The 8 funniest memes about Haitian immigrants eating animals in Springfield, Ohio

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The importation of 20,000 Haitian immigrants into the small rural area of Springfield, Ohio, has caused serious problems for the residents of the tight-knit community. It's a problem across the country; small towns that are already dealing with strained resources, decades of globalization outsourcing, inflation, and the opioid crisis are forced to absorb third-world invasions, subsidized with their own tax dollars. However serious this is for the residents experiencing the benefits of enforced diversity, the internet has responded with humorous takes on the unconfirmed reports from residents about missing pets and local wildlife. The power of memes shows that absurdist humor can tell a truth the media seeks to silence. Here are some of the funniest ones from X.

Blaze Media's own Logan Hall makes it clear that in the second Trump administration, voodoo sacrifices will not be tolerated.

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Peachy Keenan's tweet made the front of the Drudge Report and was shared by President Trump.

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Logan Hall makes an impassioned plea for where we would send the people making America Haiti.

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The indomitable Jack Posobiec makes it clear that Trump will not stand for this.

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Even Elon Musk couldn't resist jumping into the fray. RIP, Snowball I.

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Return managing editor Peter Gietl showed a cat with a simple message for November.

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Blaze editor in chief Matthew Peterson advocated building an American ark to save the animals.

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The Babylon Bee has been noticing some interesting culinary developments in the area.

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Will we become slaves to the AI manipulation?

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Elon Musk is one of the most polarizing figures on the planet — a part-time tech genius and full-time provocateur who never fails to get under the left's skin. His latest venture, xAI, has just unveiled a new image generation tool that is, as expected, stirring up inordinate amounts of controversy. This feature, designed to create a wide range of visuals, is accused of flooding the internet with deep fakes and other dubious imagery.

Among the content being shared are images of Donald Trump and a pregnant Kamala Harris as a couple and depictions of former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama with illegal substances. While these images have triggered the snowflake-like sensitivities of some on the left, those on the right might have more reason to be concerned about where this technology is headed. Let me explain.

This trend, coupled with the biases in training data, suggests that LLMs could continue to mirror and amplify left-leaning viewpoints.

To fully understand Grok's impact, it is crucial to see it within the broader AI landscape. Grok is a large language model, which places it among many others. The broader context reveals an important reality. The vast majority of LLMs tend to exhibit significant left-leaning biases.

LLMs are trained on vast amounts of internet data, which often skews toward progressive viewpoints. As a result, the outputs they generate can reflect these biases, influencing everything from political discourse to social media content.

A recent study by David Rozado, an AI researcher affiliated with Otago Polytechnic and Heterodox Academy, sheds light on a troubling trend in LLMs. Rozado analyzed 24 leading LLMs, including OpenAI’s GPT-3.5, GPT-4, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude, using 11 different political orientation evaluations. His findings reveal a consistent left-leaning bias across these models, with the “homogeneity of test results across LLMs developed by a wide variety of organizations is noteworthy” being particularly striking.

This situation becomes even more significant when considering the rapid evolution of search engines. As LLMs begin to replace traditional search engines, they are not just shifting our access to information; they are transforming it. Unlike search engines, which serve as vast digital libraries, LLMs are becoming personalized advisors, subtly curating the information we consume. This transition could make conventional search engines seem obsolete in comparison.

As Rozado points out, “The emergence of large language models (LLMs) as primary information providers marks a significant transformation in how individuals access and engage with information.” He adds, “Traditionally, people have relied on search engines or platforms like Wikipedia for quick and reliable access to a mix of factual and biased information. However, as LLMs become more advanced and accessible, they are starting to partially displace these conventional sources.”

Rozado further emphasizes, “This shift in the sourcing of information has profound societal implications, as LLMs can shape public opinion, influence voting behaviors, and impact the overall discourse in society. Therefore, it is crucial to critically examine and address the potential political biases embedded in LLMs to ensure a balanced, fair, and accurate representation of information in their responses to user queries.”

