Think about this: Unfiltered AI, offended artists, Agenic Opera.
For your weekend reading pleasure, I offer a synopsis of interesting articles about AI you may have missed this week. As always, your thoughts and comments are both welcome and encouraged. -s
This Week's Most Interesting Stories
The world isn’t "safe for work," but most foundational models are. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and other popular model builders aggressively filter training data to exclude harmful content—adult entertainment, hate speech, extremism, and even controversial political perspectives. The result? Polished, sanitized models that align with corporate and legal safety standards. That’s great—or is it? The real world is messy, complicated, and filled with morally gray areas, which raises the question: Do unfiltered AI models have a valid place in the AI landscape?
Read More · Shelly Palmer
Google is in the middle of its own Innovator’s Dilemma: disrupting its $260 billion-a-year search business before someone else does. The question isn’t who will build the AI version of Google Search – the answer is obvious: Google – so our friends in Mountain View have a couple of things they're testing.
Read More · Shelly Palmer
The Los Angeles Times has introduced an AI-driven labeling system to flag articles that take a stance or are written from a personal perspective. Announced in a letter from billionaire owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, the “Voices” label applies not only to opinion pieces but also to news commentary, criticism, and reviews. Some articles will also include AI-generated “Insights,” which summarize key points and present alternative viewpoints.
Read More · Shelly Palmer
Amazon has officially announced Alexa Plus, a major AI-powered upgrade to its voice assistant. This new system brings agentic AI to your home—meaning Alexa won’t just respond to requests, but will take action on your behalf. From writing emails to ordering groceries and finding recipe substitutions, Alexa Plus aims to be smarter, more intuitive, and more useful than ever before.
Read More · Shelly Palmer
More than 6,000 artists signed an open letter calling on Christie's to cancel its Augmented Intelligence AI-generated art auction, arguing it threatened their livelihoods. The auction was held anyway and brought in more than $728,000.
Read More · Shelly Palmer
Opera, a Norwegian-based browser company, has long positioned itself as an alternative to mainstream browsers like Chrome and Edge, focusing on privacy, speed, and built-in features. Known for innovations such as a free VPN, native ad blocker, and integrated messaging apps, Opera has built a loyal user base among those seeking a more streamlined and customizable browsing experience.
Read More · Shelly Palmer
About Shelly Palmer
Shelly Palmer is the Professor of Advanced Media in Residence at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and CEO of The Palmer Group, a consulting practice that helps Fortune 500 companies with technology, media and marketing. Named LinkedIn’s “Top Voice in Technology,” he covers tech and business for Good Day New York, is a regular commentator on CNN and writes a popular daily business blog. He's a bestselling author, and the creator of the popular, free online course, Generative AI for Execs. Follow @shellypalmer or visit shellypalmer.com.
