The SKY IS BLACK Conversation Menu: Artificial Intelligence

The rapid evolution of AI is quickly changing the world, literally as we speak. In Season 2 of SKY IS BLACK, we’ll explore and discuss the implications of these developments, both for people of African descent, and communities around the world. Here are a few of the resources that will guide and animate our unceasing, future-facing exploration.
Elon Musk and Others Call for Pause on A.I., Citing ‘Profound Risks to Society’
More than 1,000 tech leaders, researchers and others signed an open letter urging a moratorium on the development of the most powerful artificial intelligence systems.

Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter - Future of Life Institute
We call on all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.

The Open Letter to Stop ‘Dangerous’ AI Race Is a Huge Mess
The letter has been signed by Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, Andrew Yang, and leading AI researchers, but many experts and even signatories disagreed.

Policy makers: Please don’t fall for the distractions of #AIhype
Below is a lightly edited version of the tweet/toot thread I put together in the evening of Tuesday March 28, in reaction to the open…

OpenAI announces GPT-4
AI just leveled up.


ChatGPT Changed Everything. Now Its Follow-Up Is Here.
Behold GPT-4. Here’s what we know it can do, and what it can’t.

AI: How ‘freaked out’ should we be?
Artificial intelligence will radically change our lives, for better and worse. Experts are worried.

1,100+ notable signatories just signed an open letter asking ‘all AI labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months’
Signatories including Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and Tristan Harris are asking AI labs to pause building AI more powerful than GPT-4.

AI with a Human Face
All companies want to provide their customers with richer and more engaging experiences. The challenge is how to scale the experiences in a way that does not depersonalize or commodify them. Enter the digital human. Rapid progress in computer graphics, coupled with advances in AI, is putting humanli…

A comprehensive list of 2023 tech layoffs
Here you’ll find a complete list of all the known layoffs in tech, from Big Tech to startups, broken down by month throughout 2023.

It takes a few dollars and 8 minutes to create a deepfake. And that’s only the start
Powerful artificial intelligence tools that can create video, audio, text and pictures are raising fears the technology will supercharge disinformation and propaganda by bad actors.

Why You Fell for the Fake Pope Coat
The pope didn’t actually wear that great jacket, but a lot of people were ready to believe he did.

Need a professional headshot? Let AI do it (at your own risk).
Who is this person? Because it’s not me.

How to Become an Expert on A.I.
Part 1 of our weeklong series.

Opinion | ChatGPT Is Parroting Myths About Slavery
The history of slavery in America is too complicated for the likes of ChatGPT and Google.


Google just launched Bard, its answer to ChatGPT—and it wants you to make it better
Under pressure from its rivals, Google is updating the way we look for information by introducing a sidekick to its search engine.

OpenAI connects ChatGPT to the internet
OpenAI has launched plugins for ChatGPT, its viral AI-powered chatbot, including a plugin that provides web access.

Cerebras Publishes 7 Trained Generative AI Models To Open Source
The AI company Cerebras Systems, announced it has trained and is releasing a series of seven GPT-based large language models (LLMs) for open use by the research community.

We’re One Step Closer to AI Handling Zoom Meetings for Us
OpenAI’s artificial intelligence is coming to Zoom in April to improve employees’ organizational skills.

Are You Developing Skills That Won’t Be Automated?
The future of work looks grim for many people. A recent study estimated that 10% of U.S. jobs would be automated this year, and another estimates that close to half of all U.S. jobs may be automated in the next decade. The jobs that are likely to be automated are repetitive and routine. They range f…

Blockchain startup Fetch.ai grabs $40M to provide monetization and other tooling for AI-generated information
There is a role for Fetch.ai to play in the creation of learning models, providing a more equitable and traceable approach to AI.

France: Allowing mass surveillance at Olympics undermines EU efforts to regulate AI
Responding to the French National Assembly’s decision to permit the use of mass video surveillance technology powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the 2024 Olympics, Mher Hakobyan, Amnesty International’s Advocacy Advisor on AI Regulation, said: “France’s decision to allow the use of mas…

WGA Would Allow Artificial Intelligence in Scriptwriting, as Long as Writers Maintain Credit
The Writers Guild of America has proposed allowing artificial intelligence to write scripts, as long as it does not affect writers’ credits or residuals. The guild had previously indicated th…

Enter the Objaverse: 800,000 virtual props for AIs to play with
AI2 has created a giant, diverse database of 3D models of everyday objects, so simulations for AI models can be that much closer to reality.

