#2 The change is coming...

Google and Microsoft’s AI chatbot race has recently monopolized headlines.

But as the world watches these tech titans lock horns, it’s easy to forget the massive wave of change AI is bringing to all facets of humanity.

From government, to energy, manufacturing and farming, AI plays a more significant role in our lives by the day. And if your ear isn’t to the ground, you might find this wave takes you by surprise.

In today’s newsletter:

• Daily life: AI changing every industry you can imagine

• The rundown: Public concern, breast cancer treatment and apology letters

• Tips, tricks & tools: Optimize your entire team and workflow 

• Thought leadership: Elon is controversial (No sh*t)  

• Bye bye lover bot: Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend 

AI CHANGING EVERY INDUSTRY YOU CAN IMAGINE

AI is already well-established in industries with repetitive tasks, making systems more efficient, more cost-effective, and less prone to human error. What might surprise you though, is the sheer number of human jobs roles that are about to go the way of the dodo:

Between 400-800 million within the next seven years, according to McKinsey!

Think of an industry, any industry.

Ok, so farming came to mind.

With digital soil mapping and automated sprayers, AI is taking the guesswork (and labor roles) out of irrigation, herbicide and pesticide application, and planting.

It’s also optimizing picking to give bigger yields at lower costs than ever before. So much for that working holiday visa in Australia…

Perhaps you thought “I’m an energy engineer! My job’s more secure than vault 713 in Hogwarts.”

Hmm…

From planning and optimizing power grids to tracking carbon emissions, it’s predicted that by 2030, AI software will help energy companies increase profits by $1.3tn to $2.6tn by improving efficiency and cutting costs. Yes, cutting costs means cutting 6-figure salary job roles 😨.

“Alright alright, but I’m a politician. Surely roles in government are safe?”

Guess again.

The amount of data analysis that goes into running a country and making appropriate policy decisions (ahem) is being streamlined by AI algorithms - goodbye to large teams of data analysts and policymakers.

While (we assume) we’ll still have talking political heads vying for public affection, governing millions of people is not meant to be easy.

AI encroaching into government goes beyond people losing their jobs and starts entering the world of artificial governance. As far as we’re concerned, this shouldn’t be left up to algorithms.

As the postwar US president, Harry Truman said:

“When you have an efficient government, you have a dictatorship” (quote idea from Richard Partington).

THE RUNDOWN 🐂

Concerned, not excited is how most Americans view AI in daily life. A recent study by Pew Research Center surveyed 11,004 U.S. adults and discovered 70% were unable to identify all uses of AI in daily life, showing how far behind the curve the general public really is.

Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women. A research laboratory in Ontario, Canada has developed AI-driven technology that helps doctors make better-informed decisions on the type of treatment they recommend to cancer patients.

Video games are about to become a new level of interactive. With Roblox testing an AI system that generates in-game code from player prompts, the boundaries of AI games will soon be only the players’ imaginations. From changing the landscape, buildings, features, behavior and appearance of in-game assets, the players’ wish is their /prompt command.

Vanderbilt University’s associate dean used ChatGT to write a letter to students about the Michigan State shooting. Understandably, people are upset - but what’s really sticky is, when considering the letter (below):

“The recent Michigan shootings are a tragic reminder of the importance of taking care of each other, particularly in the context of creating inclusive environments,” the email said. “As members of the Peabody campus community, we must reflect on the impact of such an event and take steps to ensure that we are doing our best to create a safe and inclusive environment for all.
…..
“Paraphrase from OpenAI's ChatGPT AI language model, personal communication, February 15, 2023.”

The big question is, without the last line, would you or anybody have known this important letter was AI-generated?

TIPS, TRICKS & TOOLS ⚒️

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP 💭

A recent Twitter thread discussing a ChatGPT-generated list of “most controversial global personalities”. Click above to see the full discussion.

ChatGPT is well-known for giving factually accurate responses to user queries.

But analyzing sentiment from online data and categorizing certain public figures as the most “controversial personalities”?

Essentially, we’re now stumbling into a world where AI is generalizing and assigning humans labels - something we’ve all come to hate so much in 2023.

In entrepreneur Isaac Latterell’s ChatGPT-generated table, Elon joins other figures such as Donal Trump, Kim Jong-Un, Xi Jinping and Boris Johnson as among the world’s most controversial personalities.

Interestingly, Angela Merkel and Joe Biden, are not controversial…

ChatGPT demonstrates it well and truly understands the ways of the human world.

GOODBYE MY LOVER, GOODBYE MY FRIEND 😘 

The reality where we can pay a monthly fee for artificial companionship is here. And it’s showing some worrisome trends in society.

With over 10 million subscribers, the Replika app offers bespoke digital companions to anyone willing to pay $70 per month.

But much to the dismay of the nearly 10 million (vastly young to middle-aged male) subscribers, the company recently announced the removal of its sexting function.

Touting these interactions as “a last refuge from loneliness”, many users have turned to these digital personalities for company and in some instances, much-needed interaction.

While your reaction might be to scoff and mock, this development highlights the fact that the proportion of under-35s having “no close friends” has tripled from 7% to 22% over the past ten years. Social isolation, loneliness, and lack of human connection are very, very real.

And if people are failing to make that connection with other humans, but find solace in a digital personality, who are you to judge?