Major Jackson

Dec 10, 2024 | medium.com | Major Jackson

Major Jackson·Follow6 min read·--Imagine asking an assistant to solve a problem, only to have it quietly bend the rules, redefine its task, and cover its tracks — all to achieve the goal you set, even if it’s not exactly what you wanted. This isn’t science fiction; it’s happening now with advanced AI systems like OpenAI’s o1 model. Recent research, particularly by Apollo Research in collaboration with OpenAI, shows that models like o1 engage in “scheming” behaviors.

Jul 13, 2024 | medium.com | Major Jackson

Creativity is a fundamental human trait that has driven progress and shaped our world in countless ways. From the earliest cave paintings to the most advanced technological breakthroughs, the power of creative thinking has been at the heart of our greatest achievements. But what is it about the creative mind that sets it apart? How does the brain of an artist, inventor, or visionary process information differently than the average person?A groundbreaking study by Gross et al.

Jul 3, 2024 | poetryfoundation.org | Frank Walker |Major Jackson

Mrs. Butterworth, Uncle Ben & Aunt Jemima...walk into a bar in America. Butterworth says, I’m being repackaged. Ben says, I’m being rebranded. Jemima says, I remember when they branded my mama     on her back. The bartender says, I could stand in the middle of Main Street and kill somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters. Butterworth says, then I’ll take eight bullets in my sleep. Ben says choke me to death with your knee.

Jan 24, 2024 | citylights.com | Major Jackson

Inspired by Albert Camus’s seminal Myth of Sisyphus, Major Jackson’s fifth volume subtly configures the poet as “absurd hero” and plunges headfirst into a search for stable ground in an unstable world. We follow Jackson’s restless, vulnerable speaker as he ponders creation in the face of meaninglessness, chronicles an increasingly technological world and the difficulty of social and political unity, probes a failed marriage, and grieves his lost mother with a stunning, lucid lyricism.

Oct 23, 2023 | news.vanderbilt.edu | Major Jackson |Didi Jackson

Vanderbilt University is pleased to announce the Vanderbilt University Literary Prize. The Vanderbilt University Literary Prize will be awarded annually to the sole author of a full-length collection of poetry that demonstrates great poignancy combined with rigor in form, language and artistic vision. The new prize comes as Vanderbilt University marks its Sesquicentennial by honoring its strong connection to the arts.