TikTok Data Actually Stored in China [Content Made Simple]

Issue #313: AI warnings, Twitter research, and more.

It’s my 10th wedding anniversary today! Hooray!

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TOP OF THE WEEK

TikTok Creators’ Financial Info, Social Security Numbers Have Been Stored In China

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Quote:

TikTok has stored the most sensitive financial data of its biggest stars — including those in its “Creator Fund” — on servers in China. Earlier this year, CEO Shou Chew told Congress “American data has always been stored in Virginia and Singapore.”

Commentary:

Well. I hate to be a jerk and say I told you so, but I did.

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THE TRIVIA QUESTION

What is the name of the first automobile company in the United States?
(Hint: 1893)

Answer at the bottom.

HITTING THE LINKS

Link #1: OpenAI isn’t doing enough to make ChatGPT’s limitations clear

I think this is a really good cautionary piece on AI, without being alarmist.

The misunderstood nature of ChatGPT was made clear for the umpteenth time this weekend when news broke that US lawyer Steven A. Schwartz had turned to the chatbot to find supporting cases in a lawsuit he was pursuing against Colombian airline Avianca. The problem, of course, was that none of the cases ChatGPT suggested exist.

Link #2: Why an Octopus-like Creature Has Come to Symbolize the State of A.I.

Speaking of AI, this is funny (and insightful).

In any case, the Shoggoth is a potent metaphor that encapsulates one of the most bizarre facts about the A.I. world, which is that many of the people working on this technology are somewhat mystified by their own creations. They don’t fully understand the inner workings of A.I. language models, how they acquire new capabilities or why they behave unpredictably at times. They aren’t totally sure if A.I. is going to be net-good or net-bad for the world. And some of them have gotten to play around with the versions of this technology that haven’t yet been sanitized for public consumption — the real, unmasked Shoggoths.

Link #3: Twitter just closed the book on academic research

Sad.

Twitter was once a mainstay of academic research — a way to take the pulse of the internet. But as new owner Elon Musk has attempted to monetize the service, researchers are struggling to replace a once-crucial tool. Unless Twitter makes another about-face soon, it could close the chapter on an entire era of research. 

THE FUNNY PART

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Trivia answer: Duryea Motor Wagon Company