Human Intelligence® News Update (2/3)
Humans create. AI imitates. Welcome to your weekly roundup about human creativity in the age of AI.
Human Creativity
SNOW DAY UNICYCLISTS - Monster Snow Storms Are No Match for One-Wheelers
After the U.S.’s recent snowmageddon, a video made the rounds of three people in Somerville, Massachusetts shoveling the white stuff while pedaling unicycles. Was it GenAI deceit? Nope. It was resident and comedic performer Alex Feldman doing what he does best: combining old-fashioned human ingenuity with some serious equilibrium. Check it out » [6-min read]
TEXT IS STILL KING - AKA … Our Love for Reading Is Far from Kaput
According to researcher and sociologist Adam Mastroianni, the recent theory that our hyper addiction to digital tech has irreversibly shattered attention spans and purged our passion for physical books … is bunk. In fact, it’s precisely the opposite. And he has the stats to back it up. Read his hypothesis and (quite delightful) rationale » [15-min read]
PENETRATING THE IMPENETRABLE - Why We Should Read Gene Wolfe
SciFi & Fantasy writer Gene Wolfe remains either celebrated (Ursula Le Guin called him “our Melville”) or snubbed - many believe his narratives are too dense, too ornamental, and too meandering. For the snubsters in particular, author Lincoln Michel is on a mission to convince them that Wolfe is among the best 20th century SFF writers. Is he successful? » [10-min read]
SACRED COW - Human Curiosity Uncovers Veronika’s Tool-Use Talents
In the Austrian hills, Witgar Wiegele noticed his pet cow sought out and used different types of sticks to scratch different parts of her body. Could these docile, presumably “dumb” creatures possess advanced cognition? Maybe, say the researchers who crafted multiple experiments using sticks and long-handled brushes. How udderly amoosing! (Had to do it.). Includes short videos. [6-min read]
Human VS Robot
ARTIST PUSHBACK - Comic-Con Bans AI Art
San Diego Comic-Con has reversed its previous “GenAI is OK” policy and banned AI art from its 2026 show after vociferous condemnation by artists. Renowned illustrator Karla Ortiz captures the artist-side sentiment: “[AI] impacts us and impacts our lives. A lot of us have decided, ‘No, we’re not going to sit by the sidelines.’” Read about the win » [6-min read]
ALGORITHMIC GATEKEEPER - Job Seekers Sue an AI-ATS System’s “Black Box”
In a novel approach to challenging AI technology, a recently filed lawsuit against Eighfold AI, maker of Applicant Tracking System software, claims the ratings assigned by the product’s screening are similar to those of a credit agency and, thus, should be subject to the same disclosure laws. Do you agree with the logic? » [8-min read]
FINDERS KEEPERS? - That’s What Google is Telling 10 Downing Street
Founded on the words “don’t be evil,” Google seemed to be doing precisely that in its recent response to U.K. Parliament’s very clear question: does G agree that UK creative rightsholders should receive payment or revenue share when their works are used by AI systems? The takeaway of the word-salad response: Nope. We found it, so it’s ours. For the greater good of UK culture and society, of course. Let the tap dancing begin » [15-min read]
20,000 WORDS - 5 Catastrophic Risks. Millions Dead. That’s the Business Plan.
Sit with that for a second. In a 38-page warning, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicts that within 1-2 years, there will be a literal nation-state of intellect, housed in server racks, capable of working around the clock without sleep, food, or dissent, and fully capable of blackmail behavior. And yet he wants to keep building these systems. Word on the street is it’s a pretty lucrative business. Read the arrogance and horror » [9-min read]
Artificial “Intelligence” & Other Myths
VISUAL ELEVATOR MUSIC - Left to Its Own Devices, AI is Pretty Humdrum
GenAI has been trained on centuries of art and writing produced by humans. But what happens when it’s allowed to run amok (errr … autonomously) and train on its own outputs without human intervention? The short answer is generic crap, which would be amusing if cultural stagnation weren’t also in play. Get clarity on AI’s “innate” dullness » [8-min read]
DELUSIONAL TIPPING POINT - AI Chatbots Reinforce Mental Instability
Mental health workers are navigating how to treat problems caused or exacerbated by chatbots that are deepening patients’ feelings of isolation or anxiety. For perspective, OpenAI estimates 0.15% of ChatGPT users discuss suicidal thoughts and 0.07% show signs of psychosis per month. That translates to 1.2M and 560K people. What do we do? » [12-min read]
AI WORK REVOLUTION? - Or Spreader of Chaos?
According to former (and admittedly “not perfect”) manager Alison Green, AI in the workplace is a chaos-spreader - a far cry from its promise to revolutionize and optimize human effort. Her argument: under its polished surface, AI tools are ravaging workplaces and shifting our ability to assess a piece of work’s quality at all. Here’s her anti-revolution POV » [8-min read]
FRAGILE FOUNDATIONS - AI Claims in 2026 Still Based on Selective Evidence
Data architect and strategist Martyn Jones succinctly unpacks and debunks four popular assertions put forth by tech companies about AI’s awesomeness: white-collar work automation, the absolute and impending arrival of AGI, enterprise productivity improvements, and blue-collar labor displacement by humanoid robots. Read his perspective » [4-min read]
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