A.I. Is Sucking the Entire Internet In. What If You Could Yank Some of It Back Out?
Two musicians brokered a deal to save 80 million images from Stable Diffusion. Are they enablers or heroes?

Chatbot Start-Up Character.AI Valued at $1 Billion in New Funding Round
Founded by ex-Google employees, the Silicon Valley company is among the few start-ups poised to compete with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.

Bionic Health raises $3M for its AI health clinic using GPT-4 and other ML models to design better preventative care
Is the world ready for robo-doctors?

Adept Raises $350 Million To Build AI That Learns How To Use Software For You
With new funding that values it at $1 billion, the year-old company already counts Microsoft, Nvidia and Workday as strategic partners.

PitchBook’s new tool uses AI to predict which startups will successfully exit
PitchBook is launching a new tool that uses historical data and AI to attempt to predict which startups will successfully exit.

Microsoft lays off team that taught employees how to make AI tools responsibly
As the company accelerates its push into AI products, the ethics and society team is gone
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Should You Share AI-Driven Customer Insights with Your Customers?
AI is already helping companies understand their customers better. And many theorize that AI will soon know us better than we know ourselves. In an age where data has become commoditized, but the insights and profits from data are the rather exclusive belonging of a few enormous tech players, what b…

As AI booms, EU lawmakers wrangle over new rules
Rapid technological advances such as the ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence (AI) app are complicating efforts by European Union lawmakers to agree on landmark AI laws, sources with direct knowledge of the matter have told Reuters.
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Explainer: What is the European Union AI Act?
The AI Act is expected to be a landmark piece of EU legislation governing the use of artificial intelligence in Europe that has been in the works for over two years.
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This Chicago Startup Is Using AI to Help People Improve Their Credit
Cambio is a credit repair startup that is using AI to negotiate with and settle debts with debt collectors.

We Asked Our Readers How They’re Using AI in a Professional Setting. Here’s What They Said
Our readers respond to how they use AI in a professional setting.

Filmustage leverages AI to break down film scripts, create shooting schedules and more
Filmustage, an AI-powered platform that can automatically break down scripts, announced today it raised $550,000 in VC funding.

The AI Arms Race Hits College Campuses
USC is just the latest university to invest $10 million into a center dedicated to generative AI research.

A Princeton student built an app which can detect if ChatGPT wrote an essay to combat AI-based plagiarism
GPTZero was created by Edward Tian, a Princeton student, who says he was inspired by increasing AI plagiarism. The app’s popularity crashed his site.
AI-created images lose U.S. copyrights in test for new technology
The decision is one of the first by a U.S. court or agency on the scope of copyright protection for works created with AI.
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Glaze protects art from prying AIs
An academic research project has launched a free ‘cloaking’ tool for visual artists to protect online artworks against style-ripping generative AI models.

AI Is So Cool. Why Is The Conversation Around It So Dumb?
Every day, interesting new applications arise, while pundits obsess over The Terminator.

A Bunch of Top Music Advocates Want to Ensure AI Doesn’t Replace Your Favorite Artist
A new coalition called the Human Artistry Campaign includes powerful trade groups like the RIAA and Recording Academy

Duolingo launches new subscription tier with access to AI tutor powered by GPT-4
Duolingo is introducing a new subscription tier with features powered by OpenAI’s new GPT-4 technology, the company announced on Tuesday.

Will using AI make Microsoft Word better? We’re going to find out.
Microsoft and Google are rolling out AI features to write your memos and emails for you. But they’re far from perfect.

Google AI features for Gmail and Docs up the ante against Microsoft
Google has some AI tricks up its sleeve.

AI is the next frontier — but for whom?
Ethics is often a separate conversation from AI building, but they should be one and the same. Bias is dangerous, especially as AI continues spreading.

ChatGPT: New AI system, old bias?
Here’s how this powerful tech can become more accurate and inclusive.

D-ID’s new web app gives a face and voice to OpenAI’s ChatGPT
D-ID announced today that it’s launching a web app that allows users to talk face-to-face with photorealistic AI.

The Good and Bad of ChatGPT in Schools
This week on ‘Gadget Lab,’ WIRED and NPR team up to cover the debate about students and teachers using generative AI in the classroom.

A look at the budding market for the text that prompts AI systems
Marketplaces for AI prompts are a growing industry. But the industry is still very much in its infancy.

