Michael Szollosy

Art in the Age of AI Reproduction How do we tell the difference between what's 'AI' and what's 'human'? And what happens when those criteria starts to fall apart?

Another post in my series looking at art, AI and what it means to be human. This one tries to figure out what, if anything, is special about art. And if nothing is ‘special’ about art, what does that do to how we see ourselves and our unique place in the world?

open.substack.com/pub/michaels...

Empathy is under attack — but it remains vital for leadership and connection For decades, empathy was unequivocally viewed as an asset, but today, some view it as a liability. Two experts in management explain why it’s so important for leaders.

In my last Substack post, I was talking about how maybe we’re not as emotionally intelligent as we think.

And I can’t help but think that the attack on empathy might be related to this.

And then this study lands in my inbox.

theconversation.com/empathy-is-u...

Further notes from the Waste Land A study says AI poetry is indistinguishable from human poetry - what does that mean?

A study says that AI poetry is indistinguishable from human poetry. I look at what this means in my Substack.

open.substack.com/pub/michaels...

Truth 👇

T. S. Eliot v ChatGPT: A Case Study Can AI write a masterpiece? That's not really the point.

Can AI write a modernist masterpiece?

I don’t think that’s the right question. Read my latest post and the first in a series looking at our relationship with AI.

open.substack.com/pub/michaels...

Cats can get dementia too – here are the eight signs to look out for Feline dementia is thought to affect almost half of cats over the age of 15.

I didn't know that this was an actual thing, but now that I do, it explains a lot.

Something all animal lovers should be aware of:

theconversation.com/cats-can-get...

Well said! It's why you need to go EVERYWHERE to even begin to understand the country.

(Which also makes the ubiquity of 'nostre pizze' on so many menus even more tragic, so much more sad. A capitulation to the inevitable march of global capitalism...)

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THIS is one of the biggest problems of our time . . .

⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
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Prominent UK women tell rightwingers: stop linking immigration to sexual abuse Exclusive: Open letter says politicians are exploiting violence against women ‘to fuel hate and division’

“We reject the far right’s racist lies about ‘protecting’ women and girls. They are not defenders of women – they exploit violence against women to fuel hate and division,”

AMEN

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

It really is uncanny, don't you think?

Oh, you definitely get a follow for posting a picture of Bela Lugosi, most certainly and thank you.

J'essaie. Je m'essaierai. I am trying. Some reflections on writing .

Some reflections on writing while I work on some other projects.

open.substack.com/pub/michaels...

First thoughts: Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning Artificial Intelligence is the Final Boss in Tom Cruise's epic blockbuster... or is it? Plus, a special Easter egg? definitely not.

A quick review of the new Mission: Impossible movie got a little more involved when I realised that there was a reason that the AI wasn't really 'AI' and what that says about AI more generally. Also, did anyone else notice the Pulp Fiction connection?

open.substack.com/pub/michaels...

I analyzed more than 100 extremist manifestos: Misogyny was the common thread Gender identity–driven violence is the most common ideological theme across ‘lone-actor’ extremist manifestos in a recent study.

More interesting research presented in @theconversation.com on misogyny and manifestos.

theconversation.com/i-analyzed-m...

A government ban on Hungary’s Pride parade backfired Saturday as over 100,000 people marched through Budapest, far more than usual

PM Viktor Orban warned people to stay away, threatening “clear legal consequences.” But the warnings only turned a modest event into a mass rally against his government

Why are we afraid of robots? Containers and the Uncanny Valley Looking at the long-described phenomenon from a different (Freudian) perspective.

My newest post looking at the question of why we are afraid of robots from a different angle.

open.substack.com/pub/michaels...

Much as I would not dare to predict the consequences of this war, I do think we can summarize it thusly so far:

A smart and evil man manipulated a stupid and evil man into a war against a fanatical and evil regime.

This is precisely what happened. The same effort, over and over again, with Democrats and Republicans. But America was finally weak enough to simply ignore and its president idiotic enough to go along with it.

Trump plunges the US into a new war In fewer than six months in office, the self-proclaimed anti-war president has engrossed the US into a new war in the Middle East

"Trump has spent the last five months vowing that the Ukraine-Russia war would never have happened if he was president, vowing that the Israel-Gaza war would never have happened if he was president. And yet the reality is that not only has he not avoided war, but he’s plunged us into a new one."

Misogyny has become a political strategy — here’s how the pandemic helped make it happen Online misogyny isn’t just fringe — it’s baked into the architecture of the internet itself and, increasingly, serves as a powerful political tool.

Lest anyone thought these battles were over (and maybe too many did, before the pandemic): a good summary of the new challenges, and the research exposing them.

theconversation.com/misogyny-has...

21st Century Monsters: The Woke Mind Virus I'm inducting another contemporary villain into the Monstrous Hall of Infamy.

Inducting a new horror into the pantheon of 21st-century monsters, and introducing new, much improved graphics through a new partnership with @lunaresspooker.bsky.social - check him out!

open.substack.com/pub/michaels...

Why are we afraid of robots? Part 2 - Robots as what we fear we are becoming A second post where I look again at some of my ideas as to why we are afraid of robots

Some more thoughts on the question, Why are we afraid of robots? over on my Substack.

open.substack.com/pub/michaels...

I feel like I'm saying this a lot, but...

Let's hope that Labour have the courage to do the right thing that everyone already wants them to do.

Starmer's anti-immigrant speech today wasn't just a moral and political embarrassment. It was also an intellectual embarrassment.

inews.co.uk/opinion/star...

Just came out of Ryan Coogler's Sinners. What a film!

Vampires? Yes please!

Delta Blues music? Oh yes, most certainly!!

Nuanced politics of race and religion that isn't obviously preachy?

What more could anyone ask for?

Love it. Thank you.

Brilliantly put from @iandunt.bsky.social as always.

@teamlabouruk.bsky.social are you listening? If you tell people that Reform are right, that boats and immigrants are the problem, why would they vote for you and not Reform?

Don't let Reform win the argument.

Exactly because the richest people are the LEAST LIKELY to resist Trump precisely because he acts in their interests. They're not going to fight him - they're on his side!

Y'all can't wait around for the billionaires to save you.

Ya'll need to get off the sofas and realise you got a full-blown fascist in charge and start putting and end to this shit before it's too late.

No criminal charges over death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson Adam Johnson died after suffering a neck injury from a skate during a collision in a match.

About time. This took too long to settle. It never should have gone on like this, feeding all sorts of the wrong social media trolls.

Let's please move on.

BBC News - No criminal charges over death of ice hockey player
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Quite frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't.

Plenty of time yet, though.