@StevenLevy

Editor at Large @WIRED. Signal: stevenlevy.72

 New York City
stevenlevy.com
Joined March 2007
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395Media
People sometimes tell me they've fallen off the Plaintext newsletter list, through no fault of their own. If you're a WIRED subscriber and want my newsletter, you can follow this link and give it every week. wired.com/newsletter/plainte…

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I asked Sherry Turkle, whose new book, Artificial Intimacy, warns that conversing with AI reduces our humanity, if chatbots should be banned from referring to themselves in the first-person. Her answer? "Yes!" wired.com/story/maybe-chatbo…

Maybe Chatbots Shouldn’t Get to Say ‘I’ or ‘Me’

MIT professor Sherry Turkle warns that people have become dangerously enmeshed with chatbots.

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The iPod would have been 25 this month. Yes, the iPhone is galaxies more impactful, but iPod's demise leaves a hole that hasn't been filled. Put this take on your playlist, please, wired.com/story/im-still-con…

I’m Still Convinced the iPod Was the Perfect Gadget

Apple’s original music player got many things right. Chief among them: It didn’t connect to the internet.

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Missed posting this yesterday, 15 years after Steve's death. This was very hard to write, and I churned it out in hours to get it online that night. Try to hang on for the kicker, which might be the best paragraph I ever wrote. wired.com/2011/10/steve-jobs…

Steve Jobs, 1955–2011

The Apple cofounder died earlier today. He was the most celebrated person in technology and business on the planet.

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Thanks, Jacob, and congrats on your book, Profiles in Cowardice!
Jacob Weisberg
@jacobweOct 2
Steve Levy has this exactly right: wired.com/story/trumps-crazy… @StevenLevy

Trump’s Crazy AI Rebrand Was a Loyalty Test for Tech Execs—and It Worked

For years these billionaires gushed obsessively about AI. But they meekly went along when Trump canceled the term.

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Our tech overloads have pinned their businesses and their identities around "artificial intelligence." Yet when POTUS said he's ordering the US to BAN the term not one spoke out against this insane idea. wired.com/story/trumps-crazy…

Trump’s Crazy AI Rebrand Was a Loyalty Test for Tech Execs—and It Worked

For years these billionaires gushed obsessively about AI. But they meekly went along when Trump canceled the term.

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Looking for a great reader question for this week's Backchannel. Ask me anything. Go for it!
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OK, 55 yrs ago defense tech drove Silicon Valley. But PC revolution, internet, etc was fueled by hacker spirit and idealism, at least until the money got crazy. SV's current militarism and Billion $ Bro-ism pivots away from that. it wasn't always solely about the money. wired.com/story/war-bros-did…

War Bros Didn’t Always Rule Silicon Valley

Some say that tech was always about the money and the military. Don’t buy that argument.

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All of a sudden people are shocked at "rogue" AI. Supposedly understanding what makes LLMs tick will help us prevent that. But the more we understand AI models, the more caution is advised. wired.com/story/if-the-ai-in…

If the AI Industry Followed Its Own Research, It Might Have Paused Already

Anthropic’s CEO says that safety hinges on understanding how AI “thinks.” So far the evidence is disturbing.

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Who will ask a great reader question for this week's newsletter/web column? Ask me anything!
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Advanced AI is a boon for philosophers who study consciousness. But by the time they define that elusive quality--if they ever do--AI might have its own views on the subject, conscious or not. The big challenge is controlling those models. wired.com/story/who-cares-if…

Who Cares if AI Is Conscious—It’s Basically Alive

While philosophers ponder AI consciousness, the models have ideas of their own.

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Huge price reduction for what would be an amazing home for the right people. Also: priceless karma.
Stewart Brand
@stewartbrandAug 31
Price down, visitability up on the historic tugboat Mirene that I and wife Ryan customized into a perfect home. We lived and cruised on her for 40 years. Price is now $1 million WITH BERTH in the houseboat community. You can visit her at the Sausalito Boat Show Sep. 25-27. compass.com/homedetails/13-S…
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A high-profile paper contends that AI alone is better than doctors alone, or doc working with AI. The AMA isn't happy. Meanwhile, clinicians are getting hooked on specialized AI chatbots. wired.com/story/ai-has-human…

AI Has Human Doctors Asking: What’s Left for Us?

A recent paper argues that AI is often better at doctoring than doctors. Guess who isn't thrilled.

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I love that Tim expanded on his remarks on our conversation. I look forward to continuing the discussion, because I have thoughts on this new piece!
Tim O'Reilly
@timoreillyAug 27
I made an offhand comment about AI for writing in my recent interview with @stevenlevy. A number of people have commented on that, so I wrote more about it. AI is a medium, and you get out of it what you put into it. oreillyradar.substack.com/p/…
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Looking once more for a great reader question an answer in my WIRED newsletter/web column. AI is all over the news--anythjing I can answer for you on that? Maybe you want my view on the Meta settlement? My views on Dolly? Come on folks, ask away!
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Does Manion realize that NFL rules don’t mandate runs on every first down? #eagles
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Will Eagles go through the preseason without a first down?
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Wow this week is going fast. I need a great reader question for my WIRED newsletter--here's your chance to ask me anything. Go for it!
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I got an inside look at Mamdani's tech team--and got US Digital Service vibes. But there's a difference. wired.com/story/mamdani-asse…

Zohran Mamdani’s NYC Tech Team Is What DOGE Should Have Been

The mayor of New York City has assembled a crew of Silicon Valley and United States Digital Service veterans to overhaul city services with better software.

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Looking for a great reader question that I'll answer in my Backchannel/WIRED newsletter. Ask me anything!
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Here's a shattering Jeff Dean fact: Google's top scientist, along with Sanjay Ghemawat and 2 other top AI researcher are leaving Google to form Discovery Loop, a startup that hopes to automate the scientific method so AI can create breakthroughs in multiple fields. wired.com/story/jeff-dean-go…

4 of Google’s Top AI Brains Are Leaving—and Launching Their Own AI Startup

Jeff Dean and other high-profile Google executives have founded Discovery Loop, a startup that will seek AI-powered breakthroughs in everything from drug discovery to chip design.

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