AI

I've just finished reading (yet another) article about OpenAI's dominance in conversational AI and how Chinese companies are frantically trying to catch up. I'm not sure why reporters are making such a big deal about who is ahead today; this is an arms race and – on any given day – someone, somewhere will have a temporary advantage. Continue Reading →

For the past two months, ChatGPT has been the most popular topic in my inbox. I am now sure that conversational AI is going to be as big as email — and maybe even bigger. Continue Reading →

Do you and your conversational AI co-worker need couples counseling? Shelly Palmer speaks with Dan Bowens and Tashanea Whitlow on Fox 5's Good Day New York about conversational AI chatbots -- and how they actually work. Continue Reading →

Those who read me regularly know that I do my best to offer pragmatic, well-reasoned opinions about the potential implications of emerging technology. It is in that spirit that I want you to read the following introductory paragraph from the U.S Department of State's Feb. 16, 2023 release entitled, "Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy." Continue Reading →

There have been several reports that the ChatGPT-enhanced Bing search engine has become "unhinged" or that it has fallen in love with a user (or two). This is understandable. After all, AI models are people too. Actually, no. That's total nonsense. That said, your anxiety is real. So, here – for your amusement and edification, I asked ChatGPT about our relationship and if we needed couples counseling. Continue Reading →

Users have been reporting all sorts of "unhinged" behavior from Microsoft's AI chatbot. Continue Reading →

My Sunday essay explored the possibility that conversational AI might kill web traffic. My first example was asking ChatGPT to suggest some, "...great movies that would be appropriate for kids 12-14, parents 32-46, and grandparents." Continue Reading →

As I think about the issues that artists and creators of every kind are having with the way their works are being used to train AI, I'm wondering if a version of "ASCAP for AI" or "ASCAP for the web" is something we should be thinking about. Continue Reading →

After dinner last night, three generations of my family were sitting in the living room discussing the possibility of finding a movie we could all watch together. While this passionate debate about which movies won an Oscar and which were just fan favorites was heating up and heading nowhere, I asked ChatGPT to, "list some great movies that would be appropriate for kids 12-14, parents 32-46, and grandparents." In just under 30 seconds, it helped us find our movie. Amazing! Except… we didn't visit any websites to accomplish our search. As someone who writes and publishes 5,000-7,500 original words each week, the ramifications of this new workflow are profound. Continue Reading →

I was at a cocktail party last night and the conversations kept gravitating toward – wait for it – AI. One of the guests was a voice over artist who insisted that he was now being pressured to sign contracts that included digital rights (AI synthesis rights) to his voice. He said, in a deep voice over voice, "I absolutely refused to sign." Continue Reading →