500 Words by Lee Schneider

Issue 95 - My emotional support robot is not returning my calls

Welcome to 500 Words, a letter about indie publishing, artificial intelligence, and the creative process. Though I write about AI, I'm not an AI fanboy.  I'm interested in interrogating IA, which means I'm going to question all of its basic assumptions. The reason for this is that I am a recovering early adopter, meaning that once I was an enthusiastic grabber and tester of all new technology. But I've become more skeptical of the bright, shiny tech object, and I question the motives of the people who are pushing all the new tech on us. If that viewpoint works for you, consider subscribing. Every issue of 500 Words is free. You can also support my work with an optional paid monthly subscription, if you wish, or just buy me a coffee. INTERROGATING AIThis must have sounded good back in April 2020: A robot for kids named Moxie that was marketed as a safe and engaging animate companion, designed to promote social, emotional, and cognitive development.  Do you have a warm spot growing in your heart? Sorry, you'll have to do something about that in the next paragraph. 

Issue 94 - How to Stop Reading Newspapers

Welcome to 500 Words.When I worked as a news writer and producer, I acquired a habit that I am now trying to break. Back then, every day, I churned through as many print and internet sources as I could get my eyes on. Now, the more news I read, the worse I feel.In the episode, I go on to talk about how I've tried to change my news input habits. In INTERROGATING AI, I cover Pokemon Go's data grab, Jerry Garcia's immortal voice, and the influx of VC funding into a startup that is developing autonomous weapons. 

Issue 93 - Mourning in America

Well, that didn't go well. A majority of Americans have voted for hate, choosing a criminal to lead us. It feels like a day, or a few days, or maybe a whole week to dip into despair or try to recharge. I have given some time over to despairing and mourning, and now I'm working on the recharge.Can there be dialogue in our divided land? Is it worth it to try reaching across the aisle?

Issue 92 - Nuclear-Powered AI

A moment for station identification for new readers and listeners:  500 Words is a weekly-ish newsletter with two regular columns: INTERROGATING AI, which examines our use of artificial intelligence, and BLURBOMATIC, a monthly curated list of book reviews. I'll also keep you updated about books I'm publishing, productions in progress, new courses and trainings, and podcasts I'm launching or publicizing.I have made a point of writing about productive uses for AI, like using a chatbot as a writing coach to help you come up with ideas. Adobe has added a feature to their editing app, Premiere Pro, that will generate a few missing frames of video if yours ends too early to make the edit.  AI has the capability of making us fitter, happier, more productive (Yes, a that's a Radiohead quote from *Ok Computer*.)But truly interrogating AI means asking who it benefits. Easy answer to that: The companies leading AI development have a beneficiary in mind--themselves. AI has corporate masters, and it is being shaped to benefit them. We, as users of AI, can speak up and make it more beneficial to humans, and we ask demand that it not hurt the Earth too much. 

Issue 91 - Follow the Money

There are many AI unknowns this week. To sort them out, let's follow the money.OpenAI is restructuring from a non-profit to a for-profit company. Its Chief Technology Officer, Mia Murati, announced that she's leaving. Murati played a pivotal role in getting OpenAI CEO Sam Altman booted from the company last year, and she briefly became its CEO in his absence. Then, with Microsoft's financial backing, Altman regained control over the company. Whatever power struggles occurred behind the scenes, they have benefitted Altman. After the restructuring, OpenAI is discussing giving him a 7% equity stake. At OpenAI's current valuation, Altman's 7% would be worth around $10.5 billion.