1. More & more humans will be compelled to use measures created to gauge trustworthiness in computational settings - the cryptographic, identity verification stuff rather than the nuanced, human approaches.
2. Some will crave/demand in-person interactions. This could be a plus for local journalism.
In my own research for my @oregonstate.edu fellowship focused on 'trust measurement' a source had his AI agent communicate with me in his place. In general my research explores & interrogates the idea of measuring trust & trustworthiness in the age of generative AI. And I keep coming back to this:
Riveting story about editor discovering pitch was from AI reporter who had lots of AI articles already published. A real source in reporter's made-up story was OK w a falsified quote! Yes, Journalism has history of falsified stories, sources but we are entering new territory.
Thoughts about trust:
Bran Knowles: "Regulation is not about stopping AI. It’s about narrative control. It’s about making sure that AI is seen as legitimate in its expansion across society....Then you can say everybody’s playing by rules, everyone calm down.” Knowles is in my forthcoming pod series about measuring trust.
WinkPay is more like...oh, yeah, sure, i'm good for it
An illustration of a person's face with large eyes connected to a large eye in the background. Text says "#BlinkLink PayEye scans your iris to make contactless payments SETUP NOW."
Hey marketing team, can you come up with a fun name and image for our pay-with-your-iris-data system? Coming soon? Predictive analytics will recognize your iris and predict your shopping revenue value score!
When I first got heavy into baseball, a friend said, "Just wait till you start noticing pitches." To me it was kinda like being a guitar rock fan & finally paying attention to bass & drums.
Annoying Google stats can't capture the weird wonder of the ball movements or the looks on hitters' faces.
The 'impairment detection' company that the emotion recognition company acquired has a phone app they want employers to use to "Protect your organization ...screen for alcohol and drugs with a single scan, identifying risk wherever it may hide." www.sightic.com/eyescansolo/
The press release that touts law enforcement deal but does not mention the name or jurisdiction of the law enforcement client: smarteye.se/news/smart-e...
System that uses eye movements, pupil response in attempt to detect drug/alcohol impairment is coming to law enforcement in EU (links in comments). Co also wants their tech in work settings. Here in US Dept of Transport has been testing this stuff for driving for years. www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa....
Follow me for more fascinating teaser quotes from my upcoming scripted & interview-style podcast based on my many months of research into the surprising & expansive world of "trust measurement" in fields including psychology, trust in AI/automation, media & info trust, agentic trust scores & more!
As more AI agents flood the zone, human employees may need continuous verification. A source in my podcast about trust measurement says: "A human employee may need to have same verifiable credentials & operate under same continuous verification as an agent.The system may treat all of them the same.”
A source for my forthcoming podcast series about trust measurement (yes, it's a thing) tells me a shift is coming in which companies replacing human workers with AI agents will no longer think of the agents "as a tool anymore... you’re starting to think about this as a worker."
What happens where your AI agent stands in for you in a legal dispute court? What happens when the judge is an AI model?
This is a thing people are working on.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ0v...
Update: I requested a voice interview with the AI agent. Will report back regarding what transpires.
Even the automated stuff was poorly done. Not only was the automated message from the agent poorly written and mostly confusing, why would I get the message about a calendar invite I sent weeks ago DURING the time slot the invite was for? I realize people expect these kinks to iron out but WTF.
3/3 This WILL happen to journalists more and more, especially tech journos interviewing execs at agentic AI companies.
Fuckin A.
2/3 The automated message from the agent didn't make sense & seemed to be responding to my calendar invite for the interview. It said we could do a recorded interview but "I'll have to program a voice in."
1/3 I was just stood up. By an AI agent.
I had an interview planned w a dude running an agentic AI startup who uses an AI agent to automate tasks. I waited & the source never got the call. While I assume he simply could not make it, I also got a confusing automated email from the agent.
You startled me - I thought this was a post about my beloved ballclub! haha
Business journalism obviously is intended to watch industries/sectors, but it's the uninspired industry-driven, competition/growth focus of traditional biz journalism that in many ways brought us to what tech journalism is today. Man, can we do better. Journalists CAN stop being lazy and do better.
I'll add - I have been one of those tech reporters who has tried to dig into how stuff functions, how it creates and uses data, how its design affects people. Power dynamics matter, but tech reporting should focus a lot less on the celebrity and a lot more on the shit that actually affects us.
Imagine if tech reporters reported more on how tech systems function - or don't...rather than reporting on the business machinations of tech execs and companies. This isn't always the journalist's decision of course, but I think about this a lot: how much more useful tech reporting could be.
The scene near Hanks Bar on N Robertson Street was super cool. Lots of 3D alligators, butterflies and fish. Unfortunately my photos of the awesome suit featuring a 3D smurf and colorful mushrooms didn't come out.
Here are some shots from St. Joseph's Day (and night) in the Treme. The Black Masking Indians in the downtown area do a lot of incredible 3D style stuff that's distinct from the flat beaded patches of the uptowners. They're all amazing though.
More Super Sunday uptown - I believe that's a Wild Man there with the skeleton mask and horns.
Sharing some of my better shots from the Black Masking Indians Super Sunday and St. Joseph Day extravaganzas in NOLA. Photos do not do this lush, intricate artwork and vibrant culture justice.
Here's some of Super Sunday uptown:
he took a left at the lilypad
Five curious raccoons stand and walk in the swampland near New Orleans among submerged trees and shrubs.
An alligator glides along lilypads amid submerged trees and root "knees" in the bayou swampland near New Orleans, Louisiana.
Had a killer time in NOLA recently to see the Black Masking Indians do their thing on Super Sunday and St Joseph's Day. Meanwhile when we were out there we also went out to the bayou and caught these rascally critters up to no good.
colorful Mardi Gras Indians hand beaded costume represents the mississippi river
colorful Mardi Gras Indians hand beaded costume represents the mississippi river
Tell me people no longer recognize history. Tell me we no longer cherish tangible, touchable culture. Tell me we no longer respect nature. Let's support the people, places and events that help these things thrive like Mardi Gras Indians Super Sunday!
www.instagram.com/reel/DVyGi5q...