Confidently Wrong (066)

Human opinions in a generative world.

Aug 19, 2024

Happy Monday and welcome to your weekly roundup of memes and commentary about the state of AI.

Sometimes it starts feeling repetitive for me to try covering ongoing developments in a way that is novel on a recurring schedule.

There are only so many observations to be made, only so many insights to describe before the news cycle feels more like a loop than a progression.

This week is no exception. Below you will find a selection of interviews, articles and thought pieces which all share the general perception that we are experiencing an unprecedented amount of change around this technology, that it is far from a panacea, and that it might cause more harm than good. Yet, change will keep accelerating and the amount of resources poured into the field will only go up.

My take is as always: use whichever technologies are available as much as possible, and approach them with the mindset that they will keep improving. There are infinite possibilities for how to apply and integrate AI into more-or-less all aspects of our lives, and nobody has it all figured out. Capabilities will keep improving while costs will keep going down, and gains will be had by those who sense opportunities where others don’t.

I wish you a great week ahead full of actual insight.

Eric Schmidt’s controversial opinions (50 min)

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt gave an earnest and outspoken interview at Stanford a while ago in which he explains why AI is only speeding up, and what it takes to succeed in technology. The talk his pretty insightful, maybe too much so, as it was unlisted on YouTube by Stanford after controversial clips ended up on Twitter. The whole thing is worth a watch on either YouTube or Twitter.

Consultancies are thriving on AI

The NYT on how management consultants are the only ones making serious money with generative AI. Lots of concrete examples of what's being done in the space.

IBM, which has 160,000 consultants, has secured more than $1 billion in sales commitments related to generative A.I. for consulting work and its watsonx system, which can be used to build and maintain A.I. models. Accenture, which provides consulting and technology services, booked $300 million in sales last year. About 40 percent of McKinsey’s business this year will be generative A.I. related, and KPMG International, which has a global advisory division, went from making no money a year ago from generative-A.I.-related work to targeting more than $650 million in business opportunities in the United States tied to the technology over the past six months.

Productivity Paradox (40 min)

Amazing interview by Malcom Gladwell with IBM's CCO (Rob Thomas). Very insightful if you're working with AI in a professional capacity.

Via

Jurgen Gravestein

Generative Everything

McDonald’s Japan just tested an trippy AI generated ad in collaboration with AI artist @KakuDrop and @LumaLabsAI. Via.

AI is not what we were promised (10 min)

I’m usually reticent when it comes to broad criticism of any technology, but this short clip with Eric Siegel is grounded, explains different kinds of AI and helps reduce some of the hype surrounding the industry.