We've learned a lot about the promise of AI programs like ChatGPT. And we've predicted many of the perils associated with that promise. What we've spent less time discussing is how people actually use the software. It turns out that what people want from ChatGPT is what people have always wanted from the Internet. Shortcuts to getting their work done and good old fashioned titillation. John Herrman in NY Mag: ChatGPT Users Want Help With Homework. They’re Also Very Horny. "AI companies are training on a ton of news and encyclopedia content, in large part because that’s what’s available to scrapers in great quantities ... Meanwhile, actual ChatGPT users are barely engaging with news at all. In reality, they’re asking ChatGPT to write stories, often of a sexual nature. They’re asking it for ideas, for assistance with research and code, and for help with homework. But, again, they’re very horny ... ChatGPT users are asking a newsbot to write erotic fiction. Not ideal!" (Since I'm essentially the human version of the newsbots these tools intend to replace, I better spice things up a bit.)

+ "The science of detecting manipulated content is in its early stages. An April study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism found that many deepfake detector tools can be easily duped with simple software tricks or editing techniques. Meanwhile, deepfakes and manipulated video are proliferating." WaPo: See why AI detection tools can fail to catch election deepfakes.

2

Cease the Day

"Israel has achieved all that it can militarily in the Gaza Strip, according to senior U.S. officials, who say continued bombings are only increasing risks to civilians while the possibility of further weakening Hamas has diminished. With the Biden administration racing to get cease-fire negotiations back on track, a growing number of national security officials across the government said that the Israeli military had severely set back Hamas but would never be able to completely eliminate the group." With yet another (and maybe the most important) round of ceasefire talks taking place, the NYT (Gift Article) suggests US officials believe that In Gaza, Israel’s Military Has Reached the End of the Line. "One of Israel’s biggest remaining goals — the return of the roughly 115 living and dead hostages still held in Gaza after being seized in the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks — cannot be achieved militarily, according to current and former U.S. and Israeli officials."

3

Breaking Majority Rules

When it comes to many cultural, political, and religious issues in America, we've been living through a multidecade battle. But for much of that time, only one side has been fighting. Most Americans thought issues like the right to an abortion and keeping religion out of public schools were decided. Those fights were in the past. As we've learned, a powerful minority didn't see it that way. And thus, the road back will be long. Dahlia Lithwick in Slate: Why This Election Can’t Deliver What America Actually Wants on Abortion. "There are two equal and opposite forces at work on the issue of abortion this summer: If democracy were functioning, we would have abortion rights. The greasy levers of modern American democracy, however, have been co-opted by captured courts and Leonard Leo and dark money and religious zealotry. Those will be taken back not solely by the results of a single election, but by decades of reforms and reimagining how this all got so out of whack in the first place."

4

Cue the Cumbers

I eat multiple cucumbers and a day. My peeling and slicing skills are at a Samurai level. I've shared my addiction with my son, who mentioned this guy last week. This week, he's in the NYT(Gift Article): Ask TikTok’s ‘Cucumber Boy’ How to Prepare a Cucumber. He's internet famous for the line, "Sometimes you need to eat an entire cucumber." (Sometimes I need to eat six. One is how many I eat while I'm peeling the other five.) Maybe the most amazing thing about this story: What are the odds that someone known on the Internet as "Cucumber Guy" is actually just a guy who's really into cucumbers?

5

Extra, Extra

Medicare-less: "The White House unveiled the fruits of months of negotiations between the government and pharmaceutical companies: new, lower Medicare prices for 10 blockbuster drugs." From Biden: "I thank God that in the last three months I’m president of the United States, I was able to finally get done what I tried to get done when I was a young senator." The deal was announced by Biden and Harris at their first joint public event since the torch was passed.

+ Ketamine Streets: "Three of the defendants, including a doctor, have already pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in connection with this death, while two others -- including a second doctor and a woman known as 'The Ketamine Queen' who is accused of selling Perry the batch of ketamine that killed him, were arrested on Thursday, according to the Department of Justice." 5 charged in drug investigation into Matthew Perry's ketamine death. (These cases seem to move with a very different pace and intensity when the victim is famous.)

+ College Dropout: "Columbia University President Nemat Shafik announced in an email Wednesday that she is stepping down. Shafik is the third Ivy League university president to leave her job following criticism over how she has handled campus protests regarding the Israel-Hamas war."

+ Poking (or Punching) the Bear: Putin’s regime is built on an appearance of strength. The entry of Ukrainian forces into fortress Russia calls that into question. Ukraine says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion. Meanwhile, Putin's habit of taking hostages continues. US-Russian woman jailed for 12 years for $51 charity gift.

+ Hush Mush: Trump asks that sentencing in hush money case be postponed until after election. (SCOTUS is like, "Send it up here, we got this...") And JD Vance and Tim Walz agree to Oct. 1 vice presidential debate. (Millions will be watching from their couches. Maybe that gives Vance a home field advantage?)

+ Meta-stasized: "Meta has been bombarded by academics, researchers, politicians and regulators about a tool called CrowdTangle, which most people probably haven’t heard of. It’s been used to investigate the spread of violence, political disinformation and false narratives on Facebook and Instagram. On Wednesday, less than three months before the U.S. election, Meta is shutting CrowdTangle down."

+ Give Raygun a Break: "Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn said the backlash she has received since competing at the Paris Olympics has been devastating and asked for privacy for herself and her family and friends." Some enjoyed it. Others thought it was pretty hilarious. Why does everything need to lead to hate and harassment...

6

Bottom of the News

"Disney is trying to have a widower's wrongful death lawsuit dismissed and sent to arbitration because the man had signed up for a Disney Plus account several years ago." The woman "died after she consumed food containing allergens at a restaurant in Disney World." I know those terms of service agreements are long. I had no idea they covered what you eat when you go to a restaurant...

+ Tim Walz recently took a selfie with Kamala Harris. The fact that he used his inside arm for the selfie is definitive proof: He is America's Dad.