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."

Above the fold

1. This piece is about how UK fish and chip shops adapt and survive in a changing world. The stories mirror the experience of other fields grappling with genAI and other upheavals. (The Guardian)
2. Insurers are reluctant to provide coverage of genAI-related incidents. That's probably a sign. (The Register)
3. Contractors hired to prepare training data for genAI systems are poisoning the proverbial well – some on accident, some on purpose. (404 Media)
4. Last week we passed two anniversaries from the 2008 mortgage crisis: the Lehman Brothers collapse and the AIG bailout. This piece offers a glimpse into the fall of the insurance giant. (New York Times – from 2008)
5. That genAI-based transcription may lead to legal troubles down the road. (Sidley Austin LLP)
6. An analysis of the effect of drone strikes on noncombatant populations – notably, what this means for geographic dispersion of civilians. (British Journal of Political Science)
7. Former DraftKings data scientists call out the way the company identifies potential problem gamblers and then tempts them with more gambling. (New York Times)
8. The CEO of Shopify is unhappy with the results of his company-wide genAI adoption mandate. (Fortune)
9. Dolphins are notoriously smart animals. Smarter than most genAI bots, I might argue. (The Guardian – from 2003)
10. An intelligence analyst allegedly accepted a chatbot's fabrication. The US almost triggered a war with China as a result. (CNN, Gizmodo, Le Monde 🇫🇷)
11. New York's Flatiron building gets a makeover into luxury condos. (Bloomberg)

The rest of the best

• Apparently, people inside Microsoft and OpenAI knew that genAI could cause harm to the news industry. And not just by hoovering up articles as training data. (New York Times, Der Spiegel 🇩🇪)
• CEO of controversial genAI startup Character AI lands a new job running tech for Disney. (Gizmodo)
• The FAA is implementing AI-based systems to address air traffic control concerns. (I write "AI" there and not "genAI" since it's not clear what flavor of technology they're using.) (Ars Technica)
• genAI hype and hand-waving are running headlong into reality. While this article is about the risks of using this technology in medical scenarios, the lessons therein equally apply to other fields. (FT)
• The term "AI safety" has a hazy definition, but thanks to recent incidents, we can all agree that the various flavors of this field have become more important. (The Verge)
• Apple's claims to end-user data privacy build a level of trust that other large tech companies – notably, genAI providers – do not get. (FT)
• Apparently, those Flock cameras have another problem: they're running outdated software, which makes them vulnerable to hacking. (Michah Lee)
• Semiconductors are required ingredients of many electronic devices. Given that, what would be the impact of a disruption in that supply chain? (Taylor & Francis Online)
• While running in a simulated environment, genAI agents exhibited dishonest behaviors. (Bloomberg)
• Warren Buffett once pulled Salomon Brothers from the brink of collapse. One arrow in his quiver: being flat-out honest. (FT)

Did I miss anything?

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