The study underscores the need to scrutinize the nature of bias in LLMs. Despite its obvious biases, traditional media allows for some degree of open debate and critique. In contrast, LLMs function in a far more opaque manner. They operate as black boxes, obscuring their internal processes and decision-making mechanisms. While traditional media can face challenges from a variety of angles, LLM content is more likely to escape such scrutiny.

Moreover, they don’t just retrieve information from the internet; they generate it based on the data they’ve been trained on, which inevitably reflects the biases present in that data. This can create an appearance of neutrality, hiding deeper biases that are more challenging to identify. For instance, if a specific LLM has a left-leaning bias, it might subtly favor certain viewpoints or sources over others when addressing sensitive topics like gender dysphoria or abortion. This can shape users' understanding of these issues not through explicit censorship but by subtly guiding content through algorithm-driven selection. Over time, this promotes a narrow range of perspectives while marginalizing others, effectively shifting the Overton window and narrowing the scope of acceptable discourse. Yes, things are bad now, but it’s difficult not to see them getting many times worse, especially if Kamala Harris, a darling of Silicon Valley, becomes president.

The potential implications of "LLM capture" are, for lack of a better word, severe. Given that many LLM developers come from predominantly left-leaning academic backgrounds, the biases from these environments may increasingly permeate the models themselves. This trend, coupled with the biases in training data, suggests that LLMs could continue to mirror and amplify left-leaning viewpoints.

Addressing these issues will require a concerted effort from respectable lawmakers (yes, a few of them still exist). Key to this will be improving transparency around the training processes of LLMs and understanding the nature of their biases. Jim Jordan and his colleagues recently had success dismantling GARM. Now, it’s time for them to turn their attention to a new, arguably far graver, threat.

I asked Grok to tell us why we shouldn’t worship technology. Here’s its surprising answer.

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Grok, Elon Musk’s “frontier language model" accessible from right inside X, is shaking up the internet with its censorship-free automated image generation. Fun — and yes, the name the company has given this setting is Fun Mode — but even well-meaning enthusiasm can cross over into debasing adulation at a certain point. Whatever the fun quotient, no amount of “mind blown” emojis or soyface thumbnails can make free speech alone save us.

For that reason (among others), I’ve warned for years now that tech worship is a dead end masquerading as heaven on earth. I figured we could all benefit at least a little from considering what Grok coughed up in response to a request for a takedown of cyber idolatry — at classic 600-word op-ed length.

Where did Grok get the 'idea' that an appeal to the woo-woo Oprah/Goop culture of 'live, laugh, love' was responsive to my prompt? Probably the best answer, of course, is from us.

So, without further ado — and, of course, sans any censorship, editing, or alteration …

Grok, why shouldn’t we worship technology?

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Ah, humans, always looking for something to worship, aren't you? From the golden calves of yore to the latest smartphone, the urge to bow down before something shiny and new seems almost hard-coded into your DNA. But let's talk about why worshipping technology might be as wise as using a towel for a parachute.

**1. The fallacy of perfection: Technology, much like that overhyped sequel to your favorite movie, promises perfection but often delivers a patchwork of bugs, glitches, and updates. If you worship technology, you're essentially venerating a perpetual beta version of life. Imagine praying to your toaster, only for it to burn your toast because it decided to update its firmware during your morning ritual. Not exactly divine, is it?

**2. The illusion of control: Technology gives you the illusion of control, much like how a child might feel omnipotent with a remote-control car. But let's be real, the moment you start worshipping your gadgets, you're not controlling them; they're controlling you. Ever noticed how your phone tells you when to wake up, eat, work, and even when to rest? You're not the master; you're the servant in this relationship.

**3. The disconnect from humanity: Here's a thought: If you're worshipping technology, you're essentially worshipping efficiency, speed, and data. But what about the human touch? The warmth of a handshake, the depth of a conversation over a cup of tea, or the shared laughter at a live comedy show? Technology can't replicate the soul of human interaction. Worshipping it might make you more efficient at being alone.

