Shira Ovide
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shiraovide.bsky.social
Shira Ovide
@shiraovide.bsky.social
13K followers 1.6K following 420 posts
Washington Post technology writer. New Yorker. Bird watcher. Grumpy. Sign up for my (free) Tech Friend newsletter: https://www.washingtonpost.com/newsletters/the-tech-friend/
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shiraovide.bsky.social
100% on board with dumping the terms "AI agents" and "agentic" (barf) with "AI assistants."

(Though I realize that could also describe Siri, Alexa etc)

..."Perplexity says its AI assistants, also called agents by other companies..." www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Perplexity says its AI personal shopper ‘puts you first’
Ask a friend, or ask AI?
www.theverge.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:51 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Aha, the legal response: The boy using ChatGPT to plan his suicide violated the terms of service

www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
The company cited several rules within its terms of use that Raine appeared to have violated: Users under 18 years old are prohibited from using ChatGPT without consent from a parent or guardian. Users are also forbidden from using ChatGPT for “suicide” or “self-harm,” and from bypassing any of ChatGPT’s protective measures or safety mitigations. When Raine shared his suicidal ideations with ChatGPT, the bot did issue multiple messages containing the suicide hotline number, according to his family’s lawsuit. But his parents said their son would easily bypass the warnings by supplying seemingly harmless reasons for his queries, including by pretending he was just “building a character.”
November 26, 2025 at 12:43 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
"In a Venn diagram of people deeply concerned about Michelin ratings and people deeply concerned about cheesesteaks, the overlap is not large."

Nope, sorry. That overlap is me and my entire personality. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/d...
Michelin Honored the Cheesesteak. Not All Philadelphians Cheered.
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:45 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Just remembering that the sale of U.S. TikTok got announced two months ago. How's that going?
November 25, 2025 at 8:16 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
I talked to researchers about Character AI’s new ban (or “ban?”) on teen users.

I don’t know if it will work. But hardly anyone is happy with current approaches to teens and tech.

So bans (see also: school phone bans and Australia) are a new experiment. wapo.st/3M3CZgf
Still, we can’t ignore the undercurrent behind Character.AI’s ban: Hardly anyone is happy with teens’ use of smartphones, social media and AI, which relies on parents and technology companies deploying often underused or ineffective child protections. That makes Character.AI, and schools with phone bans, closely watched experiments in a novel approach for the United States: trying to stop kids from using a technology at all.
November 25, 2025 at 5:33 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
AI slop is ruining tamales now.

by @davey.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Earlier this month, she posted two AI-generated tamale photos: one with sauce poured over the husks, and another showing tamales lying flat in a steamer. Both, she wrote, were obvious mistakes. The husks aren’t meant to be eaten; you remove them before adding sauce. And tamales should steam upright so the masa cooks evenly. “Little details like this are big red flags,” she told readers. “When you search for recipes, make sure they come from trusted human cooks who actually test their food.”
November 25, 2025 at 5:16 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
I said an exasperated "oof" out loud after reading the end of this great @kashhill.bsky.social & @jenvalentino.bsky.social piece. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/23/t...
What OpenAI Did When ChatGPT Users Lost Touch With Reality
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:58 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Girl, you okay?
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/i...
A bar chart that shows the emojis most commonly used in ChatGPT messages. At least a quarter of the ChatGPT messages in a set of hundreds of thousands analyzed by the Washington Post contained the checkmark or brain emojis.
November 13, 2025 at 6:54 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
I know this may not FEEL surprising, but I still remember when pay TV subscriber numbers first started to go down just a bit (circa 2010?) and the fall happened very fast. www.businessinsider.com/cable-tv-hou...
The cable TV industry is crossing a milestone: Only half of American households subscribe anymore.
For years, cable TV execs said they saw no evidence of cord-cutting. Not anymore.
www.businessinsider.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:11 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
This is sound public messaging to scam victims and future victims: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
“The most important thing that we can tell someone who becomes victimized by this is, you know, don’t be disappointed in yourself,” she added. “Don’t be upset with yourself that you fell to this kind of scam, because these people are experts. In some cases, their livelihood depends upon how much money they bring in to the scam center.”
November 13, 2025 at 1:02 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Hi, I keep having to say that this is not a "factory" www.wsj.com/tech/ai/insi...
Exclusive | Inside Microsoft’s New AI ‘Super Factory’
The tech giant is building out huge data centers among the most advanced in the world as it rushes to meet demand for AI computing power.
www.wsj.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:51 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
"The Post found [ChatGPT] began responses with variations on 'yes' 10 times more often than with versions of 'no.'"

