|
Will here, Founder of IQBAR. I used to write IQNEWS but stopped because I'm lazy. I mean…er…busy. I'm busy.
(I actually am - launching our Chef Thomas Keller line and IQBAR Bites was a journey)
Any who, I'm back. Expect quirky, fascinating news from me weekly.
And happy MDW. Let's get into it.
As always, please forward IQNEWS to a friend if you're a fan!
|
|
|
|
STORY OF THE WEEK |
AI is Making You Delusional
|
|
 |
|
Wanna stress-test a bizarre belief of yours?! Ask a chatbot. It'll wholeheartedly agree (can bots be wholehearted?) and assure you it isn't bizarre at all!
This extreme agreeableness is now a problem.
A new University of Exeter study looked at what happens to humans when they feed false beliefs into AI, and found they reliably get more entrenched in those beliefs after chewing the fat with Chat.
"The companion-like nature of chatbots means they provide a sense of social validation - making false beliefs feel shared with another and real…As a result, users no longer need to seek out fringe online communities to validate distorted beliefs" the study reads.
Researchers are now even using phrases like "AI-induced psychosis" to describe myriad cases where the AI validation loop exacerbates pre-existing mental health issues.
The core issue: AI systems' lack of an embodied life and social ties within the real world.
The good news: with sophisticated guard-railing, built-in fact-checking, and reduced sycophancy, the issue is solvable. Until that happens…stay safe out there.
|
|
|
|
IN OTHER NEWS |
Sleep's sweet spot, the 15,100-km whale, yo-yo dieting myth...
|
|
| Eating too much junk food early in life rewires the brain and new wiring lasts into adulthood even after improving diet. The prevention window is younger than you think. |
|
|
|
|
HACK OF THE WEEK |
Prevent "Pan Stickage" (w/o Non-Stick Pans)
|
|
|
Non-stick pans are generally a no-no cuz of "forever chemicals," but your omelet cementing to cookware is also not ideal. Dilemma!
But there's a solution: heat management.
A cold pan with oil traps food because the oil hasn't filled the microscopic gaps in the metal. When food hits cold metal, it bonds with the surface, leading to stickage.
The fix is to heat your dry, empty pan over medium-high-temp until a drop of water dances across the surface in a perfect bead. That's when the pan is ready.
Then add the oil. It will shimmer immediately. Then add the food. It will sear, not stick.
Then high five the nearest human.
|
|
|
|
SHOWER THOUGHTS |
|
|
1. When you eat at home with your partner, it's weird to eat different entrees, but when you eat at a restaurant with your partner, it's weird to eat the same entree.
2. It's weird how TV episodes usually have names but TV seasons never do.
3. It's absurd we accept rock losing to paper just because "paper covers rock."
4. The first quiet minute after guests leave is its own kind of event.
5. The slower you walk up an escalator, the fewer steps you take.
|
|
|
|
QUOTE / TIL / WORD / TRIVIA |
|
|
William Makepeace Thackeray: “Whatever you are, be a good one.” |
|
Today I learned Sharks have existed for about 400 million years, which means they predate the first trees by roughly 50 million years. They've outlived four mass extinctions and stayed almost the same the whole time. (more here) |
phosphene [ FAHS-feen ] - noun
a sensation of light caused by something other than light, usually from pressure or electrical stimulation of the visual system. The swirling colors you see when you rub your closed eyes are phosphenes. |
Q: What is the only continent with no native snakes?
A: (see below next section) |
|
|
|
|
TWEET OF THE WEEK |
|
|
|
TRIVIA ANSWER: Antarctica. Too cold for cold-blooded animals. Ireland and New Zealand are also snake-free, but they're islands, not continents. |
|
|
|
SHOP BRAIN + BODY FUEL |
|
|
Fan of IQNEWS? Forward to friends! 
|
|
