[As reported in this story from MIT Technology Review, the incorporation of AI and other enhancements are expanding the potential effectiveness of social robots in helping to care for patients with dementia; see the original version of the story for a second image. –Matthew] How cuddly robots could change dementia care Researchers are using AI and technological advancements to create companion robots By Cassandra WillyardMay 17, 2024[This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.] Last week, I scoured…

[The dark side of presence is the focus of this story from Wired about the use of real-time deepfake romance scams. See the original story for two short videos. –Matthew] [Image: Photo illustration credit: Jacqui Vanliew; Getty Images] The Real-Time Deepfake Romance Scams Have Arrived Watch how smooth-talking scammers known as “Yahoo Boys” use widely available face-swapping tech to carry out elaborate romance scams. By Matt BurgessApril 18, 2024 The compliments start flowing as soon as she answers the video call. “Wow, you so pretty, honey,” says the man on the other side of the screen. His video feed shows…

[This thoughtful first-person report from MIT Technology Review describes what it’s like to have the AI startup company Synthesia create a synthetic version of yourself, and considers some of the implications of the fast-evolving technology. This is an abridged version of the story; see the unabridged original for more information, many more images, and two videos. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: David Vintiner] An AI startup made a hyperrealistic deepfake of me that’s so good it’s scary Synthesia’s new technology is impressive but raises big questions about a world where we increasingly can’t tell what’s real. By Melissa HeikkiläApril 25, 2024 I’m…

[Fast Company reports on a new stationary bicycle designed to evoke greater spatial presence and mental engagement in users than the currently available bikes. See the original story for two more images and two videos, and the product’s Kickstarter page for more information. Wired has a somewhat-less-than-enthusiastic review. –Matthew] This ‘Star Trek’-like holographic bicycle could make Peloton obsolete The bike’s specialized display technology tricks your brain into thinking you’re actually riding outdoors. By Jesus DiazMay 10, 2024 Former Google VR researcher Samuel Matson spent the early days of COVID-19 in Colombia. There, he found solace while riding his bike with…

[A portal that connects New York and Dublin has re-opened following some inappropriate behavior by people in both locations, as reported in this story from RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland’s National Public Service Media). The excerpt from coverage by The Guardian that follows below adds context. For more pictures and videos of the portal, see The Cut. –Matthew] [Image: New Yorkers greet people in Dublin during the reveal of the Portal in the Flatiron district in Manhattan, New York, on May 8, 2024. Credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters. Source: The Guardian.] ‘Portal’ linking Dublin and NYC restarts with set hours May 19, 2024…

[This opinion piece from CNN provides a link-filled summary of the significant advances in the latest version of ChatGPT, including a more informal “personality” that creates a “more natural human-computer interaction” likely to evoke greater medium-as-social-actor presence in users. As the author notes, The Daily Show provided an insightful and entertaining take on the features of ChatGPT-4o. See also the related essay, “I Am Once Again Asking Our Tech Overlords to Watch the Whole Movie. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has seemingly cited Her as an inspiration for ChatGPT’s conversational voice assistant update. Maybe don’t!” in Wired. Here’s a key quote:…