Episode 136

Epstein’s Friends, ChatGPT Goes to Washington, Durham Report Spin, School Funding Cliff?

ChatGPT’s CEO calls for government regulation of his company and the broader AI industry. Ravi and Rikki discuss Sam Altman’s Congressional testimony and debate what government should do to regulate (but not stifle) AI’s future. Special Counsel John Durham’s findings on the FBI's Trump-Russia probe were released Monday. The hosts unpack the long-awaited report, whether it exonerates Trump, and how the FBI should handle investigations into political figures moving forward. Lastly, does more money equal better schools? Ravi and Rikki examine a timely study that sheds new light on the correlation between school funding and academic performance.

SHOW NOTES

Epstein’s Friends [03:18]

Jeffrey Epstein Moved $270,000 for Noam Chomsky and Paid $150,000 to Leon Botstein (WSJ, 5/17/23)
Deutsche Bank Will Pay $75 Million to Victims of Jeffrey Epstein (NYT, 5/17/23)
The Party Is Cancelled (New Yorker, 5/17/23)

ChatGPT Goes to Washington [06:45]

Congress hasn’t had the best record of regulating new tech. Could AI be different? (Market Place, 5/16/23)
‘My worst fears are…’: Key moments from ChatGPT creator Sam Altman’s testimony to Congress (Indian Express, 5/18/23)
6 takeaways from the OpenAI senate hearing (Mashable, 5/16/23)
OpenAI CEO tells Senate that he fears AI’s potential to manipulate views (WaPo, 5/16/23)
AI hearing leaves Washington with 3 big questions (Politico, 5/16/23)
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testifies at Senate artificial intelligence hearing | full video (CBS News, 5/16/23)
Top Moments From ChatGPT Creator’s Congressional Testimony (CNET, 5/16/23)
ChatGPT’s Sam Altman Warns Congress That AI ‘Can Go Quite Wrong’ (WSJ, 5/16/23)
OpenAI CEO in “historic” move calls for regulation before Congress (Axios, 5/16/23)
OpenAI’s Sam Altman Urges Congress to Regulate Powerful New Technology (Bloomberg, 5/17/23)
Who is Sam Altman, the OpenAI CEO testifying at Congress? (WaPo, 5/16/23)

Durham Report Spin [23:40]

Full Durham Report (DOJ, 5/12/23)
After Years of Political Hype, the Durham Inquiry Failed to Deliver (NYT, 5/17/23)
Durham report sharply criticizes FBI’s 2016 Trump campaign probe (WaPo, 5/15/23)
Durham report on Trump-Russia investigation: What led to it and what happens next (AP News, 5/16/23)
Why the Durham Report Matters to Democracy (WSJ, 5/16/23)
Takeaways from the Durham report on the Trump-Russia probe (Poltico, 5/15/23)
Durham report slams FBI’s Trump-Russia probe (The Hill, 5/15/23)

School Funding Cliff? [40:21]

An economist spent decades saying money wouldn’t help schools. Now his research suggests otherwise. (Chalkbeat, 5/16/23)
America Isn’t Ready for the School-Funding Crisis Ahead (The Atlantic, 5/15/23)
Book Excerpt: 40 Years After ‘A Nation At Risk,’ Schools Are More Flush With Cash — and More Likely to Be Flushing Their Cash (The 74, 4/25/23)
New York schools see a big disconnect between spending and test scores. Why? (Chalkbeat, 4/26/22)
4 new studies bolster the case: More money for schools helps low-income students (Chalkbeat, 8/13/19)
Think Reforming Teacher Pay Doesn’t Work? Think Again. (Education Next, 4/26/23)
Dispatches From a Democratic Supermajority (Imbroglio, 5/16/23)