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Happiness, Hype, and Hard Edges of AI

From superintelligence thought experiments to engineered viruses and a looming tech bubble, this week’s pieces cut through speculation to expose where AI is actually headed.

BILL ANASTAS SEP 28, 2025

Hey there,

Here's what caught my attention this week:

Articles Worth Your Time

What If Instead of Making Paperclips We Asked an AI Super-Intelligence to Make Us All Happy?

lithub.com

This piece cuts to the heart of the happiness debate - it's not about AI making us happy, but rather figuring out what happiness even means in the first place. It highlights the challenge of aligning different perspectives before any tech can even begin to tackle the issue.

AI-designed viruses are here and already killing bacteria

technologyreview.com

AI-designed viruses are now targeting bacteria directly, which is a significant step in biotech that highlights the limitations of traditional infection methods. This shows a clear shift in how we might tackle infections going forward.

Are We in an AI Bubble?

theatlantic.com

The AI hype is masking the real chaos beneath as companies scramble to keep pace while investors chase the latest shiny objects. This article exposes the brewing reckoning that’s bound to hit as reality sets in.

Photo of the Week

Photo of the Week View full resolution →

Insight of the Week

"Most producers still treat status sheets like a ritual. If you're not building an automation layer over them by now, you're bleeding hours every week."