What does “AI booster” mean? From this comment and username I thought you meant they were funded by AI companies or doing marketing for them, but the most I see is that they filmed some interviews with filmmakers about AI?

The about page says this:

> In the cultural realm, Studio B is networking frontier technologists with Hollywood auteurs and science fiction authors who will shape the next narrative.

The organization was founded in 2010. Asking filmmakers about AI seems pretty on brand for their goal of talking about frontier technologies intersecting with Hollywood, does it not?

Is there some definition of “AI booster” that I’m not aware of? Or does it really just mean anyone who talks about AI in a positive light? I don’t see any smoking gun financial incentive connection here where they’re getting paid to “boost AI”

I'd guess it just means they failed some moral purity test.

> networking frontier technologists

Means they are invested in AI companies

> shape the next narrative

With pro AI narratives because they have an interest in pro-AI

From the "About the author" page, regarding the author of this article:

> Aaron Horwath is the director of AI operations at a creative technology company where he is focused on implementing AI in a way that supports both humans and business.

Thank you for your service to community, dear stranger. o7

Thank you! HN doesn't usually do specialty/novelty accounts but I've very excited about this one.

Ah yes, any funding source invalidates all the arguments....

Does this article seem like an AI boosting article? Perhaps exactly the opposite?

I dislike this article intensely, and disagree with it, but its lot because somehow the Berggruen Institute is shadow pushing AI here

The funding source is incredibly important when it is relevant to the content of the article.

This is why reputable journalistic outlets disclose financial ties to entities they report on, even if the connection is barely relevant. NPR will tell you about every ad buy that relates to their reporting.

This source could have and should have mentioned this connection in a disclosure, and it would not have detracted from the article. But the fact that it is effectively hidden is a detriment to the level of trust the reader can put into it.

> This is why reputable journalistic outlets disclose financial ties to entities they report on

Where is the financial tie between this organization and the AI companies?

The throwaway account's comment above implied some financial connection, but when I clicked the links all I saw was a couple videos where one of their other journalistic outlets had interviewed some filmmakers about AI.

I don't see anything to support this accusation that they failed to disclose reporting about some financial investment in AI companies.

The founder of the institute that owns this publication is a billionaire who is very opinionated on the subjects that this article touches upon.

He’s an advocate for universal basic capital, and this article is about how AI taking our jobs might free us from “workism.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Berggruen

In other words, this article is directly tied to the opinions of its financial backer and isn’t being presented in an independent journalistic way.

To be clear I’m not even saying that this is a bad dude or that the organization has bad opinions.

Counterpoint - “look at how effective AI is, it’s made everyone realise their career is for nothing!”

Timeless tactic!

"The Power Mac G4 is so fast that it is classified as a supercomputer by the US government, and we are prohibited from exporting it to over 50 nations worldwide," Jobs said the Apple Expo, CNN reported in September 1999. (edit: added link)

https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-steve-jobs-us-export-c...

I remember that. It was export banned, wasn't it? A gigaflop being enough for a cruise missile visual guidance or something like that?

I remember those days. Lots of software was also export restricted, but the Internet being what it is, I doubt those restrictions mattered much to folks who wanted effective encryption, who would likely just say they were in the US.

> You cannot read these articles posing as human interest without following the money.

Thank you for that, and look who one of their speakers is? Hardcore technocrat and transhumanist Mr. Harari! You can read his opinions about transhumanism and the Fourth Industrial Revolution in "Homo Deus" and on the WEF website.

Oh excellent, I appreciate you pointing that out. I love Harari’s work.

Doesn't really matter since he thinks we're both useless eaters.

So?

Nicholas Berggruen is pretty well known in Venice, Italy, where he bought 2-3 important buildings to host his foundations and art galleries.