Hi, I'm Matt Turner, the editor in chief of business at Insider. Welcome back to Insider Today's Sunday edition, a roundup of some of our top stories. Here's what's on the agenda: |
But first: Did ChatGPT get dumber? Get the latest on that below. |
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DISPATCH ChatGPT getting dumber? |
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters |
Lots of ChatGPT users have been complaining that the powerful AI model has been getting "lazier" and "dumber." When I put this to ChatGPT, it reminded me that as an AI language model, it doesn't have feelings or consciousness. Only humans can get dumber. The more technical question then is, is it getting less accurate? An executive at OpenAI initially said the users complaining about degraded performance were wrong. Then research out of Stanford University and UC Berkeley found that the performance of ChatGPT's 3.5 version and 4.0 version varied greatly, with the newer model underperforming on some tasks. For example, ChatGPT turned out "more formatting mistakes in code generation" last month than it did earlier in the year, according to the research. This has important implications. The promise of machine learning is that, well, it learns. But as the research paper noted, it is now an "interesting question whether an LLM service like GPT4 is consistently getting 'better' over time." What happens if AI models don't automatically improve? |
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THIS WEEK'S TOP READS Hope for wannabe homeowners |
Arantza Pena Popo/Insider |
It's hard to buy a house right now. Those who already own a home aren't selling, for fear of replacing their current low mortgage rate with something much higher. Prices aren't budging. And competition remains fierce. Wannabe homeowners might be best placed looking at a brand-spanking new build. Recent data shows a surge in construction, and many builders are dangling perks like discounts and lower rates. Read the full story. Also read: |
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| BlackRock; Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/Insider |
It's a strange time for BlackRock. Larry Fink has spent half his life running the firm, and the asset manager's board has been busy sizing up possible replacements for him. However, casting a shadow over Fink's legacy and eventual departure is the backlash over BlackRock's environmental, social, and governance investing. It's already made the firm and Fink a favorite political target for Republicans — now the scrutiny is adding a new layer of complexity to BlackRock's succession plans. The challenges facing Fink's replacement. |
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Rural America's AI explosion |
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images |
Data-center development is booming across rural America. The industry had long been clustered in a handful of well-established markets like Chicago and Silicon Valley — but now, as AI stokes demand for data centers, developers are expanding to unexpected places. That's because AI requires massive amounts of energy — and the industry's core markets simply don't have enough of it. Instead, developers are now building massive data centers in rural towns, where they can tap pockets of electricity on the grid. More on Big Tech's move to rural America. Also read: |
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JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images |
We all know that Google pays well. But an internal spreadsheet gives us our best look yet at how much exactly the tech giant is paying staff. We've obtained the leaked data and built a table of searchable roles with information on salaries, equity, and bonuses. The best-paid are software engineers, who could make over $1 million yearly in total compensation. Check out the salary database. Also read: |
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THIS WEEK'S QUOTE "By combining a Neuralink implant and a robotic arm or leg, we believe we can give amputees basically a cyborg body that is incredibly capable. The $6 million man in real life. But it won't cost $6 million — a $60,000 man." |
— Elon Musk speaking on Tesla's latest earnings call, where he touched on everything from "Game of Thrones" and Nvidia to Warren Buffett and the economy. |
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ICYMI More of this week's top reads |
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