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Future of AI

News on Artificial Intelligence in Education and Libraries

Friday, July 26, 2024

This Week in AI with Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon (July 26, 2024)


We've released our latest "This Week in AI" recording, back on Fridays (except taking next week off). Hope you enjoy! AI summary provide by summarize.tech: https://www.summarize.tech/www.youtube.com/watch?v=35xrNF4xzlA

00:00:00 - 00:30:00

In the July 26, 2024 episode of "This Week in AI," hosts Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the disconnect between experts' predictions about the future of AI and practical preparations of businesses and individuals, emphasizing the importance of focusing on practical applications and avoiding unrealistic expectations. They also touch on the challenges of privacy concerns and the need for clear implementation of AI technologies. Hepler shares a personal experience of being stranded due to a computer system error, highlighting the unreliability of technology and potential consequences. The conversation then shifts to the use of custom GPUs in AI and the Human Intelligence for Artificial Intelligence movement. The hosts discuss the latest developments in AI technology, including the integration of search engine capabilities into large language models and the potential implications for productivity and personal relationships. They also explore the possibility of using AI to simulate conversations with deceased individuals or geniuses, raising ethical concerns. The episode concludes with a discussion about the impact of AI on the photo industry and the importance of human creativity and expertise.

  • 00:00:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video, hosts Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the implications of Ethan Monic's blog post "Confronting Impossible Futures" for businesses and individuals. The post highlights the disconnect between experts' predictions about the future of AI and the practical preparations of businesses and individuals. Hepler and Hargadon emphasize the importance of focusing on practical applications of AI and avoiding overpromising and unrealistic expectations. They also touch on the topic of scenario planning and the need for businesses to find specific, productive uses for AI. Additionally, they mention the challenges of privacy concerns and the need for clear, effective implementation of AI technologies. The conversation also includes a personal anecdote from Hepler about his experience with a biotech error that prevented him from traveling.
  • 00:05:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video, Reed Hepler shares his personal experience of being stranded at the airport due to a computer system update causing flight cancellations and delays. Hepler highlights the unreliability of technology and the potential cascading implications of simple errors. Steve Hargadon connects this incident to the current rush to profitability in AI, with companies making promises of magical solutions to save time and labor. However, these promises may not always be productive or worth the investment, as seen in the case of Microsoft's search summaries and other visible mistakes. The conversation also touches upon the potential of custom GPUs in AI and their significant capabilities.
  • 00:10:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video, Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the various applications and considerations of using custom Gpt models, as well as the importance of human responsibility in the age of AI. Hepler also introduces the Human Intelligence for Artificial Intelligence movement, which aims to prepare students for the workplace and AI-driven world by emphasizing human qualities and abilities. The conversation then shifts to OpenAI's recent announcement of an AI-powered search engine, Search Gpt, which is intended to rival Google and Complexity. The hosts express their thoughts on the implications of this development and the potential impact on the industry.
  • 00:15:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" podcast with Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon, they discuss the latest developments in AI technology, specifically the integration of search engine capabilities into large language models like ChatGPT and Claude. Hepler expresses excitement about this advancement as it represents a significant step towards AGI. However, Hargadon raises concerns about the potential shaping of responses by developers and the legal standards that may be imposed on such technology. He also emphasizes the importance of transparency and truthfulness in AI responses. The conversation then shifts to the issue of trust and cognitive shortcuts for decision-making, with Hargadon preferring a plain voice and footnotes for AI responses to avoid building a relationship based on trust. Hepler mentions a blog post he has written on skepticism and AI, inspired by Carl Sagan.
  • 00:20:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" video, hosts Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the potential of using AI to simulate conversations with deceased individuals or geniuses. Hepler brings up Carl Sagan as an example and suggests creating a custom GPT model using Sagan's written material and transcripts to mimic his voice and thinking style. Hargadon shares his experience with creating a similar model using Ivan Illich's material and expresses excitement about the possibility of having conversations with deceased relatives for therapeutic purposes or developing a closer relationship with the AI version. They also acknowledge the ethical concerns and potential for scams in this area.
  • 00:25:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" video, Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the potential implications of advanced AI technology in various aspects of life, including personal relationships and productivity. Steve shares his experience of attending an AI training session with a visual avatar narrator and the productivity boost he gained by using Otter to summarize the sessions. They also touch upon studies suggesting that AI can both promote creativity and lessen productivity, depending on how effectively it's used. Reed introduces the concept of merging AI and human intelligence to enhance existing processes and increase productivity. Steve emphasizes the importance of communication and idea generation in the creative process and how AI can facilitate these aspects by acting as a conversational partner.
  • 00:30:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video, hosts Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the impact of AI on the photo industry. Steve argues that understanding how humans work is essential to effectively utilizing AI, and Reed shares an article about Mid Journey 6, a new AI model that is expected to significantly affect the industry. They agree that while AI may replace stock photography, it won't replace human photographers for events like weddings. The conversation also touches on the evolution of photography and its impact on the expertise of photographers over the years. Despite the advancements in AI, the hosts believe that human creativity and expertise will continue to be valuable. The episode concludes with a discussion about skipping the deep dives for the time being and looking forward to future topics.

