The Download is the edition for today. Our weekday newsletter provides a daily dose on what's happening in the worlds of technology.
My new Turing Test would see if AI could make $1,000,000
–Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of Inflection AI is also a venture partner with Greylock. He co-founded DeepMind before that, which is one of the leading artificial intelligence firms in the world.
AI systems are everywhere, and they are getting more powerful every day. How can we tell if a machine truly is "intelligent?" This has been defined for decades by the Turing Test, which says that an AI should be intelligent if it can mimic language convincingly and fool a person into believing that they are also humans.
The Turing test is almost passed, and it may have been already. The latest generation large language models is on the verge of passing it.
Where does this leave AI? We need to do better. I propose the Modern Turing Test, which would be a test that is equal to the AIs of the future. It would simply instruct them: "Make $1 million in a few short months on a web-based retail platform with only $100,000 invested." Read the complete story.
ChatGPT turns bad writers into better writers
The News: According to a new study, ChatGPT can help employees with less experience and fewer writing skills produce work of the same quality as their more experienced colleagues.
How researchers achieved it:Hundreds college-educated professional were asked to complete tasks that they would normally perform as part of their job, such as writing short reports, press releases or analysis plans. The second task was offered to half of the participants as an option. The results were then assessed by a group of quality assessors, who scored the outputs of participants who used ChatGPT as 18% better than those of the participants who did not use it.
Why is it important? The research suggests that AI can be useful in the workplace as a virtual assistant. It's important to keep in mind that the output of generative AI models is not reliable. This means workers are at risk of making mistakes. Click here to read the complete story.
—Rhiannon Williams
To learn more about ChatGPT visit:
Exclusive look at the ChatGPT team, and how they built it.
+ How ChatGPT revolutionizes the economy. The new large language models are going to transform many jobs. It is up to each of us whether they lead to prosperity for all. You can read the whole story.
+ AI text detection tools are easy to trick. Recent systems that claim to detect ChatGPT generated text are not very accurate. It doesn't even take much to fool them. Click here to read the complete story.
Personal stories behind cutting-edge biotech
The people who are affected by these breakthroughs, no matter how exciting their science may be, will always remain at the heart of the stories.
Jessica Hamzelou has covered these fascinating advancements in her weekly newsletter Checkup for the last 10 months. She has taken a look at her most memorable stories, from microbiomes to brain implants, before she leaves (temporarily), the MIT Technology Review to pursue a Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT. Click here to read the complete story.
We wish you all the best, Jess. We'll miss you!
The Checkup will return in August after a short hiatus. Subscribe to receive the Checkup in your email every Thursday.
Must-reads
I've combed the internet to find you today's most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 Hollywood actors strike over AI
The trade group reportedly did not reassure the members that AI would not threaten their livelihoods. (The Verge)
This is the first double strike for more than 60 year. (Vox)
+ Generative AI changes everything. What's left after the hype has faded? (MIT Technology Review)
2 OpenAI has been investigated by US regulators
This looks like a first step in the direction of AI legislation. (WP $)
Uhoh! One of StabilityAI's co-founders has filed a lawsuit against his business partner. (FT $)
OpenAI's appetite for data will come back to bite them. (MIT Technology Review)
3 far-right influencers make money on Twitter
Andrew Tate claims that the company has paid Andrew Tate more than $20,000 (WP $)
+ Rewarding content creators for divisive content with ad revenues. (TechCrunch)
The FDA has approved the sale of over-the-counter contraceptives
How much will they cost you? (Vox)
5 India successfully launched a lunar mission 
It will be the fourth country in history to land on lunar soil. (BBC)
The US Senate has cut NASA's budget for Mars. (Ars Technica)
These military drones are capable of staying aloft for several months
They can act as mobile satellites. (WSJ $)
+ Why military AI startups are booming. (MIT Technology Review)
7 Arctic melting is accelerating
The methane that it releases is likely to further warm the climate. (Wired$)+ The growth of ice in Antarctica is now drastically reduced. (Vox)
8 Social media is no longer a party
Apps are in a fierce battle for our attention. But do we care? (Bloomberg $)
We're not necessarily going to use these products just because we are early adopters. The Atlantic ($)
9 Starting a business is tough
Many promising new ventures are now looking to be purchased. (FT $)
10 Instagram Terms of Service to soothe you to Sleep 
This relaxing ambient reading will help you relax. (Motherboard)
Retro is a new app that wants to replace Instagram as your favorite. (Wired $)
Quotes of the Day
"I'll pay more attention when AI can destroy a hotel."
Insider reports that Joe Walsh, guitarist for the Eagles, gives a candid insight as to why AI does not bother him.
The Big Story
Startups race to replicate breast milk in the laboratory
December 20
Leila found breastfeeding difficult, as did many other mothers. She spent the entire day nursing her babies or pumping her milk to stimulate it.
Strickland is a professor at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. She began to think about how she could use a similar process to that used by Dutch food technology firm Mosa Meat, to create artificial beef. But for breast milk-producing cells.
Her company Biomilq will receive $3.5 million in May 2020 from a group led by Bill Gates. Now, it is in a race against competitors to disrupt the infant nutrition industry in a manner not seen since the creation of the $42 billion formula business. Read the complete story.
–Haley Cohen Gilliland
You can still enjoy nice things
This is a place of comfort, entertainment and distraction during these strange times. (Got ideas? Send me an email or tweet me your ideas. )
Animals in funny pictures What else can I add?
If you've ever gotten lost in a maze and need to escape, you can use some simple mathematics.
+ Comics on the beach are a great combination. Here are some of the best books to read on vacation.
These rail enthusiasts have made it possible for vintage rail cars to continue rolling in the US.
This is a great question.
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By: Rhiannon Williams
Title: The Download: a new Turing test, and working with ChatGPT
Sourced From: www.technologyreview.com/2023/07/14/1076299/the-download-a-new-turing-test-and-working-with-chatgpt/
Published Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2023 12:10:00 +0000
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