DL 359
Naive Realism
Welcome to Digitally Literate, issue #359.
This week, I shared:
- Watching AI Virtual Assistants Grow Up
A look at how GPT has evolved over the past decade and its potential future.
๐ Key Takeaways
- AI Tools Demystified: Understanding ChatGPT as a "blurry JPEG of the web."
- Gig Economy Challenges: How platforms manipulate data and pay.
- Bias and Perception: Exploring naive realism and its impact on understanding.
- Data Privacy Concerns: The growing trade in mental health data.
๐ This Weekโs Highlights
1. Is Messaging Aliens a Bad Idea?
We listen but donโt send. Why is that? Bryan Alexander examines the science and ethics of broadcasting our presence to extraterrestrial civilizations.
๐บ Watch the video
Why this matters: What does our hesitation say about human risk perception and our place in the cosmos?
2. Now for Sale: Data on Your Mental Health
A Duke University study reveals how data brokers sell sensitive mental health information inferred from personal habits and activities.
๐ Read more
Why this matters: Our digital dossiers now include mental health data, raising urgent privacy and ethical questions.
3. ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web
Ted Chiang likens ChatGPT to a "blurry JPEG" of internet text, explaining its limitations in math, reasoning, and factual accuracy.
๐ Explore the metaphor
Why this matters: Understanding these limitations is key to using AI tools effectively while avoiding over-reliance.
4. Gig Economy: Gamifying Tips
Colorado State Representative Stephanie Vigil, also a DoorDash driver, exposes how delivery platforms exploit drivers with deceptive algorithms.
๐ Learn more
Why this matters: Protecting gig workers requires transparency and fair labor practices.
5. Is Everything an MLM?
Anne Helen Petersen questions whether academia has become a giant multi-level marketing scheme, overproducing PhDs for nonexistent jobs.
๐ Read the analysis
Why this matters: This raises uncomfortable questions about the value and ethics of higher education.
6. The Radical Idea That People Arenโt Stupid
Adam Mastroianni unpacks cognitive biases like naive realism, psychological distance, and correspondence bias, which distort our views of others.
๐ Explore the biases
Why this matters: Recognizing these biases can improve empathy and communication.
๐ ๏ธ DO: An Ode to Swearing
A well-placed curse word can be a powerful expression of emotion and identity. The Atlantic celebrates the art of swearing.
๐ Closing Reflection
โThe stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.โ
โ Thomas Szasz
Thank you for reading Digitally Literate. Stay tuned for more insights and discussions. Connect with me at hello@digitallyliterate.net or explore Newsletter Index for all past issues.