Archive • Complex Machinery

#021 - Of blink tags and niche content

November 19, 2024

GenAI is in its Geocities moment. Shocking bots. And learning to be quiet.

#020 - Silence is golden

November 1, 2024

Sometimes a bot's best bet is to say nothing.

#019 - Five types of magic

October 21, 2024

AI is magic. Or, AI performs magic. Here are five acts.

#018 - Robot jobs

October 1, 2024

Sometimes AI is a better fit for that task. Emphasis on "sometimes" -- there are dragons beyond that sweet spot.

#017 - Stacking the deck

September 24, 2024

Machines conquered Wall Street, then learned to play a mean game of poker.

#016 - Packaging up crime and mischief

September 15, 2024

AI use cases, as driven by fraud and stunts. And squeeze bottles.

#015 - The cookie connection

August 22, 2024

Slowly grinding our way to "The" AI use case.

#014 - Embers and ashes

August 10, 2024

More lessons from the CrowdStrike incident, Main Street's view of AI, and what Worldcom's 2002 collapse might tell us about AI.

#013 - Blue screen for armageddon

A complex system is its own worst enemy.

#012 - Dirt in the AI machine

Welcome to the shadier corners of AI.

#011 - Wishing it into existence

(Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash) AI's popularity stems from three main sources: Typical fad dynamics. Companies see something getting attention, so they...

#010 - The looming AI debt wall

How soon till AI's easy money runs out?

#009 - Turnabout is AI play

(Photo by Ozark Drones on Unsplash) Dialing it back a bit Well that was quite the turnaround. Last week I mentioned Google's "AI Overviews" system. The one...

#008 - One step closer to Skynet

(Photo by Mathew Schwartz on Unsplash) Last month I noted four ways that the AI field is sabotaging its image. This time around I'll share two recent...

#007 - Asking the important questions

(Photo by Pieter on Unsplash) Inflated expectations Before we ask "Is AI in a bubble?" we need to answer "Why would an AI bubble matter?" For those who are...

#006 - 'Tis just a wee bit of AI fatigue, is all

(Photo by Cris Saur on Unsplash) Reading the last few newsletters, you might get the impression that I dislike AI. Or that Complex Machinery is some Hater's...

#005 - Broken robots and hidden expenses

(Photo by Rudi Endresen on Unsplash) I've been thinking about the list of high-profile AI mishaps, including the one involving the official NYC chatbot....

#004 - When your car talks to everyone but you

"I'm afraid I can't keep that to myself, Dave" (Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash) GM has been stress-testing the adage "there's no such thing as bad...

#003 – It's a bot's world, we just live in it

(Photo by robin mikalsen on Unsplash) Outpace and replace: next-gen bot arena Need a guidebook for data science/machine learning/AI? Check out algorithmic...

#002 - It's still a wild animal

February 28, 2024

(Photo by Erik-Jan Leusink on Unsplash) Do companies dream of functioning AI? (With apologies to Philip K. Dick.) Companies are just head over heels about...

#001 – Nothing's real but the fakery

February 8, 2024

(Photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash) Real deep fakes Generative AI is fascinating. People now have the ability to create a synthetic representation of a...

#000 – Too much time in the wilderness

January 29, 2024

(Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash) Skeleton crew This New York Times piece is a write-up on modern-day train robberies. It doubles as a lesson about...