The Miniature Wife was an exercise in visual trickery
The Miniature Wife was an exercise in visual trickery

In Manuel Gonzales’ 2013 short story “The Miniature Wife,” a woman starts to become a different kind of person after her husband accidentally shrinks her down to the size of a coffee mug. Because of her new stature, the woman is more physically vulnerable, and it’s difficult for her to effectively communicate with normal sized […]

The vibes are off at OpenAI
The vibes are off at OpenAI

OpenAI is in a relatively precarious position. The company is and has been a funding behemoth – just over a week ago, it closed $122 billion in funding at a post-money valuation of $852 billion. It’s potentially planning for an IPO later this year. ChatGPT’s longtime lead in consumer-facing AI led it to name-brand status […]

Xbox’s new era needs games like Forza Horizon 6
Xbox’s new era needs games like Forza Horizon 6

It’s a weird time at Xbox. Microsoft’s gaming division is under new management, with its current leadership intent on what it describes as “a renewed commitment to Xbox.” But given that no one really knows what an Xbox is at this point, that could mean many things. What Xbox needs is a game to signal […]

Sorry kid, drones are for war now
Sorry kid, drones are for war now

What happens when DJI, the world’s leading maker of drones, is no longer welcome in the United States? You might think other dronemakers would see a huge opportunity with their competitor out of the picture. That didn’t happen. In the 15 months since the United States triggered an automatic ban on future DJI products, no […]

Suno is a music copyright nightmare
Suno is a music copyright nightmare

AI music platform Suno’s policy is that it does not permit the use of copyrighted material. You can upload your own tracks to remix or set your original lyrics to AI-generated music. But, it’s supposed to recognize and stop you from using other people’s songs and lyrics. Now, no system is perfect, but it turns […]

A folk musician became a target for AI fakes and a copyright troll
A folk musician became a target for AI fakes and a copyright troll

In January, folk artist Murphy Campbell discovered several songs on her Spotify profile that did not belong there. They were songs that she had recorded, but she’d never uploaded them to Spotify, and something was off about the vocals. She quickly surmised that someone had pulled performances of the songs she posted to YouTube, created […]

Really, you made this without AI? Prove it
Really, you made this without AI? Prove it

“This looks like AI.” It’s a phrase I dread seeing as a writer who dabbles in illustration and amateur photography. In a world where generative AI technology is increasingly adept at mimicking the work of humans, people are naturally skeptical when online platforms refuse to label even obvious AI content. This leads me to one […]

The ABS Challenge System is exposing the worst umpire in baseball
The ABS Challenge System is exposing the worst umpire in baseball

During Wednesday’s game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers, umpire CB Bucknor took a foul ball to the mask and had to be helped off the field. It was the cap to what has been a particularly bad week for one of the most controversial umpires in baseball. It started with perhaps […]

Pinterest said he violated laid-off colleagues’ privacy. Now he’s going public
Pinterest said he violated laid-off colleagues’ privacy. Now he’s going public

It was late January, and Pinterest engineer Teddy Martin was on edge about recent layoffs at the company. Martin had just survived a round of cuts, but he and other employees were confused about who was being let go and why, and explanations from top executives including CEO Bill Ready had done little to quell […]

It’s not easy to get depression-detecting AI through the FDA
It’s not easy to get depression-detecting AI through the FDA

For the past seven years, the California-based startup Kintsugi has been developing AI designed to detect signs of depression and anxiety from a person’s speech. But after failing to secure FDA clearance in time, the company is shutting down and releasing most of its technology as open-source. Some elements may even find a second life […]