Let’s call AI something else
“AI” doesn’t mean anything. As Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna write in their new book The AI Con: To put it bluntly, “AI” is a marketing term. It doesn’t...
A zombie wave of surveillance devices
Every day, a little more, it feels like we’re living in a zombie movie. For one thing, there’s the dazed-out state of people I see on the New York City...
Zuck lied under oath, says "Careless People"
Careless People, the bestselling memoir of ex-Facebook exec Sarah Wynn-Williams, includes an interesting anecdote. Mark Zuckerberg is testifying, under oath,...
In praise of infrastructure
Amidst the evils emanating daily from Silicon Valley, it’s nice to be reminded that some technology is actually good for us. Like infrastructure. This week...
Why you should reject Zuck's chatbots
As the tech industry continues to invent new ways of monetizing human relationships, it may be helpful to compare the various types of connection. Ranked...
On resisting AI intrusions
For several years I’ve been following Paul Salopek, a National Geographic explorer, on his Out of Eden Walk around the world. Paul has been on Techtonic a...
The online world is full of scams, but there's still hope
Last week I warned about pig-butchering scams (a column you should read, and share, if you missed it). But they’re hardly the only scams to be aware of....
The online world is full of scams, but there's still hope
Last week I warned about pig-butchering scams (a column you should read, and share, if you missed it). But they’re hardly the only scams to be aware of....
You and your family are at risk of pig-butchering scams
First, the bad news. You’re at risk of a new kind of online scam, one that has fooled countless victims – including highly educated people – into voluntarily...
AI is creating a frictionless surveillance state
Perhaps you saw the video: a young woman walks out of her Boston-area townhouse and is immediately surrounded by unidentified men who place her in handcuffs...
Spotify is streaming-enabled grift
“Music just inoffensive enough not to get shut off.” “They’re not a music company. They’re a time filler for boredom.” “Trash audio content made from generic...
The spy plane and the "problem of experimentation"
A few years ago, people in Baltimore - if they happened to look up - might have noticed a small plane circling overhead. What they wouldn’t have known is...
The Cybertruck vs. Socrates
A few days ago in Manhattan I came across a Cybertruck parked in front of a fire hydrant. I took a photo: Is it possible that the driver was in a rush and...
I read all of Plato. Here's what I learned.
I recently finished reading all of Plato. This was Plato: The Complete Works, published by Hackett, a hardcover tome 1,775 pages long. Acting on a new year’s...
Lethal drones in Ukraine show what's coming
This week marks the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the first year of which is covered well in Yaroslav Trofimov’s book Our...
Social media and the fate of the world
I spoke with Nick Couldry this week on Techtonic. He’s a professor at the London School of Economics with a new book called The Space of the World: Can Human...
A heartfelt plea to ditch the smartphone
Years ago, just when smartphones were gaining popularity, a memorable print ad appeared, boasting about the capabilities of the new devices. As I remember it...
How I’m thinking about Musk and the broligarch supervillains
I’ve written about Musk a number of times over the years – most recently, in last week’s column You might get hit by “Musk droppings,” but there’s still...
You might get hit by "Musk droppings," but there's still reason for hope
One of my favorite places in the world is Providenciales, part of the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Caribbean water, a brilliant shade of turquoise, laps on...
The value of making things
I had two recent conversations that left me feeling hopeful for humanity in our tech-saturated society. And just in time, too: every day seems to bring news...