My main newsletter, Complex Machinery, includes a section called "In Other News..." It's where I list one-liners about interesting articles that didn't fit into any segments.

You can think of this list as a version of In Other News, but with a wider remit than Complex Machinery's "risk, AI, and related topics."

Skipping the nonsense

Major genAI companies have suddenly called for a slow-down in their work, supposedly in the name of safety. You've no doubt seen the headlines already. In lieu of repeating those here, I will instead point you to some relevant issues of Complex Machinery:

• "It's just a tool"
• "What does genAI do well?"
• "Shadows of the mortgage meltdown"

Above the fold

1. Nathan Fielder's documentary about failed biotech startup Theranos doubles as a guide for understanding the genAI hype machine (and parts of the tech startup scene).
2. The algorithmic attention economy is designed for a particularly nasty form of one-upmanship, leading some influencers to go too far in their quest for views and likes. (New York Times)
3. LLMs have helped hackers and security researchers uncover previously hidden flaws in software. One group uncovered a hack for the WeChat messaging app that didn't require the target to click or acknowledge anything. (The Register and New York Times, respectively)
4. I recently noted that software developers could self-host open-weight models and cut commercial LLM providers out of the loop. FT's Toby Nangle reaches a similar conclusion. (Complex Machinery and FT, respectively)
5. Stirring up hate on social media is a profitable business. You don't even have to care about the issue at hand. (Le Monde 🇫🇷)
6. Some gig-economy workers – who provide services to Amazon, WalMart, and other wildly profitable retail giants – must still collect government benefits to survive. (Fortune)
7. Foundation model provider Anthropic plays a subtle game – known in accounting circles as What If We Pretended Certain Expenses Didn't Exist – to claim profitability. (Futurism)
8. Former FTC chair Lina Khan says that existing law allows the government to pursue major genAI companies when their bots go out of control. (The Register)

The rest of the best

• Anthropic faces a class-action suit over allegedly sketchy subscription details. (The Verge)
• Australian law will allow users to turn off the so-called "algorithmic," curated view on social media sites. (Le Monde 🇫🇷)
• OpenAI, citing recent genAI security problems, postpones its IPO. (Gizmodo)
• Yet another attorney has been caught using erroneous, genAI-fabricated materials in court filings. (Ars Technica)
• In a glimpse of iOS 27's genAI capabilities, the Daydream app can use your photo album to help you shop for clothes. (TechCrunch)
• While some genAI companies are slowing down for safety reasons, they're still forging ahead with giving AI agents the power to schedule events and make purchases on end-users' behalf. (The Atlantic)
• Following the lead of its US counterpart, France's Wikipedia – sorry, Wikipédia – has banned AI-generated article submissions and edits. (Le Monde 🇫🇷)
• The majority of German businesses are using genAI. Some have even experienced improvements as a result. (Die Zeit 🇩🇪)
• Germany's digital wallet, which allows one to hold government IDs and other official documents on a mobile device, is set to launch early next year. (Der Spiegel 🇩🇪)

Did I miss anything?

Have something I should read? Send the link my way.