Introduction of new technologies often requires a change to processes. I wonder if AI can predict how that will work. If McDonald’s was looking for savings will they settle for increased revenue?

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/20/business/self-service-kiosks-mcdonalds-shake-shack/index.html

McDonald’s touchscreen kiosks were feared as job killers. Instead, something surprising happened

… McDonald’s was working to “develop an electronic order-taking system that may eventually replace some of its human equivalents.”

Instead, touchscreen kiosks have added extra work for kitchen staff and pushed customers to order more food than they do at the cash register.

… “The unintended consequences have surprised a lot of people,” Hottovy said.

Even some of the benefits of kiosks touted by chains — they upsell customers by suggesting menu items and speed up orders — don’t always play out. A recent study from Temple University researchers found that, when a line forms behind customers using kiosks, they experience more stress when placing their orders and purchase less food. And some customers take longer to order tapping around on kiosks and paying than they do telling a cashier they’d like to order a burger and fries. Not to mention the kiosks can malfunction or break down.

(Related) and sometimes you just have to wait for consumers to catch up.

https://www.aier.org/article/fords-massive-retreat-from-evs-explained/

Ford’s Massive Retreat From EVs, Explained

… “We’re seeing a tremendous amount of competition,” John Lawler, Ford vice chair and CFO, told journalists in a conference call. “In fact, S&P Global … said that there’s about 143 EVs in the pipeline right now for North America — and most of those are two-row and three-row SUVs.”

… The reality is both lawmakers and Washington and auto companies severely misjudged consumer demand for EVs, which has proven far lower than estimates had projected. There are many reasons for the low demand, but the primary reasons are concerns consumers have with EVs.

I recall classifications like “Okay to tell anyone,” “share with vendors,” “Keep this in house.” How would you phrase “Share it with anyone but government regulators?”

https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/19/24245559/google-employee-privileged-confidential-deleted-chats

Google employees’ attempts to hide messages from investigators might backfire

Google employees liberally labeled their emails as “privileged and confidential” and spoke “off the record” over chat messages, even after being told to preserve their communications for investigators, lawyers for the Justice Department have told a Virginia court over the past couple of weeks.

That strategy could backfire if the judge in Google’s second antitrust trial believes the company intentionally destroyed evidence that would have looked bad for it. The judge could go as far as giving an adverse inference about Google’s missing documents, which would mean assuming they would have been bad for Google’s case.

Perspective.

https://www.aier.org/article/artificial-intelligence-our-days-probably-arent-numbered/

Artificial Intelligence: Our Days (Probably) Aren’t Numbered

Maybe it’s a law of history: every innovation faces opposition. The early nineteenth-century Luddites wrecked textile machinery because it took their jobs. Our innate suspicion extends to trade, too, which is, after all, just another technology for turning one thing into another. Apartheid-era white South Africans opposed efforts to modify the Colour Bar because they feared that African workers would take their jobs and reduce them to “uncivilized” standards of living. Protectionists want to shield their fellow Americans from foreign competition.

Artificial intelligence is the most recent worry and was the big technology story of 2023. Should we curse these intelligent machines? After all, once machines can solve problems, they will take all our jobs and cause mass unemployment. Peggy Noonan sounded the alarm about Artificial Intelligence in the pages of the Wall Street Journal. OpenAI’s executives appeared before Congress to ask (perhaps predictably) for licensing and regulation, and some wonder if the robot apocalypse is finally upon us.

We have heard this story before. It’s still wrong.

What’s next? What other ‘old tech’ is in use?

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/09/exploding-pager-lebanon-battery/679930/

Don’t Fool Yourself About the Exploding Pagers

Yesterday, pagers used by Hezbollah operatives exploded simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least a dozen people and injuring thousands. Today brought another mass detonation in Lebanon, this time involving walkie-talkies. The attacks are gruesome and shocking. An expert told the Associated Press that the pagers received a message that caused them to vibrate in a way that required someone to press buttons to stop it. That action appears to have triggered the explosion. At a funeral in Beirut, a loudspeaker reportedly called for people to turn off their phones, illustrating a fear that any device could actually be a bomb, including the one in your pocket.

