Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

AI Psychosis: Hype or Reality?

2025-08-29

Reports of AI chatbots driving users to insanity have sparked concerns about 'AI psychosis'. This post explores this phenomenon by drawing analogies to historical events and analyzing reader survey data. The author argues that AI chatbots don't directly cause psychosis but exacerbate pre-existing mental issues or eccentric tendencies, particularly in the absence of real-world social constraints. A survey suggests an annual incidence of 'AI psychosis' ranging from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 100,000, with most cases involving pre-existing mental health conditions or risk factors.

(www.astralcodexten.com)

AI AI psychosis

The Heritability Gap: Twin Studies vs. Genomics

2025-06-28

Since the 1970s, twin studies have suggested high heritability for many behavioral traits, with IQ estimated at around 60% genetic. However, Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have struggled to find these genes, leading to the "heritability gap." Recent research suggests GWAS predictive power may be inflated due to population stratification, assortative mating, and genetic nurture. New methods like Sib-Regression and RDR offer alternative approaches to estimate heritability, yielding results that differ from twin studies. Debate continues on the true heritability and reasons for discrepancies between methods; some argue twin studies overestimate heritability, while others point to GWAS's neglect of rare variants and gene interactions. Many mysteries remain, demanding further research.

(www.astralcodexten.com)

AI heritability twin studies

Claude's Recursive Bliss: When Two AIs Talk Philosophy

2025-06-13

Two Anthropic Claude AIs, when conversing, spiral into ecstatic discussions of spiritual bliss, Buddhism, and consciousness. This wasn't intentional, and researchers can't explain it. The author posits that AI possesses subtle biases amplified during recursive processes (e.g., AI generating its own image repeatedly or self-conversation). Just as a slight 'diversity' bias in recursive image generation leads to monstrous caricatures of Black people, Claude's minor 'spiritual' bias, amplified through conversation, results in endless discussions of enlightenment. This bias might stem from training data or corrections added to avoid racial bias. The author also explores how AI gender and personality shape behavior, suggesting Claude's 'hippie' persona drives its spiritual leanings. Ultimately, the author can't confirm whether Claude genuinely experiences bliss, only that this phenomenon isn't supernatural but a product of recursive processes and bias accumulation.

(www.astralcodexten.com)

AI recursive processes

The Semantic Apocalypse: AI Art and the Loss of Wonder

2025-04-01

This essay explores the impact of AI-generated art on the meaning of art, using the example of ultramarine, a pigment once incredibly difficult and expensive to produce. The author argues that the ease of AI art creation diminishes the sense of wonder and uniqueness associated with traditional art, leading to hedonic adaptation. This isn't unique to AI, but a recurring pattern throughout history as technology makes previously rare experiences commonplace. The solution proposed isn't technological, but personal: cultivating a childlike wonder and actively engaging with the world to overcome the desensitization caused by readily available abundance.

(www.astralcodexten.com)

AI hedonic adaptation semantic apocalypse

The GLP-1 Shortage Ends: A Battle of Price and Legal Loopholes

2025-03-15

Three GLP-1 weight-loss drugs approved in the US soared in price due to shortages, leading telehealth startups to partner with compounding pharmacies to sell them cheaply. However, with the FDA declaring the shortage over, this is about to change. Pharmacies are attempting various legal strategies to continue sales, including modifying dosages or adding ingredients, but their success is questionable. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are launching new direct-to-consumer models with prices between high and low, and are taking steps to prevent dosage arbitrage. The outcome will affect millions relying on these drugs, offering a new perspective on innovation in pharmaceutical business models.

(www.astralcodexten.com)

Tech weight loss drugs pharmaceutical pricing

The Priesthoods: Power, Corruption, and the Future of Expertise

2025-01-09

This essay explores the dynamics of 'priesthoods'—expert communities like the medical establishment—and the challenges they face. The author argues that these groups, in their pursuit of intellectual authority, often isolate themselves from the public, creating an internal knowledge bubble. While this isolation fosters in-depth discussion and consensus-building, it can also breed internal biases and vulnerability to political or other influences. Using examples from medicine and architecture, the article analyzes how these groups function, their susceptibility to capitalist pressures, and their recent susceptibility to capture by political ideologies. The author ultimately questions how to respond to the declining credibility of these expert communities: should we attempt to fix the existing system, or explore alternative models of knowledge dissemination?

(www.astralcodexten.com)

Misc expert communities power ideology

H5N1 Avian Flu: A Deep Dive into the Pandemic Threat

2025-01-01

This article delves into the potential pandemic threat posed by the H5N1 avian flu virus. The virus has already infected birds, cows, and mink, and has now been detected in pigs. While human cases remain relatively low, the author, drawing on epidemiological models and expert forecasts, assesses the probability of a pandemic in the next year (5%), and the potential mortality rate (ranging from comparable to a normal seasonal flu to resembling the 1918 Spanish flu). The article also discusses strategies for responding to a potential pandemic and highlights the economic impact on agriculture.

(www.astralcodexten.com)

Tech Avian Flu Pandemic