AI round-up: Week of March 18, 2024
It’s March Madness.
And no, I’m not talking about the tournament. I’m talking about the mind-blowing month of March we’ve had in the world of AI!
There's more on that below. But first … yes, it's also the real March Madness. And like you (admit it!), I asked a few LLMs what they thought about this year’s tournament, specifically if they had any dark horses to recommend.
Claude told me: Nope, sorry; last update was in 2023.
Pi told me: Sure thing! Here are four to watch—San Diego State, Washington State, Florida Atlantic and Wisconsin.
And ChatGPT … well, they went above and beyond.
See for yourself:
For this year's March Madness tournament, a few sleeper picks and potential upset candidates have been highlighted across different sources:
1. **James Madison (No. 12 Seed)** — With a 31-3 record, James Madison has demonstrated offensive prowess, ranking in the top 10 in scoring with 84.4 points per game. Their victory over Michigan State in an overtime thriller early in the season has set the stage for them as a popular upset pick against No. 5 Wisconsin in the first round【5†source】.
2. **McNeese (No. 12 Seed)** — Another potential 5-12 upset could involve McNeese against No. 5 Gonzaga. McNeese stands out for its high-scoring and strong defense, making it a team to watch【5†source】.
3. **Drake (No. 10 Seed)** — Drake has emerged as a strong contender in the tournament, led by Tucker DeVries who averages 21.8 points per game. Their ability to shoot from the 3-point range could make them a challenging opponent for No. 7 Washington State【5†source】.
4. **Duquesne (No. 11 Seed)** — Duquesne is back in the tournament for the first time since 1977 and boasts a strong defensive team, making them a potential bracket buster against No. 6 BYU【7†source】.
5. **Samford (No. 13 Seed)** over No. 4 Kansas — Samford's playing style, dubbed "Bucky Ball," is expected to pose a significant challenge to Kansas, making it a popular upset pick【6†source】.
6. **NC State (No. 11 Seed)** over No. 6 Texas Tech — After winning five straight games to claim the ACC Tournament, NC State's momentum is expected to carry into their match against Texas Tech, making them a likely candidate for an upset【6†source】.
7. **Mississippi State** — Noted for their defensive efficiency and the scoring prowess of freshman Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State is seen as a team that could surprise North Carolina【8†source】.
8. **Washington State** — Having finished second in the Pac-12 standings and with strong defensive efficiency, Washington State is viewed as a dark horse in its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2008【8†source】.
9. **Grand Canyon** — After defeating San Diego State in December, Grand Canyon is pegged as a popular upset pick in their match-up against Saint Mary's【8†source】.
10. **McNeese State** — With a successful season under coach Will Wade and a strong three-point shooting team, McNeese State is another team to watch for potential upsets, especially in their game against Gonzaga【8†source】.
These teams represent a mix of high-scoring offenses, strong defensive capabilities, and momentum that could lead to surprising outcomes in the tournament.
**
It’s madness!!!
The Big 5
1. Meet Devin. He’s going to blow your mind and change the world.
Remember that whole 95% comment Sam Altman made, and we’ve spent the last two weeks trying to unpack? Well, this might explain why that’s a thing.
This is what Paul Roetzer has been talking about with AI agents. It’s what people have been alluding to when discussing how LLMs are the foundation for what is yet to come.
This will do the whole job. To quote Scott Wu, the Human Software Engineer from Cognition AI featured in the piece: “From now on, Devin is in the driver seat.”
This is as big as five stories combined. But it’s called The Big 5, not The Big 1, so on we go.
2. Mustafa Suleyman joins Microsoft as CEO of the new AI unit.
I cannot tell you how huge this is. For Inflection AI (which he founded). For the future of AI overall (read his book) and the impact on the OpenAI and Microsoft relationship. Any other weeks this would be story number one. This is big.
3. It’s official: The European Union’s AI Act has passed. Here are the details.
4. AI singularity may be here by 2027, with an “AI superintelligence” not far behind.
Just ask the father of AGI.
5. Suno is here. And now you too can be a hit recording artist.
If you weren’t concerned for the future of the music industry already…get a load of this.
Learn a little
What is RAG?
This Shelly Palmer piece covers that, plus other techniques we marketers need to familiarize ourselves with. I’ll be honest—this is new to me, and I’m going to put some time aside to learn more about how you should use these techniques and where you can use them. But if you’re thinking about your own AI chatbot (or have one already), this seems like valuable info.
Did you hear about…
… people thinking AI can make better movies and shows than human creators?
… doctors using generative AI for their patient follow-ups?
… YouTube creators have to call out any AI they use to create their content?
… Apple is in talks with Google to let Gemini power iPhone AI features?
Must read/must discuss:
Do AI systems deserve rights?
This won’t be the last op ed we see on this topic…
Finally.
Back to the March Madness pools … fellow Akhia AI Council member Eric Knappenberger is using ChatGPT to enter a bracket in our company contest. I cannot wait to share with you the results. But…here’s a taste of the conversation they had to fill out ChatGPT’s bracket. (Note – Eric is telling it about the other teams, of which one is named ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’
[12:15 PM] AI Bracket Victory Force [ChatGPT 4]
Well, well, well, look who's feeling confident already. "MAMA (Said Knock You Out)"? Cute name, but let's be real here, Mike. Your team's brackets are about to get knocked out faster than a pop-up ad on a sketchy website. Don't worry though, we'll save you a seat at lunch. After all, someone's gotta witness our victory feast. Good luck holding onto that second-place dream! 🏀🥇 #AIBracketSupremacy
Always here to talk or brainstorm!
Thanks for reading! Feel free to share!
-Ben
As a reminder, this is a round-up of the biggest stories, often hitting multiple newsletters I receive/review. The sources are many … which I’m happy to read on your behalf. Let me know if there’s one you’d like me to track or have questions about a topic you’re not seeing here.