Critical Nonsense

How are you personally preparing mentally, psychologically for the increased engagement with AI? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about AI psychosis, Blake Lemoine, the Turing Test, cognative security, red teaming, and hats. They don’t (yet) talk about NonsenseLLM. 

references 

• Psycho Killer and the big suit 
• X: Keith Sakata, MD 
• The New York Times: They Asked an A.I. Chatbot Questions. The Answers Sent Them Spiraling. 
• The New York Times: Chatbots Can Go Into a Delusional Spiral. Here’s How It Happens. 
• Washington Post The Google engineer who thinks the company’s AI has come to life 
• Bloomberg Technology: Google Engineer on His Sentient AI Claim 
• Turing Test 
• Johns Hopkins Magazine: The science behind why we see faces in nature 
• Study: Barking Up the Wrong Tree: Human Perception of Dog Emotions Is Influenced by Extraneous Factors 
• Pareidolia 
• Red team 
• Planning red teaming for large language models (LLMs) and their applications 
• Ig Nobel Prize 
• Six Thinking Hats 

When is old good and when is old bad? 

This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about The Bible, first editions, berries, Final Destination, whiskey, and Rick Astley. They don’t talk about Flavor Flav. 

references 

• Dayspring by Anthony Oliveira 
• sarcophagus 

How do you make sense? 

This week, Aaron, Jess, and Joey talk about intention, trust, assumption, context windows, synchronicity, and drinking. They don’t talk about Pal Joey. 

references 

• Click, Clack, Moo in book form
• Click, Clack, Moo Read Aloud 
• Palworld 

Why do we do hard things? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Baddie Performance Index, Barkley Marathons, fun types, self flagellation, dessert stomachs, and natural childbirth. They don’t talk about Saquon. 

references 

• Barkley Marathons 
• Running so far away 

Why is it so important to be cool? 

This week, Jess, Aaron, and Joey talk about Black culture, 21 Jump Street, social approval, bandwaggoning, alternative hierarchies, and Lauryn Hill. They don’t talk about Digable Planets. 

references 

• Dru Hill's "5 Steps" 
• Old Man, look at my life. 
• Journal of Experimental Psychology: "Cool is cool wherever you are" 
• Miles Davis' The Birth of the Cool 
• Uncola: Seven-Up, Counterculture and the Making of an American Brand 
• Wired Video: Linguists Explain the History of "Cool" 
• BET Video: The Origin Of "Cool": How Black Culture Embodies "Cool" & Influences Trends For Mainstream 
• 21 Jump Street (2012) first day of school scene 
• Corrections Department: To clarify, the study does not specifically question the Black origins of our collective use of the word "cool," rather it questions whether the emotional restraint in Black culture that came to define the early idea of "cool" is still the current concept of "cool." 
• Bow Chicka Wow Wow 

How is it we've convinced ourselves sometimes that we like things that we don't really like? 

This week, Jess and Joey talk about the big light, the beach, group vacations, going to the movies, nature bathing, and bad drinks. They don’t talk about Mr. Nice Guy. 

references 

• Rest easy, Brian Wilson 
• Lord have mercy 

What new rules should we have? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about the Irish Goodbye, music at the beach, phones on the train, zipper merging, gift obligations, and desire paths. They don’t talk about Dua Lipa or New Rochelle. 

references 

• Zipper Merging 

How do y'all protect your sense of possibility? 

This week, Aaron, Joey, and Jess talk about optimism, imagination, resilience, cultural technology, escape rooms, and rules. They don’t talk about the endless persistence of existential dread. 

references 

• A Thousand Miles to the Pink Pony Club 
• Traitors 
• Dinosaur Island 
• Parkitect 
• Monument Valley 
• Royal Kingdom 
• Hollow Night 
• Thank Goodness You're Here 
• Age of Empires II 

What are the important analog activities in an increasingly digital world? 

This week, Joey and Jess talk about luddites, handwriting, typewriting, mashing tomatoes, kinetic learning, and carbon dioxide. They don’t talk about Folkways Records. 

references 

• Taki Taki 
• Luddites 
• Study: Handwriting but not typewriting leads to widespread brain connectivity: a high-density EEG study with implications for the classroom 
• Rick Barry 

In April, SYLVAIN released an open letter of resistance in response to the chaos of the moment we're in. This is a live reading of that letter, and a reminder that resistance is ongoing.

Too many in our industry have been quiet in the face of injustice and uncertainty. Too many important conversations have been relegated to back channels. So we put pen to paper, naming simple truths that have guided our company and actions for 15 years—and will continue to guide us.

Have a listen or read the open letter at impact.sylvain.co