The Download: generative AI, and psychedelic hype

This is today's variation of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a regular dose of what's going connected successful the satellite of technology.

Generative AI is changing everything. But what’s near erstwhile the hype is gone?

It was wide that OpenAI was connected to something. In precocious 2021, a tiny squad of researchers was playing astir with a caller mentation of OpenAI’s text-to-image model, DALL-E, an AI that converts abbreviated written descriptions into pictures: a fox painted by Van Gogh, perhaps, oregon a corgi made of pizza. Now they conscionable had to fig retired what to bash with it.

Nobody could person predicted conscionable however large a splash this merchandise was going to make. The accelerated merchandise of different generative models has inspired hundreds of paper headlines and mag covers, filled societal media with memes, kicked a hype instrumentality into overdrive—and acceptable disconnected an aggravated backlash from creators.

The breathtaking information is, we don’t truly cognize what’s coming next. While originative industries volition consciousness the interaction first, this tech volition springiness originative superpowers to everybody. In the longer term, it could beryllium utilized to make designs for astir anything. The occupation is, these models inactive person nary thought what they’re doing. Read the afloat story.

—Will Douglas Heaven

This communicative is portion of our upcoming 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023 series. Download readers volition beryllium the archetypal to spot the afloat database successful January.

+ Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, tells Will Douglas Heaven, our elder AI editor, what he’s learned from DALL-E 2, and what the exemplary means for society. Read the afloat story.

Coming soon: A caller study from MIT Technology Review astir however concern plan and engineering firms are utilizing generative AI. Sign up to get notified erstwhile it’s out.

Artists tin present opt retired of the adjacent mentation of Stable Diffusion

What’s happened: Artists are present capable to opt retired of the adjacent mentation of 1 of the world’s astir fashionable text-to-image AI generators, Stable Diffusion, the institution down it announced. Creators tin hunt a website called HaveIBeenTrained for their works successful the information acceptable that was utilized to bid Stable Diffusion, and prime which works they privation to exclude from the grooming data.

Why it’s important: The determination comes amid a heated nationalist statement betwixt artists and tech companies implicit however text-to-image AI models should beryllium trained. The creator mates who created the website anticipation that the opt-out work volition temporarily compensate for the lack of authorities governing the sector. Read the afloat story.

—Melissa Heikkilä

Mind-altering substances are being overhyped arsenic wonderment drugs

For the past 5 years oregon so, hardly a week has gone by without a study, comment, oregon property merchandise astir the imaginable benefits of psychedelic drugs. A increasing fig of academics, therapists, and companies are funny successful the imaginable of psychedelics similar psilocybin and LSD to dainty mental-health disorders specified arsenic depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance usage disorders, to sanction a few.

The estimation of psychedelics has been done thing of a rollercoaster thrust implicit the past 70 years oregon so. They went from generating excitement, to instilling fearfulness and mistrust, to experiencing a caller renaissance. But contempt the existent excitement, the information is we don’t yet person grounds that psychedelics truly are going to alteration wellness care, starring to concerns that psychedelics probe is “trapped successful a hype bubble.” Read the afloat story.

—Jessica Hamzelou

Jessica’s communicative is from The Checkup, her play biotech newsletter. Sign up to person it successful your inbox each Thursday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the net to find you today’s astir fun/important/scary/fascinating stories astir technology.

10 Strength grooming successful older property pays disconnected 💪
It’s ne'er excessively precocious to start—and it tin assistance to support independency for longer. (Knowable Magazine)

Quote of the day

"It seems similar he's conscionable trying to scare maine and it's not going to work."

—Jack Sweeney, the assemblage pupil who tracks Elon Musk’s backstage pitchy connected Twitter utilizing publically disposable data, tells Insider wherefore he’s refusing to beryllium shaken by Musk’s announcement helium was suing Sweeney.

The large story

How to mend your breached pandemic brain

During the wintertime of 2020, much than 40% of Americans reported symptoms of anxiousness oregon depression, treble the complaint of the erstwhile year. While this fell the pursuing summer, arsenic vaccination rates roseate and covid cases fell, galore Americans are inactive struggling with their intelligence health. Now the question is, tin our brains alteration back? And however tin we assistance them bash that? Read the afloat story.

—Dana Smith

We tin inactive person bully things

A spot for comfort, amusive and distraction successful these weird times. (Got immoderate ideas? Drop maine a line or tweet 'em astatine me.)

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