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- #45 Presidential race plagued by AI-generated images
#45 Presidential race plagued by AI-generated images
AND: The UK's AI discussion isn't inclusive
The AI Plug
June 09, 2023
Delta Airlines, Wells Fargo, and other companies of a similar ilk have had forty frustrated employees file suits against them in the last four years. Why? Because of misleading statements about diversity, equity, and inclusion (namely, that the companies weren’t doing what they said they were doing). Today, the whole of the UK and its position on AI safety fall under the same scrutiny. Let’s dive in.
In today’s newsletter:
Top News: The UK vies for AI leadership, US presidential campaign is full of fakes, and DeepMind writes algorithms better than humans can
TL;DR Rundown: Meta releases AI stickers, AI chatbots upending learning, and K-netizens shocked with AI image of ‘Korean man’
Looking for a new job?: Must-dos to avoid the AI application pile
Memes are so right: How we should spend our time
Top News 🔝
Three biggest stories if you’re in a rush
When you think of The United Kingdom, the term “AI leader” might not be the first to spring to mind (we were thinking “Tea”…. or “Brexit”). But UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is trying to change that, announcing on Wednesday the UK’s intention to host “the first major global summit on AI safety” later this year.
Sunak recognizes the unified, global effort necessary to develop and adopt safe and responsible AI technology, touting the UK’s “vast expertise and commitment to an open, democratic international system” as the nation’s reasoning for attempting to position itself as a leader in the space.
Unfortunately, things haven’t started so democratically. While no formal list of invitees to the World’s First Ever AI-Safety Summit has been announced, companies mentioned in the press release include OpenAI, DeepMind, Anthropic, Palantir, Microsoft, and Faculty. So, who's missing from this potential lineup? Anyone from “civil society, academia, or with lived experience of algorithmic harms,” as pointed out by Rachel Coldicutt.
While the leaders of these companies certainly have experience in developing and leveraging AI for a particular purpose and profit, they’re not necessarily experts in assessing how these systems impact society at large - which is why it’s vital that any “global summit about AI safety” include people from all areas of expertise, with different motivations other than maximum profitability.
Make your guest list a good one, Rishi - the world will be watching.
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“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
George Orwell
The sad truth is that whoever you vote for in this day and age, you’ll be choosing a manipulator. As Orwell knew, that’s what politics is - it’s manipulating events, facts, images, people, and populations to achieve a desired outcome.
In 2023, AI is taking political manipulation to a whole new level. Democrat or Republican, DeSantis or Trump, everyone’s getting in on the fake AI game. DeSantis’ campaign team just released an attack ad (click and scroll to midpage, you’ll see it there) with fake AI-generated images of Trump hugging Anthony Fauci.
Trump, for his part, has well and truly expressed his proclivity for using AI content, so when we’re in a presidential race where both sides use fake media fodder, who do we trust? It falls to you, reader, to be skeptical, to use your best judgment, and to not believe everything you see on television.
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If the goal of AI is to “make humans better,” it’s working. AlphaDev, a Google DeepMind AI system, recently wrote a data-sorting algorithm that sorts data three times faster than human-generated algorithms can.
Humans still need to convert the algorithm into standardized C++ programming language, but the results are in - algorithms can teach themselves to improve on their predecessors. Speed and performance of the algorithm depended on the type of hardware it used, which is a future goal for the DeepMind team, who “would like to apply AlphaZero-style algorithms to more kinds of problems, even the design of hardware itself.” Can you say, AGI?
TL;DR Rundown 🐂
Summary of note-worthy trending articles
AI shocks K-netizens with its unusual interpretation of a ‘Korean Man’. (link)
Meta’s first generative AI feature will be AI stickers in Messenger. (link)
Potential for new AI Chatbot tutors to upend student learning. (link)
Scientists claim over 99 percent identification of ChatGPT. (link)
AI firms Cohere raises $270M with Oracle and Nvidia backing. (link)
Google releases new Secure AI framework for companies adopting artificial intelligence. (link)
Mark Zuckerberg announces Meta’s plans for AI in a company-wide meeting. (link)
Airline workers are next in line to strike against AI. (link)
Google transforming Android phones with new AI-powered features. (link)
As the AI industry booms, what toll will it take on the environment? (link)
Microsoft announces AI customer commitments. (link)
The US Senate is working to get up to speed on AI basics ahead of any legislation. (link)
AI can both hurt and (hopefully) help the music business. (link)
AI system devises first optimizations to sorting code in over a decade. (link)
Three resume mistakes that could land your application in an AI hiring filter ‘black hole.’ (link)
Tip of the Day 💡
Avoid the AI-generated job application pile
Human eyes never see 75% of job applications - so much for the daysyou spent writing that cover letter. Why? Because 83% of companies use automation to filter job applications.
So how do you, as an eager (if not borderline frantic) job seeker in 2023, avoid these filters? Pay attention - we’re about to tell you.
1) Don’t get overly creative. Use black and white default fonts in Google Docs or Microsoft. Use hyperlinks sparingly. He consistent with your header and body font and format.
2) Be explicit and state the obvious. As legendary copywriter Gary Halbert told his son in his letters from jail, you must always do even the obvious. State your skills, don’t leave it up to interpretation, as algorithms look for specific skills for specific job roles.
3) Remember a human has the final say. Keeping these first two tips in mind, remember to keep an element of personal touch to your CV (at least your covering letter). A human has the final say - and humans (tend) to like working with other humans.
Memes tell the truth.
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