AI Terms: Transformers

Transformers – A Google research paper in 2017 was the first to discuss the deep learning architecture known as transformers. Today's major AI models (including ChatGPT, GPT-4, and Midjourney) are built using these neural networks. Previously, recurrent neural networks (RNNs) processed data sequentially—one word at a time, in the order in which the words appear. Then, an “attention mechanism” was added so the model could consider the relationships between the words. When transformers came along, they advanced this process by analyzing all the words in a given body of text at the same time rather than in sequence. With transformers, it became possible to create higher-quality language models that could be trained more efficiently and with more customizable features. 

More AI definitions here.

In the middle of every difficulty

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity. –Albert Einstein (born March 14, 1879)

Jobs being replaced by AI

Which types of positions are being replaced by AI the fastest? In the past two years, “the number of writing jobs declined 33%.” Meanwhile, “Video editing/production jobs are up 39%, graphic design jobs are up 8% & Web design jobs are up 10 percent." -Business Insider

12 Recent Articles about AI’s future

How the A.I. That Drives ChatGPT Will Move Into the Physical World – New York Times

How AI will influence creative tools – Figma

Western countries are more pessimistic about AI – Axios

Generative AI Landscape: Trends of 2024 and Beyond - eWeek

AI is Coming! Tips for Staying Calm and Carrying On – Wall Street Journal

AI Is Trying to Predict Your Death. It's Not as Scary as It Sounds. - Bloomberg 

Generative A.I.’s Biggest Impact Will Be in Banking and Tech, Report Says - New  York Times

How Generative AI Will Change All Of Our Jobs In 2024 - Forbes

AI is here – and everywhere: 3 AI researchers look to the challenges ahead in 2024 – The Conversation  

The Year Ahead in AI: AI Predictions for 2024 – Expert AI  

What an AI-powered future of data science looks like – Fast Company

A.I. Is Learning What It Means to Be Alive - New  York Times

The Future Of Generative AI: 6 Predictions Everyone Should Know About – Forbes

The Future of Censorship Is AI-Generated - TIME

It takes a lot of courage

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.  -Alan Cohen

14 Recent Articles about the Dangers of AI

The risks of expanding the definition of ‘AI safety’ – Semafor

Facial Recognition Used to Evict Single Mother for Taking Night Classes – Futurism

Microsoft Copilot AI suggested self-harm to a user – Quartz  

AI-powered sports betting has spurred a public health emergency – 60 Minutes

GPT-4 only makes it slightly easier to create a bioweapon, OpenAI says – Semafor

Deepfake A.I. Is Coming for the Past, Too – New York Times

AI Data Centers need so much power they may need built-in Nuclear Reactors – Futurism

Scammers and spammers are trying to make money by using AI to pump out massive quantities of content to reach the top of Google search results – Business Insider  

Gen AI and the racial wealth gap – McKinsey

AI is taking water from the desert – The Atlantic

Public trust in AI is sinking across the board - Axios

In Tests, GPT-4 Strangely Itchy to Launch Nuclear War - Futurism

AI is already screening job resumes and rental apartment applications and even determining medical care with almost no oversight – Fortune

Why We Must Resist AI’s Soft Mind Control – The Atlantic

Not in his goals

Not in his goals but in his transitions man is great. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

AI Terms: Abstractive summarization

Abstractive summarization – Using natural language techniques to interpret and understand the important aspects of a text and generate a summary.  On the other hand, extractive summarization identifies important sections from text and producing a subset of sentences from the original text. While abstractive summarization generates entirely new sentences sometimes not found in the source material, extractive summarization sticks to the original text. Abstractive summarization is better when the meaning is more important and extractive summarization is better when sticking to the original language is more important.

Find more AI definitions here.

Give yourself an unlimited learning ability

In a cartoon by the Farside cartoonist Gary Larson, a bug-eyed school kid asks his teacher, "Mr. Osborne, can I be excused? My brain is full!" If you're just engaging in mechanical repetition, it's true, you quickly hit the limit of what you can keep in mind. However, if you practice elaboration, there's no limit to how much you can learn. Elaboration is the process of giving new material meaning by expressing it in your own words and connecting it with what you already know. The more you can explain about the way your new learning relates to your prior knowledge, the stronger your grasp of the new learning will be, the more connections you create that will help you remember it later.

There's virtually no limit to how much learning we can remember as long as we can related it to what we already know. In fact, because new learning depends on prior learning, the more we learn, the more possible connections we create for further learning. Our retrieval capacity, though, is severely limited. Most of what we've learned is not accessible to us at any given moment. This limitation on retrieval is helpful to us: if every memory were always readily to hand, you would have a hard time sorting through the sheer volume of material to put your finger on the knowledge you need at the moment.

