💡 A Reality Check on Superhuman AI

What’s popular and new this week in Nautilus. [View in browser](| [Join Nautilus]( EDITORS' CHOICE Together with Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here.]( Hello there Nautilus readers, and thanks for stopping by. This Sunday, we have a reality check on superhuman AI. Plus, we see how to protect artists from AI thievery and bring Mars to Earth with music. Our popular story this week will have you forgetting everything you think you know about time. Be sure to check out your question of the day (on writing styles) and today’s free story (on what makes us apparently so smart) below. Stay cool out there. —Brian Gallagher The latest from Nautilus TECHNOLOGY A Reality Check on Superhuman AI What’s missing from a bold new prediction of rapid progress in artificial intelligence. BY SABINE HOSSENFELDER “Everyone is now talking about AI, but few have the faintest glimmer of what is about to hit them.” [Continue reading →]( ARTS Protecting Artists from Theft by AI A new strategy for copyrighting a writer’s signature style. BY NICK HILDEN [Continue reading →]( ARTS Bringing Mars to Earth with Music A new symphony turns the science of the red planet into art. BY TOM METCALFE [Continue reading →]( ADVERTISEMENT Get Classic Shades with an Eco-Friendly Design It’s officially summer, which means it’s time to treat yourself to some new sunglasses. Now you can get the classic look of [Ray-Ban’s Wayfarer Sunglasses]( in a more eco-friendly version. [Ray-Ban’s Bio-Acetate Wayfarer Sunglasses]( are made with 67% bio-based carbon content derived from plants like cotton, wood pulp, and sugar cane. With [plant-based sunglasses](, the future's so bright you’ll need shades. [Shop Ray-Ban]( Popular This Week PHYSICS Forget Everything You Think You Know About Time A theoretical physicist challenges our common notions about the fourth dimension. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER In April, in the famous Faraday Theatre at the Royal Institution in London, Carlo Rovelli gave an hour-long lecture on the nature of time. [Continue reading →]( WE ARE CURIOUS TO KNOW... Who is an author you would recommend based just on their distinctive writing style? Let us know! Reply to this newsletter with your response, briefly explaining your choice, and we’ll reveal the top answers. (This question was inspired by “[A New Way to Protect Artists from Theft by AI.](”) Top Answer to Our Previous Question (On Whether the Earth Is Now Alive) • Is the Earth itself alive? Yes. But not, I think, because of the web of life inhabiting its crust. I personally experienced this once during a Native American prayer circle. As part of the prayer, we were led through a love song to Earth and told to kneel on hands and knees, and to our complete amazement, Earth answered with the most intense wave of love that overwhelmed us. We could only lie on the ground astonished and elated. We had not used any substances that day, either. – Elizabeth B. It’s Hammock Time The [Grand Trunk Ultralight Hammock]( is both a Wirecutter top pick and a steal at $30. Don’t let summer end without relaxing in a hammock! [BUY ON AMAZON]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “I’m a trained classical composer, but my passion has always been for science.” [David Ibbett tells Nautilus about his new Red Planet-inspired orchestral performance, Mars Symphony.]( Your free story this Sunday! TECHNOLOGY The Storytelling Computer Artificial intelligence needs to think like the mythical trickster. BY M.R. O’CONNOR What is it exactly that makes humans so smart? [Continue reading for free→]( A Moon Is Born Musicians are a lot like the moon: they come out at night, they go through phases, and they often have rocky origins. The same is true of indie rocker K.Flay. K.Flay, born Kristine Flaherty, struggled with her father’s death before discovering the joys of creating music in college. She’s now a Grammy-nominated solo artist and sought-after collaborator in the indie scene. She’s also the perfect person to give voice to “The Moon Is Underrated,” Sean Raymond’s [story]( on the mysterious origins of the moon. You can now [watch]( or [listen]( to K.Flay read Raymond’s story on [YouTube]( or [Spotify](. [WATCH]( [LISTEN]( P.S. The computer scientist and theoretical biologist Alan Turing was born on this day in 1912. In his seminal 1950 paper, “Computer Machinery and Intelligence,” Turing argued human intelligence was the result of complex symbolic reasoning. The late Patrick Henry Winston, a former director of MIT’s AI lab, wasn’t so sure. “I think stories are what make us different from chimpanzees and Neanderthals,” Winston told M.R. O’Connor. “And [if story-understanding is really where it’s at](, we can’t understand our intelligence until we understand that aspect of it.” Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher Thanks for reading. [Tell us](mailto:brian.gallagher@nautil.us?subject=&body=) your thoughts on today’s note. Plus, if you find our content valuable, consider [becoming a member]( to support our work, and inspire a friend to sign up for [the Nautilus newsletter](. Copyright © 2024 NautilusNext, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from [nautil.us](. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 360 W 36th Street, 7S, New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? [Unsubscribe](