Maybe I'm super human

Loads of AI on my brain this week. I chatted with Ian O'Byrne and Tom Salmon about a response to a UN positioning paper and started a post based on all their smart thoughts. We'll publish our response soon. I also started writing a post about forms of power and how AI will influence them, but I didn't get very far.

Sometimes for work stuff*, I feed my little AI pet some words, I have to edit loads. I curse, call whatever AI I'm using stupid as a bag of wet hair, and then go about using my complex human brain to fix everything.

*This newsletter cannot be written by AI, it's too moody.

August is a silly month to try and be intelligent.

One question we can ask ourselves why so many of the tech elite are banging on about the dangers of AI while also rushing full steam ahead building all the things with no regulations in place. Could it be capitalism?

AI Literacy: A Cross-Sectional Slice of New Literacies >https://blog.weareopen.coop/ai-literacy-a-cross-sectional-slice-of-new-literacies-1906c8e44abe
Ignore the URL, this is a quiz about AI generated images and you can learn a lot about spotting them > https://www.axios.com/ai-deepfake-trump-biden-election-2024
Google’s AI ambassador walks a fine line between hype and doom > https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/08/09/google-james-manyika-ai-existential-threat/
Zoom Says It’s Not Stealing Customer Content to Train AI Models > https://variety-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/variety.com/2023/digital/news/zoom-response-customer-content-ai-training-1235689725/amp/

Maybe I'm human

Photo cc-by Sheila Tostes

Someone once asked me, as I expressed stress and worry about people far away, why I take on so much emotionally. Of course, this person wasn't so articulate, it was more of a "JFC, LAURA WHY DO YOU EVEN CARE!?" kind of moment. I mostly have the capacity to separate my intellectualism, rationalism and emotional reaction. Mostly.

When "more CEOs are named Michael or James" than there are women CEOs (I learned last night that in Germany it's more "Thomas'), I have a hard time keeping a neutral emotional landscape. It took 100 years of activism (1860 - 1963) before the US passed the Equal Pay Act. In 1963 women made about $0.62 to men's $1.00. Now, in the US, women make $0.84 to the $1.00. In 60 Years, women managed $0.20. And that's just the gender pay gap.

Mattel is making BANK on the Barbie movie, which is, admittedly, pretty hilarious and witty. It is also capitalising on feminism. I do wonder, what will the commodification of feminism mean for equality?

I know I noodle out loud far too often about gender politics, stereotypes and societal shifts, but I have a hard time understanding why we haven't solved some things. Doesn't seem that damn hard.

Barbie Has Cellulite (But You Don't Have To) > https://jessicadefino.substack.com/p/barbie-movie-beauty-standards

Anita Sarkeesian is shutting down Feminist Frequency after 15 years > https://www.polygon.com/23814201/feminist-frequency-shutting-down-anita-sarkeesian

Women still earn less than men for comparable work in 2023 America > https://www.investopedia.com/history-gender-wage-gap-america-5074898
Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness. > https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/10/christine-emba-masculinity-new-model/

Maybe I need help?

How are you? What have you been thinking about lately? I struggled with writing this week. This episode feels pretty bland to me. Maybe I should get AI to write it instead.

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