Need to Write Your Vows? A.I. Can Help.
Artificial intelligence is steadily becoming a trusty tool for composing wedding speeches. Should it be?

Generative AI: Unlocking the future of fashion
While still nascent, generative AI has the potential to help fashion businesses become more productive, get to market faster, and serve customers better. The time to explore the technology is now.

Forethought aims to build more accurate chatbots with constrained generative AI models
Forethought is attempting to advance the customer service chatbot, and CEO Deon Nicholas things generative AI is a big step forward.

Using A.I. to Detect Breast Cancer That Doctors Miss
Hungary has become a major testing ground for A.I. software to spot cancer, as doctors debate whether the technology will replace them in medical jobs.

OpenAI launches an API for ChatGPT, plus dedicated capacity for enterprise customers
OpenAI has launched an API for its ChatGPT text-generating system, with initial partners including Instacart, Snap and Quizlet.

Facial-Recognition Tech Falsely Accuses Yet Another Black Man
Maryland is considering restricting the tech, which sometimes misidentifies those with darker skin as potential suspects

Meta says it is experimenting with AI-powered chat on WhatsApp and Messenger
Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the company is building “a new top-level product group” to integrate generative AI into its services.

Snap to roll out chatbot powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT
Snap Inc , which owns photo messaging app Snapchat, said on Monday it is rolling out an artificial intelligence chatbot powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology, as the company seeks to enter the buzzy field of generative AI.
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LinkedIn expands its generative AI assistant to recruitment ads and writing profiles
Learning, job ads and profiles are the latest to get the AI push at LinkedIn

Humane, a secretive AI startup founded by ex-Apple employees, raises another $100M
Humane, a secretive startup co-founded by ex-Apple employees, has raised $100 million in a fresh venture round.

Salesforce Ventures targets new $250M fund at generative AI startups
Salesforce’s VC off-shoot Salesforce Ventures is targeting a new $250M fund at what it calls “responsible generative AI.”

The Vindication of Ask Jeeves
Garrett Gruener, the co-creator of Ask Jeeves, couldn’t beat Google, but he’s feeling just fine about the dawn of the chatbot era.

We Asked AI to Create New American Dishes. The Results Revealed the Cuisine’s Cliches
If ChatGPT were to create a restaurant, it would be called “Harvest & Hearth.” And it would serve food that “draws on inspiration from diverse culinary traditions.”

I Unleashed A.I. on Men on Tinder. What Happened Surprised Me.
What happens when your wingman is ChatGPT.

Chat GPT and the future of African AI - African Business
With limited training data matching African cultural and economic realities, the output of ChatGPT could be skewed toward reinforcing Western cultural and ideological hegemony.

One Startup’s Plan to Help Africa Lure Back Its AI Talent
Lelapa is building a research lab to serve African businesses and nonprofits, with the hope that locally grown algorithms can better serve communities.

Figure
Figure is the first-of-its-kind AI robotics company bringing a general purpose humanoid to life.

AI wrote a bill to regulate AI. Now Rep. Ted Lieu wants Congress to pass it.
The California Democrat, one of a handful of members with computer science backgrounds, wants a nonpartisan commission to recommend new regulations for artificial intelligence.

As A.I. Booms, Lawmakers Struggle to Understand the Technology
Tech innovations are again racing ahead of Washington’s ability to regulate them, lawmakers and A.I. experts said.

OPINION | While courts still use fax machines, law firms are using AI to tailor arguments for judges | CBC News
If courts and administrative decision makers used this same AI to identify their own biases and confront them, the justice system could be less vulnerable to those biases, writes Robyn Schleihauf.

Can religion save us from Artificial Intelligence?
Religious leaders are increasingly wading into the conversation around the ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Their message? Proceed with caution.

Why artificial intelligence needs to understand consequences
A machine with a grasp of cause and effect could learn more like a human, through imagination and regret.

AI is helping your company decide who to lay off
98% of HR leaders are planning to use AI to help make layoff decisions this year.
Concerns rise over treatment of human workers behind AI technology
Artificial intelligence is now woven into things we see and do every day, from searching on Google to filing taxes to using speak-to-text on a phone. Thought by many to be powered only by computers, the technology often relies on a massive human workforce. Sonam Jindal with the nonprofit coalition P…

Opinion | It’s Not Just Our Students — ChatGPT Is Coming for Faculty Writing
And there’s little agreement on the rules that should govern it.