Peter C. Brown and Henry L. Roediger III, Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

9 Free Webinars This Week about Design, Journalism, Social Media, Public Records, & More

 Mon, March 11 - Human-Centered Design in CX

What: Learn: What human-centered design is and how it can be applied to CX; To use cases of successful human-centered design CX projects; Find out where human-centered design can encounter barriers.    

Who: Jonathan Rubin, User Research Team Lead, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

When: 4 pm, Eastern 

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: GovLoop

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Mon, March 11 - A Sunshine Week talk with Laura Mollo, ‘the FOIA lady’

What: The SPJ Freedom of Information Committee will lead a Sunshine Week talk with Laura Mollo, also known as the ‘FOIA lady’ to talk about how to change your community using FIOA.

Who: Laura Mollo, also known as the ‘FOIA lady’ of Richlands, Virginia. Mollo, a stay-at-home mom, discovered that residents of her small Tazewell County town were put on hold when they called 911. Mollo used FOIA to change how her town handled 911 calls in her community despite the threats and intimidation she received.

When: 7:30, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists New England.

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Tue, March 12 - 30 Minute Skills: Campaign Reporting 102

What: How to follow the money being received and spent by specific campaigns. How to report responsibly on current polling. How to handle opposition research. 

Who: Ted Nesi, WPRI-Providence 

When: 11 am, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The New England First Amendment Coalition

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Tue, March 12 - FOIA 101: A Public Records Primer for Everyone

What: Whether someone has never filed a request before or if they’re trying to pick up some additional tips and tactics, this FOIA 101 training will help file smarter requests that get responded to more quickly while releasing more information. Covering the basics of both federal FOIA and state records laws, participants will leave with a solid approach for turning their questions and story ideas into concrete requests. They will also be introduced to a range of techniques to help them research and file while also solid first steps to overcoming common points of resistance.

When: 1 pm, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists

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Tue, March 12 - How to use Ocean Data for Journalism

What: Regular collection and analysis of data related to the ocean is essential for monitoring the health of the ecosystem and identifying trends and changes over time. By highlighting issues such as overfishing and plastic pollution, journalists can foster public engagement and support the body of knowledge related to ocean governance and management.

Who: Alexandra Talty is a multi-media journalist based in the US; Alexander More is a climate and health scientist at Harvard University; Georgios Hatzimanolis is the head of global communications and branding at Kpler; Jean-Charles Gordon is the ship tracking director at Kpler.

When: 10:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Pulitzer Center

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Wed, March 13 - Can You Prepare Today for the Digital Opportunities of Tomorrow?

What: We’ll talk about how brand managers, sales professionals, entrepreneurs and marketers need to be looking at a new digital landscape that will: Create fully immersive experiences that optimize revenue for brands, users and consumers Help consumers make better-informed purchasing decisions Enable companies to create virtual stores to sell digital and physical goods.

Who: Shurick Agapitov Founder, Xsolla.

When: 12 noon, Pacific

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Training Magazine Network

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Thu, March 14 - Using Social Media To Build Your Brand and Connect With Your Audience

What: Some tips, tricks, and examples of how him and others have used social media to grow their digital presence while also using that to develop a reciprocal relationship with an audience.

Who: Ty Rushing, co-founder and president of the Iowa Association of Black Journalists and senior editor of Iowa Starting Line.

When: 2 pm

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Virginia Press Association

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Thu, March 14 - FOIA rights and guidelines for college students

What: If you’re a college journalist who is unfamiliar with Freedom of Information (FOI) laws or need help submitting a records request, SPJ and SPLC will give you a step-by-step guide.

Who: Student Press Law Center senior legal counsel Mike Hiestand.

When: 4 pm, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: The Student Press Law Center and the Society of Professional Journalists

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Fri, March 15 - The Appeals Process: Steps to take when your FOIA requests are denied

What: Practical advice on the records appeals process: how to start, how to track, and how to succeed with your open records requests. Whether you are seeking federal, state, or local records, you’ll learn how to get the information you’re after. 

Who: Nate Jones FOIA director, Washington Post; Gunita Singh Staff attorney, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; Mark Walker Investigative reporter, New York Times.

