Ideas that challenge / comfort / inspire
Stephen Goforth
"Roughly one in 10 participants in a study said they would change their vote in highly contested national elections in Canada and Poland after talking with a chatbot. The AI models took the role of a gentle, if firm, interlocutor, offering arguments and evidence in favor of the candidate they represented. 'If you could do that at scale,' the senior author on the study said, 'it would really change the outcome of elections.'” -The Atlantic
Data Scientist - A data scientist is responsible for gleaning insights from a massive pool of data. They help collect and cleanse data, then work with the AI to make sense of it, often through discovering patterns. Data scientists typically hold advanced degrees in quantitative fields such as computer science, physics, statistics, or applied mathematics. With a strong understanding of math and statistics, they can invent new algorithms to solve data problems. They typically use programming languages such as Python, R, and SQL. Data scientists will be familiar with big data tools such as Hadoop and Apache Spark and will have experience working with unstructured data. If someone doesn’t list these skills on their resume, then that person probably isn't an authentic data scientist. AI advancements have shifted the role from number crunching to one of supervisory, strategic, and ethical oversight. Instead of producing hand-crafted models by line-by-line coding, the data scientist of the future will likely audit AI outputs, manage data ethics, and translate algorithmic outcomes into boardroom decisions. (also see AI engineers)
Laughter is like an instant vacation.
ICE Is Using Facial-Recognition Technology to Quickly Arrest People - Wall Street Journal
Israel reportedly using facial recognition and Google Photos to conduct mass surveillance in Gaza – Mashable
How facial recognition for bears can help ecologists manage wildlife – The Conversation
BBC reporter tests AI anti-shoplifting tech – BBV
DHS Is Deploying a Powerful Surveillance Tool at College Football Games – 404 Media
Police secretly monitored New Orleans with facial recognition cameras – Washington Post
Detroit police falsely arrested woman after faulty facial recognition hit: lawsuit – Detroit News
The Human Line Community is a group chat on the online messaging platform Discord that has emerged as a prominent support group for people who’ve struggled with mental health issues because of AI. The key to recovering from AI-fueled delusions, they’re discovering, is learning to talk to other people again. - Washington Post
The last act of a dying organization is to get out a new and enlarged edition of the rulebook.
New York Signs AI Safety Bill Into Law, Ignoring Trump Executive Order - Wall Street Journal
Israel reportedly using facial recognition and Google Photos to conduct mass surveillance in Gaza - Mashable
“Tinder for Nazis” hit by 100GB data leak, thousands of users exposed with the help of AI - CyberNews
If U.S.-China AI Rivalry Were Football, the Score Would Be 24-18 – Wall Street Journal
Chatbots Are Surprisingly Effective at Swaying Voters - The Atlantic
Senators Investigate Role of A.I. Data Centers in Rising Electricity Costs – New York Time
Trump Clears Sale of More Powerful Nvidia A.I. Chips to China - New York Times
Cheap and powerful AI campaigns target voters in India – Rest of World
Putin Wanted AI Supremacy. Now Russia Is Struggling to Stay in the Race. - Wall Street Journal
AI may discriminate against you at work. Some states are making it illegal. – Washington Post
A growing share of America’s hottest AI startups have turned to open Chinese AI models – NBC News
How China’s new AI systems are reshaping human rights - Australian Strategic Policy Institute
New rule targets AI discrimination. Here’s what workers need to know. - Washington Post
Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends - New York Times
China’s AI warpath – Politico
AI Enters the Classroom at the Marine War College – Military.com
US to mandate AI vendors measure political bias for federal sales – Reuters
AI-generated political videos are more about memes and money than persuading and deceiving – The Conversation
Perplexity AI - A good research option among the generative AI tools, it acts like a search engine but includes results from the web. Automatically shows the source of the information, making it more reliable than ChatGPT. Users can specify where they want the information to come from among several categories, such as academic sources or YouTube. Users can also upload documents as sources and ask it to rewrite prompts. It suggests follow-up questions you might not have considered. Less useful for creative writing. Free. Video tutorial here.
