AI Bytes Newsletter Issue #5

Welcome to this week's AI Bytes Newsletter! This week we are exploring into the latest AI developments, like Perplexity's collaboration with Vercel, enhancing apps with superior text analysis and language modeling. We tackle the ethical debate in education, balancing tool use with critical thinking. Highlighting AI's role in finance and neuroscience, we explore groundbreaking advancements and the challenges ahead. Our aim is to keep you informed on AI's diverse impacts, from finance to neuroscience, and beyond. Thank you for joining us for a journey through AI's evolving landscape, where innovation meets practical application.

The Latest in AI

A Look into the Heart of AI

Featured Innovation

Perplexity everywhere! We’ve seen perplexity pop up as the back-end knowledge LLM for many products including Rabbit R1, Brilliant Labs Eyewear, The Arc Web Browser, and more. Perplexity has now partnered with Vercel to be the back-end knowledge LLM for Vercel developers.

Integrating Perplexity with Vercel allows your applications to use advanced text interpretation, sentiment analysis, and language modeling capabilities.

Use cases

You can use the Vercel and Perplexity integration to power a variety of AI applications, including:

• Advanced text generation: Use Perplexity for creating sophisticated text generation tools for content creation and communication

• Semantic text analysis: Use Perplexity for applications requiring deep semantic analysis of text, such as sentiment analysis or topic detection

• Language understanding applications: Use Perplexity in tools for language understanding and translation, enhancing communication across languages

I’m actually considering rebuilding the “Call Center Coach” custom GPT I made with this tech just to test the ergonomics, more on that coming soon! If you’d like to learn more about how you can incorporate this tech, see the article below from Vercel.

If you’ve seen a game changing innovation and want to share it with us, hit us up at [email protected]!

Ethical Considerations & Real-World Impact

Hey there folks, Mike here! This week, I wanted to share something that really caught my attention. It’s not a brand new subject, it’s a tale as old as the education system.

The challenge for the education system has always been: how to you give students the tools they need while not completely allowing them to just “cheat” by overusing tools and keep them using their minds. This perpetuates an arms race of sorts to ensure that students have the tools that they need, without providing so much augmentation, that the students really aren’t learning.

In the article linked below I talk about a conversation between

Tools

The Toolbox for Navigating the AI Landscape

AI Tool of the Week - Canva

This week, we're highlighting a tool that many people are likely familiar with: Canva! While other tools take a longer, more convoluted approach with AI, Canva consistently adapts, incorporating new 'Magic' features into their suite. Explore some of the capabilities Canva offers below:

If you’ve got a suggestion on tools we should check out, email us at [email protected] and let us know.

Rico's Roundup

Critical Insights and Curated Content from Rico

Skeptic's Corner: Generative AI in Finance: Navigating the New Frontier of Fraud and Security

Hello, everyone! In this week's Skeptic's Corner, we're zeroing in on Generative AI's rapid march into the finance sector, shedding light on the complex landscape of fraud and security.

Generative AI's sprint into the financial sector's limelight has tossed a curveball at compliance teams, introducing a nuanced frontier for fraud and financial crime. Alex Capella and Christopher Reimann shed light on this emerging dilemma, pinpointing the sudden prominence of platforms like ChatGPT in the fraudster's toolkit. These AI marvels, they note, are not just creating ripples but potentially tsunamis, enabling criminals to craft alarmingly realistic fake profiles, documents, and transactions. It's a stark reminder that the digital age's conveniences come bundled with fresh challenges for those guarding the financial gates.

The intertwining of fraud and financial crime is a narrative thread that's been weaving tighter over the years. Traditionally seen through distinct lenses, the fusion of fraud management and financial crime compliance into a unified force seems almost prophetic now, given the AI-fueled complexities that lie ahead. The insights from compliance officers underscore a shared concern: the pace and sophistication of crimes, fueled by AI, are outstripping traditional defense mechanisms. Real-time payments, cybercrime, and now ChatGPT-driven frauds are highlighting the urgent need for banks to pivot towards more agile, AI-empowered defensive strategies.

However, it's not all doom and gloom (thankfully). The article pivots to a hopeful stance, suggesting that the very technology posing threats could also fortify the banks' arsenals against such risks. Generative AI, when harnessed with precision and caution, could enhance fraud detection, streamline compliance processes, and even outsmart the scammers at their own game. It's a classic "fight fire with fire" scenario, underscoring the need for a balanced, informed approach to integrating AI into financial institutions' security and compliance frameworks.

From my perspective, this unfolding scenario is a compelling chapter in the ongoing saga of technology's dual-edged impact on society. As we marvel at AI's capabilities to innovate and streamline, we're also reminded of the perpetual arms race between security professionals and cybercriminals. The key takeaway? The financial sector's future hinges on its ability to adapt, innovate, and responsibly harness AI's power. It's a high-stakes balancing act, ensuring that as we open new doors to efficiency and service excellence, we're not unwittingly leaving the vault open for the taking.

Have an idea for a creation or a project needing advice on realization? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us on our X.com page or email us at [email protected].