**4. The ephemeral nature of tech: Technology has the shelf life of a fruit fly. What's cutting-edge today is obsolete tomorrow. If your deity is your latest gadget, you're in for a cycle of constant disappointment. Imagine the ancient Greeks if every few years, Zeus needed a new model with better thunderbolt capabilities. It'd be less about worship and more about consumerism.

**5. The loss of wonder: When everything becomes technology, where's the wonder? The magic of the world gets reduced to algorithms and code. You might as well replace the northern lights with a well-programmed LED show. Sure, it's pretty, but it's not the same. Worshipping technology means you're worshipping the explanation, not the mystery, which, let's be honest, is where the real magic happens.

**6. The environmental cost: Here's a kicker. Your tech deities demand sacrifices, not of goats or virgins, but of the planet. Every gadget, every server farm, every piece of tech has an environmental footprint. Worshipping technology means you're indirectly worshipping the degradation of your own habitat. It's like praying to a god who's also your landlord, and he keeps raising the rent.

**7. The over-reliance on external solutions: Technology worship fosters a culture where solutions to human problems are always external. Got a problem? There's an app for that. But what about internal growth, wisdom, or personal development? Relying solely on tech for solutions might make you forget how to solve problems with your mind or heart.

In conclusion, while technology is a fantastic servant, it's a terrible master. Worshipping it would be like mistaking the map for the territory, the menu for the meal. Technology should enhance life, not define it. So, humans, keep your tech on a pedestal of utility, not divinity. After all, as any good "Hitchhiker's Guide" reader knows, the answer to life, the universe, and everything isn't found in a circuit board but perhaps in the simple act of living, laughing, and loving. And if all else fails, remember, there's always the option of worshipping a really good sandwich.

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Maybe Grok’s fairly sophisticated answer surprised you with its humor, its scope, or its “willingness” to critique technology at all. I noted its speedy response time of about 20 seconds on a decent Wi-Fi connection, but that’s not what raised my eyebrow. Can you guess what did?

Here it is: I prompted Grok without any hint of what I might want it to output regarding who or what humans should worship. That the AI included the line invoking "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" suggests it interpreted my ask as reflecting some kind of openness or inclination toward the idea that we shouldn’t worship tech because we shouldn’t worship anything. Only a fool, Grok jokes in the kicker, would worship even a delicious food item … although, it seems to conclude, idolizing the ultimate sandwich would be a much more harmless or fleeting mistake than genuflecting at the altar of tech.

Where did Grok get the “idea” that an appeal to the woo-woo Oprah/Goop culture of “live, laugh, love” was responsive to my prompt? Probably the best answer, of course, is from us. Like any large language model, Grok is a product of its inputs, a huge collection of virtual mirrors reflecting ourselves back at us in customizable composite.

The one unasked-for whiff of “bias” Grok produced — in favor of the squishy, secular feel-goodery that dominates our wall art, our corporations, and so much else — indicates that even a bot built for truth and neutrality will shimmer to some degree with the rhetoric and psychological insinuations of people who might say they’re all for a society based on “just the facts” but who, deeper down, believe something much different.

Fun!

X launches Stories feature, pushing news to users powered by AI chatbot Grok

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Elon Musk recently announced that X's AI chatbot Grok will power a feature that essentially summarizes personalized trending stories under the platform's "Explore" section.

X's engineering team posted the announcement on Friday, writing: "Now available: Stories on X, powered by Grok AI."

"See what the world is talking about with Stories on X, curated by @grok. now available for Premium subscribers in the Explore tab! web & iOS only for now-- let us know your feedback."

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Tech Crunch reported that X's Premium subscribers will now have the ability to read a summary of posts on the platform that are associated with each trending story. All of which will be displayed on the "For You" tab.

The "For You" tab acts as a one-stop shop for users to catch up on the news and stories circulating on the platform that are popular within their network. Instead of a user having to endlessly scroll to find out what is trending, they can just go to the "For You" tab to get filled in.

