While researching a topic recently, a GenAI tool presented several relevant statistics. I asked it to fact-check the numbers and cite sources. With a confidence that might inspire envy, it assured me they were all correct, even providing citations with a precision rivaling scientific journals. Except it was confidently wrong. When I dug deeper, a... Continue Reading →
Forget AI Imitating Us, We Are Imitating AI
Ever feel like LinkedIn posts sound... a bit too perfect these days? Or like certain words are suddenly everywhere? You're not imagining it. I dive into a fascinating and unsettling trend: we might be starting to sound like AI, not the other way around. Drawing on insights from the Max Planck Institute and literary critics, I explore how platforms and AI tools are subtly reshaping our language, making it more uniform and less uniquely human. It's not just about what we write, but how it impacts trust and authenticity in communication.
Disintermediated? Think Again. The Rise of the Digital Gatekeeper
Ever wonder why those unskippable ads on your streaming service are getting worse? Or how a market sprang up in a WWII POW camp? It all comes back to the middleman. I dive into why brokers are essential for markets to thrive, and how they've evolved from mere facilitators to powerful gatekeepers. Discover the surprising truth behind why markets need brokers, and when they become a problem you can't ignore.
Beyond Propaganda: Defending Art for Art’s Own Sake
I probe into the thin line that separates art from propaganda. Think about it: Why do some films from the past, like Salim-Javed's classics, still resonate while others, with their overt messages, fall flat? What made Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged feel like a lecture, while George Orwell's 1984 continues to expose truths across every political divide?
When Struggle Was the Signal: AI’s Challenge to Creative Worth
Is the ease of AI fast-tracking the commodification of the human spirit, as Nick Cave eloquently argues? Does a flawlessly AI-written letter of recommendation devalue the genuine effort of a professor, as Ethan Mollick discovered? What happens when the struggle fades, when AI can conjure prose with effortless speed?
Musings by Madhav 