AI

Greetings from a train from NYC to Washington DC where I hope to board an evening flight to SFO. Like tens of thousands of air travelers, I've been Crowdstruck! Continue Reading →

BSOD, the blue screen of death, has become the universal metaphor for an unscheduled operational collapse. When it happens to your Windows machine, you know you're in for a day that is only slightly more preferable than a root canal. When it happens systemically in the cloud… that's something else entirely. Continue Reading →

OpenAI is set to launch GPT-4o mini, a more compact version of its advanced AI model, later today. The model (which the company calls “the most capable and cost-efficient small model available today”) is designed for high efficiency and low cost, with planned future enhancements to support image, video, and audio integrations. Continue Reading →

Google has introduced Google Vids, an AI-powered video creation tool for Google Workspace Labs. It's not available for normal people yet, and there's no general release date set. Continue Reading →

No one born today will ever live in a world where they are smarter than AI. But what does that really mean? Is there a way for human beings to understand how smart AI is? Is IQ a fair test? Is it even reasonable to apply ideas about human intelligence to machines? If IQ tests aren't right, how will we know when an AI model is smarter than we are? Continue Reading →

How smart is any particular AI model? How would you set benchmarks? How would you rate them? AI models can't have an IQ; that's a test for human knowledge. (Plus, raw intelligence isn't really what you want to test anyway.) There are far more capabilities you'd want to include in your scoring system, such as safety, alignment with human values (whatever they are), etc. It's a monumental challenge – and OpenAI is taking it on. Continue Reading →

Samsung is set to launch an upgraded GenAI version of its Bixby voice assistant. The company says the new and improved Bixby will understand and process complex commands and engage with users in a more natural, conversational way. Continue Reading →

Mark Matlock, the Reform UK candidate for Clapham and Brixton Hill, recently faced accusations of being an AI-generated bot. The specifics of this case are silly. Mr. Matlock overly-photoshopped one of his campaign ads and then fell victim to pneumonia. In the process, he sparked an epidemic of deepfake-itus, which sparked a debate about the authenticity of candidates in the generative era (he did not win the seat, BTW). Let's ask some more interesting questions. Could an AI run for office? If elected, could it serve? Continue Reading →

Google's DeepMind researchers have introduced a new method to accelerate AI training, which they claim significantly reduces the computational resources and time required. Continue Reading →

The rise of AI-generated music has been met with both excitement and skepticism. A recent article from Wired titled "The New 'Ethical' AI Music Generator Can't Write a Halfway Decent Song" highlights the shortcomings of Jen, a new AI music generator designed with ethical considerations in mind. Continue Reading →