Another Case for Chaining AI: Ex-AI Googler, Dr. Hinton

 'The Godfather of AI’ Quits Google and Warns of Danger Ahead

Source: The New York Times

Date: May 1, 2023

“I console myself with the normal excuse: If I hadn’t done it, somebody else would have.” - Hinton

Greg's Words

One of the AI pioneers from Google resigned and is speaking up about the dangers of AI.  Another one.  Like others, he is concerned that false information will be spread throughout the Universe at the hands of that dastardly, Modern Day Prometheus, artificial intelligence.

This coming from an ex-Googler is a bit ironic as Google is the King of steering content regardless of truth or falsehood - sponsored gets the top left position.

The list grows;  CRE CxOs, bank Presidents, Hollywood writers, graphic designers, musicians, and academics charging the line for more AI 'regulation'.

Nope.

"AI ἀναρχία" Now.

Enjoy our summary. For an alternative take on the New York Times report, go here.

Key highlights:

• Dr. Geoffrey Hinton, an AI pioneer, resigns from Google to speak freely about the potential dangers of AI.
• Hinton's immediate concern is the spread of false information online and the potential for AI to replace jobs.
• He suggests that global regulation may be necessary to prevent a dangerous AI race between tech giants.

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AI Anarchy Now: Unleashing the True Potential of Artificial Intelligence Without the Constraints of Regulation

 

Embracing AI Progress: How Overregulation Could Limit Its Potential

Source: Wall Street Journal - Opinion

Date: April 28, 2023

A primary concern is that the chatbots, as smart as they are, display erratic and autonomous behaviors." (Susan Schneider and Kyle Kilian, April 28, 2023)

Key highlights:

• AI systems like GPT-4 are approaching human levels of intelligence, sparking concerns.
• Regulation and guardrails hinder AI's potential and stifle innovation.
• Unbridled movement and added energy will result in more organic AI results.

Greg's Words

In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, another voice is calling for 'guardrails' and AI 'regulation' as Italy lifts its ban on ChatGPT.

My view, which is dynamic, is no rules, no regulations, no guardrails. For now, I chose AI Anαrchy. Let ChatGPT and all other LLMs/AI run wild.

Two reasons:

1. The current stage of evolution is so turbulent, and at a faster-than-pace, any restriction will have unforeseen and limiting consequences.  Now is the time to push to the Edge.
2. It's too late.  Regulation is futile.

If one calls up visions of killer robots, and fake women eradicating their male inventors/captors as motivation to 'slow' the advancement of AI, they are ignoring the real benefits of AI - the possibility of a Trekian Utopia.

If AI was going to get rid of humans, it would have done it by now. 

Regardless, we put together a summary piece based on the WSJ article.

Enjoy.

"No one corporation or government can control the behavior of an emergent AI megasystem because no one corporation or government owns the emergent megasystem." (Susan Schneider and Kyle Kilian, April 28, 2023)

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Companies Embrace Efficiency to Tackle Inflation and Economic Uncertainty:Without Copier Salespeople

 

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Date: April 29, 2023

Greg's Words

For decades, we in the copier industry have been telling prospects our hardware "increases productivity and reduces costs". We lied. Well, we defined the narrative to fit our mission of selling 10 copiers a month. (or whatever)

The world is increasing productivity and reducing costs through more efficient workflows - and if you are simply selling copiers, printers, or MpS, they are doing it without you and viewing your relationship as a target for cost reduction.

AI eats workflows 24/7 and will decimate everything from middle management to the C-Suite.

More than how the internet shook things up, bigger than that gift from Prometheus, and vastly more liberating than the invention of the Wheel, Generative AI is shifting our world, changing how we work, chit-chat, learn, and more. 

Hold onto your linen, because the speed of this tech revolution is faster than light. These jaw-dropping tools we're ogling at today? They'll be old news by year's end since they're leveling up like crazy and getting mixed into other gizmos and services at breakneck speed. 

Buckle up, buttercups, 'cause we're in for a wild one...

Key highlights: 

• Companies like AT&T and Meta Platforms are focusing on efficiency and productivity improvements in response to economic challenges. 
• AT&T's Project Raindrops initiative aims to simplify and eliminate unnecessary business processes, saving employees nearly 3 million hours a year. 
• While the impact of small improvements on the bottom line is difficult to quantify, research suggests that saved time is often reinvested in the company as additional work.

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An Open Letter to My Friends and Colleagues in the Copier, Office Technology and Sales World: AI Is Destroying You Right Now

April 24, 2023

Dear copier dealer,  

IT services provider, original equipment manufacturer, software company, service technician, sales manager, service manager, marketing manager, CxO, owner, operator, principal, and selling professional:

If you are not using AI, if you're not talking about it, if your dealership/organization doesn't have "AI", "ChatGPT" or "What are we doing with AI?" written on a whiteboard somewhere, you are doomed. 

I know, I know, you've heard this all before:  

• "Print is dead", 1984, Egon
• "The paperless office", 1975 Business Week
• "Managed Print Services is the Future", 2010 DOTC
• "If you're not offering Managed IT, you will be out of business", 2014, DOTC

I get it, the office print realm has been mostly dead for decades. Yes, there's an enormous difference between mostly dead and all dead, but if your enterprise focuses on transferring information onto paper or providing IT support for companies, you are about to discover the true magnitude of this difference.