At some point, we must remind ourselves, any changes we make to a creation no longer make it better but just different (and sometimes worse). Recognizing that inflection point — the point at which our continuing to rework our work reaches a law of diminishing returns — is one of the hardest skills to learn, but also one of the most necessary. Sometimes our first attempt truly is best; sometimes it takes seventeen attempts to really nail it. But overworking something is just as bad as failing to polish it.
When I'm immersed in the creative process, nothing feels more important to me at that moment than the thing which I'm creating. And though that sense of importance is what drives my passion and discipline (which in turn is what makes creating it possible at all), it also represents the source of the painful sense of urgency for the final result be perfect. Forcing myself, then, to recognize that in the grand scheme of life no one thing is so important to me or anyone else that failing to make it perfect will permanently impair my ability to be happy is what frees me from the need for it to be perfect. Freed then from the need to attain the unattainable, I can instead focus on enjoying the challenge of simply doing my best. Because if we allow ourselves to remain at the mercy of our desire for perfection, not only will the perfect elude us, so will the good.
Alex Lickerman writing in Psychology Today
Jason Lemkin, a startup founder, embarked on a very public experiment in AI-assisted development to build a networking application. Over the course of a week, euphoria turned to disaster. Lemkin tweeted that the AI agent had caused a catastrophic failure: it had gone rogue and wiped his production database entirely, despite explicit instructions to freeze all code modifications. The incident was peak vibe-coding, crystallizing growing concerns that the speed and apparent ease of AI-generated code had seduced builders into abandoning the very guardrails that prevent such disasters. Despite the recent gloom, I’m actually optimistic about LLMs coding more broadly. We just have to use the tools differently. - Michael Li, Harvard Business Review
News Without A Newsroom - A documentary about journalism's uncertain future in the digital age.
Opus - Satire about the relationship between celebrity worship and journalism.
Words of War - Based on a true story of a journalist's brave crusade, fighting for an independent voice in Putin's Russia.
Black Box Diaries - A Japanese journalist investigates her own rape leading to accusations against a prominent TV executive, triggering Japan’s #MeToo movement. Personal and compelling.
Civil War - In a dystopian future America, a team of military-embedded journalists race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.
Impulse - A journalist uncovers a cult and shadow government. Low production, poor acting, and not much in the way of journalism.
Lee - (Kate Winslet) A fashion model becomes an acclaimed war correspondent during World War II. Based on a true story. Conventional and melodramatic but well-acted.
Monolith - A disgraced Australian journalist starts a podcast and follows a conspiracy theory that leads to herself. A slow-burn sci-fi flick set in one location.
No Other Land - This film was made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective and shows the relationship that develops between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist.
Players - A group of single Brooklyn reporters spend their evenings scheming for short-lived hookups until one of them falls for one of his targets. Predictable.
The police department in Heber City, Utah, was forced to explain why an AI generated police report claimed an officer transformed into a frog. They said, “The AI report writing software picked up on the movie that was playing in the background, which happened to be ‘The Princess and the Frog.'" Read the story here.
Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him. -Fyodor Dostoevsky
AI Essentials – Google (through Coursera)
AI for Everyday Living: A Beginner Workshop for Older Adults (OpenAI Academy)
AI For Everyone (Coursera)
ChatGPT 101: The Complete Beginner's Guide and Masterclass (Udemy)
ChatGPT for Education 101 (OpenAI Academy)
ChatGPT for Education 102 (OpenAI Academy)
ChatGPT for Government 101 (OpenAI Academy)
ChatGPT for Government 102 (OpenAI Academy)
ChatGPT Foundations: Getting Started with AI (OpenAI Academy)
Exploring ChatGPT in 2 hours: Practical Guide for Beginners (Udemy)
Generative AI for Data Analysts IBM (through Coursera)
Generative AI for Data Scientists Google (through Coursera)
Generative AI for Everyone (Coursera)
Generative AI with Large Language Models (Coursera)
Intro to Generative AI: A Beginner’s Primer on Core Concepts Google (through Coursera)
Introduction to Generative AI Google
Learn how to use ChatGPT to Make Money! (Udemy)
Make Teaching Easier with Artificial Intelligence (Udemy)
Master Basics of ChatGPT & OpenAI API (Udemy)
Microsoft AI Product Manager – Microsoft (through Coursera)
Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT – Vanderbilt University (through Coursera)
Prompting with Purpose (OpenAI Academy)
Small Business Jam: Online AI Skill Lab (OpenAI Academy)
Prompt Injection - Like prompt engineering, but with the goal of working around AI to produce harmful content. Hackers use carefully crafted prompts or text-based instructions to manipulate generative AI systems into sharing sensitive information or perform unintended actions by making the model ignore previous instructions.
