How many 'L's are in 'Google'?

Good morning, 48 Hills publisher Marke B here.

We're not huge fans of what passes for Artificial Intelligence—at least how the concept has been aggressively sold, i.e. shoved down our throats at every turn. Besides the huge waste of resources at its data centers, the gentrification and housing crisis the "industry" has accelerated, the dangerous economic bubble it's generated, and the fascist elbow-rubbing its leaders have engaged in, well, it's often just plain wrong.

Yesterday, we asked Google "How many Ls are in 'Google'"? Here's what its "AI Overview" responded:

We're pretty sure we spelled "Google" correctly. And yet, more local newsrooms are proudly embracing this "new" technology—most of it just rebranded older technology that has stolen its content from artists and writers—more and more. And that technology is controlled by unaccountable corporations and billionaires, who aren't exactly fans of freedom of speech or the press. Recent headlines like the below scare us:

San Francisco Standard is going "AI-Native"
San Francisco Chronicle: Our Use of AI
AI-generated news is here from S.F.-based Hoodline

We at 48 Hills got into this business because we want to tell the human stories of San Francisco in a human way—by humans, who know humans. We believe that journalism is a human art, a human science, and a human craft, a precious freedom of inquiry and documentation that expands human perception and can change the way humans live.

48 Hills is 100% human, and 100% local, from our journalists and arts critics to our web designers and backend operations. We aim to stay that way—because we love humanity! We are on the streets, inside the venues, at the functions taking real notes and talking to real people about what's going on. Sure, you may see the occasional spelling error or overuse of semicolons, but isn't that a tiny bit reassuring in these days of ChatGPT and AI slop?

We have just a few more weeks to reach our Spring Bloom $50K matching fundraiser here. Every amount you donate goes twice as far. You can read below how we plan to use the funds. We are a tiny, independent, non-profit operation that swings way above our weight at the corporate giants that are taking over local media. And we do it because we want San Francisco and the Bay Area to stay 100% human.

ABOUT OUR SPRING BLOOM MATCHING CAMPAIGN A generous donor has pledged to match donations up to $50,000 throughout the spring season. Your donation will go twice as far, and help our prize-winning reporting reach deeper and farther. 

The best way to help us is to sign up for a recurring monthly donation here. (Matching amount will count for one year's worth of monthly donation amount.) Monthly donors at the $10+ level receive access to Tim Redmond's exclusive weekly The Agenda Newsletter, telling you all you need to know about the upcoming elections and insider City Hall politics. It's really good. 

But any amount you can give will help! We are saving local, independent media—and the soul of San Francisco—from billionaire fascists, impinging oligarchs, and out-of-town corporate chains. We are a nonprofit organization: Your donation is tax-deductible to the furthest extent of the law.

Here’s what we aim to do in the future:

*Hire a full-time or several part-time reporters to help us cover more housing, environmental, tech, health, and community issues as only we can—clearly, outspokenly, and unafraid 

*Research more news grants to help us conduct deep investigative reporting that really digs into issues like City Hall corruption, environmental degradation, housing developer scams, and institutional racism and discrimination 

*Increase our social media reach and video reporting to engage younger viewers and voters, and help our reporting reach more people across the digital divide. (See the great work we’re already doing here.)

*Cover the important upcoming elections even more with experience, institutional knowledge, and on-the-ground energy 

*Redesign our website for easier use and readability. 

*Ensure 48 Hills lives on to fight into the future, despite deep cuts in non-profit news funding and arts grants. 

Please join us on our mission to keep media independent, and power accountable! Thank you to all our readers and supporters who have helped us get this far—almost 13 years! Let’s do 13×13 more. 

—Marke B + Tim Redmond