17 Recent Articles about the Dangers of AI

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Our Willingness to Risk

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People with a phobia about being struck by lightning place such a heavy weight on the consequences of that outcome that they tremble even though they know that the odds on being hit are tiny. 

Gut rules the measurement. Ask passengers in an airplane during turbulent flying conditions whether each of them has an equal degree of anxiety. Most people know full well that flying in an airplane is far safer than driving in an automobile, but some passengers will keep the flight attendants busy while others will snooze happily regardless of the weather.

And that's a good thing. If everyone valued every risk in precisely the same way, many risky opportunities would be passed up. Venturesome people place high utility on the small probably of huge gains and low utility on the larger probability of loss. Others place little utility on the probably of gain because of their paramount goal is to preserver their capital. Where one sees sunshine, the other sees a thunderstorm. Without the venturesome, the world would turn a lot more slowly. Think of what life would be like if everyone were phobic about lightning, flying in airplanes, or investing in star-up companies. We are indeed fortunate that human beings differ in their appetite for risk.

Peter Bernstein, Against the Gods

I Count You

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Listening attentively says, "I count you." Clearly stating what you want or feel, says, "I count myself."

Counting someone—either yourself or another person—is a means to say:

- you are important,

- I have confidence in your ability to handle situations and to recognize when help is needed,

- I trust you will follow through on promises.

On the other hand, when you discount someone (including yourself), the assumptions are the opposite: lack of faith, lack of confidence, and lack of trust.

Your counting attitude is not the same as your momentary feelings about someone or yourself. Counting is a way to say, "This person's intentions, thoughts, feelings, etc., are worth taking into account. You have value."

Stephen Goforth

A Dozen Articles about AI & Coding

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Normal had Shifted

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Regression to the mean is most slavishly followed on the stock market. Wall Street folklore is full of such catch phrases as “Buy low and sell high,” “You never get poor taking a profit.” All are variations on a simple theme: if you bet that today’s normality will extend indefinitely into the future, you will get rich sooner and face a smaller risk of going broke than if you run with the crowd. Yet many investors violate this advice or selling high. Impelled by greed and fear, they run with the crowd instead of thinking of themselves.

Since we never know exactly what is going to happen tomorrow, it is easier to assume that the future will resemble the present than to admit that it may bring some unknown change. A stock that has been going up for a while somehow seems a better buy than a stock that has been heading for the cellar. We assume that a rising price signifies that the company is flourishing and that a falling price signifies that the company is in trouble. Why stick your neck out?

Consider those investors who had the temerity to buy stocks in early 1930, right after the Great Crash, when prices had fallen about 50% from their previous highs. Prices proceeded to fall another 80% before they finally hit bottom in the fall of 1932. Of consider the cautious investors who sold out in early 1955, when the Down Jones Industries had finally regained their old 1929 highs and had tripled over the preceding six years. Just nine years later, prices were double both their 1929 and their 1955 highs. In both cases, the anticipated return to “normal” failed to take place: normal had shifted to a new location.

Peter Bernstein, Against the Gods

12 Articles about Running an AI Company

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Engineering Spiritual Growth

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One of the problems people encounter when they discover "spiritual growth," and first fully realize they are on a spiritual journey (is that) they start to think that they can direct it. They think if they go off to a monastery for a weekend retreat or take some classes in Zen meditation, or take up some Sufi dancing, or attend an EST workshop, then they’ll reach nirvana. Unfortunately, that is not the way it works. It works only when God is doing the directing. And people can get into a certain kind of trouble if they think they can do it on their own.

If you think you can plan your spiritual growth, it ain’t going to happen. I don’t mean to discount workshops or other forms of self-inquiry – they can be valuable. Do what you feel called to do, but also be prepared to accept that you don’t necessarily know what you’re going to learn. Be willing to be surprised by forces beyond your control, and realize that a major learning on the journey is the art of surrender.

M Scott Peck, Further Along the Road Less Traveled

31 Articles about Data Science & AI from May

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A significant upgrade to the US space-based surveillance powers 

Vector databases were an obscure technology until Pinecone and other startups turned it into a billion-dollar market amid the AI boom

Behind the scenes: A breakdown of what my data science role truly entails

How the Pentagon is making use of AI with spy satellite data

Some of the recent neural networks breakthroughs shaping AI

AI Definitions: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) 

Thinking about implicit bias in large language models

A Guide to working with SQLite databases in Python

A Russian counter space weapon launched into space poses a threat to US satellites

How to build neural networks for node classification

China launches four high-resolution remote sensing satellites

New Insights into Transformer Neural Networks and Their Performance Dynamics

AI Definitions: Vector Databases

Geospatial tech has found its place in almost all the sectors

Charting the course for small satellite market growth

The NGA is injecting machine learning & computer vision across its operations

A satellite imagery company has released a large dataset of high-resolution imagery to train foundational Earth observation AI models

As AI and ML shape the future of computer engineering, here are some key trends and their implications

Microsoft has developed a generative AI platform exclusively for the US intelligence community

Few breakthroughs have done so much in so little time as the AI design known as a transformer

Supercharging Graph Neural Networks with Large Language Models

Recurrent Neural Networks: An Introduction to Sequence Modelling

Big AIs in Small Devices using tensor networks 

The most useful data analyst tools ranked

A look at the “rising trend of LLMs in AI, their trailblazing effect on industry working sectors

The attempt to transfer electronic neural networks into the optical domain

When are Foundation Models Effective?

Deep learning for high-resolution seismic imaging

Why the US military is hitting the brakes on generative AI

Have smaller open source foundation models begun replacing proprietary models?

Many businesses rush to adopt AI but fail due to poor strategy. Here’s the “ultimate AI strategy playbook”

The loyal opposition

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One very outspoken, controversial minister was finally able to reduce his own anxiety when he began to think of his detractors as the “loyal opposition.”  As pompous as the phrase sounds, it helped him stay out of a polarizing position with other members of the congregation who in the past got “togetherness” with him by “loyally” attacking the attackers. By conveying that he thought their attacks on him or a sign of duty rather than subversion, he eliminated almost completely from his own behavior the anxious feedback that is necessary to sustain chronic conditions. 

 One important distinction must be made, however, between family systems and work systems. In a family system, efforts to reduce anxiety by dealing only with process and totally avoiding content issues, even if it makes others more upset for a while, generally will lead to fundamental change in the long run. A work system, however, can kick us out before change comes about. in a work family, therefore, it is sometimes necessary to touch upon content to some extent so as not to create so much havoc that we lose our jobs. 

Edwin Friedman, Generation to Generation

The Intersection of Science & AI in 10 Articles

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Bumper Sticker Catch Phrases

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We need to be careful about staking the important ethical decisions in our lives on bumper sticker catch phrases. The problem is that the ideas expressed in these bite-sized pronouncements have broader implications.

While the ethical aspect that is explicit in the bumper sticker may look good at first glance, other ideas that follow from it may not be so attractive. Most of us have heard or used the cliché “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” and it can sound like worthwhile advice. But what if the standard practices of the “Romans” stand in direct conflict with your moral or religious convictions? The is why we need to get behind the cliché’ itself.

Before we commit ourselves to any bumper sticker, we want to make certain that we can accept all that is implied in the slogan.

Steve Wilkens, Beyond Bumper Sticker Ethics

10 Webinars about AI, Media & Journalism

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Thu, May 30 - AI and Visual Journalism: Ethics, tech, copyright and more considerations for newsrooms and photojournalists

What: A high-level discussion about what newsroom leaders and visual journalists need to know about AI technologies. This virtual session will cover the considerations you need to take into account and how to be talking about AI and visuals in your newsroom.

Who: Tony Elkins, Faculty, Poynter; Alicia Wagner Calzada, Deputy General Counsel, National Press Photographers Association; Sandra M. Stevenson, Deputy Director of Photography, The Washington Post

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association

More Info

 

Thu, May 30 - Community engagement tools to inform election coverage

What: Research and strategies for engaged election coverage this year, including: New findings on how Americans view national and location election news. Simple structures and tools for authentic community engagement that can inform and build trust in your election reporting.

