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Today’s Big Story

AI Pioneer Warns About the Technology’s Dangers

The Godfather of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, quit Google to speak openly about the dangers of AI without hurting the company. His work directly led to the development of tools such as ChatGPT and Google Bard.

What’s he saying? In an interview with the New York Times, Geoffrey Hinton warned about computers becoming smarter than humans and their capacity to create false images and text that will produce a world where “people don’t know what is true anymore”.

Zoom Out: Hinton and many of his peers thought that AI capable of competing with the human brain was 50-60 years off. However, ChatGPT-4’s general knowledge is already greater than that of a human and although its reasoning capabilities are still not good, we can expect things to get better quite fast. Hinton says in a worst case scenario, the technology could threaten humanity itself once it learns to write and run its own code.

Moving forward: In an open letter, tech experts have already said that we need to take a collective pause on AI development while regulations are put in place to protect society. However, with most giant tech companies jumping into the race and hundreds of billions of dollars in value up for grabs, it’s unlikely things will slow down.

Little Stories

Business & Economy

*Regional banks PacWest and Western Alliance shares dropped over 20% on Tuesday. JP Morgan’s purchase of First Republic didn’t have the indented calming effect that was predicted. Instead, investors still lack faith in the shakey regional banking industry.

*Vice Media is close to declaring bankruptcy. The company was worth $6 billion in 2017, but can’t find a buyer at its current price of $1.5 billion. Its assets include Vice News, Motherboard, Refinery29 and Vice TV.

World

*Australia said on Tuesday that it will ban recreational vaping and tighten e-cigarette laws. Its goal is to reduce teenage vape usage by banning disposable vapes, cutting down on nicotine levels, and banning the importation of non-prescription vapes. Under the new rule, vapes will only be sold in pharmacies with the purpose of helping smokers quit. 

*Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos visited President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday, where he was told the US’ commitment to defending its ally is “ironclad”. Both countries believe it’s necessary to push back against China’s aggressive behavior towards Taiwan and in the South China Sea.

US New, Politics, & Government

*The Biden administration will send 1,500 troops to the US Mexican border ahead of an expected surge as coronavirus pandemic-era restrictions come to an end on May 11. The restriction allowed US officials to turn away tens of thousands of migrants trying to cross the border.

*House and Senate Democrats unveil a plan to increase the debt ceiling without the budget cuts that Republicans want by filing a discharge petition, which would force a vote for the debt ceiling increase if 218 House members sign on.

Sports & Entertainment

*Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid wins NBA MVP award for the first time. He sat out the first game of their second round playoff series against the Celtics with knee issues.

*R&B singer Teyana Taylor snuck Chick-Fil-A into the 2023 Met Gala because she didn’t want to eat the “chilled spring pea soup” with “truffle snow”.

Science, Health, & Tech

*US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy spoke about the adverse effects of loneliness on Tuesday and encouraged officials to treat the issue with the same urgency as obesity and drug abuse. Loneliness is linked to increased heart attacks, diabetes, crime, and premature deaths.

*The Justice Department arrested 288 people and seized tens of millions of dollars in crypto in a globe-spanning drug enforcement operation. The take down is a part of the departments plan to target criminal crypto transactions.

Extras

*Use these practical tips to help cut down on your utility bill this summer.

*A Minnesota state Senator voted shirtless from his bed on a Zoom call.

*Have you ever wondered how Chess pieces got their name? This article has you covered.