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Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The New York Times thinks generative AI is like Pac-Man ghosts and also the Matrix, because nobody gets to be normal about this stuff anymore
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The New York Times is being hazed by game dev social media over what I can only describe as one of the most naive articles about AI I've ever seen. The pointing and laughing is happening on BlueSky, among other places, over a paragraph that claims generative AI is being embraced by the videogame industry, which sure, makes sense, because we were giving those funny Pac-Man ghosts AIs in the past. And isn't that the same thing? No. No it's not—though being wary of simply taking a lone paragraph out of context, I went ahead and read the full thing. It does not get much better. Get out your bingo cards. The piece immerses us into a nice balmy pot of misunderstanding soup with the sentence "It sounds like a thought experiment conjured by René Descartes for the 21st century." Hoo boy. Its writer, Zachary Small, then goes on to reference this video that went viral a couple of years ago, wherein a YouTuber gets proportionately freaked out as generative AI NPCs start getting a bit existential in a tech demo by Replica. I'd link to Replica's website, but the company doesn't exist anymore which, to be fair, the article does acknowledge several paragraphs down. The NYT frames this as some kind of brush with the machine god: "Everything was fake, a player told them through a microphone, and they were simply lines of code meant to embellish a virtual world. Empowered by generative artificial intelligence like ChatGPT, the characters responded in panicked disbelief. 'What does that mean,' said one woman in a gray sweater. 'Am I real or not?'" This sort of open-mouthed astonishment might've been apropos three years ago, when all of this tech was still relatively new, but AI doesn't actually think or understand anything. It didn't then, and it doesn't now. Here's a solid breakdown by MIT from the time period, which explains: "In this huge corpus of text, words and sentences appear in sequences with certain dependencies. This recurrence helps the model understand how to cut text into statistical chunks that have some predictability. It learns the patterns of these blocks of text and uses this knowledge to propose what might come next." In other words, what we might call an 'educated guess'. Replica's AI was trained on text written by people, and people have written about machines becoming self-aware before, which is why the NPCs spat out lines about being self-aware when they were told they were machines. This is like saying Google is sapient because it fed me a link to Isaac Asimov's I, Robot when I searched for it: A program taking educated guesses does not a singularity make. To be clear, generative AI has been having a major impact on videogames—both in the fact that there are legitimate use-cases being found, and in the fact that excitable CEOs are getting ahead of themselves and mandating employees use it, which is totally a normal thing you do with a technology you're naturally finding use cases for. The paragraph that active developers are dunking on, however, is this doozy: "Most experts acknowledge that a takeover by artificial intelligence is coming for the video game industry within the next five years, and executives have already started preparing to restructure their companies in anticipation. After all, it was one of the first sectors to deploy AI programming in the 1980s, with the four ghosts who chase Pac-Man each responding differently to the player's real-time movements." I'm just gonna rattle off the problems with this statement one-by-one. First up, which experts? Sure, Nvidia's CEO says AI is coming for everybody's jobs, but also, it's sort of his job to sell AI technology. You know who else said we'd all have to adapt to AI? Netflix's former VP of GenAI for Games, who stopped working there four months later. CEO of Larian Studios Swen Vincke (note: someone who actually makes games) isn't nearly as convinced—while the developer does use generative AI for the early, early stages of prototyping, basically anything thereafter is made by hand. CD Projekt is also steering clear, because the quagmire of legal ownership just isn't worth it. Some executives have done some restructuring that may or may not be related to AI—I certainly don't doubt that AI plays a part, but widespread layoffs and studio closures are also down to, say, buying a company for $68 billion, or flubbing a $2 billion investment deal. You know. CEO things. And then there's the coup de grâce on this lump of coal—the comparison to the ghosts in Pac-Man, as if that has anything to do with anything. No, the programming of Pac-Man's ghosts has nothing to do with generative AI or deep learning models, a completely different technology. Tōru Iwatani, a person, gave them their distinct 'personalities'. "We're gonna be making our games differently, but to say that it'll replace the craftsmanship? I think we're very far from it." Larian CEO Swen Vincke (GameSpot interview, April 2025) To be clear, this is about as relevant as saying the videogame industry's adopting AI because Crazy Taxi had a pointing arrow in it that leads to your next objective—it's a loose association by someone who saw the word "AI" twice and assumed those things must be related. I could continue ribbing on this thing. For example, there's a one-two punch where Small references fretting over gen AI npcs "dying" when a game gets shut down as developers "forgoing those moral questions in their presentations to studio executives," then proceeds to talk about how Sony made an AI Aloy without also noting that the character's voice actor, Ashley Burch, found the whole thing repulsive. It also happens to suggest that using "AI programs to complete repetitive tasks like placing barrels throughout a virtual village" is novel, when procedural generations have existed for years (and in fact might be a more apt comparison, if we're going to draw a line from point A to point B). But I think what's really telling is how noncommittal the answers Small receives are. Microsoft's response was the most gung-ho, though it still clarified that "Game creators will always be the center of our overall AI efforts". Nintendo pointed Small in the direction of its prior statements, wherein the company said "would rather go in a different direction". Even the experts at companies Small quotes are downright tepid, often pointing towards cost and realistic expectations for the things he says are just five years around the corner. Look—generative AI's gonna have, and already has had, an impact on game development, and will be used inside of it. But I would implore both the writers at the NYT, and just about anyone else, to apply a little bit of skepticism before you believe claims that these models are forming relationships, inventing art styles, or becoming self-aware. That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Should You Forget Amazon? Why You Might Want to Buy This Unstoppable Growth Stock Instead
