The Mother Lode

“When judged by almost any standard other than the revolutions caused by electricity or the internet, generative AI has already done extraordinary things, of course—advancing drug development, solving challenging math problems, generating stunning video clips. But exactly what uses of the technology can actually make money remains unclear. At present, AI is generally good at doing existing tasks—writing blog posts, coding, translating—faster and cheaper than humans can. But efficiency gains can provide only so much value, boosting the current economy but not creating a new one.” There’s no doubt AI is a big deal that will have a big impact on many industries. But can it live up to the unprecedented levels of investment? The Atlantic (Gift Article): Silicon Valley’s Trillion-Dollar Leap of Faith.

+ “Meta may be cutting back on its metaverse dreams, but it’s striving for its AI goals at full speed. JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth said Meta’s company-wide costs could reach up to $50 billion in 2025, fueled by AI spending.”

+ The Mother Load: All that spending means a lot of AI which means we’ll have a lot of new issues to deal with. Like even bigger questions about what’s true. Christopher Beam in The Atlantic: My Mom Says She Loves Me. AI Says She’s Lying. “A few weeks ago, I called my mom … ‘Do you love me?’ I asked. She said yes. I asked why. She listed a handful of positive qualities, the kinds of things a son would be proud to hear—if they were true. Later, I plugged a transcript of her answer into Coyote. The verdict: Deception likely.”