author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 16, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Parmy Olson
Chipmaker Nvidia’s stellar growth to become the world’s most valuable company masks growing skepticism about AI’s usefulness as a general purpose tool.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2024
Nvidia’s explosive growth masks AI disillusionment
Businesses shouldn't believe tech companies' pitch that AI can solve all problems, everywhere, all at once. Figuring out its niche applications is the recipe for success.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which polices deceptive advertising practices, saw a jump in complaints over the past year about ads that either used AI or claimed to use it to lure people into scams.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2024
AI scam complaints are just the tip of the iceberg
The U.S. FTC, which polices deceptive advertising practices, saw a jump in complaints over the past year about ads using AI to lure people into scams.
If OpenAI’s mostly male engineers are trying to build the perfect girlfriend, they are on the right track. If they are trying to build a more reliable AI model, there is still more work to do.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2024
OpenAI's new ChatGPT can flirt. What could go wrong?
What are the social and psychological consequences of regularly speaking to a flirty, fun and ultimately agreeable artificial voice?
AI-powered disinformation campaigns particularly during elections can create varied and nuanced content, making detection more challenging.
COMMENTARY / World
May 7, 2024
If AI wrecks democracy, we may never know
AI-powered disinformation campaigns can create varied and nuanced content, making detection more challenging.
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, which allowed customers to grab grocery items from a shelf and walk out of the store, is reportedly being phased out of its grocery stores.
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2024
Amazon's AI stores seemed too magical. And they were.
There are plenty more examples of companies that have failed to mention humans pulling the levers behind supposedly cutting-edge AI technology.
When SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son bought Arm in 2016 for $32 billion, he had grand plans for the company to dominate the nascent market for connected devices, also known as the Internet of Things.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2024
Softbank’s Arm is not the AI play most people think it is
Today, GPUs are the gold standard for AI development and thus the equivalent of toilet paper during the pandemic.
OpenAI has announced that it will add a memory feature to its AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2024
The perils of giving ChatGPT more memory
ChatGPT developer OpenAI is rolling out a memory feature that, it says, will improve the bot. But not if it ends up replicating the biases of social media.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose company launched a pair of smart glasses, on stage at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, in September.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 22, 2023
Do you want Meta snooping in your closet with AI wearables?
AI wearable devices represent yet another intrusion into our privacy, allowing tech companies to learn even more about who we are — and what we might buy.
Microsoft's artificial intelligence prospects just got a boost from Sam Altman's return to his CEO role at OpenAI.
COMMENTARY
Nov 23, 2023
Altman’s comeback is a strategic triumph for Microsoft
Sam Altman's termination and swift rehiring will shift the dynamics at OpenAI.
Members of the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild take part in a picket line outside Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California, on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2023
AI shines a spotlight on Hollywood hypocrisy
Studios haven’t informed or paid background actors properly for being digitally scanned, yet they want the same courtesy from AI companies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 19, 2023
Meet the $4 billion AI superstars that Google lost
Eight alumni made one of the biggest discoveries in AI, then left to build their own startups. Why did Google miss the boat?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 7, 2023
AI alarmists are dragging us all down a rabbit hole
An AI apocalypse, which was once relegated to the realm of fringe theory, is now getting much more attention than it should.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2023
Your first robot butler will need human eyes
Automatons that clean your house are getting closer to reality, but they’ll still need people to steer them for several years
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 11, 2023
Whatever happened to the metaverse?
Following a great deal of hype last year, companies now seem to be reining back their investments in the metaverse.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 3, 2023
Elon Musk wants to pause AI? It’s too late for that
A petition on OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology calling for a pause on further development ignores the risk already unleashed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 31, 2023
There's no such thing as artificial intelligence
The term artificial intelligence breeds misunderstanding and helps its creators avoid culpability for mistakes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2022
ChatGPT could soon be the better way to Google
Answers from the AI-powered chatbot are often more useful than those from the world's biggest search engine. Alphabet should be worried.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2022
Our future artificial intelligence overlords need a resistance movement
Improving transparency about how algorithms reach their decisions is essential to keeping humans safe from artificial intelligence.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 9, 2022
Big Tech layoffs deflate Musk and Zuckerberg
Twitter and Facebook can't afford their billionaire bosses' obsessions in a new age of austerity.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 2, 2022
Facebook, beware: The metaverse is flat
Most people are visiting virtual worlds through plain old screens, not VR headsets. Mark Zuckerberg needs to plan accordingly.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals
Exploring Japanese culturevia Tohoku’s festivals

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER