AI will Save the World, Media Mistrust, AI-guided Dealmaking, and Doomers Putting the Brakes on AI

AI Bytes: Volume CI, Issue #23

Get smarter faster with AI Bytes: 3 articles, 2 podcasts, and 1 video.

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READING

III. Why AI Will Save The World

I don’t know about you, but whenever Marc Andreessen talks about technology, I tend to listen. Marc writes about the five most commonly proposed risks of AI are not actually real. AI will not come to life and kill us, ruin our society, cause mass unemployment, or cause an increase in inequality. However, AI can make it easier for bad people to do bad things. To prevent this, governments should use AI to maximize society's defensive capabilities. Additionally, the US and the West should drive AI into their economies and societies as fast and hard as possible to ensure they win the race to global AI technological superiority and prevent China from achieving global AI dominance.

Marc’s closing:

It’s time to build.

Legends and Heroes

I close with two simple statements.

The development of AI started in the 1940’s, simultaneous with the invention of the computer. The first scientific paper on neural networks – the architecture of the AI we have today – was published in 1943. Entire generations of AI scientists over the last 80 years were born, went to school, worked, and in many cases passed away without seeing the payoff that we are receiving now. They are legends, every one.

Today, growing legions of engineers – many of whom are young and may have had grandparents or even great-grandparents involved in the creation of the ideas behind AI – are working to make AI a reality, against a wall of fear-mongering and doomerism that is attempting to paint them as reckless villains. I do not believe they are reckless or villains. They are heroes, every one. My firm and I are thrilled to back as many of them as we can, and we will stand alongside them and their work 100%.

II. The AI Founder Taking Credit For Stable Diffusion’s Success Has A History Of Exaggeration

A scathing hit piece from Forbes on Stability AI founder Emad Mostaque — Forbes claims Stability AI has stands accused of exaggerating its technology and partnerships, failing to pay employees and taxes, and misleading investors. Founder Emad Mostaque claims the company has built one of the world's 10 biggest supercomputers and has partnerships with organizations such as UNESCO, WHO, and World Bank, but former employees and partners have disputed these claims. Stability's flagship product, Stable Diffusion, has also faced criticism for violating copyright law and generating harmful images. Despite these issues, Stability has raised $100 million from leading investment firms Coatue and Lightspeed, valuing the company at $1 billion.

On Setting the Record Straight

In his open response, Emad clarifies inaccuracies reported about Stability AI and sets the record straight. The Stability’s focus is on creating innovative AI products and supporting research in various fields. Emad addresses false accusations and misrepresentations in the Forbes article and emphasizes the importance of being open, admitting faults, and constantly improving to achieve Stability’s mission of activating humanity's potential.

I. Investors turn to AI-guided dealmaking to gain edge over rivals

Investors at venture capital, private equity, and accounting firms are using AI tools to gain an edge in dealmaking. KPMG, Coatue, and Headline are among those using generative AI to assess growth potential, identify acquisition targets, and extract key points from research. The increased use of AI in investment has raised questions about the role of human relationships and judgment in the sector, but investors argue that AI is a co-pilot that makes them smarter when engaging with companies.

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LISTENING

II. AI Glossary Series - OpenAI, GPT, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion

In this episode of the AI Today podcast hosts Kathleen Walch and Ron Schmelzer discuss and define at a high level the terms OpenAI, GPT, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion, and share why you should know these terms and how they relate to the overall AI landscape.

I. Should We, and Can We, Put the Brakes on Artificial Intelligence?

The doomers all want to slow down AI, sure they’re wrong, but we ignore them at our own peril. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, which created ChatGPT, says that AI is a powerful tool that will streamline human work and quicken the pace of scientific advancement. But ChatGPT has both enthralled and terrified us, and even some of AI’s pioneers are freaked out by it – by how quickly the technology has advanced.

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WATCHING

Wolfram Is The Best ChatGPT Plugin