AI Currents

?? Welcome to the eighteenth edition of AI Currents! If you're new here or returning, a big hug HELLO ?? and THANK YOU ?? for subscribing and joining me on this AI learning journey! ??

If you're like me, it's not easy keeping up with all the latest AI news, trends, tools, books, conferences, thought leaders...

In an effort to stay AI Current, let's ride this AI wave together so we don't get swept away! ?? ?? I hope to share all kinds of AI resources curated to enhance our understanding, inspire innovation, and add a bit of FUN into our learning process! ????

Let's make this AI journey engaging and insightful together!

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Books & Articles about AI

Your Face Belongs to Us

As I explore various AI tools for cloning my voice and image to create a digital twin, I often reflect on the potential implications of how my likeness might be used. While I’m excited about the possibilities, I am equally apprehensive about the digital footprints I create and leave behind.

Kashmir Hill’s Your Face Belongs to Us examines the rise of Clearview AI, an app capable of identifying individuals from a single photo with unsettling accuracy. This groundbreaking technology poses significant privacy risks, as Hill highlights its use in surveillance, wrongful arrests, and the potential for authoritarian abuse in the absence of regulation. Through her investigation, Hill unveils the controversial figures behind Clearview AI, offering a sobering glimpse into the future of privacy and the ethical challenges posed by facial recognition technology.

Facial Recognition Startup Clearview AI Settles Privacy Suit

The implications of Clearview AI's facial recognition technology are unfolding in real-world legal and ethical battles.

Clearview AI has settled a privacy lawsuit in Illinois, agreeing to a deal estimated over $50 million. This settlement allows plaintiffs to share in the company’s potential value rather than receiving direct payouts. Clearview faces criticism for its data collection practices, as privacy advocates argue the agreement does not address fundamental issues related to consent and data use.

AI Tools to Try

Speechmatics: Flow

It’s not just about how our faces are used—voice and speech technologies are also evolving quickly. Tools like Speechmatics Flow are making it easier to create smart, voice-powered applications, opening up exciting possibilities while reminding us to think carefully about how we use AI. Speechmatics Flow is a game-changing toolset for adding advanced speech capabilities to products. Whether it’s live captions, meeting transcriptions, or creating custom AI assistants, Flow makes it simple to integrate voice interactions seamlessly. With ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition, which turns speech into text) and speaker diarization, it’s perfect for businesses looking to build smarter, more engaging experiences. It fits right into the AI experiments we’ve been exploring, like chatbots as decision-makers or companions, showing how Flow can be the voice ‘layer’ behind innovative, speech-driven tools.

Courses You've Got to Take

Postman Academy

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are what make modern tech work, connecting apps, platforms, and services behind the scenes. Postman Academy has a quick and easy course that breaks down what APIs are, why they matter, and how they power everything—from your favorite apps to AI models like ChatGPT.

Postman is an API platform for building and using APIs. Postman simplifies each step of the API lifecycle and streamlines collaboration so you can create better APIs—faster.

Just like APIs enable systems to work together, AI models like Gemini Experimental 1114 push those connections further, turning raw data into meaningful results. If you’re curious about how all these pieces fit together, understanding APIs is a great place to start.

Take a look—learning about APIs is must for anyone diving into AI!

Podcasts about AI

Product Managing AI with Joanne Jang, Product Leader at OpenAI

In this episode of the Women in Product podcast, Joanne Jang, a product leader at OpenAI, dives into the fascinating world of product managing AI. She talks about her journey from building consumer products to working on AI tools like ChatGPT, sharing insights into the challenges of designing for generative AI. From balancing user needs and ethical considerations to navigating the fast-paced world of AI, Joanne offers practical advice and lessons that anyone interested in AI or product management can learn from. This one’s a must-listen!