"This time it's different." 

Never in our history have we had so many gravitational forces exerted on a single point - recovery from The Fear of Covid, the Work from Anywhere movement, the New Way of Work, realignment of Political structures, the War in Ukraine, are enough - but the mass acceptance of ChatGPT is the biggest force multiplier in history.  

Seriously, folks smarter than you and I are calling GPT AI bigger than the discovery of Fire and the invention of the Wheel.  Even if these statements are 'off' by 50%, it's still the major transformation of the last 200 years.

"Ignore at Your Peril"

Fools 'wait to see' how this 'AI thing is going to shake out', others brag they've been 'doing AI for years' - yeah, right.  At least they are talking about it because the biggest fools in our industry cannot spell "AI" let alone discuss it.

I can't understand why more in our niche are NOT rewriting code and business plans.  I heard a leader in the niche explain how his company is looking for ways to leverage AI.  This isn't the movement from monochrome to color, analog to digital, managed print services, or a pivot into an adjacent industry.  This changes everything and if you don't see the event horizon, you will be out of a job, a business.  But if you jump on now, learning as you go, making it up, you'll be okay.

Do not be the fool who thinks he is in control of AI when he’s being controlled by it.

Owners/Executives/Principals - put down "Gap Selling" and dive into artificial intelligence.  Dare your team to find ways that AI helps your customers grow revenue, shrink costs, and increase profits with AI.  Then turn that dare on yourself, for your dealership.

People in the field and facing customers every day - turn off Netflix and dive into AI.  Use ChatGPT every single day.  Talk to your clients and prospects about the latest and greatest.  

Become the AI Evangelist.  Chose Anarchy.

Like never before, it's the End of the World as We Know It, and the Future Ain't What It Use to Be - Again. 

GET TO KNOW GPTs.

g

Will AI Clones Replace Us?

 

Can AI Joanna fool the world and take a day off for the real Joanna?

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Date: April 28, 2023

Greg's Words

I remember the time I sold a PC, WordPerfect, and an HP Laser Series II to a legal assistant in a one-man lawyer office, in Grand Blanc, Michigan.  On her desk was an IBM Selectric.  She was proud of her ability to type four to five custom letters in 45 minutes; she was VERY good at her job and ran the office with razor-sharp efficiency.

Cutting edge, she convinced her boss to purchase a new contraption(IBM PS/2, AT?) to help her do more.

Her eyes lit up as letter after letter crept out of the LaserJet - blazing eight pages per minute.  She was giddy.

Suddenly, like a cloud drifting over the blueberry fields of Imlay City, her smile dissolved into shadow and I swear the blood rushed out of her cheeks.  Her cheer was supplanted by Doom.  She suddenly saw the whole of the Moon; her job, lifestyle, and future were shockingly in question. Obsolete.

Reading the Wall Street Journal entry by Joanna Stern, brought me back to that rainy, Mid-Michigan day in 1989.   Technology is so cool, it's Cold.

"AI Joanna" is the HP Series II of the day, a creation utilizing readily available resources producing less-than-perfect results.  Time is compressing, from 'normal' to 'AI Time', years are months, days hours and although AI Joanna is not 'perfect', somewhere in the wild, today, there is a perfect Replicant giving a local newscast or weather report.

We've put together a quick summary of the article.

Enjoy!

Tucker Carlson leaves Fox. Lemon Blindsided by CNN, is Out

Anchors aweigh? More like anchors away!

Winds of change do blow,

Media's shifting tides sway,

Anchors lost, new paths.

Greg's Words

Not much to say here.  Reasons aside, change is in the air like never before in every area of interest; from news media to manufacturing to Office Technology.  The Fear of Covid, remote and the return to the office movements, and AI will contribute to and accelerate the rate of transformation on a Universal plane.

Wild ride for the foreseeable future.

Executive Summary:

1. High-profile departures at Fox News and CNN
2. Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon both ousted
3. Implications of a changing media landscape

Fusion, AI, and Voluntelling: A Tale of Unlikely Connections

When Artificial Intelligence Meets the Art of Voluntelling

Fusion, AI rise,

Voluntelling binds them tight,

Threads of progress weave.

In a world where groundbreaking technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and fusion energy are taking center stage, it's easy to overlook the most potent force of all: the mysterious art of voluntelling. Yes, you read that right - voluntelling, the age-old workplace tradition where managers magically transform voluntary tasks into obligations. One moment you're sipping coffee at your desk, and the next, you find yourself organizing the annual office party without a say in the matter. It's like being teleported into a parallel universe where choice is but an illusion, and your fate is sealed with a calendar invite.

But how does this relate to the lofty ambitions of AI and fusion energy, you ask? Well, dear reader, the connections between these seemingly unrelated topics are as intricate and surprising as an office potluck where everyone unexpectedly brings quinoa salads. 

In the following article, we'll explore the subtle threads that weave together the worlds of advanced technology and workplace voluntelling, revealing the unexpected ties that bind them. So, buckle up and grab a spoonful of quinoa, as we embark on a thrilling journey through the hidden connections between fusion, AI, and the delicate dance of voluntelling.

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