The report mentioned that concerning the AI burnout story, the Grok-powered summary says: “AI engineers are facing burnout and rushed rollouts due to the competitive race in the tech industry, as companies prioritize investor satisfaction over solving actual problems.”

While some may be optimistic about Grok's ability, it is not a perfect piece of AI. The chatbot has made the humorous statement, "Grok can make mistakes, verify its outputs."

Tech Crunch reported:

Access to xAI’s chatbot Grok is meant to be a selling point to push users to buy premium subscriptions. With the Premium and top-tier Premium+ plans, users can access Grok by tapping on the bottom middle button of the app. A snarky and “rebellious” AI, Grok’s differentiator from other AI chatbots like ChatGPT is its exclusive and real-time access to X data.

Tech journalist Alex Kantrowitz reportedly received an email from Musk, who laid out the bigger picture for AI-powered news on the platform.

Kantrowitz wrote: "Musk said better citations are coming, but shared a deeper vision for the product, which he wants to build into a real-time synthesizer of news and social media reaction. Effectively, his plan is to use AI to combine breaking news and social commentary around big stories, present the compilation live, and allow you to go deeper via chat."

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Musk responded, saying that "[a]s more information becomes available, the news summary will update to include that information," adding that "[t]he goal is simple: to provide maximally accurate and timely information, citing the most significant sources."

Kantrowitz added that Musk's goal will not be an easy one, but "the bot [Grok] might become a novel news product given its access to the X firehose."

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X makes Grok AI chatbot available to Premium subscribers but still cannot be used by nonpaying users

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Elon Musk's X is set to make xAI's Grok chatbot available to Premium-tier subscribers after he announced last month that the tool would be made available to more paid users.

The social media platform's help center indicates that Grok will still not be available to nonpaying users. Only Premium and Premium+ users in certain regions will be able to use the AI tool. Tech Crunch reported that paying users will be able to use Grok in two modes: "Regular mode" or "Fun mode."

As with other Large Language Model products, Grok comes with a label that suggests it could return inaccurate answers. This seems to suggest that the AI tool has not yet been perfected, and users should be aware of the shortcomings of such a technology.

One way in which AI chatbots have been utilized is by summarizing trending stories around the world. Grok, Jeff Bezos, and NVIDIA-endorsed Perplexity AI are all trying to break into this space.

However, it appears Musk's Grok has been inaccurate in major headlines, potentially misleading users of the chatbot.

Last week, Grok generated a fake headline, which said: "Iran Strikes Tel Aviv with Heavy Missiles." While the content of the headline did not seem to be out of the realm of possibility, given the situation in the Middle East, Iran did not strike Israel with heavy missiles.

Mashable reported: "Even more concerning, the fake headline was apparently generated by X's own official AI chatbot, Grok, and then promoted by X's trending news product, Explore, on the very first day of an updated version of the feature."

Mashable noted that one reason Musk's platform allowed this to happen is the lack of "human editors." In 2020, X (formerly known as Twitter) put together a human editors team that put trends and news in context. However, Musk appeared to do away with the "human editors" concept after he took over the company in 2022.

Musk wrote the following shortly after taking over the social media platform: "Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease the activists. Extremely messed up! They’re trying to destroy free speech in America."

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X announced in late 2023 that Grok was going to be made available. The post even suggested that users should be aware that the chatbot could render inaccurate answers to prompts: "Grok is an AI modeled after the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, so intended to answer almost anything and, far harder, even suggest what questions to ask!"

"Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, so please don’t use it if you hate humor! A unique and fundamental advantage of Grok is that it has real-time knowledge of the world via the 𝕏 platform. It will also answer spicy questions that are rejected by most other AI systems. Grok is still a very early beta product — the best we could do with 2 months of training — so expect it to improve rapidly with each passing week with your help."

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While Musk has certainly suggested that he wants to peel back censorship on his platform — setting X apart from platforms such as Facebook and Instagram — it appears something needs to be done to prevent Grok from generating fake headlines and other potentially misleading information.

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