Podcast
The Future of Deepfakes and the Decline of Reality (With Hany Farid)
The past, present, and future of deepfakes, as seen by the world’s leading expert on synthetic media.
AI
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Endless Scam Parade
This week, we discuss the mainstreaming of Flock, media appearances, and Spotify's AI move.
AI
AI Generated 3D Models Flood Market, But Almost No One Is Buying Them
The number of AI generated uploads to CGTrader would suggest AI is taking over the platform, but buyers are refusing to pay for AI generated models.
News
Company Offering ‘100% Human-Written, Never AI’ Medical Research Is Entirely AI
Research Gold's team of human methodologists are either AI generated or using the identity of real people without their permission
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Rare Books and Baseball Brain
This week, we discuss Flock blogging, "rare" books, and Jesus Christ.
AI
Microsoft Tells Engineers ‘Tokenmaxxing Is Not What We Are Optimizing For’
Microsoft is introducing budget limits for AI use but says it still wants to be an ‘AI-first’ company.
AI
Substackers Say New AI Detection Tool Is a ‘Witch Hunt’
“I’m not going to apologize for using AI in the creation process.”
News
Spotify's AI Problem Is So Bad Random People Are Stepping In to Track the Slop
Spotify doesn’t label AI music on its platform, so websites like SoullessMusic.com and SlopTracker.org do it instead.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: No Spoilers
This week, we discuss astrology, Flock on the brain, The Odyssey, and more.
News
AI Companies Are Buying Tons of Old Books Because They're Free of AI Slop
ISBNdb, a company that sources printed books for AI companies to turn into training data, tells clients “the optics problem is real.”
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Infinite Bowl Machine
This week, we discuss AI music, slop bowls, and the endless quest for optimization.