January 2023

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Big News
ChatGPT will steal your  job! As discussions around artificial intelligence (AI) continue a new contender has entered the ring - ChatGPT. Earlier this month ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) was released by OpenAI, the team who developed the famous text-to-image generator DALL-E. ChatGPT was designed to generate human-like text which allows the bot to engage in surprisingly realistic conversation. Headlines have focused on the quality of the written content that the AI can generate and how it is another sign that AI will eventually steal all of our jobs. In support of that claim are examples of the AI completing job interviews (and being invited for follow up meetings!). There are also concerns that the system could be used to write answers to exams questions, allowing students to cheat, and destroying their creativity. This hasn’t been helped by a group of authors who listed the AI as an author on their publication. Despite claims that this signals the beginning of the end, others have pointed out how this technology will actually be benefical for certain industries (such as marketing) and is actually an opportunity to change the way we approach education. 

How dangerous are gas stoves? Growing up I had a gas stove and didn’t think much of it. It turns out I should have been more nervous. Debate has been ignited in America (pun intended) by comments made on behalf of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission which suggested that the agency may begin to regulate the sale of gas stoves. There are two main arguments fueling this debate (I’d be a fool not to make the most of these puns). Firstly, there are concerns that gas stoves are a serious source of indoor pollution and linked to respiratory problems, particularly in children. Secondly, there is a growing need to reduce humanities reliance on gas in an attempt to combat climate change. In America this debate has unsurprisingly become political, with those on the political right suggesting it is another example of excess regulation and government overreach. No doubt the gas industry will try to slow the uptake of these regulations but with increasing discussion around the climate crisis and public health it seems inevitable that we will see more regulations like this as time goes on. 

Little News: 
The Last of Us. In what should probably be big news the world as we know it has been destroyed by a deadly fungus. At least, that is the premise behind the TV show The Last of Us (based on the game of the same name). Thus far the show has aired to positive reviews, with praise for how closely the show recreates the games characters. Discussion around the show has reawakened a question that has been around since the days of the Romero - could zombies actually exist? Articles have sprung up explaining that the fungus shown in The Last of Us does share some similarities to a fungus that infects ants. Sadly that tends to be as far as the comparisons go, most people agree zombies are just fiction and won’t ever infect humans. So if you are building a bunker in preparation for the zombie apocalypse you might be better off giving up and instead spend your time watching the next few episodes of The Last of Us. 

What I’ve been enjoying this month
Thursday Murder Club. At the behest of friends and family I picked up the first book of Richard Osman’s crime series The Thursday Murder Club. It follows a group of enthusiastic retirees as they attempt to solve a murder that happens near their home. It features a gripping mystery, emotional twists and features some of the most relatable and realistic characters in any book I have ever read. If you are wanting a distraction that will keep you gripped from first to last page I cannot recommend it enough. I have already added the next two books to my reading list and if they are as good as the first you can expect to see them featured in this newsletter again.

I hope you have started the year off in high spirits and I look forward to updating you on science and tech news as the year goes on. Until next month!