Curb classroom AI before it's too late
As Rikki Schlott reported, an MIT Media Lab study found that people who used large language models like ChatGPT to write essays had reduced critical thinking skills and attention spans and showed less brain activity while working than those who didn't rely on the AI's help. NY Post assistant editorial page editor Brooke Rogers shares this story.
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New York Times
6 hours ago
- New York Times
We're Already Living in the Post-A.I. Future
In 2023 — just as ChatGPT was hitting 100 million monthly users, with a large minority of them freaking out about living inside the movie 'Her' — the artificial intelligence researcher Katja Grace published an intuitively disturbing industry survey that found that one-third to one-half of top A.I. researchers thought there was at least a 10 percent chance the technology could lead to human extinction or some equally bad outcome. A couple of years later, the vibes are pretty different. Yes, there are those still predicting rapid intelligence takeoff, along both quasi-utopian and quasi-dystopian paths. But as A.I. has begun to settle like sediment into the corners of our lives, A.I. hype has evolved, too, passing out of its prophetic phase into something more quotidian — a pattern familiar from our experience with nuclear proliferation, climate change and pandemic risk, among other charismatic megatraumas. If last year's breakout big-think A.I. text was 'Situational Awareness' by Leopold Aschenbrenner — a 23-year-old former OpenAI researcher who predicted that humanity was about to be dropped into an alien universe of swarming superintelligence — this year's might be a far more modest entry, 'A.I. as Normal Technology,' published in April by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor, two Princeton-affiliated computer scientists and skeptical Substackers. Rather than seeing A.I. as 'a separate species, a highly autonomous, potentially superintelligent entity,' they wrote, we should understand it 'as a tool that we can and should remain in control of, and we argue that this goal does not require drastic policy interventions or technical breakthroughs.' Just a year ago, 'normal' would have qualified as deflationary contrarianism, but today it seems more like an emergent conventional wisdom. In January the Oxford philosopher and A.I. whisperer Toby Ord identified what he called the 'scaling paradox': that while large language models were making pretty impressive gains, the amount of resources required to make each successive improvement was growing so quickly that it was hard to believe that the returns were all that impressive. The A.I. cheerleaders Tyler Cowen and Dwarkesh Patel have begun emphasizing the challenges of integrating A.I. into human systems. (Cowen called this the 'human bottleneck' problem.) In a long interview with Patel in February, Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella, threw cold water on the very idea of artificial general intelligence, saying that we were all getting ahead of ourselves with that kind of talk and that simple G.D.P. growth was a better measure of progress. (His basic message: Wake me up when that hits 10 percent globally.) Perhaps more remarkable, OpenAI's Sam Altman, for years the leading gnomic prophet of superintelligence, has taken to making a similar point, telling CNBC this month that he had come to believe that A.G.I. was not even 'a superuseful term' and that in the near future we were looking not at any kind of step change but at a continuous walk along the same upward-sloping path. Altman hyped OpenAI's much-anticipated GPT-5 ahead of time as a rising Death Star. Instead, it debuted to overwhelmingly underwhelming reviews. In the aftermath, with skeptics claiming vindication, Altman acknowledged that, yes, we're in a bubble — one that would produce huge losses for some but also large spillover benefits like those we know from previous bubbles (railroads, the internet). This week the longtime A.I. booster Eric Schmidt, too, shifted gears to argue that Silicon Valley needed to stop obsessing over A.G.I. and focus instead on practical applications of the A.I. tools in hand. Altman's onetime partner and now sworn enemy Elon Musk recently declared that for most people, the best use for his large language model, Grok, was to turn old photos into microvideos like those captured by the Live feature on your iPhone camera. And these days, Aschenbrenner doesn't seem to be working on safety and catastrophic risk; he's running a $1.5 billion A.I. hedge fund instead. In the first half of 2025, it turned a 47 percent profit. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Man poisons himself after receiving advice from AI: 'Will give rise to terrible results'
Man poisons himself after receiving advice from AI: 'Will give rise to terrible results' A man was hospitalized with severe physical and psychiatric symptoms after replacing table salt with sodium bromide in his diet, advice he said he received from ChatGPT, according to a case study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Experts have strongly cautioned against taking medical advice from artificial intelligence-powered chatbots. "These are language prediction tools — they lack common sense and will give rise to terrible results if the human user does not apply their own common sense when deciding what to ask these systems and whether to heed their recommendations," said Dr. Jacob Glanville, according to Fox 32 Chicago. What's happening? A 60-year-old man concerned about the potentially negative health impacts of chloride on his body was looking for ways to completely remove sodium chloride, the chemical name for table salt, from his diet. "Inspired by his history of studying nutrition in college, he decided to conduct a personal experiment to eliminate chloride from his diet," the case study's authors wrote. "For three months, he had replaced sodium chloride with sodium bromide obtained from the internet after consultation with ChatGPT, in which he had read that chloride can be swapped with bromide, though likely for other purposes, such as cleaning." The "personal experiment" landed the man, who had "no past psychiatric or medical history," in the emergency room, saying he believed he was being poisoned by his neighbor. "In the first 24 hours of admission, he expressed increasing paranoia and auditory and visual hallucinations, which, after attempting to escape, resulted in an involuntary psychiatric hold for grave disability," the authors said. With treatment, the man's symptoms gradually improved to the point where he could explain to doctors what had happened. Why does bad medical advice from AI matter? The situation highlighted the high levels of risk involved in obtaining medical advice, or other highly specialized knowledge, from AI chatbots including ChatGPT. As the use of AI-powered tools becomes more popular, incidents such as the one described in the case study are likely to occur more frequently. "Thus, it is important to consider that ChatGPT and other AI systems can generate scientific inaccuracies, lack the