AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Machine Learning

Amazon's latest update to its Alexa voice assistant introduces a generative large language model (LLM) designed to elevate smart home interactions. Amazon says the new Alexa LLM brings enhanced contextual understanding, allowing for more natural conversations and streamlined device management. Continue Reading →

Google has announced significant updates to its AI tool, Bard. The tool now offers direct integration with Google's suite of apps and services, facilitated by the introduction of Bard Extensions. This feature enables users to seamlessly access information from Gmail, Docs, Drive, and other services within a Bard conversation. Continue Reading →

Can you rattle off the top 10 generative AI services in order of popularity? You'll probably guess that number one is ChatGPT (and you'll be right). But what's the second most popular generative AI app? Have you used it? Number three? Four? I'm going to guess that you're not as familiar with the most popular generative AI tools as you could be. Continue Reading →

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is intensifying its focus on generative AI. Central to their antitrust concerns is the practice of exclusive dealing. While such arrangements can be competitive, they raise red flags when they enable a firm to control essential market segments. Continue Reading →

Character.ai, an AI app enabling users to design AI personas, has seen a surge in U.S. mobile app usage, reaching 4.2 million monthly active users since its May 2023 launch. In comparison, ChatGPT reports nearly 6 million monthly U.S. actives. Continue Reading →

Does generative AI pose a threat to the rich tapestry of human expression? Are we on an inevitable path toward digital monoculturalism? This essay was written in the fall of 2016. Considering how quickly generative AI content creation tools and copilots are being woven into the fabric of our lives, now would be a very good time to start thinking about what our human-created cultures truly mean to us. Continue Reading →

Microsoft has announced its Copilot Copyright Commitment in response to user concerns about potential IP infringement when using outputs from their AI-powered Copilots. Continue Reading →

Zoom has announced AI Companion, its free AI Copilot. This generative AI assistant (previously known as Zoom IQ) is designed to enhance user productivity and collaboration by aiding in chat composition, providing meeting recaps, segmenting cloud recordings into smart chapters, and even offering real-time feedback on communication patterns. Notably, Zoom is offering this feature at no additional cost to users with a paid account; update your Zoom app to start using AI Companion. Continue Reading →

Does OpenAI have a sustainable business model? ChatGPT usage is down (from its initial astronomical numbers), but – more importantly – by the numbers, the power users are engineers. When it comes to coding, GPT-4 makes good engineers great and it makes bad engineers better. Continue Reading →

IMAGE: Vintage American anti-capitalist poster, circa 1938. Source: r/antiwork A few years ago, I received an invitation to walk in the Labor Day Parade. It got me thinking about labor law as an alternative path to meaningful data privacy regulation. Today, as we begin to think hard about how to approach AI regulation, I started Continue Reading →