AI: So, Tell Me About You.

Nov. 4, 2024. You know that saying, “If the product is free, then you are the product”? AI tools are only as good as their training data, and that data has to come from somewhere. The most desirable, high-quality training data for AI tools is vetted, peer-reviewed content. However, your Instagram posts and social media shares are still useful for some tools designed to market to you and become more like you. Ina Fried with Axios writes what organizations like Adobe, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI know about you—and how they want to know you better.

What AI knows about you

AI in Education: Where’s the Line?

Oct. 31, 2024. A federal lawsuit in Massachusetts is calling into question the role of AI in education. Greg Toppo, with The 74, reports how a Massachusetts family wants their son’s grade in a high school course changed. The student allegedly used generative AI in a way that did not align with guidelines. As such, they received a failing grade on an assignment. They were accused of cheating, causing them to be denied entry into the school’s National Honor Society, impacting their chances of entering top colleges.

This story raises a core concern for education: What should students take away from their education—just a degree/credential (to which Generative AI can provide a shortcut) or the knowledge, skills, and thinking the credential represents? If you’ve been reading my stuff, you know I believe Generative AI can enhance thinking and process when used as an agent and not to produce the end result. As with many things AI, the courts will provide guidance.

Could Massachusetts AI Cheating Case Push Schools to Refocus on Learning?

No Game Engine, Just Open World Gaming in Real Time

Oct. 31, 2024. The AI team at Decart, along with Etched, just announced Oasis, the world’s first real-time AI open world model. The model allows users to add a starting image to Oasis so the AI can morph it into a custom world. Imagine interacting with a video game or video based on your content in real-time. Check out Oasis to stop imagining and start exploring.

Oasis: A Universe in a Transformer

AI Hallucination: Another Cautionary Tale

Oct. 29, 2024. Route Fifty shares a story from Claire Stremple of the Alaska Beacon: a high-ranking official trusted Generative AI when generating a draft policy, and the AI tool hallucinated. The policy with false citations was updated before the state Board of Education and Early Development adopted the resolution. But heed this cautionary tale. Generative AI will fake it if it does not have an answer.

A top state official used AI to draft public policy. The AI hallucinated.

Dennis Cheatham

Associate Professor, Communication Design

Miami University

Updated: November 7, 2024 2:41 pm
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