Webb Wright @_webbwright

Journalist covering tech and the mind. Seen in @sciam, @WIRED, @QuantaMagazine, @VICE, and elsewhere. Obsessed with words and music. Brooklyn, NY Joined January 2021

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WIRED @WIRED

5 days ago

As concerns grow about AI chatbots leading users into delusional spirals, prominent spiritual influencers are capitalizing on an emerging form of techno-spirituality. wired.com/story/spiritua…

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Image generators are designed to mimic their training data, so where does their apparent creativity come from? A recent study suggests that it’s an inevitable by-product of their architecture. wired.com/story/research…

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

3 weeks ago

How much of human behavior is deterministic—a set of probabilities no more inscrutable to algorithms than so many pieces on a chessboard? To find out, I interviewed an AI agent trained to mimic my personality. My latest for @sciam: scientificamerican.com/article/can-a-…

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Julie Holland, MD @BellevueDoc

2 months ago

what? no. People are using AI to ‘sit’ with them while they trip on psychedelics technologyreview.com/2025/07/01/111…

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Albert Einstein @AlbertEinstein

2 months ago

recent paper shows that the “creativity” of certain AI may actually be a direct, inevitable consequence of how they are built. quantamagazine.org/researchers-un… @_webbwright @QuantaMagazine

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

2 months ago

Both psychedelics and AI, in their own separate ways, can help illuminate the inner reaches of the human mind. For @techreview, I wrote about the dangers—and moments of strange beauty—that can occur when the two are used together. technologyreview.com/2025/07/01/111…

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Mason Kamb @MasonKamb

2 months ago

Honored to have had my recent work with @SuryaGanguli on the mechanisms behind creativity in diffusion models featured in this lovely article by @_webbwright for Quanta magazine!

Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine

2 months ago

Honored to have had my recent work with @SuryaGanguli on the mechanisms behind creativity in diffusion models featured in this lovely article by @_webbwright for Quanta magazine!

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

2 months ago

Can image-generating AI models really be "creative"? Or is there something deeper at play? My latest for @QuantaMagazine: x.com/QuantaMagazine…

Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine

2 months ago

Can image-generating AI models really be "creative"? Or is there something deeper at play? My latest for @QuantaMagazine: x.com/QuantaMagazine…

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

5 months ago

I experienced two grand mal seizures in 2011, both of which were profoundly transformative. And like many transformative experiences, they were both traumatic and enlightening. The most personal story I've ever published, for @psyche_the_mag: psyche.co/ideas/having-e…

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DoubleBlind @doubleblindmag

5 months ago

The world’s most iconic mushroom is now under federal scrutiny. Amanita muscaria is being tied to hospitalizations—but is it really the culprit, or just the scapegoat? @_webbwright reports: newsletter.doubleblindmag.com/p/amanita-musc…

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Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine

5 months ago

Randomness is essential to some research, but it’s always been prohibitively complicated to achieve. Now, we can use “pseudorandomness” instead. @_webbwright reports: quantamagazine.org/the-high-cost-…

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Yoshua Bengio @Yoshua_Bengio

9 months ago

If we don't solve the alignment and control problems, AI risks will continue to grow as we give systems more and more agency. We need major progress in both science and policy beforehand. Read @_webbwright's article in @sciam to which I contributed: scientificamerican.com/article/what-a…

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

9 months ago

As tech companies race to deploy AI agents, safety experts are worried about what these increasingly autonomous systems will mean for the economy, the internet, and the future of humanity. My latest for @sciam: scientificamerican.com/article/what-a…

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DoubleBlind @doubleblindmag

11 months ago

Did you know there are online directories that help people procure mushrooms? It’s true– there are also delivery services and IRL shops, too. But how are they existing so out in the open? @_webbwright with the latest. doubleblindmag.com/selling-mushro…

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

11 months ago

In my first piece for @WIRED, I wrote about the suspiciously quiet disappearance of company executives who were once charged with leading us into a brave new virtual world (of shopping). wired.com/story/where-ha…

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

11 months ago

I wrote about the role that AI can play in reducing waste and carbon emissions in the fashion industry. But those problems are rooted in the underlying business model—and that's something that no single technology can change on its own. thedrum.com/news/2024/10/0…

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

a year ago

California's #SB1047 is widening an ideological rift that divides the AI community—between those who welcome regulation, and those who worry that it will stifle innovation. My latest for @TheDrum: thedrum.com/news/2024/08/1…

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

a year ago

Yes, you should show some civility when interacting with chatbots. No, it's not because AI is going to overthrow humanity and take over the world. My latest for @sciam: scientificamerican.com/article/should…

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Webb Wright @_webbwright

a year ago

Psychedelics-laced products are everywhere—and many of them aren't what they claim to be. My first investigative piece for @doubleblindmag, written with support from the Ferriss – UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship: doubleblindmag.com/notes-from-the…