Latest News

.: AI Updates & Developments

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.: Inflection AI’s Inflection-2 Outperforms Competitors, Set to Power Pi Chatbot ➜ Inflection AI’s Inflection-2 has shown remarkable performance, surpassing Google’s PaLM 2 Large in certain aspects but still behind GPT-4 in coding and math tasks. Inflection-2 is set to power the Pi chatbot and is under ongoing development for a larger AI model. Inflection has garnered significant backing from prominent investors, including Microsoft, Reid Hoffman, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, and Nvidia, positioning Inflection-2 as a key player in the AI landscape.

.: Anthropic’s Claude 2.1 Boasts Major Enhancements and Extended Capabilities ➜ Anthropic has released Claude 2.1, improving its flagship AI assistant’s context window, accuracy, and extensibility beyond OpenAI’s GPT models. Claude 2.1 handles 200,000 tokens of context, surpassing GPT’s 128,000 token window. It also reduces incorrect answers and hallucinations and can utilise external tools like calculators and APIs.

.: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Ousted Amidst Concerns Over AI Breakthrough ➜ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was reportedly removed from his position following concerns raised by the company’s researchers about a significant AI discovery. The researchers warned the board about the potential of the Project Q*, which could mark a breakthrough in artificial general intelligence (AGI). The board expressed apprehensions about commercialising such advanced AI technology before fully understanding its consequences, highlighting the ethical and safety challenges inherent in the development and deployment of groundbreaking AI systems.

.: Google’s Bard Extension for YouTube Offers Video Analysis Without Playback ➜ Google introduces an innovative feature for Bard, its YouTube extension, enabling users to analyse video content for specific information without playing the videos. Currently an opt-in Labs experience, this tool has the potential to significantly impact content creators and Google’s role in video content consumption. The future implications of this tool’s integration into YouTube are vast, prompting discussions about its value and impact on the creator ecosystem.

.: Turmoil at OpenAI Over AI’s Direction and Profit Motives ➜ OpenAI, a leading AI research organization, is reportedly experiencing internal conflict due to a rift between its profit and non-profit interests. CEO Sam Altman, known for overseeing the expansion and success of ChatGPT, finds himself at the centre of this turmoil. The board’s decision to fire and then rehire Altman has led to unrest among employees. This situation highlights the complexities and challenges faced by AI organisations as they navigate the balance between innovation, ethical concerns, and commercial pressures.

.: Use of AI to mislead voters raises concerns in Argentina election ➜ Candidates in Argentina’s recent presidential election utilised AI to generate manipulated images and videos aimed at misleading voters and discrediting opponents.Right-wing president-elect Javier Milei published a fabricated image depicting opponent Sergio Massa as a communist soldier, which drew millions of views. His rival’s team also distributed AI-generated images portraying Milei’s team as enraged zombies.

Reflection

.: Why this news matters for education

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I took the dog for a walk last night.

I opened the ChatGPT app and started an audio chat. Stuck my headphones in and started talking.

And we were up and running.

If you have not tried this way of working with ChatGPT, the interaction is pretty seamless, no tapping or holding down a record button. (Also, this is a feature available on the free plan.)

I had wireless headphones and my phone was in my pocket the whole time. We chatted back and forth without much interruption for 20 minutes.

At one point I was calling Remy – my dog – back from going into someone’s garden and ChatGPT used that to address me. Which was quite amusing.

You will have heard about the advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and speaking, listening and interacting in this way really dials up the effortless and natural experience.

The quality of the voice model from OpenAI is excellent, even using ‘ums’, repetition and false starts in responses! The design challenge of just the right amount of error is very cool.

And of course the quality of output satisfied my curiosity about diverse representation of ethics in proprietary models. Or at least set me off with new questions.

Here are implementation strategies I want to explore more, in response to my question about how you can balance a collective philosophy versus something that’s opposite.

Such amazing technological opportunities when you pause to think about how we can learn with these tools and systems.

Remy wasn’t bothered though. 🐩

You can see the full chat transcript here if you are interested.

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~ Tom

Prompts

.: Refine your promptcraft

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Are you looking to improve the quality of responses from your interaction with LLMs and chatbots?

Try inducing an inner monologue.

Another way to put this prompt technique is to give instructions for working step by step.

The “inner monologue” prompt provides a framework for methodically thinking through a problem or request. It directs the AI assistant to take a deep breath and simulate an internal thought process, as a human would.

Key elements include:

• Using <scratchpad> tags to document the thought process, including notes, assumptions, initial ideas, questions, and concerns. This creates transparency into how the AI is analysing the issue. We have done this before in Promptcraft with the <thinking> tags.
• Critiquing the content itself, not the person. Providing honest, direct, but constructive feedback. Based on my protocols.
• Organising scratchpad notes clearly in Markdown formatting. This structures the thought process.
• Treating the scratchpad as an integral part of problem-solving, not just a tool. The act of note-taking enables exploration and adjustments.
• Using the scratchpad to ultimately craft a comprehensive, thoughtful response. The inner monologue leads to synthetic, yet grounded thinking.

Overall, this prompt technique can yield more deliberate and high-quality responses to your requests.

PROMPT

Remember to mak​e this your own, tinker and evaluate the completions.

Learning

.: Boost your AI Literacy

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GLOSSARY .: Key AI Terms and Concepts ➜ An essential list of AI-related terms and concepts, covering everything from the foundational definition of AI to specific technologies like Machine Learning, Generative AI, and ChatGPT. This resource is valuable for anyone looking to understand the basic lingo of AI. Explore the Glossary​

EXPLANATORY GUIDE .: AI Explained in Accessible Prose ➜ This guide offers an understandable explanation of complex AI concepts, including Google’s transformers, large language models, and a mathematician’s view of AI operations. It’s a great resource for those who want to grasp how AI works in simple terms. Read the Guide​

RESEARCH REPORT .: AI and Inclusivity for People with Disabilities ➜ An insightful OECD report discussing the potential and risks of AI in creating inclusive environments for people with disabilities. It also suggests actions for governments to maximise benefits and minimise risks associated with AI in the labor market for disabled individuals. Access the Report​

Ethics

.: Provocations for Balance

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• Moral Values in AI: “How can we effectively instil moral values in AI systems, and should an ‘ethical governor’ be a standard component to regulate their behaviour? Who should define and oversee these ethical guidelines?”
• Fair Compensation for AI-Generated Content: “What strategies could ensure fair compensation for creators in the face of AI’s ability to repurpose copyrighted content? Is channeling AI-generated revenue into public media and arts a feasible approach?”
• AI Development and Responsible Innovation: “What steps are crucial for the AI community to prevent an ‘arms race’ in AI development and focus on long-term, ethical innovation? How important is multi-sector collaboration in this process?”

~ Inspired by this week’s developments.