Potentially Promising Prompts

The CLEAR Framework and Other Tips for Effective Prompt Engineering

Creating effective prompts is the secret to getting the most out of AI tools like ChatGPT, and Georgetown University Library’s guide breaks it down beautifully. Whether you’re brainstorming ideas, analyzing data, or solving problems, this guide shows how a well-structured prompt can unlock AI’s full potential.

AI in the News

Biden, Xi agree that humans, not AI, should control nuclear arms

During the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that decisions regarding nuclear weapons should remain under human control, not artificial intelligence. This agreement highlights ongoing U.S. concerns over China’s expanding nuclear arsenal and reflects a cautious approach to AI in military contexts, although formal nuclear arms talks remain stalled.

Gemini Experimental 1114 Tops LMArena, Surpassing GPT-4o in AI Excellence

Gemini Experimental 1114 has taken the top spot at LMArena, outperforming GPT-4o with its advanced capabilities. This next-generation AI model excels in nuanced context understanding, creative text generation, and factual accuracy, setting a new benchmark in the rapidly evolving landscape of generative AI.

SoftBank's Masayoshi Son Shares His Vision for AI-Enabled Robots

Masayoshi Son envisions AI-enabled robots with emotional intelligence, personal agents for everyone, and transformative medical solutions in Japan.

Highlights

• ?? Reviving passion for robotics by integrating AI intelligence.
• ?? Emphasizing Japan’s unique cultural understanding in technology development.
• ?? Personal agents will accompany individuals throughout their lives.
• ?? Future generations will grow up with technology from birth.
• ?? Personal agents can serve as lifelong tutors and companions.
• ?? AI will enhance medical solutions for improved healthcare.
• ?? Excitement for enterprise and personal AI agents in everyday life.

I think personal agents will really come to every one of us because Bill Gates said the PC on every desktop. Steve said a smartphone in every hand. I think now we should say agents to everybody. So each of us should have our own personal agents.

What happens when you spend 24 hours in the Woods with Talking AI Chatbots?

The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern spends 24 hours in the woods testing AI chatbots from Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI to see how well they serve as helpers and friends.

More AI Resources

I Took a Decision Holiday and Put A.I. in Charge of My Life

In an experiment, Kashmir Hill explores the impact of generative AI on daily decision-making, allowing AI to guide choices about meals, wardrobe, family activities, and even personal issues like haircuts and family visits. While AI helps streamline decisions and saves time, it risks flattening individuality, leading to a “Basic B” lifestyle. Ultimately, while AI can enhance efficiency, it may also erode creativity and personal authenticity in decision-making.

We’ve been worried about a future where robots take our jobs or decide that humans are earth’s biggest problem and eliminate us, but an underrated risk may be that they flatten us out, erasing individuality in favor of a bland statistical average, like the paint color A.I. initially recommended for my office: taupe.

What Your Smart Devices Know (and Share) About You

Check out my Party Rock Apps ??

LinkedIn Profile Optimizer

This app will review your LinkedIn profile and provide suggestions for improvements. Simply upload your LinkedIn profile, and the AI will analyze each section and offer specific examples for enhancements.

The AI-Empowered Career Compass for Women (or men)

This app is designed to guide you in reskilling and upskilling for the evolving world of AI. To get started, enter your current role, skills, and any interests you have in expanding your abilities. Based on your input, the chatbot provides personalized suggestions for skills to develop, courses to consider, and emerging opportunities in the field of AI that match your career goals. Let's empower your growth in the AI age!

AI Governance IQ

Challenge yourself to master key terms in AI governance. Enter a term and provide a brief definition, if you know it. You’ll then receive the correct answer, feedback on your response, and examples to deepen your understanding. Explore scenarios and resources for further learning along the way. Good luck!

Let me know in the comments which app you tried and how it helped.

Thank you for reading friends! ?? Stay tuned for next week's edition of AI Currents keeping you currently informed about all things AI! ??

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RIDE THE AI WAVE; DON'T GET SWEPT AWAY! ?? ??