Human Intelligence™ News Update 10/4
Your weekly roundup about human intelligence - Sept 29 thru Oct 5, 2024.
Human Creativity
PLANNING AHEAD: CALENDAR - Nikki McClure 2025 Calendar - now available!
Nikki McClure has established herself as a unique human-driven artist, using simple tools — black paper and an X-Acto blade — to carve her distinctive papercuts. Nikki’s work regularly sells out and her 2025 calendar is now available »
THRU OCT 12: VISUAL ART - Bernice Bing (NYC)
Bernice Bing is the Bay Area Abstract Expressionist written out of the history books by a field that didn’t know what to do with a lesbian Chinese American artist. A new show featuring Bing is open at Berry Campbell Gallery (in person through Oct. 12)
NEW: “GENIUS” HUMANS - McArthur Fellowship Announced
The 2024 MacArthur Foundation fellows (the “Genius” grant) were announced on Oct 1. This year, the list includes more writers, artists and storytellers! We recommend writer Ling Ma, artist Ebony G. Patterson, writer Jason Reynolds, and multi-media artist Wendy Red Star. (Also see Whitney show, below) Read more »






NOW: MULTI-MEDIA - “What It Becomes” Whitney (NYC)
The Whitney hosts a unique show that focuses on the human figure, ranging from traditional modes of portraiture to more abstract graphic records of human gesture. Curated by Scout Hutchinson, the show features works by artists as varied as Ojih Odutola, Wendy Red Star, David Hammons, and Maren Hassinger. Experience this stunning show through Jan 12 in person at the Whitney in NYC »
Human VS Robot
THE VERGE - ZUCKERBERG DENIGRATES HUMAN CONTENT
Mark Zuckerberg says there are complex copyright questions around scraping data to train AI models, but he suggests the individual work of most creators isn’t valuable enough for it to matter. “I think individual creators or publishers tend to overestimate the value of their specific content,” Zuckerberg said last week. Read more »
THE ATLANTIC - PLAYWRIGHT EMBRACES AI
Writers mostly view AI as a threat to their livelihoods or even their survival. But playwright Ayad Akhtar, who won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Disgraced in 2013, doesn't share these existential fears. “It’s just another tool,” says Akhtar. His new play features a provocative performance by actor Robert Downey Jr. Read more »
TECH CRUNCH - MICROSOFT PAYS FOR CONTENT
Microsoft is stirring up the already turbulent waters of digital publishing and AI ethics by taking a stance in favor of writers. The tech giant announced it will start paying publishers for content that appears in Copilot Daily, a new feature of its AI assistant that gives users daily news summaries. Read more »
THE GUARDIAN - HIDDEN TRACES OF HUMANITY
Does AI-generated art threaten human creativity? Rather than replacing creativity, this Guardian article suggests that AI tools can serve as extensions of human skill, relying on our input and understanding to generate their output. This line of thought highlights a push for humans to accept AI as part of the creative process. Read more »
Artificial “Intelligence” & Other Myths
TIME MAGAZINE - I QUIT TEACHING BECAUSE OF CHAT GPT
Is AI short-circuiting the uncomfortable but necessary process of grappling with ideas through writing? Victoria Livingstone, a former university writing instructor, described how tools like ChatGPT and Quillbot appear to be fundamentally changing the learning process, often to students' detriment. Read more »
DARK READING - AI DATA EXPOSURE PLAGUES THE WORKPLACE
AI chatbots may help speed work, but at a cost. Chatbots capture and store user inputs, which could potentially expose things like proprietary data, customer information, or other sensitive details. According to a recent survey, 38% of employees share sensitive work info with AI tools. Read more »
EXHIBITION - USING AI IN PHOTOGRAPHY
The Bedford exhibition “Community Portraits” shows how AI is changing the art world, raising questions about whether machines could eventually replace human creativity. It encourages us to think carefully about the inherent biases and ethical concerns that come with AI-generated images. Read more »