Saturday, 8 March 2025

Andrew's AI Crash Course

Update 1: added an album of AI edit quirks below
Update 2: added cautious optimism @ end
Update 3: AI data centers are not what you think! 
Update 4: finish this series w a conversation here
Update 5: a note of pessimism from an AI futurist 
Update 6:  an expert & critic questions "intelligence"
Update 7: a warning about AI wreaking havoc already

I mentioned before that AI will need skilled writers more than skilled coders. Forbes wrote here about a US efforts in that regard. The UK government has a playbook here.

Here is are lessons-learned in Andrew Zolnai Blog here and Andrew Zolnai my Professional Medium Channel (my Personal Channel is here):

Andrew Zolnai Blog

Community Engagement Series (2023)



23: AI Prompt Engineering Trial 2


A.I. Series (2024)


"AI for the rest of us"


"AI for the rest of us", Part II



"AI for the rest of us", Part IV


"AI for the rest of us", Part V


"AI for the rest of us", Part VI


"AI for the rest of us", Part VII


A.I. finis (2025)


A conversation with AI



Medium Professional Channel

2017

The robots aren’t coming… they’re here!

2022


2023





2024




2025


Photos on Flickr


These AI-edited shots aren't about the people at all—the are just for no/show—but rather about elements that detract from the photo; in other words, both tools and pitfalls in this narrow AI context. I don't think it's worth it, however, do you? Pros like Martin Bond here and Paul Nickeln here told me they are unequivocally against it!

Cautious optimism

Here are two  case studies that point to a useful role for AI: to aid in accelerating initial research or preparatory trial&error, rather than as a replacement of actual work; it still needs to be done by humans with the help of traditional IT, again, with complementary AI tech. Dont't you agree?

  • Stanford professor who co-founded 4 startups: How to use AI as a 'force multiplier' to start a business - Source: CNBC
  • Google's AI 'co-scientist' cracked 10-year superbug problem in just 2 days - Source: LiveScience

Cautious pessimism 

This via New York Times, frmr. OpenAI lead turned AI futurist lands on the side of gloom, to paraphrase NYT here:

Caution: dumbness?

An AI expert & critic moves the goal posts: he asserts AI companies aren't even on the right path; measures of "intelligence" are rote not reasoning.

It gives a whole new dimension to my favorite philosopher Michel de Montaigne's words: 
"Il faut une tête bien faite, plutôt qu'une tête bien pleine", "better a well-formed head, than a well-filled one"...

Cautious warning

US "Liberation Day" tariff hikes may be based on  trade deficit estimates run by AI - such was the magnitude of the task country-by-country, that it could simply not be done otherwise - and that alarms all parties across the board:

"In the movie “Terminator 7,” it would be: Actually, Skynet doesn’t bother starting a nuclear war — it just gives bad tariff advice. [...] 
This is part of the problem with what we’re calling A.I., with large language models. They pick up what’s out there without necessarily being able to discriminate what is sensible and what is not."

Caveat

Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask about AI data centers...

 


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