Worried scientists at Edge.org

The death of a lab worker in Russia has authorities looking at whether plague played a role. Even if it did, though, the odds of it spreading are very low.

The author of The AGI Chronicles says his book “was written by a very tired, overworked, under-slept human being.”

This week on Uncanny Valley, we go behind the scenes of our Nathan Fielder cover story, unpack tech billionaires’ generous promises, and discuss the suspicious letters sent to US election offices.

Amid a sea of AI writing slop, a new stamp for “organic literature” will help readers to pick out books authored by real, corn-fed, free-range humans.

In a world of AI Overviews, Wikipedia usage declines. But the real loss may be far more existential than website traffic.

This week on Uncanny Valley, we also discuss Anthropic’s IPO filing and the volunteers gearing up to counter ICE at the midterms.

“There’s a perception of mobster behavior” from leading AI companies, one mathematician tells WIRED as OpenAI prepares to release more than 100 new solutions to unsolved problems.

In breathless press releases and posts, the company has touted its models’ ability to deliver scientific breakthroughs. But its IPO filing taps the brakes on just how fast its AI will lead to big discoveries.

Online spaces are captured by oligarchs and saturated with slop—and they’re exacerbating humanity’s worst impulses. It’s time to start over.

Hysteria over the agent's appearance in a 7,500-person group reveals that internet experts have outdated notions of privacy.

This week on Uncanny Valley, we discuss where Elon Musk’s PAC is spending millions, the latest ideology Trump claims is dangerous, and the backlash against the designer behind Muse’s logo.

Anthropic thinks “closing the loop” is the best path to AI triumph—and a recipe for “existential” threats to humanity.