AI Top-of-Mind Nov 16
An interview with OpenAI’s Sam Altman from a few days back on the road to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). From the Financial Times article ‘OpenAI chief seeks new Microsoft funds to build superintelligence’:
· Altman, meanwhile, splits his time between two areas: research into “how to build superintelligence” and ways to build up computing power to do so. “The vision is to make AGI, figure out how to make it safe . . . and figure out the benefits.”
· Ultimately, Altman said “the biggest missing piece” in the race to develop AGI is what is required for such systems to make fundamental leaps of understanding.
A quick review on the three types of AI:
Latest on the state of AI funding from CB Insights. Top conclusions from the free report:
· Global AI funding in Q3’23 drops 12% QoQ to the lowest point in 4 quarters.
· The average AI deal size is up 34% in 2023 YTD, driven by massive mega-rounds.
· Q2’23 welcomes 4 new AI unicorns — including 3 generative AI companies.
· M&A deals decrease by 24% QoQ, while public exits remain subdued.
· Funding to Asia’s AI startups increases by 67% QoQ.
Not sure what to make of this article on rumored hiccups with NASA and Google’s quantum computer project that was to bring AI to the table. Need to do some digging on this. From the article:
While it’s not exactly clear what happened, what we know for sure is that NASA’s quantum computer project is currently on hold since the US government stepped in due to concerns about merging AI and quantum computers, reason is the arrival of quantum computers could have a historic impact on society and raised concerns about their dominance over humans.
Later today, an interesting webinar from Zoom, ‘AI For Good: How to Build an Equality Machine.’ From the abstract:
· In this interactive live webinar, Orly Lobel, a renowned tech policy scholar, will demonstrate the power of technology as a tool to harness to achieve equality and a better future.
· Lobel masterfully shows that digital technology frequently has a comparative advantage over humans in detecting discrimination, correcting historical exclusions, subverting long-standing stereotypes, and addressing the world’s thorniest problems: climate, poverty, injustice, literacy, accessibility, speech, health, and safety.
· Lobel’s vivid examples — from labor markets to dating markets — provide powerful evidence for how we can harness technology for good.
On the random news front, a follow-up to Microsoft’s use of AI for news curation with less than enviable results. From the ‘Futurism’ article:
· “Brandon Hunter useless at 42,” read the article, which was quickly called out on social media. The rest of the brief report is even more incomprehensible, informing readers that Hunter “handed away” after achieving “vital success as a ahead [sic] for the Bobcats” and “performed in 67 video games.”
· “AI should not be writing obituaries,” posted one reader. “Pay your damn writers MSN.”
