Society & jobs

AIGergely Orosz says modern software engineering is no longer done without LLMs and that people who refuse AI use won't be hired at 99.9% of startups, Big Tech, and ambitious companies. He compares AI tools to the keyboard as a basic part of software development. The post quotes Geoffrey Huntley's view that teams too busy for normal work to experiment with AI are preparing to be replaced.

AINVIDIA's Bryan Catanzaro argues that math as a hobby does not have to change, because hobbies like music and baking are valued for the joy of the work rather than for being first. He compares it to machines baking bread, which does not destroy baking as a hobby. He replies to a post by @EigenGender, who sympathizes with mathematicians whose publicly funded hobby is now less fun.

AIBloomberg's Brad Stone discusses surveillance pricing on the Everybody's Business podcast, a strategy in which store shelf labels could raise prices based on a shopper's cart contents. The article says Walmart appears to be acquiring technology that could enable such pricing, and Walmart has denied using it.

AIEthan Mollick says it is reasonable for mathematicians to note that proofs are not always the same as advancing mathematics. He argues this calls for new goals for what math is trying to do. He adds that AI-driven increases in output, such as 100x more PowerPoint or code, do not automatically mean progress.

AIFlock Safety plans to cut about 18% of its roughly 1,500 employees, affecting around 270 people after a voluntary buyout program, people with direct knowledge of the plans said. The company, which runs a network of about 120,000 AI-powered license-plate cameras across 49 states, declined to comment. The cuts come as Flock faces growing opposition from communities, lawmakers and privacy advocates, including Florida's ban on automated license plate readers on state highways in September.

AINASCAR says it is using increased automation and AI to expand what it offers fans and speed up its development work. The source gives no further details on specific tools, figures, or timelines.

AIA new poll finds 64% of Americans think AI is developing "too fast." The source text provides no further detail on the poll's sponsor, sample, or method.

AIMeta's Muse AI agent has millions of users and can handle tasks from refunds to insurance shopping. Its broad access to personal data has already led to some unnerving mistakes, according to Fast Company.

AIBryce Vincent Gowryluk, 16, had to be rescued by North Shore Rescue after following route directions from the AI chatbot Claude that took him to the base of the Widowmaker Arete, a 1,700-foot wall in British Columbia. He had asked Claude to plan a route from Grouse Mountain to Crown Mountain and back, and he was ill-equipped for the rock climbing the wall requires. Rescue manager Paul Markey warned hikers not to rely blindly on AI for route planning.

AIThe FCC is considering loosening rules on political robocalls that use AI voices before the midterms. Federal law currently bans most robocalls to cellphones unless the caller obtains prior consent.