Is Big Tech Faking AI?

A few weeks ago, news came out that Amazon may be "faking" their "Just Walk Out " Technology.

For years, shoppers have been able to walk into one of their Amazon Fresh grocery stores,? walk out, and never have to talk to a single person, or even check out.?

This feat was supposedly made possible solely using machine intelligence.?

Just Walk Out technology is made possible by artificial intelligence like computer vision and deep learning techniques, including generative AI, to accurately determine who took what in any retail environment. Amazon built synthetic datasets to mimic millions of realistic shopping scenarios – including variations in store format, lighting conditions, and even crowds of shoppers – to ensure accuracy in any environment. - via an Amazon Spokesperson

However, they announced that they're removing technology from their stores and switching to smart shopping carts.?

Along with that announcement came rumors that the technology only worked due to a team of 1000 out of India. Apparently, this team was required to verify orders and correct the technology when it missed items.?

On the one hand, that seems like a classic case of overpromising and underdelivering, but it's also very common. Many public-facing AI systems rely on human moderators and data labelers.?

So why is Amazon being flogged in the media?

The problem for me is two-fold.?

First, Artificial Intelligence is at the peak of inflated expectations on Gartner's Hype Cycle. That means the average user has high hopes and is being disappointed. It also means the average user is likely overwhelmed with apps and technologies that fail to deliver on their promises.?

Second, transparency is the name of the game, especially in a black-box situation like most AI. The technology Amazon is creating is impressive—but they're also Amazon. Eyes are on them to be leaders, so when they fall short, it's a chance for naysayers to pile on.?

Public perception is likely to trend downward in the next news cycle, which is to be expected. After the peak of inflated expectations comes the trough of disillusionment.?

Gartner via Wikipedia ?

But, is Big Tech really faking AI? I mean, the technology is still pretty impressive ... right?

I shared an article about Amazon in my newsletter and one of my friends sent me this video in response.

via Sasha Yanshin

It's a pretty damning video from someone who is frustrated with AI - but it makes several interesting points. The presenter discusses Amazon's recent foible, Google's decreasing search quality , the increase of poorly written AI-crafted articles , GPTs web-scraping scandals , and the overall generalization of responses we see as everyone uses AI everywhere.?

Yanshin attributes the disparity between the actual results and the excitement surrounding AI stocks to the substantial investments from technology giants. But as most bubbles prove, money will be the catalyst for amazing things — and some amazing failures and disappointments too.

His final takeaway is that, regardless of its current state, AI is coming and will undoubtedly improve our lives.?

If I were to add some perspective from someone in the industry, it would be this.?

AI Is Overdelivering in Countless Ways

There will always be a gap between expectations and reality (because there will always be a gap between the hype and adoption cycles). AI is already seamlessly integrated into your life. It's the underpinning of your Smartphones, Roombas, Alexas, Maps, etc. It has also massively improved supply chain management, data analytics, and more.?

That's not what gets media coverage ... because it's not sexy ... even if it's real.?

OverHype has existed for much longer than AI has been in the public eye. An easy example is the initial demo of the iPhone, which was almost totally faked ,

Having created AI since arguably the mid-90s, the progress and capabilities of AI today are hard to believe. They're almost good enough to seem like science fiction.?

The Tool Isn't Usually The Problem?

Artificial Intelligence is not a substitute for the real thing—and it certainly can't compensate for the lack of the real thing.?

I sound like a broken record, but AI is a tool, not a panacea. Misusing it, like using a shovel as a hammer, leads to disappointment. And it doesn't help if you're trying to hammer nails when you should be laying bricks.?

ChatGPT is very impressive, as are many other generative AI tools. However, they're still products of the data used to train them. They won't make sure they give you factual information; they can only write their responses based on the data they have.

If you give an AI tool a general prompt, you'll likely get a general answer. Crafting precise prompts increases their utility and can create surprising results.?

Even if AI independently achieves 80% of the desired outcome, it still did it without a human, a salary, or hours and days of time to create it.?

Unfortunately, if you're asking the wrong questions, the answers still won't help you.?

That's why it matters not only that you use the right tool but also that you use it to solve the right problem. In addition, many businesses lose sight of the issues they're solving because they get distracted by bright and shiny new opportunities.?

Conclusion

Sifting the wheat from the chaff has become more complicated — and not just in AI. Figuring out what news is real, who to trust, and what companies won't misuse your data seems like it has almost become a full-time job.?

Regardless, AI will continue to become more capable, ubiquitous, and autonomous. The question is only how long until it affects your business and industry.?

While Amazon has "walked out" on that technology in its stores, it's not time to "walk out" on AI just yet. Numerous stores still use that or similar technologies.

If you take the time, you will see a lot of exciting progress.?

What's the most exciting technology you've seen recently?

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