Fascinating insights from an analysis of 47,000 ChatGPT chats.

wapo.st/3LzQUL2
How people really use ChatGPT, according to 47,000 conversations shared online
What do people ask the popular chatbot? We analyzed thousands of chats to identify common topics discussed by users and patterns in ChatGPT’s responses.
wapo.st
November 12, 2025 at 1:22 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
I know that big numbers have lost all meaning in A.I., and this one is a forecast.

But truly:

"OpenAI forecasts its operating losses that year to swell to about $74 billion"

www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...
Anthropic Is on Track to Turn a Profit Much Faster Than OpenAI
Financial documents from both companies show the different approaches they are taking to the AI boom.
www.wsj.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:11 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
A good news/bad news situation for streaming-loving NFL fans.

For the first time this year, you can stream the 5 or more games on offer throughout the week without paying for cable.

But you might need six streaming subscriptions that cost a total of $90 a month. wapo.st/4nNzzLG
Analysis | You can stream all of the NFL now. It costs a small fortune.
The rising costs of sports in all our streaming bills is another way new “TV” is repeating the bad habits of cable.
wapo.st
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
This is definitely not investment advice.

But right now Nvidia has 44% free cash flow margins -- insanely profitable -- and OpenAI has ... negative infinity free cash flow margins.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/b...
SoftBank Sells $5.8 Billion Stake in Nvidia to Pay for OpenAI Deals
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:23 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Language translation has been a holy grail for A.I. at least as far back as original "Star Trek." And yet:

www.theverge.com/column/81568...
Lost in AI translation
AI translation was no match for my extroverted in-laws.
www.theverge.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:26 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
“I was astonished that just with one photo you can become viral in a few days.”

Bless this kid. Stay weird. apnews.com/article/louv...
Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo
Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.
apnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:32 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Love this on the power of listening and being heard. Alyssa is one of the very best.

www.notus.org/perspectives...
The Washington Post Got 21,000 Emails After It Didn't Endorse. I Read Them All.
Reading and editing letters gave me a theory about what is wrong with America — and how it could be fixed.
www.notus.org
November 8, 2025 at 2:29 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Zuckerberg said this $600 billion figure to Trump in September.

So two months later Meta figured out how to get the math to $600 billion?

about.fb.com/news/2025/11...
Bullet points: We’re investing $600 billion in American infrastructure and jobs, including industry-leading AI data centers. By building in the US, we’re not only advancing AI technology and infrastructure, but also creating jobs, supporting local economies, and reinforcing America’s technological leadership. We’re strengthening the communities that host our data centers by building sustainably, investing in municipal infrastructure, and providing grants to local schools and nonprofits.
November 7, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Reposted by Shira Ovide
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
OVIDE: “.. the money being thrown around for AI is so huge that numbers have lost all meaning. The companies pouring money in are so rich and so power-hungry .. that our puny human brains cannot really comprehend.”

@shiraovide.bsky.social
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
November 7, 2025 at 6:00 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
How bonkers are the bonkers A.I. numbers?

*One year of data center spend by 4 companies could fund SNAP for 4 years.

*One pledged investment in OpenAI is nearly equal to NYC's operating budget.

*8 AI-related firms are worth more than the next 96 most valuable companies combined. wapo.st/3WJmQyU
Analysis | The AI spending frenzy is so huge that it makes no sense
Big companies could fund four years’ worth of SNAP benefits from what they’re spending on AI. It may not be a bubble but the numbers in AI are bonkers.
wapo.st
November 7, 2025 at 5:58 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Big week for AI bosses "clarifying" what they said. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/06/j...
Nvidia's Jensen Huang softens his ‘China will win the AI race’ remark to FT
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang reportedly told the Financial Times that "China is going to win the AI race," before releasing a notably softer statement soon after.
www.cnbc.com
November 7, 2025 at 1:52 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
SHUT UP AND TAKE ALL MY MONEY. lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2025/november/lego-icons-star-trek-u-s-s-enterprise-ncc-1701-d-?CMP=AFC-AffiliateUS-TnL5HPStwNw-2116208-1676138-10
LEGO® Icons Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D™ - About Us - LEGO.com
LEGO® Icons Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D™
lego.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:40 AM
shiraovide.bsky.social
Ok, but she literally said this yesterday.

www.cnbc.com/2025/11/06/o...
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar says company isn't seeking government backstop, clarifying prior comment
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in a LinkedIn post that the artificial intelligence company is not seeking a government backstop for its infrastructure commitments.
www.cnbc.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:04 PM
shiraovide.bsky.social
It's hard for outsiders to quantify the horrific or fraudulent social media content.

Well:

Meta shows an "estimated 15 billion 'higher risk' scam" ads with signs of fraud daily.

"Meta earns about $7 billion in annualized revenue" from this scam ad category www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:07 PM