UsefulAINewsBackup5Apr23

Last update: Wednesday 4/5/23

This twice-weekly news guide tracks recent artificial intelligence (AI) tools that will be useful to our readers. It does not cover AI tools that are not accessible to the public, nor AI tools that can only be used by computer science experts. Its initial focus will be the large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT's GPT-4, that have been making the biggest headlines.

... Under continuing reconstruction ...

Note:  During periods of peak AI development, alerts about the first edition of this news page are posted on this blog's @neoskeptics Twitter account on Sundays and Mondays; alerts about the second edition are tweeted on Wednesdays and Thursdays. 

A. OpenAI | B. Other | C. Policy

Top stories ...

• "These Y Combinator-backed startups are trying to build ‘ChatGPT for X’", Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch, 4/4/23 *** 
  
  
• "Expedia announces ChatGPT-powered travel planning. How to try it now.", Cecily Mauran, Mashable, 4/4/23 *** 
  
  
• "Amazon wants to boost ten generative AI startups around the globe", Natasha Mascarenhas, TechCrunch, 4/4/23 *** 
  
  
• "Songwriting at the Dawn of AI: When Machines Can Write, Who Is the Artist?", Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Pitchfork, 3/30/23 *** 
  
  
• "How ChatGPT and Bard Performed as My Executive Assistants",  Brian X. Chen, NY Times, 3/29/23 *** 

backToTop

A. OpenAI -- ChatGPT, DALL-E 
     ... GPT-4 System Card = OpenAI's own assessment of GPT-4

• "AI can now create any image in seconds, bringing wonder and danger",  Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 9/28/22
• "A New Chat Bot Is a ‘Code Red’ for Google’s Search Business", Nico Grant and Cade Metz, NY Times, 12/21/22
• "ChatGPT sets record for fastest-growing user base - analyst note", Krystal Hu, Reuters, 2/1/23
• "10 Ways GPT-4 Is Impressive but Still Flawed", Cade Metz and Keith Collins, NY Times, 3/14/23
  
  
• Who is Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI? 
  -- "The ChatGPT King Isn’t Worried, but He Knows You Might Be", Cade Metz, NY Times, 3/31/23  
  -- "The Contradictions of Sam Altman, AI Crusader",  Berber Jin and Keach Hagey, Wall Street Journal, 3/31/23 
  
  
• "Expedia announces ChatGPT-powered travel planning. How to try it now.", Cecily Mauran, Mashable, 4/3/23 *** 

backToTop

B. Other Large Language Models (LLMs)

Microsoft -- Bing ... based on OpenAI's GPT

• "Microsoft Bets Big on the Creator of ChatGPT in Race to Dominate A.I.", Cade Metz and Karen Weise, NY Times, 1/22/23
• "Microsoft rolls out ChatGPT-powered Teams Premium", Reuters, 2/1/23
• "Microsoft’s new Copilot will change Office documents forever", Tom Warren, The Verge, 3/17/23
• "ChatGPT Opened a New Era in Search. Microsoft Could Ruin It", Paresh Dave, Wired, 3/27/23 

backToTop

Google -- Bard

• "Google Releases Bard, Its Competitor in the Race to Create A.I. Chatbots",  Nico Grant and Cade Metz, NY Times, 3/21/23
• "What Google Bard Can Do (and What It Can’t)", Cade Metz, NY Times, 3/21/23 
• "Google just launched Bard, its answer to ChatGPT—and it wants you to make it better", Will Douglas Heavenarchive page, MIT Tech Review, 3/21/23
• "The Google Bard AI chatbot is now available. How to get access. We tried it.", Mike Pearl, Mashable, 3/27/23 
  
  
• "Google C.E.O. Sundar Pichai on the A.I. Moment: ‘You Will See Us Be Bold’", Kevin Roose, NY Times, 3/31/23 
  -- This article is based on Pinchai's interview with Roose on Hard Fork (podcast and transcript), 3/31/23
  -- Pinchai's interview was also discussed by Mashable, The Verge

backToTop

Baidu -- Ernie

• Initial impressions ...
  -- "China’s Answer to ChatGPT Gets an Artificial Debut and Disappoints", Chang Che and John Liu, NY Times, 3/16/23
  -- "Chinese tech giant Baidu just released its answer to ChatGPT",Zeyi Yang, MIT Tech Review, 3/16/23
  