German publisher Axel Springer says journalists could be replaced by AI
Owner of Politico urges focus on investigative journalism and original commentary, as company prepares for job cuts at German papers Die Welt and Bild

OpenAI debuts Whisper API for speech-to-text transcription and translation
OpenAI is rolling out the Whisper API, a hosted version of the open source speech-to-text model that the company released in late 2022.

AI-generated content detection tools put to the test
How can we distinguish between human-written text and that created by ChatGPT and other generative AI models? We put several to the test.

What AI-Generated Art Really Means for Human Creativity
Artificial intelligence can now make better art than most humans. Soon, these engines of wow will transform how we design just about everything.

A Documentary: By ChatGPT
Making a documentary powered by artificial intelligence (AI) reassured me my job’s safe, for now at least.

Use of artificial intelligence generates questions about the future of art
Artificial intelligence is everywhere and part of our conversations about education, politics and social media. It’s also a hot topic in the arts world as programs that generate art using AI are widely available to the public. But what goes into these programs, and the work that comes out, are heavi…

I Am a Model and I Know That Artificial Intelligence Will Eventually Take My Job
Sinead Bovell shares her firsthand insight into the future of technology in fashion.

Deep Agency shows the perils of applying AI to the fashion industry
Deep Agency, a new startup, uses AI to generate ‘virtual models.’ It’s been met with some praise -- but mostly controversy.

Spotify’s AI DJ Has No Soul
Plus: YouTube Music is finally adding podcasts, and Google Photos lets more users remove annoying friends from their pictures.
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Can ChatGPT Recommend Movies? A Film Buff Put It to the Test
Sure, the AI chatbot can write an essay about Chaucer. We wanted to see whether it had any taste in films.
Launch YC: 🔘 Nara: The personalized nutritionist in your pocket | Y Combinator
Ask questions and get personalized suggestions 24/7 from your AI nutrition coach through SMS.

D-ID unveils new chat API to enable face-to-face conversations with an AI digital human
D-ID announced today that it’s launching a new live-streaming API to enable face-to-face conversations with an AI digital human.

5 ChatGPT alternatives to try when the AI chatbot is at capacity
You’ve got options.

The Physics Principle That Inspired Modern AI Art | Quanta Magazine
Diffusion models generate incredible images by learning to reverse the process that, among other things, causes ink to spread through water.

Whispers of A.I.’s Modular Future
ChatGPT is in the spotlight, but it’s Whisper—OpenAI’s open-source speech-transcription program—that shows us where machine learning is going.

Using Artificial Intelligence to Understand Why Students are Struggling
Stanford researchers created a program to help when students get stuck in self-paced digital learning.

Prioritize universal access in AI policy response (opinion) | Inside Higher Ed
The rush to impose new barriers to prevent cheating with AI could disproportionately hurt students with disabilities, Martin Stanberry, Jack Bernard and Joseph Storch write.

The dark side of Bing’s new AI chatbot | CNN Business
After asking Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing chatbot for help in coming up with activities for my kids while juggling work, the tool started by offering something unexpected: empathy.

Microsoft Considers More Limits for Its New A.I. Chatbot
The company knew the new technology had issues like occasional accuracy problems. But users have prodded surprising and unnerving interactions.

DuckDuckGo dabbles with AI search
DuckDuckGo has become the latest veteran search player to dip its beak in the generative AI trend -- announcing the launch of an AI-powered summarization feature that can directly answer users’ search queries.

How AI Is Helping Companies Redesign Processes
The idea of business process reengineering is making a comeback, this time driven by artificial intelligence (AI). In the 1990s, the implementation of enterprise resource planning systems and the internet allowed companies to make changes to broad business processes, but the expectations of the radi…

Real Humans Chat About Chatbots
This week, we discuss all the ways generative AI is upending journalism, marketing, shopping, and search.

Stability AI, Hugging Face and Canva back new AI research nonprofit
Eleuther AI, a group of AI researchers investigating language models, is forming a nonprofit foundation for AI research.

ChatGPT Thinks Americans Are Excited About AI. Most Are Not.
The polls asked Americans, and we asked ChatGPT.

Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights | OSTP | The White House
Among the great challenges posed to democracy today is the use of technology, data, and automated systems in ways that threaten the rights of the American public. Too often, these tools are used to limit our opportunities and prevent our access to critical resources or services. These problems are w…