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Midjourney 6 Means the End for a Big Chunk of the Photo Industry

Those words — spoken to me by a large independent online publisher — should strike fear into the hearts of anyone in the photography industry. I agree with the publisher. Using Midjourney’s new Version 6 doesn’t initially feel revolutionary.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://medium.com/the-generator/midjourney-6-means-the-end-for-a-big-chunk-of-the-photo-industry-068cb5faeddc

The False Promises of AI

In 1770, the Hungarian author and inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen introduced an automaton chess machine known as The Mechanical Turk. This device showcased its automated chess master skills across Europe, frequently emerging victorious in matches against human opponents.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://medium.com/artificial-corner/the-false-promises-of-ai-fe23124e0fb9

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

How a Virtual Assistant Taught Me to Appreciate Busywork

I recently downloaded a virtual assistant that promised to ease the burdens of modern parenthood. The app is called Yohana, and it offered to handle a pile of tasks on my behalf.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/arts/artificial-intelligence-assistants-parents.html

Monday, July 22, 2024

Japan’s copyright rules draw AI groups — and alarm from creators

Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Cancel anytime during your trial. Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://www.ft.com/content/f9e7f628-4048-457e-b064-68e0eeea1e39

Library 2.0 School Library Summit - School Libraries and AI

EXCITING NEWS JOIN US! Join us for an exciting and transformative mini virtual conference, "School Libraries and AI," designed specifically for school librarians and educators passionate about the future of library services.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://elissamalespina.substack.com/p/library-20-school-library-summit

Confronting Impossible Futures

I speak to a lot of people in industry, academia, and government, and I have noticed a strange blind spot. Despite planning horizons that often stretch a decade or more, very few organizations are seriously accounting for the possibility of continued AI improvement in their strategic planning.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/confronting-impossible-futures

Sunday, July 21, 2024

AI Sparks a Creative Revolution in Business, With an Unexpected Twist

In the race to harness artificial intelligence (AI), businesses are discovering an unexpected wrinkle: AI that sparks individual brilliance may be flattening the creative landscape.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2024/ai-sparks-a-creative-revolution-in-business-with-an-unexpected-twist/

AI Lets People Chat With 'Clones' of Departed Loved Ones

An artificial intelligence (AI) that lets you communicate with a digital version of a deceased loved one. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction. (In fact, it’s the basis for an episode of “Black Mirror.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://www.pymnts.com/artificial-intelligence-2/2024/ai-lets-people-chat-with-clones-of-departed-loved-ones/

Google's AI visionary says we'll 'expand intelligence a millionfold by 2045' thanks to nanobots, the tech will resurrect the dead, and we're all going to live forever

AI is undoubtedly the biggest technology topic of the last decade, with mind-bogglingly vast resources from companies including Google, OpenAI and Microsoft being poured into the field. Despite that the results so far are somewhat mixed.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/googles-ai-visionary-says-well-expand-intelligence-a-millionfold-by-2045-thanks-to-nanobots-the-tech-will-resurrect-the-dead-and-were-all-going-to-live-forever/

Researchers develop framework to merge AI and human intelligence for process safety

Artificial intelligence (AI) has grown rapidly in the last few years, and with that increase, industries have been able to automate and improve their efficiency in operations. Contributors to this work are Dr.

ORIGINAL LINK: https://techxplore.com/news/2024-07-framework-merge-ai-human-intelligence.html