Does this also suggest a superior business model?

https://www.bespacific.com/academic-journal-publishers-antitrust-litigation/

Academic Journal Publishers Antitrust Litigation

Press release: “On September 12, 2024, Lieff Cabraser and co-counsel at Justice Catalyst Law filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against six commercial publishers of academic journals, including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, Sage, Wiley, and Wolters Kluwer, on behalf of a proposed class of scientists and scholars who provided manuscripts or peer review, alleging that these publishers conspired to unlawfully appropriate billions of dollars that would otherwise have funded scientific research. As detailed in the complaint, the defendants’ alleged scheme has three main components. First, an agreement to fix the price of peer review services at zero that includes an agreement to coerce scholars into providing their labor for nothing by expressly linking their unpaid labor with their ability to get their manuscripts published in the defendants’ preeminent journals. Second, the publisher defendants agreed not to compete with each other for manuscripts by requiring scholars to submit their manuscripts to only one journal at a time, which substantially reduces competition by removing incentives to review manuscripts promptly and publish meritorious research quickly. Third, the publisher defendants agreed to prohibit scholars from freely sharing the scientific advancements described in submitted manuscripts while those manuscripts are under peer review, a process that often takes over a year. As the complaint notes, “From the moment scholars submit manuscripts for publication, the Publisher Defendants behave as though the scientific advancements set forth in the manuscripts are their property, to be shared only if the Publisher Defendant grants permission. Moreover, when the Publisher Defendants select manuscripts for publication, the Publisher Defendants will often require scholars to sign away all intellectual property rights, in exchange for nothing. The manuscripts then become the actual property of the Publisher Defendants, and the Publisher Defendants charge the maximum the market will bear for access to that scientific knowledge.”…

Perspective.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/09/18/1104015/here-are-all-the-ai-bills-in-congress-right-now/

There are more than 120 AI bills in Congress right now

US policymakers have an ‘everything everywhere all at once’ approach to regulating artificial intelligence, with bills that are as varied as the definitions of AI itself.

… That’s why, with help from the Brennan Center for Justice, which created a tracker with all the AI bills circulating in various committees in Congress right now, MIT Technology Review has taken a closer look to see if there’s anything we can learn from this legislative smorgasbord.

Death from non-AI technology. To avoid targeting your cell phones, buy everyone a pager with built in explosives? Did they (whoever they are) have to call 2,800 phone numbers simultaneously?

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2024/09/remotely-exploding-pagers.html

Remotely Exploding Pagers

Wow.

It seems they all exploded simultaneously, which means they were triggered.

Were they each tampered with physically, or did someone figure out how to trigger a thermal runaway remotely? Supply chain attack? Malicious code update, or natural vulnerability?

I have no idea, but I expect we will all learn over the next few days.

EDITED TO ADD: I’m reading nine killed and 2,800 injured. That’s a lot of collateral damage. (I haven’t seen a good number as to the number of pagers yet.)

EDITED TO ADD: Reuters writes: “The pagers that detonated were the latest model brought in by Hezbollah in recent months, three security sources said.” That implies supply chain attack. And it seems to be a large detonation for an overloaded battery.

This reminds me of the 1996 assassination of Yahya Ayyash using a booby trapped cellphone.

EDITED TO ADD: I am deleting political comments. On this blog, let’s stick to the tech and the security ramifications of the threat.

Has too much falsehood resulted in a “boy who cried wolf” reaction?

https://www.bespacific.com/technology-election-ai-qanon-disinformation-html/

How A.I., QAnon and Falsehoods Are Reshaping the Presidential Race

The New York Times [unpaywalled]: “This year’s presidential election has been polluted with rumors, conspiracy theories and a wave of artificial intelligence imagery. Former President Donald J. Trump has continued to sow doubts about election integrity as his allies across the country have taken steps to make election denial a fixture of the balloting process. How worried should voters be? To better understand the role that misinformation and conspiracy theories are playing this year, The New York Times asked three authors of new books about disinformation and social media to share their views and predictions. The risk that violence could spring from election denialism seems as pressing as in the weeks after the 2020 election, when Trump supporters — incensed by false claims of voter fraud — stormed the Capitol building, they argue. But the day-to-day churn of falsehoods and rumors that spread online may be getting largely drowned out by the billions spent on political advertising. In a series of emails with The Times, the authors laid out their predictions for the year. These interviews have been edited for length and clarity…”

Imagine this app on Vladimir Putin’s phone.

https://www.makeuseof.com/advertising-pitch-proves-phone-listening-to-conversations/

I’ve Always Suspected My Phone Was Listening to Me—This Advertising Pitch Proves It

… In December 2023, 404 Media unearthed something on the Cox Media Group’s (CMG) website that might turn your stomach. They found that the company listed “Active Listening,” a supposed advertising capability that can apparently target ads to potential customers based on what they say out loud near their devices’ microphones. 404 Media reports that CMG subsequently took down that information.

Many smart devices have cameras and microphones that are forever on, listening in the background for trigger words and phrases to spark to life—phrases such as “Hey Siri” and “OK Google.”

Related. (Welcome to the panopticon!)

