Greetings, Visi0nary fam. Itās Jules again with another round-up of headlines and trends for tech and creatives.
If youāre in the Northern Hemisphere like me, youāre probably starting your summer. The days are long, the AC is blasting, and OOO messages are trickling into your inbox. While weāre enjoying summer Fridays and bonfires, AI is racing ahead at total seasonal productivity.
With AI *sort of* established in many industries, Iām taking time this summer to reflect on AIās future. There are a million answers to whatās next for AI. And itās something not even the people building these algorithms know for sure. ChatGPTās Sam Altman shared the following tidbit at Bloomberg Live, āA lot of people talk about AI as the last technical revolution. From the other side, theyāll see it at the start.ā
While governments, philosophers, and companies grapple with regulating and applying AI, the average internet user isnāt part of those conversations. Itās up to us to seek out new information and shape our own opinions. This week, Iām sharing some of the areas I think AI will thrive and/or fall flat. Letās jump in. šāāļø
This Week in New AI Features š¤
The latest in AI features, this time in emojis.
š¦ Parrot AI records and organizes your business conversationsāvideo, presentations, customer calls, and more.
š§ MindOS connects you to a marketplace of AI āexperts,ā ranging from trip advisors to web3 tutors.
š Castup AI leverages ChatGPT to record and produce professional-sounding podcast experiences.
š¦øāāļø Supermanage AI makes preparing for your 1-1 meetings fast and easy, removing the prep work to focus on productivity.
š©āāļø Tudle is your AI therapy app. Access mental health support at your fingertips.
Understanding the hype cycle š
Step one to understanding the future of AI? Examine emerging tech in history.
Iām going to put on my nerd glasses for a moment, proudly. š¤ One of the best ways to analyze hype is a framework called the Gartner hype cycle. It overviews emerging technology development, spanning five phases of innovation, inflated expectations, disillusionment, enlightenment, and productivity.
Youāll see that generative design AI and Machine Learning are still in the innovation trigger phase, and web3 is at the cusp of reaching its peak (of inflated expectations). This positioning fits well with current events. While AI is EVERYWHERE, Iām starting to see more and more speculation about the ādeathā of web3. Web3 isnāt going anywhere. Itās just self-correcting and finding its most productive path.
Gen-AI and ML are in the innovation phase. That doesnāt mean every aspect of their current applications will stick. Hereās where I see the short-term future of AI.
Here to Stay: āGrown-upā AI š„
Grown-up AI is AI at its current best. It proves the technologyās adaptability and improves some aspects of our lives. This category isnāt limited to features or products. It also includes thoughtful approaches to AI from across the globe.
In: Smart regulation
If you want to see poorly-coordinated regulation, look no further than crypto in the U.S. With battling lawsuits, multiple government departments, and uncertain users at the heart of it all, the AI sector knows all too well what can go wrong.
Crypto aside, there are promising steps toward intelligent AI approaches in multiple jurisdictions. The White House issued a āBlueprint for an AI Bill of Rights,ā outlining principles to guide automation design in the U.S. It states:
Algorithms used in hiring and credit decisions have been found to reflect and reproduce existing unwanted inequities or embed new harmful bias and discrimination. Unchecked social media data collection has been used to threaten peopleās opportunities, undermine their privacy, or pervasively track their activityāoften without their knowledge or consent.
These outcomes are deeply harmfulābut they are not inevitable. Automated systems have brought about extraordinary benefits, from technology that helps farmers grow food more efficiently and computers that predict storm paths, to algorithms that can identify diseases in patients.
Across the pond, the EUās AI Act is progressing to be the first regulation of its kind. Or look to The Vatican (and its parkas), which just released a new handbook with Santa Clara University entitled, Ethics in the Age of Disruptive Technologies: An Operational Roadmap.
In: Industry-specific AI
Zoom into specific industries, and youāll already see AI making significant impact. Think medical applications, navigation, and retail. In biotech, drug discovery unicorn Insilico Medicine announced human trials for a lung disease drug designed by artificial intelligence. Itās also already improved customer service, as evidenced by a McKinsey report on the topic in 2022, well before the pre-ChatGPT craze in 2022.
In: Using AI to make your life easier
I use AI at least once a day. It helps my productivity and planning, and gets creative juices flowing. These applications can benefit us all. Tools like Grammarly or Copy.ai are plentiful in the workplace. If you have a period, maybe youāve checked out platforms like Wild.AI, which help plan your exercise and nutrition around your hormonal changes. Of course, thereās always old-faithful ChatGPT to help check your code or answer your question.
PS: If you want to see AI features as they emerge, check out Thereās an AI for That!
On a downward slope: Robot AI overlords
Exploring the boundaries of technology is human nature. We are naturally curious creatures, but purposefully building AI to fulfill our dystopian fears is not a successful path forward. AI that is meant to intimidate, deceive, or take advantage wonāt go away. The public should learn how to spot it and act.
Wait and see: AI relationships
Iāve shared a few new AI features that broach the world of AI for dating. People are taking it one step further by dating AI significant others. The ethics of this situation is an entirely separate debate, of which the Conversation does an outstanding job here. While AI companionship may be on the upswing, in an ideal world, it wouldnāt eliminate physical meet-ups entirely. Iām especially apprehensive of AI tools that claim to replace human relationships.
Out: Deepfakes
If youāve read earlier editions of Visi0nary, weāve spent considerable time discussing the deepfake topic (hereās a recent podcast of mine as a refresher). Deepfakes are dangerous, and theyāre only going to get more convincing. Developing detection tools, both in terms of technology and critical thinking, is essential.
Out: Not crediting creators
Thereās a lot of controversy surrounding AI training material. It generally does not credit artists, whether digital artworks or celebrity voice recordings. Similarly, people are passing AI work off as their own ā check out Disneyās recent slip-up in not acknowledging AI, or the recent lawsuit in California against OpenAI for its data use. Better disclosure and reimbursement options are a must.
Taking the AI out of afrAId š±
Itās okay to feel uncertain about the future of AI and dread the latest GTP-X iteration. Itās also okay to be excited about it and spend time playing with ChatGPT daily. Staying informed will empower you to seek out tools that fit your life.
I canāt answer what comes next for AI, but I can encourage you to explore! Iām happy to do some of that exploring in Visi0nary - leave a comment if thereās something you want me to cover in a future edition. Happy summer! āļø