Martin Ruskov @mapto@qoto.org

There's so much to dunk on in this NYT piece and so little time, but I gotta start here: Some law profs at U Chicago did a study to see if the chatbots could answer questions based on specific materials and found, unsurprisingly, that they make shit up.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/technology/chatgpt-openai-colleges.html

>>

Global automakers have joined their U.S. counterparts to complain that China's export restriction on rare earth alloys, mixtures and magnets could cause production delays and outages without a quick solution. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/04/markets/china-critical-mineral-export-ban/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #china #trade #rareearths #mining #us #donaldtrump #xijinping

#Microsoft keeps installing #copilot and I keep uninstalling it.

Take a hint, Microsoft!

You can’t scan private messages before they’re encrypted without destroying end-to-end encryption. The EU’s new “encryption roadmap” gets that wrong. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/eus-encryption-roadmap-makes-everyone-less-safe

Tech billionaires like Bezos and Brin are investing heavily in life extension. But is living forever a moral good?

A professor of medical humanities explores how the ancient philosopher #Cicero argued that quality of life matters more than sheer longevity. https://buff.ly/4gUXp4W

#philosophy #wellness #ethics

📢 Alle aufgepasst, der #CfP für die #DHd2026 ist raus und die Webseite ist online!

DHd 2026, „Nicht nur Text, nicht nur Daten“, Jahrestagung des Verbandes Digital Humanities im deutschsprachigen Raum, ausgerichtet von der Universität Wien

Konferenz: 23–27 Februar 2026.

Einreichungsfrist: 1. August 2025

Webseite: https://dhd2026.digitalhumanities.de/

DOGE goon fired after admitting that he was surprised to find that "government works" and is "not as inefficient as I was expecting."

https://www.govexec.com/management/2025/05/va-based-doge-associate-gets-boot-after-publicly-discussing-his-work/405641/

https://www.fastcompany.com/91330297/doge-sahil-lavignia-gumroad

Of course they used A-One to write it.

"Some of the citations that underpin the science in the White House’s sweeping “MAHA Report” appear to have been generated using artificial intelligence, resulting in numerous garbled scientific references and invented studies, AI experts said Thursday."

"Of the 522 footnotes to scientific research in an initial version of the report sent to The Washington Post, at least 37 appear multiple times, according to a review of the report by The Post. Other citations include the wrong author, and several studies cited by the extensive health report do not exist at all, a fact first reported by the online news outlet NOTUS on Thursday morning.

"Some references include “oaicite” attached to URLs — a definitive sign that the research was collected using artificial intelligence. The presence of “oaicite” is a marker indicating use of OpenAI, a U.S. artificial intelligence company."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/05/29/maha-rfk-jr-ai-garble/

https://www.notus.org/health-science/make-america-healthy-again-report-citation-errors

Finding there to be better educational opportunities for their children, many elite Chinese are moving to Japan, where entrance exams are much looser thanks to the fallen birth rate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05/29/japan/society/chinese-parents-tokyo-education/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #chinajapanrelations #tokyo #china #education #parenthood #bunkyoward #saitama