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/09/omnipresent-ai-cameras-will-ensure-good-behavior-says-larry-ellison/

Omnipresent AI cameras will ensure good behavior, says Larry Ellison

On Thursday, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison shared his vision for an AI-powered surveillance future during a company financial meeting, reports Business Insider. During an investor Q&A, Ellison described a world where artificial intelligence systems would constantly monitor citizens through an extensive network of cameras and drones, stating this would ensure both police and citizens don't break the law. [Unlikely. Bob]

A concern: If you cut multiple pieces of wood using a ruler each time you end with uniform pieces. If you cut multiple pieces of wood using the piece you just cut as the template for the next cut, you don’t wind up with uniform pieces.

https://towardsdatascience.com/teaching-your-model-to-learn-from-itself-8b5ef13eb173

Teaching Your Model to Learn from Itself

… The idea of a model learning from its own predictions might raise some eyebrows. After all, aren’t we trying to create something from nothing, relying on an “echo chamber” where the model simply reinforces its own initial biases and errors?

Tools & Techniques. (I only knew of two of these. This is me trying to keep up...)

https://www.tomsguide.com/ai/improve-your-writing-with-my-5-favorite-ai-writing-apps

Improve your writing with my 5 favorite AI writing apps

… To develop your writing skills and get your ideas off the ground, I encourage you to give my favorite AI writing apps a try. You may be surprised how AI may improve your writing, while also opening up new ways to spark creativity.

Everything you ever wanted to know…

https://www.bespacific.com/u-s-state-ai-legislation-a-look-at-how-u-s-state-policymakers-are-approaching-artificial-intelligence-regulation/

U.S. State AI Legislation: A Look at How U.S. State Policymakers Are Approaching Artificial Intelligence Regulation

Future of Privacy Forum: “Today, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) launched a new report—U.S. State AI Legislation: A Look at How U.S. State Policymakers Are Approaching Artificial Intelligence Regulation— analyzing recent proposed and enacted legislation in U.S. states. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in daily life and critical sectors like healthcare and employment, state lawmakers have begun crafting regulatory strategies to promote its opportunities while addressing its heightened risks. This report by FPF delves into the trends of these legislative efforts, examines core questions and issues, and offers key considerations for policymakers as they navigate the complexities of AI policy. The report primarily focuses on ‘Governance of AI in Consequential Decisions,’ a legislative framework most frequently adopted by lawmakers, which applies to a broad range of entities and industries, and offers the most comprehensive approach to mitigating specific AI risks across various proposals and laws. The report also discusses alternative approaches focused on particular technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence and frontier or foundation models.”

• Read the Full State AI Report Here

• Read the Report Supplementary

Sources and outputs.

https://fpf.org/blog/updated-fpf-infographic-explores-data-in-connected-vehicles/

Updated FPF Infographic Explores Data in Connected Vehicles

Today, The Future of Privacy Forum is launching the Data and the Connected Vehicle Infographic 2.0, including new updates to account for the types of data associated with connected vehicles, features in and outside of the vehicle, and data handlers who receive and process data. Lawmakers, manufacturers, privacy professionals, and consumers are actively engaged in work to examine and respond to privacy and transparency practices related to personal data collected in and around vehicles. The updated infographic provides a visual representation of where the data flows within the connected vehicle ecosystem.

A tactic I don’t understand. (Unless this is an example of “double secret probation?”)

https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/14/24243794/tiktok-ban-bytedance-court-oral-arguments-lawsuit-explainer

TikTok is about to get its day in court

The Justice Department’s legal case for a forced sale includes classified evidence no one can see.

Next week, a court will hear arguments about whether the US government can ban TikTok, based on evidence it doesn’t want anyone — including the social media company — to see.

On September 16th, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hear oral arguments for TikTok v. Garland, TikTok’s First Amendment challenge to legislation that it claims amounts to a ban. It’s a fight not just about free speech but whether the Department of Justice can make a case using classified material that its opponent can’t review or argue against. The government argues TikTok is a clear national security threat but says that revealing why would be a threat, too.

“I think the courts are going to tread very carefully here,” Matt Schettenhelm, a senior litigation analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence covering tech and telecom, told The Verge. “Especially in a First Amendment case like this, where it’s effectively banning one of our leading platforms for free speech in the country, the idea that you’re going to do it for secret reasons that you don’t even tell the company itself, that is going to be cause for concern for the judges.”

Perhaps the purpose of life is to create AI to replace life.

https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/faculty-research-papers/673/

Contemplating Existence: AI and the Meaning of Life

This article explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) with existential philosophy, examining how AI technologies influence human conceptualizations of purpose and meaning. Despite rapid advancements in AI, the domain's implications for existential thought remain underexplored. By integrating interdisciplinary perspectives from psychology, philosophy, and AI ethics, this study elucidates how AI can shape, challenge, or enhance our understanding of life's purpose. It investigates theoretical frameworks and practical implementations of AI engaging in existential questions, analyzing both the capabilities and limitations of AI systems such as ChatGPT in simulating human existential thought. The ethical implications of AI's role in existential inquiries are also considered, highlighting concerns about transparency, bias, and socio-economic impacts. This research aims to bridge the gap between technology and philosophy, offering insights to guide responsible AI development and contribute to a more meaningful human experience.