The New York Times put human musicians head-to-head against AI in a songwriting challenge, having four professionals spend a weekend recording songs alongside AI-generated tracks. Readers were invited to judge both sets of songs, and The Verge's review of the contest found that AI songs were easy to identify and generally weaker. The experiment underscored that human creativity still carries a weight that machine-generated music struggles to match, even as AI tools become more accessible.
Meanwhile, musicians Jason Isbell, David Lowery, Guy Forsyth, and Eduardo Calle filed a class-action lawsuit against AI music company Suno, alleging the firm exploits artists by generating music that imitates their identities without permission. The lawsuit leans on right-of-publicity laws rather than traditional copyright claims. Suno disputes the allegations and says it does not use artists' names as training data.
In the world of AI development, Anthropic's Claude AI continues to draw attention, with an article arguing the model can never truly be a person. Claude, created by Anthropic and founded by Dario Skolnicki, a former Google worker, cannot feel emotions or make decisions based on personal preferences. The piece stresses that AI systems like Claude remain tools, regardless of how advanced they become.
Academic institutions are scrambling to keep pace. The University of Oregon faces calls to update its AI rules in classes after Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI released updates to their generative AI models, including GPT-6 Astra. Professors still disagree on how AI should be used in courses, leaving students with inconsistent expectations depending on their instructors. Some students have shifted away from software engineering toward other fields because of the changing rules.
Rice University in Houston is launching a Master of Artificial Intelligence degree next fall, targeting engineers who want to build systems for companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. The program features small class sizes and hands-on training to fill a growing talent gap, building on an undergraduate AI degree introduced last year.
On the employment front, an article pushes back on Microsoft's Mustafa Suleyman, who predicted most desk jobs would be fully automated within 12 to 18 months. The author argues this view ignores the real work in professional jobs like attending hearings, visiting sites, and holding meetings. A study of Norwegian workers found meetings took up about 12 percent of work hours and 14 percent of company wage bills, suggesting human skills like coordination will remain important.
The US and 15 other countries signed a joint statement supporting AI in science, highlighting AI's ability to help researchers analyze data and make discoveries. Countries including Canada, the UK, Australia, Japan, and South Korea signed the document, which also calls for responsible development and addressing ethical concerns.
In hardware news, OpenAI hardware VP Richard Ho discussed the Jalapeño inference ASIC co-developed with Broadcom in an interview with Tom's Hardware. The publication also covered AI tools being used in chip design, including Synopsys' AgentEngineer Autopilot platform, and raised concerns about intellectual property. Nvidia released the Open Agent Safety Platform with hundreds of companies to monitor AI agents.
Finally, research shows smartphones, social media, and generative AI are altering brain chemistry through constant dopamine releases and stress reactions. Heavy media multitasking reduces gray-matter density in areas responsible for focus and emotional regulation, while notifications trigger cortisol and norepinephrine spikes that keep the brain in a low-grade fight-or-flight state.
Key Takeaways
- The New York Times held a songwriting challenge pitting human musicians against AI, and The Verge found AI songs were easy to spot and generally weaker.
- Musicians including Jason Isbell filed a class-action lawsuit against Suno, alleging the AI music company imitates artist identities without permission using right-of-publicity laws.
- Anthropic's Claude AI cannot truly be a person, according to an analysis; the model remains a tool with no capacity for emotion or personal decision-making.
- The University of Oregon faces pressure to update its AI policies in classes after updates from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI, including GPT-6 Astra.
- Rice University is launching a Master of Artificial Intelligence degree next fall, aimed at engineers who want to build systems for companies like OpenAI and Anthropic.
- Microsoft's Mustafa Suleyman predicted desk job automation within 12 to 18 months, but an analyst argues human coordination and relationship skills will remain essential.
- The US and 15 nations signed a joint statement supporting AI in science, calling for responsible development and ethical considerations.
- OpenAI's hardware VP discussed the Jalapeño inference ASIC co-developed with Broadcom, while Nvidia launched the Open Agent Safety Platform with hundreds of companies.
- Research indicates smartphones, social media, and generative AI are chemically altering brains through dopamine releases and stress reactions, reducing gray-matter density.
- A study of Norwegian workers found meetings consumed about 12 percent of work hours and 14 percent of company wage bills, challenging claims of rapid desk job automation.
