AI is a Digital Species
Putting humans central
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Friends,
Mustafa Suleyman’s (the newish CEO of Microsoft AI) TED talk is an accessible view of what’s happening in AI. If you haven’t read his book, I’ve recommended it to you before and I recommend it again. Purists and technologists might disagree with some elements of what he says, but for you and me, trying to navigate through what’s next, it’s great grounding.
As is his TED talk:
To summarise, here are three key takeaways that can inform our approach in adopting AI. I love the framing:
Embrace AI as a Partner in Human Progress: AI should be viewed not just as a tool or technology but as a partner that can collaborate with humans to solve complex problems and improve everyday life. This perspective encourages us to integrate AI in ways that augment human abilities and creativity, fostering a synergy that could tackle challenges like climate change, healthcare, and education more effectively. I subscribe to the premise that first principles with AI is efficiency - and getting things done quicker.
Prioritise Ethical Development and Deployment: As AI becomes more integrated into society, it is crucial to embed ethical considerations into its development from the outset. This involves designing AI systems that prioritise safety, transparency, and fairness to ensure they benefit all of humanity without exacerbating inequalities or creating new risks. Whether you call this ethical or responsible AI, this is one of the most underdeveloped areas of AI models right now and areas that many companies (hopefully) are trying to get right. Engaging with diverse perspectives and disciplines can help guide the development of AI technologies that respect human values and rights.
Prepare for Transformative Changes: The potential of AI to transform industries and daily life is immense, suggesting a future where AI could act as personal assistants, decision-makers, and creative partners. Preparing for this future involves not only having technological readiness but also adapting our educational systems, regulatory frameworks, and social norms to manage and leverage AI's capabilities responsibly. This readiness will help maximize the benefits of AI while mitigating potential disruptions to employment and social structures. In recent talks I have given on AI, especially in education, my narrative surrounds this very message. We are evolving through a new phase where industries are shifting.
Suleyman emphasises that industry needs to adopt more appropriate metaphors to describe AI's burgeoning potential, stressing the importance of prioritising safety to ensure AI enhances and supports human endeavours. Simply referring to AI as "tools" fails to fully represent their evolving capabilities.
He argues that to manage this progression effectively, safeguard human interests, and address potential unintended effects, it's crucial to start considering AI as a new type of digital entity.
Suleyman envisions a future where every element—from individuals to businesses to governments—will have its own interactive, intelligent persona, or "personal AI," characterized by limitless knowledge, factual accuracy, and dependability.
When you have the responsibility of the stage, you can say more or less anything - and Im glad that this speech - a speech of our time was balanced and nuanced. The fact is no one actually knows where we are going. We have a map with a bit ripped off the edge - and need to take some bets on how to navigate based on how the road is changing.
I’m hoping that those driving those vehicles are making decisions for us in all our best interests. Suleyman is one of those.
Stay Curious - and don’t forget to be amazing,
Here are my recommendations for this week:
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Now
Biden just signed a potential TikTok ban into law. Here’s what happens next. A sale, court - or a close down. This happened before in India, so an interesting next step. Youtube and Instagram stand to benefit, but US businesses, of course. Also: ‘Thunder Run’: Behind Lawmakers’ Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill and ‘Lost touch with reality’: How TikTok’s vaunted lobbying operation went wrong
Could Eating Less Help You Live Longer? Calorie restriction and intermittent fasting both increase longevity in animals, aging experts say: Calorie restriction and intermittent fasting have been found to increase longevity in animals and reduce the risk of chronic diseases related to aging. however, it is still unclear whether eating less can help humans live longer. the biological changes triggered by calorie restriction are still being debated, but one theory is that it makes animals more resilient to physical stressors and slows down metabolism.
World’s Top Edtech Companies 2024 from Time: Time and statista's global ranking of the top 250 edtech companies shows that online learning is here to stay, with nine of the top 15 companies focused on providing online courses. the rankings are based on financial strength and industry impact, with eruditus topping the list with a revenue of close to $400 million. the us dominates the list, followed by china and the uk, with two companies from brazil also making it into the top 10. the private sector has capitalized on the opportunity to offer online learning, particularly in countries like brazil where education has struggled.
The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: Uncommonly Lovely Invented Words for What We Feel but Cannot Name. Examples: ÉNOUEMENT n. the bittersweetness of having arrived here in the future, finally learning the answers to how things turned out but being unable to tell your past self. From French énouer, to pluck defective bits from a stretch of cloth + dénouement, the final part of a story, in which all the threads of the plot are drawn together and everything is explained. Pronounced “ey-noo-mahn.”
Clicks & Clout: How We Seek Status In the Digital Age: Why Culture Revolves Around Status, and What That Means for Technology
Next
Does Science Fiction Shape the Future? I guess 50:50
Microsoft launches Phi-3, its smallest AI model yet: Microsoft launched the next version of its lightweight AI model Phi-3 Mini, the first of three small models the company plans to release.
Meta Expands Its Mixed Reality Beyond the Quest Headsets: Meta opened the Quest Horizon OS to others, and now VR headsets from Asus, Lenovo and even
an Xbox variant are on the way.
The Robot Population Boom: Over the next decade, intelligent, embodied androids will permeate industrial activities and aspects of everyday life, from assembling cars to folding laundry. The impending robot “population boom” is the result of technological breakthroughs, intense investor appetite, labor cost arbitrage, and long-standing demographic trends.
Plant-Based Meat Boomed. Here Comes the Bust: Sales of vegan meat are trending downward in the US, with companies scrambling to win back customers.
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