• Second looks ...
  -- "The bearable mediocrity of Baidu’s ChatGPT competitor", Zeyi Yang, MIT Tech Review, 3/22/23 
  -- "China's Baidu reveals more capabilities of AI-powered chatbot Ernie", Eduardo Baptista, Reuters, 3/27/23  

backToTop

Other Other

• "‘Let 1,000 Flowers Bloom’: A.I. Funding Frenzy Escalates", Erin Griffith and Cade Metz, NY Times, 3/14/23
• "These Y Combinator-backed startups are trying to build ‘ChatGPT for X’", Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch, 4/3/23 *** 
• "Amazon wants to boost ten generative AI startups around the globe", Natasha Mascarenhas, TechCrunch, 4/4/23 *** 

backToTop

C. Public Policy Considerations and Other Opinions

• "A Skeptical Take on the A.I. Revolution", Guest = Gary Marcus (NYU), The Ezra Klein Show (podcast with transcript), 1/6/23
• "Bing’s A.I. Chat: ‘I Want to Be Alive. 😈’",  Kevin Roose, NY Times, 2/17/23
• "The Imminent Danger of A.I. Is One We’re Not Talking About", Ezra Klein, NY Times, 2/26/23
• "A.I. is about to get much weirder: Here's what to watch for", Guest = Kelsey Piper (VOX), The Ezra Klein Show (podcast with transcript), 3/21/23 
  
  
• "The Age of AI has begun", Bill Gates, Gates Notes, 3/21/23 
• ChatGPT vs Bing vs Bard 
  -- "Bing vs. Bard: The ultimate AI chatbot showdown", Cecily Mauran, Mashable, 3/24/23 
  -- "AI chatbots compared: Bard vs. Bing vs. ChatGPT", James Vincent, Jacob Kastrenakes, Adi Robertson, Tom Warren, Jay Peters, and Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 3/24/23
  
  
• "11 Tips to Take Your ChatGPT Prompts to the Next Level", David Nield, Wired, 3/27/23 
• "An early guide to policymaking on generative AI", Tate Ryan-Mosley, MIT Tech Review, 3/27/23
  
• "A Campaign Aide Didn’t Write That Email. A.I. Did.", Shane Goldmacher, NY Times, 3/28/23 
  
  
• "In Sudden Alarm, Tech Doyens Call for a Pause on ChatGPT", Will Knight and Paresh Daveand, Wired, 3/29/23   
  -- "Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter" ... from Elon Musk and others, Future of Life, 3/29/23
  -- This story also covered by The Verge, Gizmodo, TechCrunch
  
  
• "Ethicists fire back at ‘AI Pause’ letter they say ‘ignores the actual harms’", Devin Coldewey, TachCrunch, 3/31/23 
  -- "Statement from the listed authors of Stochastic Parrots on the “AI pause” letter", Timnit Gebru (DAIR), Emily M. Bender (University of Washington), Angelina McMillan-Major (University of Washington), Margaret Mitchell (Hugging Face), DAIR, 3/31/23
  
  
• "Italian regulators order ChatGPT ban over alleged violation of data privacy laws", James Vincent, The Verge, 3/31/23 
  -- This story also covered by TechCrunch, Mashable, Gizmodo, Ars Technica
• "How ChatGPT and Bard Performed as My Executive Assistants",  Brian X. Chen, NY Times, 3/29/23 *** 
• "Songwriting at the Dawn of AI: When Machines Can Write, Who Is the Artist?", Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Pitchfork, 3/30/23 *** 
  
  

backToTop

___________________________________

Links to related notes on this blog:  

• "How are users who are not AI experts employing large language models, e.g., ChatGPT ???" -- Last update: 3/24/23