This Week in AI

00:00:00 - 00:25:00

In the August 23, 2024, episode of "This Week in AI," Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discussed various aspects of artificial intelligence (AI). They began by reflecting on the recent Library 2.0 Mini conference, which attracted 3,600 attendees and featured discussions on the ethical implications of AI in education. Despite concerns about educators' understanding of AI, the speakers expressed optimism about its potential. The conversation then shifted to the potential benefits of competitive structures within AI systems and the possibility of enhancing AI through increased functionality of nodes. Steve Hargadon suggested that corporations with competitive entities perform better, and this concept could be applied to AI units working on a problem. They also touched upon the potential impact of emotions on making AI more human-like and the political leanings of leading language models. The hosts then addressed copyright infringement lawsuits against AI models, the arrest of journalists, and the challenges of distinguishing between real and fake news articles and images generated by AI. They raised concerns about the implications of AI-generated propaganda and the potential emotional attachment people may develop with AI voice assistants. Lastly, they discussed the concept of AI companions, expressing concerns over their potential negative consequences and the inevitability of their development due to the profit motive.

• 00:00:00 In this section, Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the recent Mini conference held as part of Hargadon's library 2.0 series, focusing on school libraries and AI. The conference attracted 3,600 attendees from around the world, with a keynote panel featuring speakers expressing concerns about the ethical implications of AI and its impact on students. Despite the positive tone of the event, there is a growing concern that educators and librarians may not fully understand the complex depths of AI technology, making it difficult for them to guide students effectively. The conference recordings will be available at library20.com. Additionally, the news segment will cover the launch of the 1st full-fledged legal AI agent, Spell, which could help address some of the issues surrounding AI.
• 00:05:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video from August 23, 2024, Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the role of AI in various industries, specifically focusing on education, art, and legal professions. Hargadon shares his belief that companies will continue to overcome the challenges of using AI for specific professional subjects and that Amazon is already experiencing significant cost savings due to AI implementation. Hepler then brings up the example of the art app Procreate, which prides itself on being anti-AI, but he questions the futility of such a stance. The conversation shifts to the potential impact of AI on organizational structures, with Reed Hepler mentioning an article about Alex Smola, who created AI networks functioning like organizational hierarchies. Overall, the speakers express a nuanced view of AI, acknowledging both its limitations and potential productivity gains.
• 00:10:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video from August 23, 2024, Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the potential benefits of competitive structures within AI systems and the possibility of enhancing AI through increased functionality of nodes. Hargadon suggests that corporations with competitive entities perform better, and this concept can be applied to AI units working on a problem. Hepler adds that successful companies have adopted hierarchical and parallel structures, and it will be intriguing to see the differences between human and AI networks. They also touch upon the idea that emotions might be the last step in making AI more human-like, and Hargadon expresses his belief that our emotion-laden thought processes are a model for the desired AI intelligence. The conversation then shifts to the political leanings of leading large language models, with Hargadon believing that fine-tuning is a significant factor in their liberal bias. The pressure to conform to cultural narratives is suggested as a possible explanation for this trend.
• 00:15:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" video from August 23, 2024, Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss various topics related to artificial intelligence (AI). One topic revolves around copyright infringement lawsuits against AI models, specifically Claude and Anthropic, for generating content that allegedly infringes on the intellectual property of authors. Steve expresses concerns about the implications of such lawsuits on the AI industry. Another topic touches on the arrest of British journalists for criticizing the government, which Steve believes could impact AI companies operating in those areas. Reed Hepler shares his recent blog post about the role of archives in the context of AI and the potential impact of AI on historical narratives. Additionally, they discuss Mark Watkins' blog post about generated deception and the challenges of distinguishing AI-generated content from authentic content. Steve shares his personal experience of being fooled by an AI-generated article.
• 00:20:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video from August 23, 2024, hosts Steve Hargadon and Reed Hepler discuss the challenges of distinguishing between real and fake news articles and images generated by AI. Hargadon shares an experience of falling for a fake news article about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and raises concerns about the implications of AI-generated propaganda. They also discuss the advancements in AI-powered chatbots, such as Gemini live, which can mimic human conversation so closely that it's difficult to distinguish between a person and an AI. The hosts also touch upon the potential emotional attachment people may develop with AI voice assistants and the ethical concerns surrounding their design to keep users engaged for extended periods.
• 00:25:00 In this section of the "This Week in AI" YouTube video from August 23, 2024, Reed Hepler and Steve Hargadon discuss the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) companions and the potential implications of such technology. Hepler references the movie "Minority Report," where a man interacts with a hologram of his wife, highlighting the emotional disconnect and unfulfillment that can arise from such relationships. Hepler then introduces Friend.ai, a pendant that listens and prompts users to discuss events, acting as a conversational companion. The speakers express concern over the potential negative consequences of such technology and the inevitability of its development due to the profit motive.