Reading List

The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.

We’re running out of good ideas. AI might be how we find new ones.

America, you have spoken loud and clear: You do not like AI. A Pew Research Center survey published in September found that 50 percent of respondents were more concerned than excited about AI; just 10 percent felt the opposite. Most people, 57 percent, said the societal risks were high, while a mere 25 percent thought […]

When your AI boyfriend gets you better than your spouse

The AI revolution is breaching a new frontier: the human heart. For those seeking a partner who feels custom-built for their soul, ChatGPT has unlocked endless possibilities. It can start simple. Maybe you turn to the bot to help with a hobby or to get advice. But soon, you notice its uncanny knack for telling […]

The global shadow economy behind Trump’s latest move on Venezuela

Following this week’s seizure of a sanctioned ship off the coast of Venezuela, the Trump administration says it will be targeting more oil tankers off the Venezuelan coast. This is, first and foremost, a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign targeting Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, whom the White House accuses of facilitating drug trafficking […]

MacKenzie Scott’s billion-dollar bet on vibes

Every time a MacKenzie Scott grantee talks about receiving one of her multimillion-dollar gifts, there is always a hint of the same bashfulness, the same reverence, and the same glee.  Their eyes light up. They blush a little. There’s a giggle here and there.  “It’s disarming,” said Michael Lomax, head of the United Negro College […]

The meat industry is sabotaging one of modern medicine’s greatest miracles

Around a decade ago, the US implemented new rules to limit the widespread use of antibiotics in meat and dairy production, in an effort to combat the nation’s antibiotic resistance crisis. The regulations helped: Antibiotic sales for use on farms plunged by 43 percent from 2015 to 2017, and plateaued thereafter. But now, that progress […]