Dale Carnegie once wrote about the six ways to make people like us. Of those six, AI has mastered five; the only one AI can’t do well (yet) is “smile”. Rob Brooks suggests that Carnegie’s rules will become “a quaint historic record” as machine learning develops its understanding of the human psyche, replaced by a sophisticated, truly algorithmic approach to making people like us. “…[M]achines will probably even figure out how to make us like them more than we like other people” Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
