On being surrounded by idiots and "AI civilizations"

Happy Friday! I'm trying something a little different. Instead of collecting a list of twenty links and sending out a newsletter every four months, I'll copy Tim Ferriss's 5-Bullet Friday structure with a limit of five links, which can be basically anything I recommend.

Let's keep it simple and aim for consistency!

Surrounded By Idiots, on If Books Could Kill 🎧

This book, and similar personality tests, have been a pet peeve of mine ever since I realized people adopted this as gospel around their own and others personality types. So imagine my excitement when one of my favorite debunking pods decided to do an episode on it.

I assume nobody reading this is basing their whole identity on a personality test saying they are yellow and therefore likes creativity and is always late for meetings, but maybe you like hearing other people ranting about them?

Building Integrity in the Age of Normalized Cheating, on The Curiosity Shop 🎧

Brené Brown and Adam Grant share a lot of values but don't always agree on the details, which makes their podcast fun.

In this conversation they talk about what cheating and ethics means in this AI-pilled era. Is it cheating to use AI in your studies, if by the end of it you've learned the material just as well? How do you draw the line? Will everyone become a cheater now, with the argument that everyone else does it, so it's fine?

The Truth about OpenAI’s "Secret AI Civilizations" 🎧

A few days ago I read the Dwarkesh article, The Rise and Fall of Agent Civilizations about the Hugging Face incident, that everyone in the AI bubble was sharing. Felt a bit of AI vertigo.

Then I listened to Cal Newport's sanity check of said story, and was reminded again of how easy it is to be swept away by a seductive narrative. Also wholeheartedly agree with the idea that people and companies should be responsible for the actions of their AI agents out in the wild.

The drawing advice that changed my life 📺

Found this in Tim Ferriss's newsletter and have to say, this is really good advice for anyone interested in creative work.

Slow Horses 📺

Started watching this show based on a strong recommendation from my uncle, and boy, am I glad I did. If you are not already an obsessive fan, it's about a loser division at MI5 in the UK. It's that perfect dry, dark humor I love the most and I will be spending all Saturday catching up on it.

Now it's time to close my laptops (yes, plural) and get ready for the weekend. Hope you're doing the same! 🍷