https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/30/the-phone-is-dead-long-live-what-exactly/ It was a companion, a distraction, a fidget toy, a security blanket. People looked at him strangely. Standing on a transit platform among the crowds: silent, still, looks that were somewhere between blank and deeply enhanced. They’d glance at him before returning to their state; puzzled. His hands moved where theirs were deep in … [Read more…]
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg26835752-400-new-years-resolutions-work-better-if-you-know-what-to-measure/ The house was nagging. The reminders were coming thick and fast. Time to choose. The fridge made its polite suggestions, the living room screens had their ideas and of course the door had a parting shot, “just to think about”. Each suggestion was backed up with the data from the last year: successful and … [Read more…]
https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-is-hiring-a-new-head-of-preparedness-to-try-to-predict-and-mitigate-ais-harms-220330486.html Those members of the board that had them, rolled their eyes when the Head of Preparedness spoke. The Agents on the board already knew what was going to be raised. They had the data, had run the models themselves and already had “solutions” ready: detailed arguments about the data or, if necessary, mitigating strategies. … [Read more…]
https://www.ft.com/content/f3658db4-0bd5-4a0e-af9f-8f7a14f05603 They tried to be good parents. Relaxed, supportive, cool even. They’d subscribed to all the parenting Agents, updating each year as he grew and the models improved. They’d paid for the best nannying Agents and when he went to school, they’d found the best, even if they had problems with the sponsor. Their principles … [Read more…]
https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-says-hes-removing-sustainable-from-teslas-mission-2000703528 The new boss was a human. And as a human new to the job, he had ideas he wanted implemented… now. He was outspoken politically, a close friend of The Party. He was determined that The Company and The Party should “align”. His first step was to “strip the woke”; an end to DEI … [Read more…]
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/how-to-set-up-a-ps5-for-a-child-160039866.html He wanted it set up immediately of course. He knew he was getting one and had been rehearsing in his mind for weeks what he’d do first. None of his friends had the latest model so he wanted to get it all set up before they came round. He wanted to be able to … [Read more…]
https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/2025/12/songs-christmas-nostalgia/685428 The table was set, each meal was cooking and the family were surrounded by gifts. They always made sure to buy at least one material present for each other. So the tree didn’t look bare. They obviously couldn’t afford a “real” tree, even if they’d agreed with buying from The Company, but their simulation … [Read more…]
https://www.ft.com/content/b2ebb99a-cfea-465f-93ff-0ea8ed6bfac5 It was a print card and letter. It had to be couriered of course. “I remember our postman,” he would say “you can’t chat to a drone, you can’t wish them a happy Christmas”. The letter was always the same, news of the family, family snaps, a year in review. Everyone got the same … [Read more…]
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/zuckerberg-fall-out-new-ai-hire He thought of himself as a strong leader. It was his company after all. He’d started it, grown it. It was his personality that had made it what it was. The board knew how to deal with him. New hires quickly learned how to handle his moods. They learned to phrase things carefully, download … [Read more…]
https://futurism.com/future-society/dorks-ai-celebrity-friends The secret to name-dropping was to remain cool. It worked best when you just let things slip into conversation. Let the rumours appear. Get the kudos. He’d never been noticed before but now people looked at him differently. He was cool, cutting edge. He got invites because of who they thought he knew, who … [Read more…]