1. Claude’s system prompt is a wild work of AI art
Behind every LLM lies a system prompt. This is a set of instructions written by the creators of the LLM designed to give it personality, a starting point for response, and to build in “fences” around what it will respond to. Simon Willison has been digging into the one for the latest iteration of Claude, and it’s absolutely amazing. When you have a piece of software which you have to instruct “[do] not provide information that could be used to make chemical or biological or nuclear weapons” you’re really on to something.
2. The Trumpian Internet
It might have slipped under the radar amidst the illegal detentions, extortion of everyone from law firms to universities, but Donald Trump’s crazy crew of mini-fascists is currently trying to impose its ideas of what “free speech” means on the rest of the world. And that idea includes, for example, defending the rights of neo-Nazi parties in Germany. It includes calling for people who incite racist violence in the UK to be released from prison after those people called for asylum seekers to be burnt alive. We aren’t talking fancy academic debate here.
James Ball has the lowdown, and importantly he draws the right conclusions: that the Trumpists believe that “if you’re on the internet and using a service provided by a US tech company, they say, then Donald Trump sets the rules. The US is quietly declaring sovereignty over cyberspace and expecting the world to acquiesce, making an unprecedented digital landgrab in the name of freedom.”
And that is the really big point, and why Europe needs to get its own alternatives up to scratch as quickly as possible.
3. Jordan Petersen loses track of god
You have probably seen the footage of Jordan Petersen imploding when faced with the superior intellect of (checks notes) 20 atheist students, but it’s less likely that you know quite what a big deal this is. Petersen’s cloak of Christianity has enabled him to become a much bigger voice among the right in the US, and his point-blank refusal to actually say he is a Christian on the debate has ruffled some features. Perhaps they will forgive him. Perhaps, like every grifter from Russell Brand to Milo Yiannopolous, he’ll have some kind of epiphany and find god – again.
4. A story long in the making
If you think the technology world provides drama, you should check out what happens in the world of paleontology. Pride, ambition, ego… this story has it all, and it is well worth the long read.
5. The long history of Elon Musk’s broken promises
Everyone – with the possible exception of the markets – knows that Elon Musk never keeps a promise. But I don’t think I have seen such a full list of his lies before. Why does anyone believe him? Why do the markets still have a little bounce every time he lies about self driving, or robotaxis, or AI?
Because markets are made up of idiots no smarter than the average watcher of Fox News. In fact, they’re probably more stupid, because the average watcher of Fox News doesn’t believe that markets are divinely rational.
6. The weirdest period of the Mac’s history
Jason Snell has written a lovely look back at the era of the Mac clone, something that I remember all too well. Mac clones were great for Mac users, who got more powerful technology at lower prices, but dreadful for Apple, which at the time just couldn’t compete.
Bear in mind that on paper Apple had every advantage over the cloners. It had scale, which meant it should have had better margins. It made the operating system! And yet, more nimble companies out manoeuvred it, making machines that were faster and cheaper.
7. Capitalists gonna capital, AI edition
On the one hand, every single wave of computer technology has “cost people jobs” – and yet employment always recovered. So it’s tempting to think of the current wave of replacement of creative work by AI in the same way.
But.
One of the principles of Socialism 101 is that capitalism always seeks to replace labour (you and me) with capital (machines). In a system where ownership of capital is the source of political and economic power, having more creative work done by machine rather than human beings is not only an unfortunate consequence of progress, it’s desirable – for capitalists.
They don’t need us.
8. War is good for business
One of the other principles of capitalism is that war is good for business. And now that the cultural hegemony has been established, companies like Meta – previously all touchy-feely and “oh no we won’t do that” – are salivating at the prospect of the “growth” they can get from making things designed to kill human beings. Some companies at least have the good grace to claim they have absolutely no idea what governments might be doing with the technology they sell them (“based on everything we currently know”, wink wink). But Zuck – a man with the ethics of a pike – is probably very happy he doesn’t have to pretend anymore.
9. File under “what is this world we have made?”
Children making child sex abuse material of their classmates, using AI. I mean, what can you actually say to that?
10. No Apple at the Talk Show Live
For some reason, Apple has declined to send anyone to appear at The Talk Show Live this year. It’s a shame. I’ll leave it to others to speculate why they might have decided not to appear.