The choices we make today shape our world tomorrow.
Author mpescePosted on I really enjoy being a guest on other folks’ podcasts – all of the fun, almost none of the work. To help publicise my new book Getting Started with ChatGTP and AI Chatbots, I hopped onto Paddy Dhanda’s Superpowers School podcast for a 45 minute chat about AI chatbots, using AI safely & wisely – and what’s coming. It’s great fun, so have a listen!
If you’d like a signed copy of my book, just follow this link!
Author mpescePosted on While everyone was going gaga over ChatGPT, Meta – the former Facebook – rewrote the AI playbook with LLaMA. Small enough to run on a smartphone, LLaMA gives us a glimpse of what the world will look like at the end of next year – with AI chatbots everywhere, inside almost everything. LLaMA and its tiny kin are amazing – but are they safe?
Author mpescePosted on No comment AI Miniseries #1 – “When It Changed – How ChatGPT became the fastest growing app ever” On 30 November 2022 startup OpenAI released ChatGPT, resetting expectations for artificial intelligence. Only one year later and billions now have access to ‘good enough’ AI, resetting our expectations for what computers can do – and leaving us wondering how we’ll adapt to this latest breakthrough.
On this first of a three-part miniseries, we explore how ChatGPT rose to become the fastest growing app in history, then found itself the weapon of choice in the longest running war in the technology industry – the feud between Microsoft and Google.
Author mpescePosted on A clever bit of AI software transforms my voice into a silky-smooth ‘Lisa’ – almost an archetypal radio host. In the near future we’ll be able to make ourselves sound – and look – like anyone else. How will we know if we’re being fooled?
Big thanks to Twitter user @nearcyan – who offered me a demo of https://koe.ai – have a play with it yourself!
Author mpescePosted on Three big transformations – one that’s has already happened (the Web), one happening now (augmented reality), and one about to happen – illuminate the path (and pitfalls) for those anyone who wants to articulate the future. Listen, and learn how to be your own futurist!
Big thanks to the folks at Quantium for allowing me to share this in-house talk I gave to staffers in August 2022.
Author mpescePosted on At the age of 19, Palmer Luckey founded Oculus, bringing a comatose VR industry back to life. Will he to do the same for defense with his new startup, Anduril – and has he solved Australia’s submarine problem? A wide-ranging interview covering everything from the search for the ‘ultimate’ gaming display to the future of warfare.
“Rebooting the Arsenal of Democracy” is Anduril’s own statement about what they’re about.
And an article about the XL-AUV project Anduril is doing with the ADF.
Palmer Luckey is speaking in Sydney on the 18th of August, 2022 – book your tickets here.
Author mpescePosted on A recent experiment showed that any AI can be ‘turned to the dark side’ simply by reframing its goals. It’s surprisingly easy – and that points to a big problem.
If you’d like to read the paper – published in Nature – click here.
Close relationships with machines change the way we think, rewiring our nervous systems. How can we stay safe – and ourselves – into the future?
Fiona talks about the ‘The Art & Science of Looking Up’ report – which is available here.
Author mpescePosted on Over a billion seconds ago, sci-fi legend Vernor Vinge conceived of a “Technological Singularity”, when our machines outthink us. Should we worry?
Be sure to read Vernor’s 1993 paper, “The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era” – it’s linked here.
From faucets you can speak with, to lawnmowers that drive themselves – artificial intelligence was everywhere at CES 2019.
Author mpescePosted on Social media promised a voice for the marginalised and powerless. Danah Boyd shows us how our voices – amplified – redefined power.
Wonderful links from points mentioned in our conversation, courtesy of Danah:
Here is Danah’s incredible RE:PUBLICA talk from May 2018. Trust me, you will not regret taking the 50 minutes to watch this.
Author mpescePosted on
Why is it so hard to tear ourselves away from Facebook’s feed? What is it feeding us that makes it so addictive?
The power of artificial intelligence combined with the eternal surveillance of the smartphone made a monster out of Zuck’s social network – but has it divided us more than it united us? How are people using this social network to spread fake news? How is fake news being weaponised to change the way we vote?
All of these questions – and much more – are answered in our special two-part episode, “The Last Days of Reality”.
Part one tells the tale of how we ended up where we are – addicted to Facebook and in the thrall of shadowy firms like Cambridge Analytica. Here’s a taste:
(ANZ listeners only)
And because this isn’t fake news, here’s the links to the stories referenced in the episode:
Buzzfeed reports on Macedonian content farms
https://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/how-macedonia-became-a-global-hub-for-pro-trump-misinfo
Facebook exploits ‘insecure’ to sell ads, Darren Davidson, The Australian 1 May 2017
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/digital/facebook-targets-insecure-young-people-to-sell-ads/news-story/a89949ad016eee7d7a61c3c30c909fa6
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paularmstrongtech/2017/05/01/facebook-is-helping-brands-target-teens-who-feel-worthless/
Facebook’s formula for winning with AI
https://www.fastcompany.com/3060570/facebooks-formula-for-winning-at-ai
Experiment shows how to talk women into lower maths scores
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/314/5798/435
May 2017 Observer exposé on links between Cambridge Analytica and Brexit
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/07/the-great-british-brexit-robbery-hijacked-democracy
Cambridge Analytica becomes Emerdata
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/02/cambridge_analytica_shutdown/
Jimmy Wales founds WikiTRIBUNE
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/jimmy-wales-wikitribune
And, finally, a link to WikiTRIBUNE
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