The new wave of generative artificial intelligence, like ChatGPT and DALL-E, has got the tech business in a frenzy.

Venture capitalists are pouring money into new AI startups: Investments in generative AI have already exceeded $2 billion. But there’s lots of unknown unknowns about the innovation. There’s virtually no oversight from the government, and teachers, artists, researchers and others are raising concerns.

“There’s so much happening under the hood that we don’t get access to … there needs to be much more transparency,” said Alex Hanna, director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute.

On the show today: why AI is getting so much attention these days, ethical issues with the tech and what lawmakers should focus on when trying to regulate it. Plus, why some say it could exacerbate the climate crisis.

In the News Fix, some Kia and Hyundai cars keep getting stolen, and insurance companies are taking notice. Plus, we might spend the most on health care, but health in the United States falls behind other high-income countries by several measures. And, why you might want to get ready for some inflation whiplash.

Later, we’ll hear from a listener who’s pro-ChatGPT when it comes to writing cover letters. And in the spirit of Dry January, Elva Ramirez, author of “Zero Proof: 90 Non-Alcoholic Recipes for Mindful Drinking,” gives us a little history lesson on mocktails (or cleverages).

Here’s everything we talked about today:

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART, and your submission may be featured in a future episode.