Episode 32 (April 2024): Optimistically Realistic (or Realistically Optimistic) About AI?
Beth Patin, Dave Lankes & Mike Eisenberg
Description
In this episode, we return to one of our favorite topics– the new AI. But rather than focus on the latest “gee whiz” or OMG capabilities, we turn to the societal implications and impact side of the topic. Dave raised this topic wondering if it’s another case of, “this is why we can’t have nice things anymore.” Why is it that for world-changing technologies over the past half-century that held great promise for the betterment of humanity (e.g., personal computers, the Internet, the World Wide Web, search, mobile devices, social media) instead wound up adding stress to personal and professional lives, widening economic and social inequality, and became new tools for scams and crime.
Is Dave right or is it possible that we can be realistic but optimistic about AI, that is, to be good information people with a necessary critical view – not a tech bro nor a Luddite.
This episode includes:
- Wazzup?
- AI Watch
- Main Topic
- Awesome Library Thingy
References & Resources
Wazzup?
Wikipedia contributors. (2024, March 31). Great Sacandaga Lake. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:18, May 2, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Sacandaga_Lake&oldid=1216575463
Stirling, Diane ( March 27, 2024). “6 Attending 2024 Faculty Women of Color Academy National Conference,” Syracuse University News, https://news.syr.edu/blog/2024/03/27/six-attending-2024-faculty-women-of-color-academy-national-conference/
AI Watch:
Chen, Brian X (April 24, 2024), “Meta’s A.I. Assistant Is Fun to Use, but It Can’t Be Trusted,” New York Times, Tech Fix https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/technology/personaltech/meta-ai-facebook-instagram-chatbot.html?unlocked_article_code=1.m00.TUXB.WVdV3qtwsfDr&smid=url-share
Edwards, Benj ( April 25, 2024). “School athletic director arrested for framing principal using AI voice synthesis,” arsTECHNICA, https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/04/alleged-ai-voice-imitation-leads-to-arrest-in-baltimore-school-racism-controversy
Police uncover plot to defame principal with AI-generated racist and antisemitic comments.
Sicheng Xu*, Guojun Chen*, Yu-Xiao Guo*, Jiaolong Yang*‡, Chong Li, Zhenyu Zang, Yizhong Zhang, Xin Tong, Baining Guo Microsoft Research Asia (retrieved April 28, 2024) “VASA-1: Lifelike Audio-Driven Talking Faces Generated in Real Time,” Microsoft Research Asia, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/vasa-1/ , *Equal Contributions ‡Corresponding Author: jiaoyan@microsoft.com
We introduce VASA, a framework for generating lifelike talking faces of virtual characters with appealing visual affective skills (VAS), given a single static image and a speech audio clip. Our premiere model, VASA-1, is capable of not only producing lip movements that are exquisitely synchronized with the audio, but also capturing a large spectrum of facial nuances and natural head motions that contribute to the perception of authenticity and liveliness.
McGrane, Clare and Murphy, Patricia (April 23, 2024). “Digital reading soars in Seattle, creating problems for local libraries, KUOW National Public Radio, Seattle, WA, https://www.kuow.org/stories/digital-reading-soars-in-seattle-creating-problems-for-local-libraries
Main Topic: School Libraries Under Attack
Raghunathan, Raj (retrieved April 2024) The Happysmart Project https://happysmarts.com/
Fifteen years after getting his MBA, Raj Raghunathan spent some time with his old classmates. He noticed that though they’d all done well, there didn’t appear to be much correlation between their academic success and career success. What Raj found even more curious was the even smaller correlation between career success and what he calls life success. The greater the career success, the more unhappy, out of shape, harried and distracted his friends were.
Coffey, Lauren (Nov 3, 2023). “AI, the Next Chapter for College Librarians,” Inside Higher Ed, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/libraries/2023/11/03/ai-marks-next-chapter-college-librarians
“The Use of AI in Public Libraries,” (Jan 23, 2024). collectionHQ https://www.collectionhq.com/the-use-of-ai-in-public-libraries/#:~:text=AI%20has%20become%20integral%20to,make%20more%20informed%20selection%20decisions
Daley, Sam and updated by Thiel, Sara B.T. (May 1, 2024). “AI in Healthcare: Uses, Examples, and Benefits, built in, https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/artificial-intelligence-healthcare
Los Angeles Pacific University (Dec 21, 2023). “Revolutionizing Healthcare: How is AI being Used in the Healthcare Industry?” Career Blog. https://www.lapu.edu/ai-health-care-industry/
Caglar, Oral (April 19, 2024).”OpenAI’s Legal Battles,” The National Law Review, Volume XIV, Number 115, https://natlawreview.com/article/openais-legal-battles
European Parliament (March 13, 2024). “Artificial Intelligence Act: MEPs adopt landmark law,” European Union, Press Releases PLENARY SESSION, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240308IPR19015/artificial-intelligence-act-meps-adopt-landmark-law#:~:text=On%20Wednesday%2C%20Parliament%20approved%20the,fundamental%20rights%2C%20while%20boosting%20innovation
Zakrzewski, Cat, Tiku, Nitasha, and Dwoskin, Elizabeth (April 9, 2024). “OpenAI prepares to fight for its life as legal troubles mount,” Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/09/openai-lawsuit-regulation-lawyers/
Awesome Library Thingy
Trujillo, Laura (April 8, 2024). “James Patterson and joyful librarian Mychal Threets talk new librarians and book bans, “ USA Today, https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2024/04/08/james-patterson-mychal-threets-bookstores-libraries/73185921007/
Mayorquin, Orlando (January 1, 2024. “Mychal Threets Wants Everyone to Experience ‘Library Joy'”. NYT. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/01/us/mychal-threets-librarian-influencer.html
Kimmel, Jimmy (April 23, 2024). “Real-life librarians give their thoughts on recent red state bills that threaten up to six years in prison for the crime of lending books that aren’t government approved,” Jimmy Kimmel Live. https://youtu.be/bzjqJdsDWgc?si=HEIrokSPkMfxzUsw&t=728
Gomez, Alyana (April 25, 2024). “Volunteers breathe new life into Philadelphia library program deemed a rare treasure,” ABC TV 6 Philadephia, PA.
Philadephia Alliance to Restore School Libraries (accessed April 28, 2024). “Philadelphia Alliance to Restore School Librarians (PARSL) works to restore libraries staffed with certified teacher librarians in Philly schools,” Philadephia Alliance to Restore School Libraries https://www.restorephillylibrarians.org/
Filed under: Dr. Beth Patin, Dr. Dave Lankes, Dr. Mike Eisenberg, Season 4
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