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- #31 Remote work doesn't work!
#31 Remote work doesn't work!
AND: Sanctions forcing China to use old AI chips
The AI Plug
May 08, 2023
A new week, and a fresh look.
We’ve updated our banned design (ain’t she purdy?), had to say goodbye to 5k subscribers who weren’t engaging with the newsletter (ouch, but this newsletter game is a marathon, not a sprint), and we’ve tweaked our tools section.
Hope you like it.
Now, without further ado, let’s dive in.
In today’s newsletter:
Top News: “Deliberate and thoughtful” is the way to treat AI, remote work doesn’t work, and China attempts to advance their AI in spite of chip sanctions
The Rundown: OpenAI running at a massive loss, despite paying contractors $15 an hour, and Kissinger offers his two cents
Tool of the Day: Real-time granular research assistant and writing tool, Aomni
Notorious A.G.I.: Modern-day bad mofos
NO MORE AND THEN!: How we hope drive-thru voice-ordering ends up looking like
Top News 🔝
Three biggest stories if you’re in a rush
During Apple's latest earnings call, CEO Tim Cook was asked how the company incorporates AI into its products and services. Cook emphasized the importance of being "deliberate and thoughtful" when approaching the use of AI, rather than impulsively using it just because it's the latest trend. This approach is a hallmark of Apple's strategy, with the company taking time to create an optimized version of a feature before unleashing it on its users. Compare this to Zuckerberg, who, when asked a similar question, seemingly replied from his arse:
“The specifics are going to come into focus as we ship more of these things. So, these are just themes for now. But first, for our product, we're always focused on connection and expression. And I expect that our AI work will reflect that. I think that there's an opportunity to introduce AI agents to billions of people in ways that will be useful and meaningful”.
Zucherberg’s an idiot. He really is.
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently shared his opinion that remote work adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic was a strategic error. In an interview with Fortune, Altman said that he believes remote work is not a sustainable model for businesses in the long run, arguing that innovation and collaboration, key drivers of success, “can only truly thrive in a traditional office environment.” Altman also highlights the importance of in-person communication for fostering a strong company culture, explaining that remote work dilutes the sense of camaraderie, as employees cannot engage in casual conversations and informal networking. Whether he’s wrong or right, it’s more than slightly ironic that these sentiments are coming from the chap leading the charge, which enables remote work, and will likely put hundreds of thousands of us out of an office job.
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In the face of U.S. sanctions limiting access to advanced AI chips, Chinese firms continue to forge ahead in AI nonetheless. Firms such as Baidu and Alibaba are extracting the maximum potential from available resources by focusing on software innovation and optimisation instead of cutting-edge hardware upgrades. However, researchers say that “catching up to American AI leaders remains a significant challenge”. If you saw our coverage of Baidu’s Ernie AI chatbot launch, though, you’d know just how far behind these companies realistically are.
The Rundown 🐂
Summary of note-worthy trending articles
Despite lagging behind in AI capacity, China is much further ahead than the U.S. in terms of AI regulation. That’s one benefit of a dictatorship - shit gets done fast. (link)
77% of victims lose money in AI voice scams. Learn how to protect yourself here. (hot tip - if a stranger calls you demanding you send them crypto, don’t send it.) (link)
AI chip market to generate $263.6B by 2031. (link)
Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s is partnering with AI companies to automate voice ordering at participating drive-thru locations. “And theeeeen? NO MORE AND THEN!”. (link)
IBM, Alphabet and Taiwan Semiconductor are the three hot picks for AI stocks to buy in May. (FA: Investing is risky, and you might lose all your money. You might also make a fortune). (link)
How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms. A look into the data-driven world we live in. (link)
Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State and national security advisor, talks about today’s global tensions, the hazards of AI in a crisis, and how he views his role in global war and peace. (link)
20% chance of an AI apocalypse, says an ex-OpenAI safety researcher. (link)
A leaked internal Google document states “Open Source AI” will outcompete both Google and OpenAI. Perhaps that’s a stock worth a flutter? (link)
ChatGPT is costing OpenAI a small fortune - $554.5 million, to be precise. And they’re not making that much back. (link)
Sam Altman makes a list of the startup rules OpenAI broke on its journey toward its current $40B valuation. (link)
Contractors making $15 an hour say they are behind the training and running of ChatGPT. (link)
Tool of the Day ⚒️
AI tools we’ve used, loved, and highly recommend
Today’s tool is Aomni.
Aomni, founded by David (←link to his Twitter), is “an AI research agent that can find, extract and process any data for you on the internet”. It specializes in finding resources and answers to super-niche questions, getting as granular as:
“Find me the best headphones for under $300 in 2023 and list out the results”
“Find all hacker news comments on front page stories that are negative about tech”
“Get me a detailed market research report on expense tracking apps in the UAE”
Seriously. This tool is like Google Search, plus ChatGPT4, plus a “list your source” section. Research doesn’t get much easier than this.
Notorious A.G.I.
NO MORE AND THEN!
We pray, oh we pray, that Hardee’s soon-to-be AI-voice-automated drive-thrus will play out in many, many more scenes like these. Damn, that was a funny movie.
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