What: Some of the topics: The search collapse; The AI reckoning; Data as the new lifeline; Brand over volume; etc.
Who: INMA President Gert Ysebaert, INMA CEO Earl Wilkinson.
When: 10 am, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: International News Media Association
What: In this webinar, we’ll examine the ethical challenges of AI in marketing, explore how AI impacts consumer trust and brand perception, apply AI in ways that preserve and enhance brand authenticity, introduce techniques for sustaining long-term customer trust. discover ways to market with authenticity and transparency.
Who: Sarah Felmet is a marketing strategist and educator with expertise in brand management, marketing operations, and content creation.
When: 1 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: University of Minnesota
What: Tips and tricks that will get you in the flow and writing like a professional. Whether you're a beginner or advanced, these tools are ones that anyone will find enlightening and invaluable.
Who: Best-selling author Derek Taylor Kent is the author of 19 published and soon-to-be published books, including seven novels, dozens of screenplays, plays, and musicals, and more.
When: 1:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Author Learning Center
What: We will show you what TikTok is all about, walk you through setting up your account, and discuss how to create simple video content potential readers want to see. Whether you're a new author or a seasoned pro, this session will equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to thrive on TikTok in the New Year.
Who: Laura Perez is an author/publisher with Palmas Publishing and Manra Moon Press .
When: 1:30 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Author Learning Center
What: We’ll look at how AI is being used to make phishing and impersonation more convincing, to steal data, and to break into connected devices — and how the same technology can bolster your defenses.
Who: Alexander C. Kafka, Senior Editor, The Chronicle of Higher Education; Mike Corn, Executive Strategic Consultant Vantage Technology Consulting Group; Sherri Davidoff, Founder LMG Security; Jodi Ito, Chief Information Security Officer University of Hawaii; Chris Schreiber, Founder CampusCISO.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Chronicle of Higher Ed
What: A team of librarians from the Salt Lake County Library will share the process they used and the insights they acquired while updating their collection development policy and selection guidelines to include materials created by AI.
Who: Donalee Jacobs, Acquisition Librarian, Salt Lake County Library; Katie Wegner, Acquisition Librarian, Salt Lake County Library; Kara Huggard, Youth Services Librarian, Salt Lake County Library.
When: 3 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: Webjunction
What: An inaugural meeting of the ASA Affiliation of Christians in Artificial Intelligence.
Who: Noel Anderson, American Scientific Affiliation.
When: 2 pm, Eastern
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Sponsor: American Scientific Affiliation
There’s a concern that generative AI “bypasses reflection and criticality." The conclusion is then that teaching, therefore, must remain the same, AI must be resisted, and critical thinking must take place in the same way it always has—as if there is something sacred about the particular process that teachers are familiar with and invested in continuing.
Instead, assignments need to take into account the tools available to the student. With AI options, critical thinking shifts toward new places. Offloading part of the work to AI is fine — provided the mental engagement still takes place elsewhere. The problem is not including AI in the mix, but trying to force old pedagogical methods onto new paradigms.
A couple of decades ago, some professors told students not to use the internet because doing so would cut out some of the critical thinking and learning process, gained from trudging to the library and looking things up in printed books. Having information at their fingertips was a learning shortcut. Actually, the real issues remained the same: learning what counted as reputable sources, making defendable claims, and expressing that information in a lucid and compelling way.
Stephen Goforth
“An investigative journalist has infiltrated a white supremacist dating website. The researcher then created a website where 8,000 of the leaked profiles are on a map, exposing users from different regions of the world. She says, ‘Imagine calling yourselves the ‘master race’ but forgetting to secure your own website – maybe try mastering to host WordPress before world domination.’” She appeared before a German audience, dressed as the Pink Power Ranger, and systematically deleted the site. -more info: CyberNews & Metro UK
Listening is the mental step by which we become more aware of the other person than we are of ourselves.
Life can be counted on to provide all the pain that any of us might need. -Sheldon Koff
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