AI round-up: Week of May 6, 2024
I wanted to start this issue with a very non-AI … very human note.
There’s a lot going on out there.
I don’t care who you are; it’s a lot.
Let’s take a time out and step back to why I’m doing these round-ups. The goal is to simply keep you informed. Put you ahead of the pack. It seems to have caught on. We’re adding new subscribers every week, and the conversations we’re getting to have show that the content (and intent) is landing.
The time seems right to remind you that we have an educational workshop package designed to break down all of this. Let's get your hands on some of the AI tools, see what’s what, and try to align everyone on your team to move forward collaboratively.
I end every round-up with an offer to talk, so I thought I’d start today. Let me know if you'd like to connect and learn more.
The Big 5
Is this ChatGPT 5?
This story from Quartz goes deeper than we have room or time for here, but you are going to want to track it. The bottom line is that a mysterious, high-performing chatbot called ‘gpt2-chatbot’ appeared on the scene a few days ago.
It then disappeared.
It then reappeared.
Throw in a cryptic Sam Altman tweet, and this is more intriguing than last week’s AI rap beef/battle.
Speaking of that rap battle…
Tupac's estate threatens to sue Drake.
No. You’re kidding!!
If you’re surprised by that, you are probably also surprised that there have been six more diss tracks since that one was released. Kendrick is winning (in my opinion) as these guys air a lot of (potentially illegal) dirty laundry.
But don’t let that take away from the fact that DRAKE MADE A FAKE TUPAC WITH AI AND USED IT IN A SONG WITHOUT PERMISSION!! (Source: The Verge)
What is Apple doing, exactly?
Tim Cook didn’t give us much in a recent interview, which is recapped here in MacRumors. And it definitely feels like a spaghetti approach (see what sticks). Are they building a device? An LLM? Contracting with an LLM?
Building chips? (CNBC)
I would never bet against Apple. But it’s about time we heard ‘one more thing…’
Are teens making friends with AI chatbots?
Yes.
So why isn’t this a bigger story? I picked it for the Big Five because I think it should be. I have two teens in my house, and they love Character.AI, which is featured in this story in The Verge.
And if you think they’re all talking to fictional characters, you’re wrong. Some are talking to fictional real characters – meaning an AI psychiatrist.
We are just now starting to understand the impact social media has had on our kids. Do we really want to blindly run it back by letting them interact with AI before we truly know where we’re heading?
Is OpenAI going to launch a search feature?
We will open and close with OpenAI.
Between their gpt2-chatbot and now this rumor (reported on in SearchEngineLand), we have a search feature on the way … are we seeing an Amazon moment, where all of a sudden, everything is gobbled up by OpenAI?
Sure seems like it to me.
Learn a little
If you missed it, The Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute is conducting its ‘2024 State of Marketing AI’ survey. According to their survey page, it takes six minutes to complete … and for doing it, you will receive a copy of the results and findings. Sounds like a fair deal to me!
Did you hear about…
…Microsoft updating Copilot? (The Verge)
…TikTok will automatically label content that’s AI-created? (TechCrunch)
…Dotdash Meredith becoming the most recent media company to partner with OpenAI? (PR Newswire)
…Microsoft developing an LLM, the first under Mustafa Sulyeman? (silliconANGLE)
…California nurses protesting; demanding patient safeguards around AI technology? (National Nurses United)
…how much Microsoft claims it did for AI transparency in the inaugural AI safety report? (The Verge)
Must read/must discuss:
Last week, we discussed ways people are using AI to replace service-based thinking tasks. I swear, a day after I sent that, this article in the Financial Times popped up.
“How good is Open AI’s Sora video model – and will it transform jobs?”
THEN … a few days later … this story breaks:
Ukraine unveils AI-generated foreign ministry spokesperson
I really struggle at times. I get excited about what these tools can do … and then I come across an article that talks about how they’ll do it instead of us. It’s a hard place to operate from, but one we need to manage daily.
Someone asked me about my daily research process for AI. I said, ‘First, I get scared, then I get over it, and then I move on to reading the day’s news.’ It’s not a perfect science, but hey, it works.
Thanks for reading!
-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.