Human Intelligence™ News Update 11/8
Your weekly roundup about human creativity in the age of AI. [Nov 3-Nov 9, 2024]
Human Creativity
DIGITAL WORK - Art Should Be Human
Trojan Horse Was a Unicorn (THU) is a massive digital arts festival near Lisbon in Portugal, that showcases “the power of creativity” for new artists and veterans in the digital arts field. This year, AI was a central target. “Art should be created by humans,” says João, a Portuguese games designer. Read More »
FILM - Human Connections Matter
After Oppenheimer, Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy launched a new venture - Big Things Films - to tell intimate, complex and deeply human stories that highlight the importance of real connections in storytelling. Read More »
MEMORY IN MUSIC - Remembering Q
Quincy Jones’ genius lay in his ego-free approach to production. His death on Sunday, 11/2 at age 91 marks the end of an era. His genuis touched a vast array of artists from Frank Sinatra to Count Basie to Michael Jackson. Read More »
MUSIC - Curing Our Ills
The Cure's first album in 16 years, “Songs of a Lost World” was released last week. In an era of quick-release digital singles and streaming algorithms, The Cure's patient perfectionism and commitment to artistic integrity has produced a masterwork that recalibrates their whole story. Read More »
Human VS Robot
HUMAN CREATIVITY - Use AI to Get Stupid
A new paper demonstrates that people who used AI to try to generate new unique ideas tend to actually produce less original ideas. This implies that using AI might weaken creativity over time, rather than strengthening it. Read More »
FIGHTING AI TRANSLATION - More than Words
Human translators are fighting back against Simon & Schuster’s new proposal to use “translation bots,” arguing that actual translation requires cultural understanding, nuance, and creativity that AI cannot replicate. Read More »
SUPPLY CHAINS - Algorithmic Harms
A new critical study of AI data centers analyzes the mining, electronics, digital and e-waste outflow to focus our attention on cultural and economic asymmetries and ask for better balance in supply chains. Read the Paper »
Artificial “Intelligence” & Other Myths
AI REGULATION - Ignorant Acts Abound
After defeating Kamala Harris in the Presidential Election on 11/5, Trump plans to repeal Biden's AI regulations and take a hands-off approach to AI safety concerns. There’s little remarkable in such vacuous stupidity. Read More »
AI ELECTION - Big Hype Leads to Big Flop
Two big AI players hyped their ability to make real-time election predictions. Both were colossal failures. Traditional media's critical thinking, local knowledge, and nuanced analysis - proved irreplaceable. Read More »
AI LEGAL - No Brain Here
Dr. Henrique Marcos analyzes legal AI systems and demonstrates that they cannot perform inferential law application because they lack true semantic understanding—they engage only syntactically with legal text. Read the Paper »
CULT OF AI - Microsoft Misuse
Tech observer Edward Zitron explains how Microsoft is misusing their AI “Copilot” tool at scale to replicate human resource activities. He demonstrates how massive harm may be caused by ill-considered interactions. Read More »