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The National Press Club’s Journalism Institute

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Falling on your face

Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward. – Robert Gallagher

17 Articles about The Impact of AI on Business

Embracing shadow AI will help accelerate innovation – CIO  

The AI Productivity Boom Is Here—Is Your Company Ready To Seize It? – Forbes

What organizations should know about cybersecurity in the age of artificial intelligence – Biz Journals

A quick rundown of the impact AI will have on data roles across the organization – Venture Beat

Gen. AI is starting to help business tech leaders with the long overdue task of modernizing their IT systems – Wall Street Journal  

Companies are using ‘AI washing’ to mislead consumers. – Washington Post

The pace of innovation in the space sector is picking up thanks in part to AI & machine learning – Space News   

The company using AI to change customer service – Semafor  

Slack launches AI bot to help manage never-ending work chats - Yahoo 

The year of AI hype is over. The era of small AI is beginning.- Mashable  

The Role Of Generative AI In HR - Forbes

We Asked AI to Draft a Business Plan. Here’s What We Got. – Wall Street Journal

AI Is Testing the Limits of Corporate Governance – Harvard Business Review  

10 AI tools to take your business to the next level – Geeky-Gadgets  

CIOs confront generative AI’s workplace X factor - CIO

What Is Shadow AI And What Can IT Do About It? – Forbes

In search of the digital facelift

Unsurprisingly, a large body of research shows that viewing idealised or retouched images adds to the dissatisfaction that many people already feel towards their body. Research by Kristen Harrison, a media psychologist at the University of Michigan, shows that even disclosing that celebrity and advertising images are retouched makes many of us feel worse about ourselves. Becoming more aware of what others edit may heighten our awareness of our own supposed flaws. That may encourage us to spend longer using digital tools to repair them. And once you start it’s hard to stop. I felt better about posting my first FaceTuned photo than I would have if I hadn’t edited it. And since we’re more inclined to post images of ourselves that we like, says Harrison, “it’s self-sustaining because you want to do it again and again and again.” Beauty is attainable for all. Just don’t expect it to be more than a pixel deep. 

Amy Odell writing in 1843 magazine

Assessing Integrity

Assessing a job candidate's integrity through interview questions can reveal how they approach moral challenges. For instance, “Describe how being an ethical employee differs from being an ethical company.” It's really a trick question because the answer should always be, "There is no difference." 

Marcel Schwantes writing in Inc.

14 Recent Articles about AI & Politics

Demand for computer chips fuelled by AI could reshape global politics and security – The Conversation

Trump supporters target black voters with faked AI images – BBC

Belarusian opposition endorses AI candidate in parliamentary elections - Semafor

Tech firms sign ‘reasonable precautions’ to stop AI-generated election chaos – The Guardians  

OpenAI suspends maker of a ChatGPT-based bot mimicking Democratic presidential nominee Dean Phillips – Axios

Imran Khan’s ‘Victory Speech’ From Jail Shows A.I.’s Peril and Promise – New York Times

Parents of gun violence victims use AI to bring kids’ voices to Capitol Hill  - Washington Post

New Era of AI Deepfakes Complicates 2024 Elections – Wall Street Journal  

Tech companies sign accord to combat AI-generated election trickery – Courthouse News

Microsoft says Iran, North Korea, Russia and China are beginning to use generative AI in offensive cyberattacks - Fortune

AI concerns grow as billions of people worldwide prepare to vote this year – NPR

Technology group hopes to help Democrats win with AI-generated ads and emails – NBC News

Chatbots are generating false and misleading information about U.S. elections – Fast Company 

The AI Culture Wars Are Just Getting Started – Wired

Filling Up on Digital Junk Food

We’re becoming quite intolerant of letting each other think complicated things. To hear someone else out, you need to be able to be still for a while and pay attention to something other than your immediate needs. So if we’re living in a moment when you can be in seven different places at once… on a phone here, on a laptop. How do we save stillness?

Erik Erickson talks about the need for stillness in order to fully develop and to discover your identity and become who you need to become and think what you need to think. Stillness is one of the great things in jeopardy.

When we’re texting, on the phone, doing e-mail, getting information, the experience is of being filled up. That feels good. And we assume that it is nourishing in the sense of taking us to a place we want to go. And I think that we are going to start to learn that in our enthusiasm and in our fascinations, we can also be flattened and depleted by what perhaps was once nourishing us but which can’t be a steady diet. If all I do is my e-mail, my calendar, and my searches, I feel great; I feel like a master of the universe. And then it’s the end of the day, I’ve been busy all day, and I haven’t thought about anything hard, and I have been consumed by the technologies that were there and that had the power to nourish me. If kids feel that they need to be connected in order to be themselves that’s quite unhealthy. They’ll always feel lonely, because the connections that they’re forming are not going to give them what they seek.

Sherry Turke, Alone Together

Face to Face

People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own soul. -Carl Jung

9 Free Webinars this week about Journalism, AI, Ethics, & More

Mon, March 4 – What is Service Journalism?

What: Want to learn everything you need to know about service journalism? This workshop is about  finding, reporting, writing, and pitching better service stories.

Who: Tim Herrera, former editor of NYT's service desk Smarter Living for a wide-ranging discussion on all things service journalism.