Key Points Amazon remains the king of the e-commerce arena. Its sheer size and heavy-handed management of its online shopping mall, however, isn't necessarily what the marketplace wants anymore. A fast-growing company capitalizing on this shift in consumer preference should easily outgrow its bigger rival over the course of the next several years. 10 stocks we like better than Shopify › There's no denying it. Up more than 300,000% since its 1997 public offering, e-commerce giant Amazon is one of the market's most rewarding investments of this generation. It's still going strong too. Despite it's already massive size, this year's expected top-line growth of more than 9% should reach nearly 10% next year. Not bad. But no company keeps its competitors in-check forever. Young, enterprising rivals will eventually figure out how to penetrate the market with a new and better idea, technology, or solution. Enter Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP), which has introduced what's arguably the most change the online shopping industry has seen since Amazon laid down its roots nearly 30 years ago. And it's got the growth numbers to prove it. What's Shopify? In simplest terms, Shopify helps businesses of all sizes establish and operate their own e-commerce presence. From websites to digital shopping carts to inventory management to online marketing to payment processing, Shopify is a one-stop shop for any enterprise that wants to be online but doesn't have a clue about where to start. Although the company itself no longer discloses the number, estimates put the current number of Shopify-powered online stores well into the millions. You may have even used its tech without even realizing it. Simply opening an online store doesn't necessarily mean it's successful, of course. How are these operators actually faring? Pretty well, actually. Shopify's technology facilitated the sale of $292.3 billion worth of goods and services last year, up 24% from 2023's top line. For its part, Shopify generated nearly $8.9 billion worth of its own revenue in 2024, reflecting a percentage of those sales, revenue from subscriptions to certain services, fees for processing payments, and the like. Of that, $1.1 billion was turned into operating income. For comparison, Amazon reported a 2024 top line of $638 billion and net income of $59 billion. Clearly, Shopify poses no immediate existential threat to the e-commerce giant. Shopify doesn't have to topple Amazon, however, to be a rewarding investment. It only needs to grow itself, and it's had no problem doing that. It's probably not going to face a growth headwind anytime soon either, given how the online shopping landscape is evolving in a way that plays right into Shopify's unique strengths. Different in all the right ways To fully appreciate Shopify's likely future, you really need to revisit its roots. Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand, and Scott Lake didn't create Shopify back in 2006 by accident. After launching a snowboarding-equipment online store just a couple of years earlier, the trio realized the tools available to small businesses looking to establish their own e-commerce presence were pretty lousy. That's when the actual business opportunity became crystal clear. The rest, as they say, is history. That being said, in a way, it was actually Amazon's commanding-but-heavy-handed control of North America's online shopping market that set the stage for Shopify's incredible growth. Think about it. Plenty of merchants and online sellers utilize as a selling platform due to its sheer size; industry research outfit Digital Commerce 360 says it facilitates on the order of 40% of North America's online shopping. But, these sellers decreasingly view Amazon as a partner. That's because -- in addition to competing directly with Amazon's own goods -- Amazon is increasingly pitting its third-party sellers against one another by monetizing its sales platform in a new way. That's advertising. For a third-party seller to become and remain truly competitive at it needs to pay to feature its products. Amazon did over $56 billion worth of this high-margin advertising business last year alone, all of it coming out of its sellers' pockets. Then there's the matter of brand authenticity in an environment that craves it. While Amazon's product listings are effective and efficient, they're also cold and impersonal, and unable to tell the underlying company's story. That's not the case with a Shopify-powered store though, where sellers have complete control of the presentation that makes the personal connection which leads to a sale. And it matters. Recent research performed by Forrester indicates that 70% of consumers say they can better relate to an authentic brand and are therefore more likely to buy that brand. This trend is growing too, with younger consumers increasingly requiring this personal connection. In this vein, perhaps the most frustrating aspect of selling through Amazon is that once a seller or merchant has turned a consumer into a paying customer, that person is more of an Amazon customer than the seller's. By using Shopify's technology to sell directly to a consumer, however, a business can build a deeper customer relationship with the individual if for no other reason than it directly garners that person's contact information. The resulting opportunity created by all of these factors is nothing