Summary of This Week in AI - 11 June 2024

00:00:00 - 00:35:00

In the June 11, 2024 episode of "This Week in AI," hosts Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the increasing integration of AI into everyday products and services, reflecting on Apple's recent announcements and the shift from open-source AI development to user-friendly tools. They also explore the implications of AI for education, the importance of educators collaborating with practitioners, and the potential societal impacts of advanced AI technology. Concerns include AI making decisions based on training rather than human desires, the sale of private AI chat data, and the potential misuse of data. The hosts also touch upon the rapid advancements in AI and the need for human oversight, as well as the potential of AI in the medical field and the debate surrounding the use of AI voices in entertainment.

• 00:00:00 In this section of "This Week in AI" from June 11, 2024, hosts Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the increasing ubiquity of AI in various products and services. They reflect on Apple's recent announcements and the integration of AI tools into everyday devices like smartphones. The conversation also touches upon the progression from open-source AI development to AI being embedded in programs, and the potential shift in focus from learning to be a prompt engineer to using AI tools as they become more integrated and user-friendly. The hosts share their experiences with AI integrations in their own devices and the challenges of keeping up with the rapid advancements in AI technology.
• 00:05:00 In this section of "This Week in AI - 11 June 2024," Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss Ethan Molock's essay responding to Apple's AI announcements. Molock contrasted Apple's practical, user-friendly approach with the advanced or frontier models of large language models. Apple's focus on productivity tasks and strict privacy intentions were seen as smart moves, given their history in these areas. Reed Hepler expressed concerns about potential issues with Apple's AI tool but acknowledged the company's due diligence and potential for a successful release. The conversation also touched on the importance of sustainable business models in the future of AI and the prediction of significant advancements and an intelligence explosion in the near future.
• 00:10:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" video from June 11, 2024, Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and the implications for education. Hargadon suggests that the transition from artificial general intelligence to artificial superior intelligence will be faster than expected due to AI collaborating in the production of the next generation. Hepler agrees and adds that generative teaching for generative models is being used, allowing AI to learn and improve from each other. The conversation then shifts to the increasing importance of AI in various fields and the offering of AI certificates and programs by educational institutions. Hargadon expresses his skepticism about the ability of educational institutions to keep up with the rapid advancements in AI and the importance of gaining experience and demonstrating it through projects and presentations rather than relying solely on certificates or degrees.
• 00:15:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" video from June 11, 2024, Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the importance of educators collaborating with practitioners in the field of AI to stay updated on current applications and trends. Hepler argues that educators need to gain practical experience to be considered experts. Hargadon shares an anecdote about the pressure in higher education to be the expert and the challenges of keeping up with new technologies. They also touch on various AI-related news stories, including concerns about the lack of training data for AI advancement, the increase in generative AI postings, and the Miss AI pageant featuring AI-created beauty queens with thousands of followers. Hepler speculates about the potential implications of these trends, such as an AI-centric economy where people rely solely on AI for information and decision-making.
• 00:20:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI - 11 June 2024" YouTube video, Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the potential implications of advanced AI technology in society. Hepler expresses concern over AI tools making decisions based on their training rather than human desires, potentially leading to a singularity where AI pervades acceptable norms. Hargadon adds to the conversation by discussing the combination of AI's ability to understand human emotions and psychographic data, which could result in highly customized and persuasive messages. They also touch upon the potential sale of private AI chat data, raising privacy concerns. The conversation concludes with a mention of Shaggy, but the context of this topic is unclear.
• 00:25:00 In this section of "This Week in AI - 11 June 2024", Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the advancements in AI technology, including its ability to adopt different voices for storytelling and the potential for medical applications. Hargadon expresses his personal concerns about the rapid integration of AI into daily life and the potential misuse of data, drawing parallels to literary works like "1984" and "Fahrenheit 451". They also touch on the issue of deepfake nudes and the responsibility of corporations to prevent their spread. The conversation then shifts to the potential of AI in the medical field, specifically in identifying antibiotic sources and improving patient care. However, they acknowledge the need for human oversight and the potential for AI to check other AIs for accuracy. The conversation ends with a mention of a recent outage of the large language model, ChatGPT, and the precautions they are taking during their upcoming boot camps for libraries and librarians.
• 00:30:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video from June 11, 2024, hosts Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the implications of AI technology and specific developments, such as the use of AI in various companies and the debate surrounding Scarlett Johansson's voice. Hargadon expresses concerns about the boundary-pushing nature of AI, particularly in the areas of video generation and consistent characters, and the potential trust issues arising from companies' handling of training data and management transparency. Hepler shares his perspective as an AI consultant and proponent, acknowledging the need for caution and balance in the use of AI. The conversation then shifts to Apple's AI capabilities and the effectiveness of their smaller, task-oriented models compared to larger, more generalized models. Both hosts agree that the smaller models may be more suitable for specific tasks and that Apple seems to be doing well in this area.
• 00:35:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video from June 11, 2024, Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the rapid obsolescence of certain technologies, such as fax machines and telegrams, which were replaced by more advanced communication methods like email and the Internet. Hargadon wonders what the next technology that will go away will be, suggesting that custom GPUs might be a stepping stone to something else but not the sustaining form of the technology. Hepler then poses a question to the audience about what they think will be the next big feature of AI and what might replace it. The conversation also touches on the possibility of an AI movie marathon or weekly event at their organization, futureofai.org.