In this episode of Uncanny Valley, we talk about one author’s journey to flee the US, social media surveillance, chatbots and the world of AI, and conspiracy theories for an autism cure.
How China Is Hoping to Attract Tech Talent
Lauren Goode: What’s an example of that? Louise Matsakis: So, for example, there were some Chinese influencers who were spreading these conspiracy theories that Indians were plotting to use the visa to immigrate to China en masse. Lauren Goode: Interesting. You’ve both covered China’s businesses and workforce for years. Was this backlash surprising to you? […]
This Startup Wants to Spark a US DeepSeek Moment
Ever since DeepSeek burst onto the scene in January, momentum has grown around open source Chinese artificial intelligence models. Some researchers are pushing for an even more open approach to building AI that allows model-making to be distributed across the globe. Prime Intellect, a startup specializing in decentralized AI, is currently training a frontier large […]
OpenAI Sneezes, and Software Firms Catch a Cold
Allan Thygesen, the CEO of Docusign, was not particularly concerned when he saw the news last week that OpenAI had created an internal tool called DocuGPT. He might have preferred that OpenAI choose a different name for its contracting tool. But still, he thought, DocuGPT barely scratched the surface of what Docusign can do. “This […]
OpenAI Wants ChatGPT to Be Your Future Operating System
OpenAI didn’t share details around any revenue-share agreements with Canva, Zillow, Spotify, and the other apps it highlighted today. The new SDK announcement signals a deeper commitment to working with established enterprises and app makers—and an emphasis on keeping users within ChatGPT itself. If the web and mobile eras of the past 30 years were […]
Why Are Car Software Updates Still So Bad?
Despite years of effort and the outlay of billions of dollars, none of the world’s automakers have yet to match Tesla’s prowess in delivering over-the-air (OTA) software updates. Just like with your phone and laptop, these operating system refreshes allow owners to upgrade their cars remotely. Tesla introduced OTAs in 2012, but now Elon Musk’s […]
Sam Altman Says the GPT-5 Haters Got It All Wrong
OpenAI’s August launch of its GPT-5 large language model was somewhat of a disaster. There were glitches during the livestream, with the model generating charts with obviously inaccurate numbers. In a Reddit AMA with OpenAI employees, users complained that the new model wasn’t friendly, and called for the company to restore the previous version. Most […]
Your Delivery Robot Is Here
Aarian Marshall: Hello. Michael Calore: Given today’s topic, I’m curious to know what is the most unexpected thing you’ve both ordered through a delivery app? Louise Matsakis: So I was on a press trip to China recently, and I was taking notes during an interview, and I got pen all over my white pants. So […]
China Rolls Out Its First Talent Visa as the US Retreats on H-1Bs
The bottom line is that, unlike the US, China is not a country of immigrants. In 2020, only about .1 percent of the mainland population was made up of foreigners, according to one estimate by researchers from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. That’s roughly 1.4 million people in a country of more than […]
OpenAI’s New Sora App Lets You Deepfake Yourself for Entertainment
On Tuesday, OpenAI released an AI video app called Sora. The platform is powered by OpenAI’s latest video generation model, Sora 2, and revolves around a TikTok-like For You page of user-generated clips. This is the first product release from OpenAI that adds AI-generated sounds to videos. For now, it’s available only on iOS and […]