When: 2 pm, Pacific

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Freelancing With Tim

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Mon, March 4 - Journalism Ethics: Not Just a Local Thing

What: The discussion will look at how news organizations with journalists from many different countries share and enforce basic rules of journalism ethics that we can all agree to.

Who: Fred Brown Chair of the SPJ Professional Standards and Ethics Committee and former Denver Post editor and columnist; Kathy English, former Toronto Star public editor/ombudsman and current chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation; Steven Springer, former editor for standards and best practices at Voice of America and Eric Wishart, Standards and Ethics Editor for AFP. 

When: 7pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Society of Professional Journalists, Washington, DC chapter

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Tue, March 5 – The Path Forward: Artificial Intelligence

What: Adobe’s suite of creative software incorporating AI, the company’s work to tackle misinformation and the balance between innovation and risk with the advent of new technologies.

Who: Shantanu Narayen, chair and CEO of Adobe

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Washington Post

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Tue, March 5 - Introduction to AI for Nonprofits

What: Learn how to use AI to enhance your nonprofit's website and basic marketing strategies, making it easy to understand and apply.

Who: Tapp Network’s Jon Hill and web developer Tareq Monaur.

When: 10 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: TechSoup

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Wed, March 6 - Using Microsoft Copilot (AI) in PowerPoint

What: We'll cover creating a presentation from scratch or from a document, editing a presentation, getting help from Copilot, including how to do a task in PowerPoint, summarizing a presentation, and finding content Best practices for getting the best results, including prompt engineering What Copilot can't do (at least not yet) and how to give Microsoft feedback.

Who: Ellen Finkelstein, President, Ellen Finkelstein Inc.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Training Magazine Network, Presentation Guild

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Wed, March 6 - The Art of Color Grading: The Impact on Visual Storytelling

What: The nuances of color grading, demonstrating how this essential process can transform the visual appeal and emotional impact of your digital content.

Who: Gabriela Fialova, Coordinator of Digital Media; David Ziegler, Media and Post-Production Specialist.

When: 6 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

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Thu, March 7 - Integrating Artificial Intelligence: Creating Video & Audio Projects

What: An immersive session exploring how Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the landscape of content creation. Discover cutting-edge tools and techniques that leverage AI to streamline video and audio production processes.  We will guide you through hands-on demonstrations, showcasing the seamless integration of AI in video and audio projects. Learn how AI can enhance creativity, automate repetitive tasks, and open new frontiers in storytelling. Whether you’re a content creator, podcaster, or just an entrepreneur who lacks creativity, this webinar is tailored to help you harness the power of AI for captivating and innovative projects.

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Small Business Development Center Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

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Thu, March 7 - How Journalists Can Support the PRESS Act

What: An off-the-record virtual panel discussion explaining the PRESS Act, and why reporters and editorial boards should cover it. The panel will be followed by an on-the-record Q&A session with audience members.

Who: Alex Bertschi Wrigley, legislative assistant for Sen. Ron Wyden; Fred Brown, chair of the ethics committee of the Society of Professional Journalists and former journalist for The Denver Post; Caitlin Vogus, deputy director of advocacy at Freedom of the Press Foundation; Larry Wilson, member of the Southern California News Group editorial board.

When: 12 noon, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Society of Professional Journalists

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Fri, March 8 - Online Harassment & Privacy Protections: What journalists need to know

What: From doxing to hacking, journalists around the world are subject to online harassment and abuse every day. While some of these attacks have been aimed at political journalists and those working to hold power to account, all reporters need to be on the alert for potential online harassment and attacks. This webinar will offer instruction on how to minimize your personal risk of online harassment and protect your private information.

Who: David Huerta, senior digital security instructor for the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

When: 11:30 am

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: National Press Club Journalism Institute

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Oh, the thinks!

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try! Dr. Seuss (born: March 2, 1904)

11 articles about the business of running an AI

SEC Investigating Whether OpenAI Investors Were Misled – Wall Street Journal 

Google pauses Gemini’s ability to generate AI images of people after diversity errors – The Verge

Tech companies go dark about AI advances. That’s a problem for innovation. - Semafor

OpenAI Develops Web Search Product in Challenge to Google – The Information

Google’s AI now goes by a new name: Gemini - The Verge  

OpenAI is set to hit $2 billion in revenue — and fast - Quartz 

AI companies agree to limit election ‘deepfakes’ but fall short of ban – Washington Post 

The AI Industry Is Stuck on One Very Specific Way to Use a Chatbot: Travel Plans – The Atlantic

Amazon AGI team say their AI is showing "emergent abilities" – Futurism

Nvidia Declares AI a ‘Whole New Industry’—and Investors Agree – Wall Street Journal

Google Is Giving Away Some of the A.I. That Powers Chatbots Like Meta – New York Times