Five Things: EU, AI, Jobs, 8th Wonder, Alcohol
This is the last time you get to read Five Things this month. So read it now.
Thanks for reading this email. ✌🏻
Hi, I’m Nico and I read too much stuff online during the week. I do this, because I’m very curious about how tech will change the way we live and work, I also care deeply about politics and I like to understand more about how we can make our lives better, live healthier, stop climate change, or create the perfect pasta sauce. So every Sunday I send out Five Things, which is a compilation of five very interesting articles that I read this week.
This past week was very exhausting and full of ups and downs, but since this weekend is a long weekend with Labor Day on Monday, I get to decompress a little, which is much needed.
So without much ado, here are this week’s Five Things!
Postimperial Empire
Timothy Garton Ash discusses how the EU needs to change after the war in the Ukraine. To achieve that, the countries in Europe will need to discuss what the nation state will look like in the future, as the EU needs to become a stronger entity that will be allied with the USA against Russia and China. And we once thought all those blocks were a thing of the past. (Foreign Affairs)
The 'Don't Look Up' Thinking That Could Doom Us With AI
I think the biggest issue with AI is that too many people have an opinion about it, but not enough people really understand how it works and what kind of implications it will most likely have. (Time)
Deskilling on the Job
When Danah Boyd writes about the future of a technology and its implications on society, you should read it. I think lots of jobs will change and lots of new jobs will be created. But some jobs will also be lost. And that’s probably for the better, because a job that can be done by an AI is maybe not the most satisfying to begin with. (Medium)
Smithsonian scientist: I found the 8th wonder of the world in a coffee shop
I never thought about coffee shops this way. And yes, it is really smart of us humans that we have learned how to deal with strangers, mostly. Also, I don’t think apes could order all those fancy coffee variations. (Big Think)
Pour One Out
You have to be real strong now. It turns out that red wine is not healthy. Neither is any other type of booze. It’s interesting how the interpretation of studies changes over time. (Slate)
That’s it. Have an amazing Sunday!