Must-Read Articles

Listener's Voice

In this week's Listener's Voice, Nick writes and asks, "Do you think the development of AI is moving too quickly and should be slowed and/or heavily regulated?"

Great question, Nick! Incidentally, this question is one that was also brought up at our recent AI Roundtable discussion. The rapid development of AI has sparked a global debate on the need for regulation. Advocates argue that without oversight, we might face ethical dilemmas, privacy issues, and job displacement. High-profile figures like Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have expressed concerns, leading to initiatives like the Asilomar AI Principles for responsible development.

However, there's a counterargument that heavy regulation could stifle innovation, particularly in areas like healthcare and environmental management. The challenge lies in striking a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring safety and ethical standards.

Governments and global organizations are beginning to respond. The European Union, for example, has proposed comprehensive regulations to ensure AI systems are transparent, traceable, and under human oversight.

In short, while AI's rapid growth offers great potential, there's a consensus on the need for thoughtful regulation to mitigate risks and ensure AI benefits society ethically and safely.

Catch you all in the next podcast episode where we'll dive even deeper into the tech shaping our world. And hey, don't forget to follow us on X.com/@anticslab for more insights and discussions. See you in the lab!

Mike's Musings

Welcome to week 4 folks! I’ve had a heck of a last 7 days and can’t wait to share with you some of the trends, opportunities and implications of AI.

To get us started, I’ll talk about an AI Roundtable Rico and I did with some of the folks in my network that I’ve been professionally connected with for many years. We had good representation for both skeptics and techno-optimists alike and I even found out that our wildcard guest was more of a techno-optimist than me.

I also attended NADA (https://www.nada.org) which is the largest automotive dealer convention in the US (possibly the world). At the conference I talked to quite a few folks in the business, both dealers and exhibitors, one trend you may not be surprised about is that unlike last year, almost everyone I talked to had AI on their mind.

One of the most talked-about technologies at the show was an automotive CRM called DriveCentric. DriveCentric was the darling of the event, unveiling its latest AI technology for lead generation, which includes AI-powered dialers. Another SaaS company, CallRevu, showcased their cutting-edge technology to us. CallRevu, a Call Monitoring company, leverages sophisticated AI technology with advanced machine learning capabilities to meticulously analyze call data. This provides automotive dealerships with comprehensive insights, actionable recommendations, and unparalleled accuracy in monitoring customer interactions. The goal is to optimize performance and enhance customer satisfaction.

Tech Deep Dive

Mike breaks down a complex AI concept into understandable terms.

One of the things that we discussed at the Artificial Antics - AI Roundtable is how the field of AI is MUCH bigger than just LLMs (what ChatGPT and other tools are built on). AI is fundamentally about creating machines that mimic human intelligence. This field encompasses several technologies, such as Machine Learning (ML), which enables machines to learn from data and make decisions on their own. Then there's Generative AI (GAI), capable of producing new content, including text, images, and videos.

Another intriguing aspect of AI is Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), where two neural networks—one generating data and the other evaluating it—collaborate to produce highly realistic results. LLMs, known for their language understanding and generation capabilities, represent another significant branch of AI. These models, trained on enormous text datasets, excel in tasks ranging from writing assistance to conversation generation.

Specifically, GPT models from OpenAI, a type of LLM, are designed to generate text that's both relevant and contextually aware. ChatGPT, for instance, shines in generating conversational responses, making it incredibly useful for a variety of applications.

So, while LLMs might be grabbing headlines, AI is a vast and diverse field that includes ML, GAI, GANs, and more. Each branch has its own set of possibilities and challenges, driving the continuous evolution of AI. As we move forward, we're likely to see even more groundbreaking developments in AI, shaping a future that's as exciting as it is unpredictable.

Check out my article below for a more comprehensive view of the many facets of AI:

Mike's Favorites

Sharing personal recommendations for AI books, podcasts, or documentaries.

Forbes Piece - The Future Of Colleges And Universities

This week I want to highlight an older video that piqued my interest and inspired me to write the section about AI in education above. My link has the video starting at 10:36 where Jeff Maggioncalda, the CEO of Coursera, sits down with Diane Brady on "Forbes Talks" to discuss the future of colleges and universities at this point in the video they are talking about how tools like ChatGPT could change the landscape.

Brilliant Labs - AI/AR Enabled Glasses

What I love about this tech specifically (aside from it doesn’t make you look like a totally dweeb like the Apple Vision Pro does) is that is supports open an open source development eco-system.

Thanks for checking out my section and if you have something you like to share, talk about or ask, hit me up at [email protected]

Closing

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Thank You

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This week, we extend a special thank you to those who actively participate in our discussions, share their insights, and reach out with questions and feedback. Your contributions enrich our content and help us tailor our episodes to your interests and curiosities. Thank you for being an integral part of our exploration into AI, and for continuously inspiring us to delve deeper and share more. Your involvement is not just valued—it's essential to the essence of Artificial Antics.

Harmonize Humanity with AI