Unpacking AI's Impact on Society

Greetings from Read Max HQ! Today, the first in what I hope will be a regular series with my old friend Sam Biddle, senior technology reporter at the Intercept and a former writer for Gawker and Valleywag, in which we discuss tech-industry news and b******t that otherwise wouldn’t make it into the newsletter. In this episode we’re talking:

* A.G.I., A.I., and why we hate the term;

* Sarah Wynn-Williams’ new book on Facebook and Facebook’s bizarre reaction to it; and

* our favorite files from the J.F.K. release

(Longtime subscribers will remember Sam as the author of the guest post “True Life: For reasons I don't fully understand I bought hundreds of Cold War-era military slides on eBay” and the source of the legendary post “Why is this cyber-education nonprofit selling a $13,000 occult artifact on eBay?”)

Links to some of what we discuss in this podcast:

* “The Government Knows A.G.I. Is Coming,” by Ezra Klein

* “Powerful A.I. Is Coming. We’re Not Ready,” by Kevin Roose

* “Should A.G.I. preppers embrace D.O.G.E.?” by Henry Farrell

* “People Are Using AI to Create Influencers With Down Syndrome Who Sell Nudes,” by Emanuel Maiberg

* The Cut’s “Book Gossip” newsletter on Careless People

* “CIA, Walter Elder ‘Family Jewels’ memorandum for William E. Colby, ‘Special Activities,’ Secret/Sensitive/Eyes Only, June 1, 1973, 7 pp.”