Researchers created 25 characters and put them in a virtual environment that they called Smallville, which is kind of like an animal crossing style video game. They built these sort of like pre-programmed personalities for these characters, and then they set them loose. And within the context of this game, like are there objectives? Are these characters moving throughout the world? Or what is happening?
Aric Toler untangles the web of teens, gamers and memes at the heart of the latest intelligence scandal.
Then, an update on Twitter — where things have gone from bad to worse.
Plus: How A.I. is bringing us closer to “Westworld.”
On today’s episode:
- Aric Toler is the director of research and training at Bellingcat, the Dutch investigative site. He worked with journalists at The New York Times to identify the man who allegedly leaked top secret documents on Discord, a social media chat platform.
Additional reading:
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