on building the Luddite Lab Resource Hub.

References:

• Senate report: AI and Automation Could Destroy Nearly 100 Million U.S Jobs in a Decade
• Senator Sanders' AI Report Ignores the Data on AI and Inequality

Also referenced:

• MAIHT3k Episode 25: An LLM Says LLMs Can Do Your Job
• Humlum paper: Large Language Models, Small Labor Market Effects
• Emily's blog post: Scholarship should be open, inclusive and slow

Fresh AI Hell:

• Tech companies compelling vibe coding
• arXiv is overwhelmed by LLM slop
• 'Godfather of AI' says tech giants can't profit from their astronomical investments unless human labor is replaced
• If you want to satiate AI’s hunger for power, Google suggests going to space
• AI pioneers claim human-level general intelligence is already here
• Gen AI campaign against ranked choice voting
• Chaser: Workplace AI Implementation Bingo

Check out future streams on Twitch. Meanwhile, send us any AI Hell you see.

Our book, 'The AI Con,' is out now! Get your copy now.

Subscribe to our newsletter via Buttondown.

Follow us!

Emily

• Bluesky: emilymbender.bsky.social
• Mastodon: dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender

Alex

• Bluesky: alexhanna.bsky.social
• Mastodon: dair-community.social/@alex
• Twitter: @alexhanna

Music by Toby Menon.
Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park.
Production by Ozzy Llinas Goodman.