Unit ⑧ Letter #20245
We decided to open up to our wider network and share a selection of our resources with our colleagues and followers. 🦾
Dear Unit ⑧ friends,
We have been internally exchanging readings for a while, sharing links we find relevant for our development as a small organization, looking for meaningful directions to head to, and keen to keep up-to-date in the realm of technology from a technical, political, ethical, and artistic point of view. Here are some links to the articles we paid attention to these past weeks, covering topics from legal regulations of Blockchain and AI to the nature of consciousness and what it entails. We hope you enjoy them!
On giant Piles of Cash, and their Origins
When it comes to funding, is government funding better? Or rather venture capital? In his Substack entry, David Karpf argues that government funding is best since VC funding comes attached to—often unreasonable—revenue expectations. Big corporate money is somewhere in the middle. The big pile of money that is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) isn’t perfect, but it ultimately funds many good things. Karpf thinks that Government funding is the optimal source for technological innovation due to its potential to drive impactful research without the constraints and profit motives imposed by venture capital or corporate R&D.
Oh the Humanity
In another of his longer-than-life articles, Zvi Mowshowitz discusses the premiere of the Humane AI Pin, which received scathing reviews, employee issues at OpenAI, and reflections on the use of language models for everyday tasks and education. The Humane AI Pin could have been better received due to functional problems, despite the confidence of the promises delivered through its promotional campaign. The underwhelming delivery raises questions about the maturity of hardware AI products.
Github Copilot Workspace might be the Future of AI-powered software engineering
In his guest post for Machine Economy Press, Michael Spencer gives insightful clues on implementing and using GitHub Copilot Workspace, a transformative tool in AI-powered software engineering. Spencer highlights its ability to enhance developer productivity and collaboration, thanks to its integration with GitHub repositories and its aim to streamline coding tasks through AI-generated assistance. GitHub Copilot Workspace is designed to reduce friction in starting new tasks and navigating complex coding challenges, boosting developer efficiency and collaboration.
Overpromise, Underdeliver
Silicon Valley’s obsession with the next big thing often turns into a bummer. In his Substack post, Jurgen Gravenstein comments on the receptions that the two freshest hardware AI products, Humane AI Pin and the Rabbit R1, have had in the market and among YouTube reviewers. The promotional campaign for both products hasn’t spared promises, many of which haven’t been fulfilled. The stark contrast between the hype and their actual capabilities emphasises the underwhelming result, often due to the need for investment and media attention.
Bridging Art and AI: Transforming Political Spaces
Marius Jopen, a visual artist, collaborated with fashion creative Paula Kühn. Kühn is an AI and digital art expert, and together, they have created "Shaping AI," an AI installation at the German Parliament (Bundestag). This project involved developing a tool that transforms user input into an artistic video using AI technology, showcasing how AI impacts society. Through these kinds of collaborations, innovative projects can be created to explore the societal impacts of AI technologies.
Videos
Mark Zuckerberg about miscellaneous
In a YouTube video, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg talks about Llama 3, open sourcing towards AGI, custom silicon, synthetic data, & energy constraints on scaling, Caesar Augustus, intelligence explosion, bioweapons, $10b models, & more.
Podcasts
On Alternative Education
On Aliaskar Abarkas' "On Alternative Education" radio show, Wassim Z. Alsindi discusses the pedagogical and organisational aspects of 0xSalon, a collaborative endeavour devoted to critically interrogating digital culture through events and residencies. 0xSalon platforms alternative forms of education in digital cultures, and thus, together with Abarkas, Alsindi raises the question about the role of educational institutions today.
Films
Civil War
In another of his Substack entries, Dave Karpf reviews Alex Garland's film "Civil War" and its stark portrayal of civil conflict in a near-future America, focusing on the brutality and senselessness of war without delving into political context or backstory. The film's bluntness warns about the potential horrors of civil war unfolding in a familiar, contemporary setting. In another interesting post by Aimee Walleston, the writer focuses on the public’s reactions, the technical image's power to depict reality, and the current impossibility of detecting artificiality in images. Perhaps because of that, the public is becoming increasingly incapable of engaging with fiction properly, upon the indistinguishability between fiction and “reality”.
Events
zkSpäti
The Crypto Girls Club organisation will dive into account abstraction, quantum cryptography and cross-chain compatibility in their upcoming event on May 22nd.
Ape Drinks
We are having drinks this Thursday, May 16th; join us!