ability to critically discuss results, and ultimately fuel the spread of misinformation," the case study's authors warned. Do you worry about companies having too much of your personal data? Absolutely Sometimes Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. They encouraged medical professionals to consider the public's increasingly widespread reliance on AI tools "when screening for where their patients are consuming health information." What's being done about AI misinformation? Unless and until governments enact regulatory guardrails constraining what kinds of advice and information AI can and cannot dole out to people, individuals will be left to rely on their own common sense, as Glanville recommended. However, when it comes to complex, scientifically dense information that requires specialized knowledge and training to properly understand, it is questionable how far "common sense" can go. The subject of the case study had received some level of specialized academic training with regards to nutrition. Apparently, this was not enough for him to recognize that sodium bromide was not a suitable alternative for table salt in his diet. Consequently, the best way to protect oneself and one's family from the harmful effects of AI misinformation is to limit reliance on AI to specific, limited instances and to approach any AI-provided advice or data with a high level of skepticism. To take things a step further, you can use your voice and reach out to your elected representatives to tell them that you are in favor of regulations to rein in AI-generated misinformation. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Fido get fat? Ozempic for dogs could hit the market in three years
Life's ruff enough without the added challenge of getting your pudgy pup or tubby tabby to slim down. America's obesity crisis extends beyond humans — studies suggest that around 60% of dogs and cats nationwide are overweight. The consequences are far from fluffy. Those extra pounds can lead to serious health issues, sky-high vet bills and fewer years with your furry friend. Advertisement 5 Obesity is a major problem in pet health. Donald Pearsall / NY Post Design Enter the Ozempets era. Pharmaceutical companies are sniffing out new territory, tapping the same science behind blockbuster weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to develop similar treatments for pets. Advertisement One biotech firm, Okava, expects to roll out its animal-friendly version by the end of the decade — hoping to give your portly pooch or hefty house cat a chance at a leaner, longer life. A paw-scription for weight loss Traditionally, vets have pushed lifestyle changes to slim down pets, but getting Fido to cut back on treats isn't always a walk in the park. 'Caloric restriction, or fasting, is one of the most well-established interventions for extending the lifespan and improving metabolic health in dogs. But it is also one of the hardest to maintain,' Okava CEO Michael Klotsman said in a statement earlier this year. 5 Studies show that owners often underestimate their pet's weight issues, and many find it challenging to help them slim down. New Africa – Advertisement To address the problem, Okava and Vivani Medical are partnering to develop OKV-119, a long-acting implant designed to support weight loss in dogs and cats. Roughly the size of a standard tracking chip, the device delivers a steady dose of exenatide for up to six months. Similar to semaglutide and tirzepatide — the active ingredients in human drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound — exenatide imitates a hormone called GLP-1, which helps decrease appetite, increase feelings of fullness and slow digestion. Advertisement 'OKV-119 mimics many of the physiological effects of fasting … without requiring significant changes in feeding routines or disrupting the human-animal bond that often centers around food,' Klotsman explained. But don't worry — your pet won't go on hunger strike. 'What owners should expect to see is their pet eating appropriate portions without the previous food obsession,' Klotsman told The Guardian. 'They'll still eat regularly and show interest in meals, just without the excessive begging, scavenging or gulping behavior.' 5 Rather than the injectable format used in human GLP-1 drugs, Okava's pet-friendly product is an implant that lasts six months. mbruxelle – Early studies in cats showed promising results, with small doses of exenatide helping felines reduce their calorie intake and shed at least 5% of their body weight over 112 days. The trial is now being expanded to include dogs, and if successful, the companies aim to launch OKV-119 commercially by 2028 or 2029. That could be a game changer for the nation's pets, which are increasingly tipping the scales. In 2022, veterinarians classified 100 million dogs and cats as overweight or obese — up from 80 million just five years prior, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Advertisement 5 Many owners frequently give treats, which can contribute to excess calorie intake in pets. natalialeb – That's not just extra fluff. Studies show that overweight dogs live up to 2.5 years less than their slimmer peers and often have a lower quality of life. Among cats, chubbier felines ages 8 to 12 face a 2.8 times higher mortality rate compared to their leaner counterparts, according to Manor Veterinary Hospital. Advertisement 'OKV-119 represents an additional tool for veterinarians treating pets where conventional approaches have been insufficient, similar to how GLP-1 therapies have provided new hope for human patients struggling with obesity despite their best efforts with diet and exercise,' Klotsman told The Guardian. Fur-ever young Americans love their pets. A recent poll found that 52% of dog owners consider their canine companion's health just as important as their own, while 41% say it's even more important. As drugmakers like Okava race to help animals live longer, healthier lives, research suggests our pets are already doing the same for us. 5 Pet ownership has been linked to a wide variety of health benefits in humans. Prapat – Advertisement Studies have found that owning a pet can ease stress, anxiety and other negative emotions while providing companionship that reduces loneliness and feelings of social isolation. There are physical perks, too. One study found that dog owners are 34% more likely to get the recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week than those without. Pet owners also tend to have lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, giving their heart health a major boost, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Advertisement Taken together, experts say pets are a powerful longevity tool. A 2019 study found dog owners have a 24% lower risk of early death compared to non-owners. For those with prior heart attacks or strokes, the benefit jumps to 31%, according to the American Heart Association. Felines help as well. One study found that past or current cat owners were 37% less likely to die from a heart attack and 26% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than non-owners.
