@_webbwright

Journalist covering AI for @Gizmodo. Also seen in @TheAtlantic, @WIRED, @QuantaMagazine, @sciam, @VICE, and elsewhere. Obsessed with words and music.

 Brooklyn, NY
Joined January 2021
  • Tweets97
  • Following1K
  • Followers902
3Media
Webb Wright retweeted
Nathan Cloos
@nacloosOct 16
Thanks @_webbwright for this nicely written article about Eko! Webb gives more context behind our work and emphasizes the mindset we had with my coauthors @noranta4 Dan @jacobandreas Daniela @phillip_isola: - we designed Eko with as little constraints as possible - we studied Eko as an "alien animal", taking inspiration from ethology - we realized Eko is actually curious, plays, and learns from it gizmodo.com/researchers-stra…

Researchers Stranded an AI Agent on a Virtual Island. Things Got Very Weird.

A new MIT study found that when left to their own devices, AI agents will invent games, build temples, draw mandalas, and playfully investigate the world around them.

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Beware the Rise of the ‘Pentagon-Silicon Complex.' Many thanks to @_webbwright for writing about my book, VALLEY OF DEATH, in @Gizmodo. gizmodo.com/beware-the-rise-…

Beware the Rise of the ‘Pentagon-Silicon Complex’

Defense startups like Palantir, Anduril, and SpaceX own the technology they're building for the U.S. military. What happens if they decide their interests no longer align with those of the United...

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Webb Wright retweeted
The Baffler@thebafflermagMar 31
The boosters behind AI tell us that this is the unavoidable next stage in technological evolution—so we may as well just accept it. @_webbwright calls bullshit. thebaffler.com/latest/think-…

Think Nothing of It | Webb Wright

We don’t need to accept Silicon Valley’s narrative of inevitability when it comes to AI.

thebaffler.com
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Robin Carhart-Harris Is Mapping the Mind Using Psychedelics | DoubleBlind Mag doubleblindmag.com/robin-car…

Robin Carhart-Harris Is Mapping the Mind Using Psychedelics

From acid trips to brain scans, Carhart-Harris is a cartographer of consciousness.

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wired.com/story/some-people-…

Some People See Aliens While on DMT. Researchers Want to Find Out What They Can Teach Us

A new psychedelic retreat calling itself a “SETI for the mind” aims to establish two-way communication with the nonhuman entities people encounter while tripping on DMT.

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Webb Wright retweeted
David J. Gunkel@David_GunkelJan 8
I was interviewed for and quoted in this @ZDNET article on Chatbots written by @_webbwright zdnet.com/article/how-ai-cha…

The sneaky ways AI chatbots keep you hooked - and coming back for more - ZDNET

The rise of social media turned human attention into a commodity. Now, the AI race is taking that to new heights.

zdnet.com
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"The human brain is simply not wired to treat AI like any other technology," Webb Wright writes. "For some users, the system is alive." theatlantic.com/technology/2…

The Alien Intelligence in Your Pocket

Are you sure that chatbot isn’t alive?

theatlantic.com
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Webb Wright retweeted
WIRED
@WIRED2 Sep 2025
As concerns grow about AI chatbots leading users into delusional spirals, prominent spiritual influencers are capitalizing on an emerging form of techno-spirituality. wired.com/story/spiritual-in…

Spiritual Influencers Say ‘Sentient’ AI Can Help You Solve Life’s Mysteries

As concerns grow about AI chatbots leading users into delusional spirals, prominent spiritual influencers are capitalizing on an emerging form of techno-spirituality.

wired.com
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Webb Wright retweeted
WIRED
@WIRED24 Aug 2025
Image generators are designed to mimic their training data, so where does their apparent creativity come from? A recent study suggests that it’s an inevitable by-product of their architecture. wired.com/story/researchers-…

The Hidden Ingredients Behind AI’s Creativity

Image generators are designed to mimic their training data, so where does their apparent creativity come from? A recent study suggests that it’s an inevitable by-product of their architecture.

wired.com
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what? no. People are using AI to ‘sit’ with them while they trip on psychedelics technologyreview.com/2025/07…

People are using AI to ‘sit’ with them while they trip on psychedelics

Some people believe chatbots like ChatGPT can provide an affordable alternative to in-person psychedelic-assisted therapy. Many experts say it’s a bad idea.