Who: Kevin Loker is a director of strategic partnerships and research at API.

When: 1 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsors: American Press Institute, Associated Press, New England Newspaper & Press Association

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Thu, May 30 - Community Asset Mapping 101

What: By the end of the session, you will have a foundational starting point for your asset map and clear next steps for completing and refining it. This skill is invaluable for any journalist, regardless of their role in the newsroom.

Who: Letrell Deshan Crittenden, Director of Inclusion and Audience Growth, American Press Institute

When: 12 noon, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: New England Equity Reporting Fellowship

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Tue, June 4 - Introduction to AI for Nonprofits

What: Learn how to enhance your nonprofit’s website and basic marketing strategies using AI.

Who: Tareq Monuar Web Developer; Jon Hill Tapp Network

When: 12 noon

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: TechSoup

More Info

 

Tue, June 4 - Ask Nikita Roy All your Newsroom AI Questions

What: Drawing from her conversations with over 50 industry leaders on the Newsroom Robots podcast, Nikita is here to help you with your questions on everything from selecting tools to training models to maintaining journalistic integrity. Come with your questions—no matter how big or small—and let’s dive into a lively discussion on making AI work for your newsroom.

Who: Nikita Roy is a data scientist, journalist, and Harvard-recognized AI futurist.

When: 3 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association

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Tue, June 4 - Literary Theory for Robots: How Computers Learned to Write

What: Looking at the shared pasts of literature and computer science, this will provide a context for recent developments in artificial intelligence. Yi Tenen draws on labor history, technology, and philosophy to examine why he views AI as a reflection of the long-standing cooperation between authors and engineers.

Who: Former Microsoft engineer and professor of comparative literature Dennis Yi Tenen

When: 6:45 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: $25 for nonmembers

Sponsor: Smithsonian

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Wed, June 5 - How to Use AI Responsibly

What: Hear from government and industry leaders about the attributes associated with responsible AI and how to use it effectively at your organization.

Who: Beth Noveck, Chief AI Strategist, State of New Jersey; David Larrimore, Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Department of Homeland Security

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: GovLoop

More Info

 

Wed, June 5 – Mini Lab: Prompt-Writing

What:  Join us for a quick, facilitated session where you’ll get to experiment with various prompts for ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.ai. Participants will have a chance to show some of their work and discuss ways it can be used. series.

Who: Mike Reilley, Senior Lecturer, University of Illinois-Chicago

When: 2 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Online News Association

More Info

 

Wed, June 5 – Executive Directors Chat: Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

What: Learn how to leverage AI to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion goals for your nonprofit's DEI initiatives.

When: 12 noon, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: TechSoup

More Info

 

Fri, June 7 - Media & The Law: What journalists need to know about copyright & defamation suits

What: Copyright and libel law essentials for today’s media environment with an opportunity for questions to help journalists and freelancers understand their rights and how to follow the law.

Who: Chad R. Bowman‘s practice focuses on working with new and legacy media organizations, such as The Associated Press, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post.

When: 11:30 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The National Press Club’s Journalism Institute

More Info

The Impact of AI on Creativity in 9 Articles

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Get in a creative mood by visiting large spaces

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If you’re in a cramped space, say your office is a little cubicle, your visual attention can’t spread out. It’s focused in this narrow space. Just as your visual attention is constricted, your conceptual attention becomes narrow and focused, and your thinking is more likely to be analytical.

But if you’re in a large space – a big office, with high ceilings, or outside — your visual attention expands to fill the space, and your conceptual attention expands.

That’s why a lot of creative figures like to be outdoors, to take long walks in nature, and they get their inspiration from being in the wide, open spaces. If you can see far and wide, then you can think far and wide.

Brigid Schulte writing in the Washington Post

AI Definitions: Artificial General Intelligence

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Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) –While there is no general agreement on its definition, most experts would agree that AGI does not focus on solving specific problems (like Deep Blue, which was good at chess). Instead, this type of AI has broader uses and, in some instances, can possess seemingly human-level intelligence to learn and adapt. Beyond AGI lies the more speculative goal of "sentient AI," where the programs become aware of their existence with feelings and desires.

More AI definitions here.