AI will make you hot and rich

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• Listen to AI researcher, artist and poet Sasha Stiles on the Context podcast talking about literary NFTs, AI as a tool for writers and poets, and how both web3 and AI are on course to disrupt the $100B publishing industry.

• Have you signed up for the Boys Club trendspotting group yet?

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Writer: SamanthaEditor: Deana

Baptists and Bootleggers is our new band name. Internet Zaddy Marc Andreessen (the “A” in a16z) addressed the discourse around AI in a thinkboi call to arms entitled, “Why AI Will Save the World.” Andreessen used an analogy from the Prohibition era, where two distinct groups emerged: the 'Baptists,' who genuinely believed alcohol was a threat to society, and the 'Bootleggers,' who exploited the situation for financial gain. Both groups wanted alcohol to be illegal, however their motivations were very different.

Applying this analogy to today’s conversation about AI regulation, the 'Baptists' represent those who perceive AI as a true societal threat. Conversely, the 'Bootleggers' are Big Tech executives who stand to profit from AI regulations, particularly those that stifle competition from startups (aka a16z’s investments.) Some other big takes from this oh-so-juicy #longread:

• AI Doomers are either i) trying to pull off the most savage “I told you so” of all time, ii) getting $paid$ to be doomers under the guise of “AI safety experts,” or iii) are building an apocalyptic cult. There’s zero evidence that math and code can wake up one day and decide to play Terminator. Spicy!

• If the US doesn’t win the AI race - and fast - China will. They are full send on the tech. That means we need to Lean In™ and push innovation for the sake of actual democracy. Intense!

• The notion that AI will replace human jobs is an economic fallacy (Lump of Labor - another great band name), in which people falsely assume there is a finite amount of work to be done at any given time, either by people or by machines. But actually, when machines do jobs, the cost of labor goes down, meaning the cost of stuff also goes down. That means people not only have more cash to buy more New Balance 550s, but also drive new business innovations. Wow!

Your bias is showing. Two German AI researchers decided it would be fun to ask ChatGPT to tell them a joke a thousand times. 90% of jokes returned were the same 25 dad jokes, likely due to the people who trained the model and reinforced its biting sense of humor. It’s favorite?

Q: Why did the scarecrow win an award? A: Because he was outstanding in his field.

*groans in German*

AI is getting a finsta. A tweet claims that Instagram is testing its own chatbot inside of messaging. The screenshots indicate you can either talk to one of the bot’s 30 distinct personalities or have it help write your messages. Petition to train one of these bots on the Boys Club memes.

We hang out in AI-image bot chatrooms so you don’t have to.

“Prompt: Barbie, Kris Jenner, Princess Leia and Hermione Granger in a classic New York speakeasy chatting and having a drink.”

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