Human Musicians Face AI in New York Times Songwriting Challenge
The New York Times had four professional musicians spend a weekend recording songs to see if humans could create better music than AI. The experiment compared songs made by humans with songs made by artificial intelligence. Readers were invited to listen to both and choose which they preferred. The goal was to explore the differences between human and machine creativity.
Verge Review Says AI Songs Easily Lose to Human Music
The Verge reviewed the New York Times AI versus human songwriting contest and found that AI songs were easy to spot and generally weaker. The detailed diary of how both human and AI songs were made showed how low effort AI music creation tends to be. Side by side comparisons made it simple to tell which songs were written by people. The experiment still highlighted real differences in how humans and machines approach music.
Anthropic's Claude AI Cannot Truly Be a Person
An article argues that Anthropic's Claude AI can never truly be a person. Claude is a large language model created by Anthropic, a company founded by Dario Skolnicki, a former Google worker. The piece says Claude cannot feel emotions, make decisions based on personal preferences, or take actions that help or harm people. AI systems like Claude are tools, not people, no matter how advanced they become.
University of Oregon Told to Update AI Rules in Classes
An opinion piece argues that the University of Oregon needs to better adjust its curriculum for AI use. In early September, Anthropic, Google and OpenAI all released updates to their generative AI models including GPT-6 Astra. UO created a guide with AI policies and academic integrity information, but professors still disagree on how AI should be used in courses. Students face different expectations depending on which instructor they have, and some have shifted away from software engineering toward other fields because of the changing rules.
AI Will Not End Desk Jobs, Analyst Argues
An article pushes back on the idea that AI will eliminate white-collar desk jobs quickly. Microsoft's Mustafa Suleyman predicted most desk jobs would be fully automated within 12 to 18 months. The author says this view ignores the real work in professional jobs like attending hearings, visiting sites and holding meetings. A study of Norwegian workers found meetings took up about 12 percent of work hours and 14 percent of company wage bills. The author argues that human skills like coordination and relationship building will remain important even as AI grows.
US and 15 nations jointly back AI for scientific progress
The United States and 15 other countries signed a joint statement supporting AI in science. The statement highlights AI's ability to help researchers analyze data and make discoveries. It also calls for responsible development and addressing ethical concerns. Countries including Canada, the UK, Australia, Japan, and South Korea signed the document.
Rice University launches Master's program in Artificial Intelligence
Rice University in Houston is launching a Master of Artificial Intelligence degree next fall. The program targets engineers who want to build systems for companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. It features small class sizes and hands-on training to fill a growing talent gap. This builds on an undergraduate AI degree the university introduced last year.
Tom's Hardware covers AI chip design and OpenAI interview
Tom's Hardware published an interview with OpenAI hardware VP Richard Ho about the Jalapeño inference ASIC co-developed with Broadcom. The report also covers AI tools being used in chip design, including Synopsys' AgentEngineer Autopilot platform. It discusses concerns about intellectual property and patented IPs. Additionally, Nvidia released the Open Agent Safety Platform with hundreds of companies to monitor AI agents.
Musicians sue AI music company Suno over identity and style
Musicians Jason Isbell, David Lowery, Guy Forsyth, and Eduardo Calle filed a class-action lawsuit against AI music company Suno. They claim Suno exploits artists by generating music that imitates their identities without permission. The lawsuit relies on right-of-publicity laws rather than traditional copyright claims. Suno disputes the allegations and says it does not use artists' names as training data.
Smartphones and AI are chemically changing our brains
Smartphones, social media, and generative AI are altering brain chemistry through constant dopamine releases and stress reactions. Research shows heavy media multitasking reduces gray-matter density in areas responsible for focus and emotional regulation. Notifications trigger cortisol and norepinephrine spikes that keep the brain in a low-grade fight-or-flight state. Experts warn these changes create vulnerabilities for cognitive health and resilience.
Sources
- An A.I. Songwriting Experiment: Humans Against the Machine
- The New York Times pitted five musicians against an AI in a songwriting competition.
- AI ‘Claude’ Can Never Be a Person
- Leininger: UO Curriculum needs further adjustment to address AI use
- Will artificial intelligence kill off the desk job?
- Global tech policymakers agree to embrace AI in science
- Rice University launching dedicated Master’s Degree Program in Artificial Intelligence
- This week on Tom's Hardware Premium: October 3, 2026 — AI Chip Design week, OpenAI Interview, and AI agent safety
- From Ma Rainey to AI: Artists Face a New Fight Over Music, Identity and Control
- Smartphones, Social Media, And AI Are Chemically Altering Our Brains
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