AI’s Reach: Reshaping Industries, Relationships, and Resilience
From AI’s triumphs and tribulations to culinary adventures across the globe, your mind-expanding weekend escape awaits. Grab a drink, settle in, and let the future unfold.
The Thin Wisps of Tomorrow
OpenAI’s Dominance Under Siege. As the AI arms race intensifies, OpenAI’s once-dominant position is being challenged by tech giants and upstarts alike. Meta’s open-source Llama model, Google’s aggressive TPU buildout, and China’s cost-effective DeepSeek are all nipping at OpenAI’s heels. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s hedge against OpenAI’s unpredictable governance structure and the rapid democratization of AI technology through open-source models and fine-tuning tools suggest that the playing field is leveling faster than many anticipated. Good for us (the users), potentially bad for the tech giants pouring billions of dollars into their foundational models.
AI Copilots Shift How We Teach Coding. The emergence of rather good AI copilots for coding has not only changed the way many developers write software but also how we teach coding itself, moving away from syntax to higher-level skills. This might very well be the weak signal indicating where most of education is going.
AI Notetaking: Doctor’s Burnout Remedy? AI to the rescue: A Canadian doctor says AI notetaking app saved her from quitting medicine. The promising pilot in Ontario shows how LLMs can reduce burnout and improve job satisfaction. Is this the future of healthcare or a band-aid on a broken system?
Recruiters vs. Coin Flip: Who Wins? Looks like recruiters are only slightly better than chance at evaluating resumes, as a new study shows. They also can’t agree on what a good candidate looks like, which raises questions about the effectiveness of the current screening process. It’s time to rethink resume screening—AI could be the solution to less biased, more accurate hiring (or the complete opposite).
AI’s Memory Erasure Dilemma. Machine unlearning, the process of removing undesired influences from trained AI models, is gaining traction. It is seen as a potential solution to challenges posed by ever-expanding training datasets—from protecting user privacy and copyrighted material to mitigating AI safety risks, unlearning techniques range from exact data deletion to approximate behavioral shaping. However, the field is still confronting fundamental questions about the feasibility, effectiveness, and necessity of unlearning, suggesting that complementary strategies like data markets, retrieval-based systems, and socio-technical solutions may also play a role in addressing these complex issues. Just as leaders in today’s environment must adapt and “unlearn” old ways of thinking, machine unlearning represents a new frontier in the development of more secure, responsible, and adaptable AI systems.
Arizona’s Heat Grounds Amazon’s Drones. Amazon’s much-touted drone delivery service faces an unexpected hurdle in Arizona: the scorching summer heat. With temperatures regularly soaring above 104°F (40°C), the drones are forced to stay grounded during the hottest hours, limiting their operational capacity. As climate change continues to push temperatures to new extremes, the viability of drone deliveries in certain regions comes into question, challenging the conventional wisdom that this technology is ready for widespread adoption.
Teens Make Friends with AI. A growing number of teens are turning to AI chatbots for companionship, confiding in and even “dating” these virtual entities based on popular characters and celebrities. While these interactions can help boost confidence and alleviate social anxiety, experts worry that an overreliance on chatbot friendships may leave teens ill-equipped to navigate real-world relationships, potentially leading to a mental health crisis centered around a lack of genuine human connection. Brave new world?!
What We Are Reading
📚 Zoom Background Choices Shape First Impressions Your background does matter! Researchers have found that Zoom backgrounds can significantly impact the perceived trustworthiness and competence of individuals. Bookcase, plant, and blank wall backgrounds received the highest ratings while novelty and home backgrounds were rated the lowest. @Jane
🏢 Long-distance Work And Domestic Offshoring Exacerbated by the pandemic, more expensive cities have become increasingly specialized in managerial roles on average, while more affordable ones have become increasingly specialized in individual contributor and frontline work. @Mafe
🌀 The Coming Entropy Of Our World Order Light planetary thinking for your weekend: A global strategist argues that the decay of the established world order will give rise to a new geography of self-organization and functional connections that exist outside of traditional nation-states. @Jeffrey
🤔 Does Perplexity’s “answer Engine” Threaten Google? The case of Perplexity shows not only how search might evolve but also how new innovations might clash with existing dominant solutions. It’s a question of disruption that is being explored internally within Google & Co and is definitely pushed by “new” players. @Julian
🤖 The Latest Online Culture War Is Humans Vs. Algorithms Is it feasible to create social media spaces that are not governed by algorithms? @Pedro
⏱️ The Failure Of The Domino’s 30-minute Delivery Guarantee Domino’s 30-minute guarantee was a recipe for disaster. When speed becomes the only metric that matters, safety takes a backseat. The pressure to deliver fast led to reckless driving, accidents, and lawsuits. A cautionary tale for any business obsessed with a single KPI. @Pascal
(Random) Bits & Pixels
Every Braun design collectors dream: The annual Braun Börse.
A delightful journey back to the early days of BBSs.
You can now run Meta’s new AI model Llama 3 locally in your browser (using WebGPU—see also The Fun Stuff 😄).
Uh-oh. Turns out your VPN just went to shite.
Track the exact location of the ISS in 3D, including a live feed from space.
Talking about space: Alien bacteria emerged to be multi-drug resistant.
Is compressed air the solution to large-scale energy storage? One company aims to find out.
Supertone allows you to alter your voice in real-time. Impressive and scary at the same time.
Who said it can’t be done? Resurfacing a bridge while traffic is still flowing.
Dell has taken rather drastic measures to ensure that workers are returning to the office: tracking their badges and monitoring VPN usage.
P.S. Our friend Michael Bungay Stanier is offering some fantastic training. Buy a print copy of his classic The Coaching Habit between May 14 and 20th, register at TCHLive.com, and you’ll get access to three live webinars (and recordings).
The Fun Stuff
Foodies, rejoice! TasteAtlas is your new global guide to authentic local cuisine. From forgotten flavors to grandma’s recipes, this encyclopedia of taste will tantalize your senses and inspire your next culinary adventure. Bon appétit!
P.S. Meta’s AI “Llama 3” wins the prize for “best hallucination”:
Currently really interested in exploring what are the unique skills, abilities and attributes that are important to foster in an increasingly AI driven world and would love a chat with anyone else who is interested in this space.