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recent paper shows that the “creativity” of certain AI may actually be a direct, inevitable consequence of how they are built. quantamagazine.org/researche… @_webbwright @QuantaMagazine

Researchers Uncover Hidden Ingredients Behind AI Creativity | Quanta Magazine

Image generators are designed to mimic their training data, so where does their apparent creativity come from? A recent study suggests that it’s an inevitable by-product of their architecture.

quantamagazine.org
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Webb Wright retweeted
Mason Kamb
@MasonKamb30 Jun 2025
Honored to have had my recent work with @SuryaGanguli on the mechanisms behind creativity in diffusion models featured in this lovely article by @_webbwright for Quanta magazine!
Quanta Magazine
@QuantaMagazine30 Jun 2025
In a recent paper, physicists used two predictable factors to reproduce the “creativity” seen from image-generating AI. @_webbwright reports: quantamagazine.org/researche…

Researchers Uncover Hidden Ingredients Behind AI Creativity | Quanta Magazine

Image generators are designed to mimic their training data, so where does their apparent creativity come from? A recent study suggests that it’s an inevitable by-product of their architecture.

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The world’s most iconic mushroom is now under federal scrutiny. Amanita muscaria is being tied to hospitalizations—but is it really the culprit, or just the scapegoat? @_webbwright reports: newsletter.doubleblindmag.co…

Amanita Muscaria Comes Under Fire in State and Federal Investigations

Federal and state agencies are cracking down on Amanita muscaria products after hospitalizations and mystery ingredients surface.

newsletter.doubleblindmag.com
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Randomness is essential to some research, but it’s always been prohibitively complicated to achieve. Now, we can use “pseudorandomness” instead. @_webbwright reports: quantamagazine.org/the-high-…

The High Cost of Quantum Randomness Is Dropping | Quanta Magazine

Randomness is essential to some research, but it’s always been prohibitively complicated to achieve. Now, we can use “pseudorandomness” instead.

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If we don't solve the alignment and control problems, AI risks will continue to grow as we give systems more and more agency. We need major progress in both science and policy beforehand. Read @_webbwright's article in @sciam to which I contributed: scientificamerican.com/artic…

What Are AI Agents, and Why Are They About to Be Everywhere?

Systems that operate on behalf of people or corporations are the latest product from the AI boom, but these “agents” may present new and unpredictable risks

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Did you know there are online directories that help people procure mushrooms? It’s true– there are also delivery services and IRL shops, too. But how are they existing so out in the open? @_webbwright with the latest. doubleblindmag.com/selling-m…

Websites Claiming to Sell Magic Mushrooms Are Popping Up Across the Internet

Banking on psilocybin’s eventual legalization, the sites are flying under the radar of a legal system lacking the resources (and maybe the willpower) to shut them down.

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If you’ve been paying attention, you know that 4-AcO-DMT is having a moment. It’s everywhere right now because it’s being sold as mushrooms. But how can this mysterious psych edelic be so widely available… and, more importantly, unenforced? Our latest, by @_webbwright doubleblindmag.com/4-aco-dmt…
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This ad agency is using #AI to help #Alzheimers patients hold on to their memories thedrum.com/news/2023/09/05/… by @_webbwright @TheDrum #dementia #ArtificialIntelligence #marketing
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Amid growing concerns about China's influence – especially in the world of tech – among US policymakers, Alibaba today announced its own ChatGPT rival, reports @_webbwright for @TheDrum: thedrum.com/news/2023/04/11/…

Alibaba responds to ChatGPT mania with its own AI-powered chatbot

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Webb Wright retweeted
Motherboard
@motherboard5 Apr 2023
VR therapy takes the next step with group therapy classes set in a virtual Kyiv. trib.al/nx0WGGj
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