Collaborative Intelligence Week in Review - 20Sep2024
Best business article(s) I read this week…
How Your CEO Is Thinking About AI
A recent survey from Gartner found that 86% of CEOs think AI can help their companies grow their revenue this year and next. Unfortunately, they are not clear about how best to achieve this goal. I have a few ideas. Contact me.
Best technical article(s) I read this week…
Can LLMs Generate Novel Research Ideas?
This article explores whether LLMs can generate original, expert-level research ideas. A study involving over 100 researchers compared AI-generated ideas with human ones, finding that AI-generated ideas were judged more novel but slightly less feasible. The study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of LLMs in ideation.
Other items I found valuable/interesting…
Scientists Make ‘Cyborg Worms’ with a Brain Guided by AI
Scientists have developed "cyborg worms" by connecting AI to the nervous systems of tiny worms, guiding them toward food using AI-directed light stimulation. This method allowed the worms and AI to collaborate in navigating obstacles. The broader implications of this technology extend to potential applications in medical fields, such as enhancing deep-brain stimulation treatments for conditions like Parkinson’s. This breakthrough showcases how AI and biological systems could work together, opening up possibilities for advanced brain-machine interfaces and medical interventions.
This web page is about Steve Jobs's talk at the 1983 International Design Conference in Aspen, CO (it includes a video of the talk). The Steve Jobs Archive recently released it. In his talk, Jobs made several prescient predictions about the impact of computers on our lives and hinted at the role AI would play in the future. It’s worth a look.
Generative AI’s Disruption: Is This Time Really Different?
In a podcast with EconoFact, economist Michael Strain discusses the impact of generative AI on the workforce. He argues that while technology may displace some jobs, it also creates new roles and opportunities, similar to past technological advancements. Strain emphasizes that AI will likely change the nature of jobs rather than eliminate them. He points out how historical patterns of innovation have led to new tasks, increased productivity, and higher wages, suggesting that AI will similarly transform the economy without catastrophic job losses.
Google’s Gemini AI demo video was fabricated
Google’s recently released promotional video for Gemini shows it recognizing visual cues and interacting vocally with a person in real time. After being questioned by AI experts who used Gemini, Google admitted that its researchers had fed still images to the model and edited successful responses together, misrepresenting the model’s capabilities.
The Brennan Center for Justice Creates an AI Legislation Tracker
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, more than 120 pieces of AI-related legislation are currently being considered by Congress, everything from restricting its use to creating a regulatory authority to oversee AI. Use this tracker to keep up with what’s happening.
Coolest thing I saw…
GameNGen uses diffusion models to simulate human game playing (in this case, DOOM), collects the simulation data, and uses it to train another generative model to create the game. Beyond gaming, this approach signals a future where content creation, simulations, and interactive experiences are driven by AI models rather than traditional code. This approach will reduce development time and cost while enabling more intuitive design methods. Beyond gaming, this has applications in education, training, and simulation of high-risk operating environments (military, healthcare, etc.).
A company that caught my eye…
The company recently closed its Series A funding round ($8.7M), led by Capri Ventures. The company caught my eye because it has built a visual AI that inspects electronic circuit boards for defects and low-quality components. It is trained on a dataset of over 4 billion components. It’s a novel approach that shows a lot of promise.