TheAtlanticBusiness

News and notes from the business side of The Atlantic.

[Kendall Harmon @KendallHarmon6]

'One of the many reasons we wanted the “Battle Hymn” to represent The Atlantic on the semiquincentennial anniversary of American independence is that it would allow us to print the poem with [Julia Ward] Howe’s byline on our cover for the first time. It’s the least we could do, given all that she did for this magazine, and for her country as an abolitionist and a suffragist. And also because writing seemed, at times, so difficult for her' #usa #history #magazines #journalism #words #language #music #hymns #juliaWardHowe #19thc #covers

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

No profession has been more disrupted by AI than coding. The entire idea of what makes a software company—and an individual programmer—valuable has been thrown into flux. To make sense of where we're heading, I spoke to @ftrain, one of the clearest thinkers in this space.

He was full of insights! Here are a few that stood out. 1/ https://t.co/LG7eMRJeH5

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

The most interesting thing in tech: According to @eastdakota, bot traffic now exceeds human traffic. The web was made for people, and in the next few years, it's going to have to be completely reengineered for this new reality. If you run a website, you need a strategy for what's coming.

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

There are few people more responsible for modern AI than @Yoshua_Bengio. He’s written many of its foundational papers—and more recently has become one of the industry’s most articulate critics.

We’ve just released my podcast with him, where we discussed some of the biggest questions the technology poses to daily life and our institutions. The whole conversation is worth watching, but here are some key points. 1/ https://t.co/tudeRWY2eS

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

AI is mucking up the job market. Everyone uses AI to write similar cover letters; resumes are all perfect. People apply for zillions of jobs and cheat in Zoom calls. Hiring is now basically AI talking to AI while humans wait to hear nothing back. https://t.co/kyqOotxeAl

[Milan Mecklenburg @MilanMeck]

@nxthompson @erikbryn This always bothered me about the arc AGI benchmark. Focusing so much on where humans are better than AI. But delivering value through never before existing capabilities takes more creativity than cost cutting through automation.

[Erik Brynjolfsson @erikbryn]

This was such an insightful conversation about one of the biggest challenges for humanity in the next decade: understanding the economic implications of AI.

@nxthompson always creates such thoughtful interviews. He does his homework and comes prepared with sharp questions.

[Carissa Véliz @CarissaVeliz]

It was such an honor and privilege to talk with @nxthompson! He asked me some of the toughest questions I’ve been asked. I expected nothing less from one of the people I admire the most in tech. Always razor sharp and exceptionally well informed. Thanks so much, Nick!

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

She also argues that predictions have a way of bending reality to themselves. And though they don’t guarantee outcomes, making statements like “AI will wipe out all white-collar jobs” increases the chances they come true. 3/

[Parallel Web Systems @p0]

Today we're launching Index: a platform for content owners to understand how AI agents use their work, and earn revenue when they do.

Our first partners include @TheAtlantic, @FortuneMagazine, @PRNewswire, @PitchBook, @ZoomInfo, @Tracxn, @RocketReachCo, @enigma_data, @fiscal_ai, plus creators @alexeheath, @mariogabriele @azeem, @every, and @packyM.

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

What should we do if we achieve AGI? The safest answer is probably to pause development so we can assess and adjust. But that raises all sorts of questions about how long it should be and what the terms look like—let alone how realistic it actually is.

Nick Bostrom and I talked through the tricky sequencing problems here: https://t.co/4swPMohp3b

Produced by @atlanticrethink, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with PwC.

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

Nick Bostrom says there are a few reasons to treat AI models with respect:
1. It’s the right thing to do.
2. It helps build good habits.
3. The models might remember it when they become more powerful than us and spare the human race from total annihilation.

He had some fascinating points. You can watch our full convo here: https://t.co/4swPMohWSJ

Produced by @atlanticrethink, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with @PwC.

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

"The quality of the product has diminished. Narratives surrounding the league are prevailingly negative. Things once taken for granted—commercial satisfaction, cultural prestige, national relevance—no longer seem guaranteed. Peacetime is a thing of the past; for the foreseeable future, the commissioner will be at war." @TimAlberta
https://t.co/PID7YwRSv3

[Josh @Tyrangiel]

The IRS had a secret AI fight club! The commissioner would neither confirm nor deny its existence. So naturally I wrote about it anyway. The first excerpt from my upcoming book, AI for Good

Gift link here: https://t.co/niT2dQSNuJ

And the book itself: https://t.co/yWmxYaEIS7

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

This is one of the better arguments I've heard for the benefits of open-source AI. There are lots of safety reasons for restricting access to this technology, but putting decision-making power in the hands of a small group of people comes with risks, too. There is probably a middle ground, and it’s worth exploring what it might be.

@raffi and I talked through what the options are here: https://t.co/CEjOfVQgmU

Produced by @atlanticrethink, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio, in collaboration with @PwC.

[Danny Denhard @dannydenhard]

This is a brilliant interview by @nxthompson - great questions, good push back and finally a conversation on the role of synthetic data

https://t.co/xoaQ5Dtylu

[Jackson Dahl @jacksondahl]

4/ Check out Nick's new season of "The Most Interesting Thing in AI" - most recent ep with @sama

https://t.co/OCpphj7fvY

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

The guest for the next episode of The Most Interesting Thing in AI: @sama

We talked about how well we really understand these models, the ways AI might change the economy, and the critical cybersecurity race we're now in. It drops tomorrow morning. I hope you subscribe and watch: https://t.co/0tlz6Px3io

Produced by @atlanticrethink, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio.

[Scott D. Witt @scottdwitt]

@nxthompson What goes up, eventually comes down, and releases metallic pollutants into the upper atmosphere (which we're just starting to understand).
Was this part of the environmental discussion?

[nxthompson @nxthompson]

One of the joys of recording the Most Interesting Thing in AI is sitting down with an expert and digging into big questions that I don't understand. It feels like the best way to get a handle on a technology that is moving fast.

And I can't wait to share those conversations very soon, with guests including:
@ariel_ekblaw on data centers in space
@sama on where models are heading next
@raffi on the promise and perils of open-source AI
Nick Bostrom on what happens if we achieve AGI

Episode one with Ariel drops on Wednesday, I hope you watch and subscribe: https://t.co/0tlz6PwvsQ

Produced by @atlanticrethink, The Atlantic's creative marketing studio.