less than amazing. An outlook from Straits Research suggests the worldwide e-commerce platform market is set to grow at an average annualized pace of 12% through 2033, jibing with similar predictions from Mordor Intelligence and Analysts expect even better growth from Shopify at least through 2027. Given its commanding share of this space (a leading 28% share of the U.S. market, according to Oberlo) on top of the entire industry's ongoing expansion, Shopify is likely to maintain its strong growth rate well past that point. Don't sweat the steep valuation too much There are legitimate concerns. Chief among them is valuation. Shopify shares are presently priced at nearly 90 times this year's expected per-share profits of $1.39 and 70 times next year's projected bottom line of $1.78 per share. If nothing else, this steep valuation leaves the stock vulnerable to sizable stumbles. Being priced above the consensus target of $118.79 doesn't exactly help either. This is one of those cases, however, where the story is so compelling and a company's future is so bright that the market is supportive of a rich valuation. Indeed, the fact that Shopify shares are still trading near February's high and still priced well below their 2021 high is an opportunity. This window of opportunity probably won't remain open much longer though, if recently reported economic data is any indication of how the economy's faring. While July's jobs report was disappointing, June's retail sales, June's consumer spending, and Q2's estimated GDP growth rate of 3% were all pretty strong. It matters simply because economic strength supports consumerism, including the online shopping that Shopify helps make happen. Should you invest $1,000 in Shopify right now? Before you buy stock in Shopify, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Shopify wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $624,823!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,064,820!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 1,019% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 178% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of July 29, 2025 James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon and Shopify. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Should You Forget Amazon? Why You Might Want to Buy This Unstoppable Growth Stock Instead was originally published by The Motley Fool
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The Rise of Social Investing: Why Following Experts Might Be Your Best Move
Sometimes, your best investment move might be watching someone else make theirs. That's the idea behind a fast-growing trend known as social investing, a model that's becoming increasingly mainstream thanks to platforms like eToro and X accounts like Pelosi Tracker, which has amassed a following by tracking the trades of high-profile politicians and public figures. The big appeal? You don't need to be a market genius to make smarter moves; you can simply follow people who are. Don't Miss: $100k+ in investable assets? – no cost, no obligation. Accredited Investors: Grab Pre-IPO Shares of the AI Company Powering Hasbro, Sephora & MGM— When Elon Musk Posts, Markets Listen A 2023 peer-reviewed study in the Technological Forecasting and Social Change journal dug into the so-called Musk Effect. It examined 47 cryptocurrency-related posts by Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk and found that even a single X post could result in abnormal returns of up to 4.79% within an hour, along with surging trading volumes. In the first two minutes, the abnormal returns were 3.58%. The researchers wrote that Musk's posts often blur the line between jokes and market-moving statements. One famous example? In 2021, he simply changed his X bio to '#bitcoin,' causing the price to jump from $32,000 to over $38,000 in just a few hours. That single act added $111 billion to Bitcoin's market cap. This brings up questions about whether that's fair or safe for everyday investors, but it also makes something very clear: big personalities online can really move the markets, and more and more people are paying attention. Trending: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can Social Investing Puts You In The Room With Experts The idea behind social investing is simple: if a seasoned investor or market mover is making a move, and you have access to that information, why not ride the same wave? That's exactly what eToro (NASDAQ:ETOR) has built its platform around. With eToro's CopyTrader feature, you can view and automatically replicate the portfolios of top investors, including those with long-term track records of success, with as little as $200. Whether you're into crypto, stocks, or ETFs, you can browse real-world returns and match your strategy to theirs with just a click. It's investing, but social, transparent and tailored to match your goals. Investing In The Age Of Digital Overload It's no secret that markets move fast, especially when social media accelerates the news cycle. But this constant flood of noise is exactly why some investors are choosing curated, signal-driven strategies instead of relying on gut study on Musk's social media influence pointed to a broader issue: investors struggle with information overload. Too many headlines, too many conflicting opinions, and too little time to sift through it all. That's what makes social investing appealing: it filters the noise by giving you real-time access to what skilled traders are actually doing, not just saying. Watch What They Do And Act Accordingly Social trading doesn't guarantee returns, but it offers a level of transparency that traditional finance often lacks. With tools like Pelosi Tracker, investors are watching lawmakers' trades for signs of market conviction. And with eToro, you're not just watching, you're participating. When one social media post can send markets soaring or crashing, just keeping up with the news isn't enough. You're better off following the people who are already making big moves. Read Next: Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die."Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article The Rise of Social Investing: Why Following Experts Might Be Your Best Move originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
