Artificial intelligence is more a part of our lives than ever before. While some might call it hype and compare it to NFTs or 3D TVs, generative AI is causing a sea change in nearly every part of the technology industry. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is still the best-known AI chatbot around, but with Google pushing Gemini, Microsoft building Copilot, and Apple adding its Intelligence to Siri, AI is probably going to be in the spotlight for a very long time. At The Verge, we’re exploring what might be possible with AI — and a lot of the bad stuff AI does, too.
As noted on Bluesky, if you search “is it 2027 next year,” Google’s AI Overviews occasionally state that 2027 is two years from now. But this apparently isn’t even a new issue: when I got AI Overviews to mess up, it cited old Instagram and Reddit posts making fun of wrong responses to the same query.
By the way, Google still isn’t showing an AI Overview when you search “disregard.” AI Overviews are going just great!
How Google’s CEO is reshaping the company — and the internet.
The environmental activist and former legal clerk who’s life was made into a movie in 2000 is also logging local complaints about data center projects in their communities. Brockovich writes:
“The RACE to build AI infrastructures is unfolding town by town across America. In some places, data centers are welcomed. In others, they are delayed, contested or abandoned altogether. This MAP captures the real-world footprint of that race — revealing patterns of growth, conflict and uncertainty.
[Brockovich Data Center Reporting]
Anthropic’s fight with the Pentagon highlights the risks of autonomous warfare — but obscures just how close it is.
Spicy chatbot startup Joi AI says it’s hiring 10 “masturbation consultants” to test new “daily audio-guided sessions” with an AI-generated voice. If you fancy trying your hand, you’ve until the end of the week.
AI-assisted lawsuits are flooding the legal system. Good news for the people able to file without costly lawyers — and bad news for the already overwhelmed court system. Interesting read from the NYT here, though the issue has been simmering away for a while now. Maybe it’s time for AI judges?
The New York Times reports the CIA and the NSA lack the computing capacity to run the latest AI models. The White House has approved a request for $9 billion to buy cutting-edge chips and build infrastructure to support Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell superchip. But Congress needs to approve the funds.
The version of “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico” was exhibited and put up for sale by Danziger Gallery at the Association of International Photography Art Dealers’ Photography Show. The trust demanded the removal of the photo and, in a statement, accused the gallery’s owner, James Danziger, of exploiting the Ansel name to promote his own AI-colorization venture:
No one should trade on another person’s name, reputation, and labor for private commercial ends without consent and candor. The unauthorized exploitation of Ansel’s actively stewarded legacy reflects a gross failure of ethical and professional judgment.
AI can’t feel, but the best hackers pretend it can.
The Future of Truth has at least six quotes that appear to be fabricated by AI. After initially taking “full responsibility,” he’s now pointing a finger at the chatbots, telling The Atlantic that they “fucked up the book.” In a separate interview with Ars Technica, he said he still plans to use AI in his writing, adding:
“AI is often a delightful writing companion… It’s strangely creative and crafty and unusual in all these ways… and then it betrays you in ways that are just really quite horrible.”
Omni sent my kid’s stuffie rafting and deepfaked me in front of the Eiffel Tower. But it’s not quite the singularity.
Upon request, “qualifying” customers can use things like skills, a Claude harness, and a threat model builder, Anthropic says as part of a bigger update about Project Glasswing.
Anthropic also plans to expand Project Glassing to “additional partners” and has published a dashboard of open source vulnerabilities disclosed by Mythos Preview.
[Anthropic]
Why would you disrespect your favorite artist with an AI remix?
Critterz — AGC Studios’ animated feature that was produced using OpenAI’s tech — was originally scheduled to make its debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. But that’s no longer the case following OpenAI’s decision to shut Sora down back in March.
The new ChatGPT integration for Microsoft PowerPoint, like an earlier add-on for Excel and Google Sheets, adds a sidebar where users can create or edit presentations using chatbot prompts along with documents, images, and other source material.
The feature is available now in beta for ChatGPT users with Business, Enterprise, Edu, Teacher, K-12, Free, Go, Pro, and Plus plans.
As Politico reports, Trump postponed signing an executive order on government oversight and access to AI at the last minute on Thursday, saying it “could have been a blocker” for the jobs and “tremendous good” he claims AI is creating. Trump also said China was a factor:
We’re leading China. We’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that.
Apparently, that SpaceX $15 billion per year megadeal isn’t even enough capacity for Claude, as The Information reports Anthropic is in early talks to rent Azure servers with Microsoft’s chips, and that “Anthropic has been steadily increasing its Azure usage.”
Like OpenAI, Microsoft’s arrangement with Anthropic runs hot and cold, but its Maia 200 chips are designed to help run existing models like Claude, even if they aren’t as fast at helping to train new ones.
[The Information]
‘They deserve everything they’re getting.’ (Boos.)
Madry had been one of the company’s top safety executives (“head of preparedness”) before he was reassigned to a role focused on AI reasoning last summer. On Thursday, he announced he’s leaving OpenAI to work on something new, centered on AI’s impact on the economy.
[X (formerly Twitter)]
The new Atlas tool lets users “build a fully interactive world,” and to encourage people to use it, Hidden Door will pay the creators of worlds that meet its guidelines — 30 percent of the platform’s subscription revenue will go to creators.
I tried Hidden Door last year, if you want to read more about it.
[Hidden Door]
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Verge Score
I don’t hate Polyend’s Endless, but I’m not putting it on my pedalboard.
Amazon launched AI-generated audiobooks last year, and now Spotify is launching its own AI audiobook narration feature, Audiobook Creation Tools. Starting in June, self-published authors will be able to use the beta feature to create audio versions of their books using AI voices from ElevenLabs.
We sent Liz Lopatto to Musk v. Altman and all we got was this episode of Decoder
CapCut announced on X that users will “soon” be able to edit images and videos directly within the Gemini app using CapCut’s editing capabilities.
“As creative workflows become more connected and seamless, we believe the future of creation will be more conversational, intuitive, and intelligently integrated across tools and experiences.”
Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary is one of the investors backing the Stratos Project, a colossal data center in Utah. It sounds like he has a few fans in the comments section.
Electric Mayhem:
Kevin O’Leary is the Donald Trump of Mark Cubans.
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The rocket company says it’s ‘highly dependent’ on Musk’s leadership. And that his other companies are possible competitors.
