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Several items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 10/18/2024, in adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, digital audio, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, Google, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, instructional design, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, multimedia, online learning, online media, Open AI, teaching & learning, tools, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Are ChatGPT, Claude & NotebookLM *Really* Disrupting Education? — from drphilippahardman.substack.com
Evaluating Gen AI’s *real* impact on human learning

The TLDR here is that, as useful as popular AI tools are for learners, as things stand they only enable us to take the very first steps on what is a long and complex journey of learning.

AI tools like ChatGPT 4o, Claude 3.5 & NotebookLM can help to give us access to information but (for now at least) the real work of learning remains in our – the humans’ – hands.

To which Anna Mills had a solid comment:

It might make a lot of sense to regulate generated audio to require some kind of watermark and/or metadata. Instructors who teach online and assign voice recordings, we need to recognize that these are now very easy and free to auto-generate. In some cases we are assigning this to discourage students from using AI to just autogenerate text responses, but audio is not immune.

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A variety of items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 10/14/2024, in adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, future, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, Open AI, training / L&D, United States, universities, by Daniel Christian

Articulate AI & the “Buttonification” of Instructional Design — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
A new trend in AI-UX, and its implications for Instructional Design

1. Using AI to Scale Exceptional Instructional Design Practice
Imagine a bonification system that doesn’t just automate tasks, but scales best practices in instructional design:

  • Evidence-Based Design Button…
  • Learner-Centered Objectives Generator…
    Engagement Optimiser…

2. Surfacing AI’s Instructional Design Thinking
Instead of hiding AI’s decision-making process, what if we built an AI system which invites instructional designers to probe, question, and learn from an expert trained AI?

  • Explain This Design…
  • Show Me Alternatives…
  • Challenge My Assumptions…
  • Learning Science Insights…

By reimagining the role of AI in this way, we would…

Recapping OpenAI’s Education Forum — from marcwatkins.substack.com by Marc Watkins

OpenAI’s Education Forum was eye-opening for a number of reasons, but the one that stood out the most was Leah Belsky acknowledging what many of us in education had known for nearly two years—the majority of the active weekly users of ChatGPT are students. OpenAI has internal analytics that track upticks in usage during the fall and then drops off in the spring. Later that evening, OpenAI’s new CFO, Sarah Friar, further drove the point home with an anecdote about usage in the Philippines jumping nearly 90% at the start of the school year.

I had hoped to gain greater insight into OpenAI’s business model and how it related to education, but the Forum left me with more questions than answers. What app has the majority of users active 8 to 9 months out of the year and dormant for the holidays and summer breaks? What business model gives away free access and only converts 1 out of every 20-25 users to paid users? These were the initial thoughts that I hoped the Forum would address. But those questions, along with some deeper and arguably more critical ones, were skimmed over to drive home the main message of the Forum—Universities have to rapidly adopt AI and become AI-enabled institutions.

Off-Loading in the Age of Generative AI — from insidehighered.com by James DeVaney

As we embrace these technologies, we must also consider the experiences we need to discover and maintain our connections—and our humanity. In a world increasingly shaped by AI, I find myself asking: What are the experiences that define us, and how do they influence the relationships we build, both professionally and personally?

This concept of “off-loading” has become central to my thinking. In simple terms, off-loading is the act of delegating tasks to AI that we would otherwise do ourselves. As AI systems advance, we’re increasingly confronted with a question: Which tasks should we off-load to AI?

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The state of AI; using AI to buy a home; introducing canvas; + other items re: AI in general

On 10/14/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, business, Canvas - and other Instructure-related items, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, economics, future, game-changing environment, NVIDIA, Open AI, political science, productivity / tips and tricks, programming, science, society, sociology, tools, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, workplace, writing, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Great…we have another tool called Canvas. Or did you say Canva?

Introducing canvas — from OpenAI
A new way of working with ChatGPT to write and code

We’re introducing canvas, a new interface for working with ChatGPT on writing and coding projects that go beyond simple chat. Canvas opens in a separate window, allowing you and ChatGPT to collaborate on a project. This early beta introduces a new way of working together—not just through conversation, but by creating and refining ideas side by side.

Canvas was built with GPT-4o and can be manually selected in the model picker while in beta. Starting today we’re rolling out canvas to ChatGPT Plus and Team users globally. Enterprise and Edu users will get access next week. We also plan to make canvas available to all ChatGPT Free users when it’s out of beta.

Using AI to buy your home? These companies think it’s time you should — from usatoday.com by Andrea Riquier

The way Americans buy homes is changing dramatically.

New industry rules about how home buyers’ real estate agents get paid are prompting a reckoning among housing experts and the tech sector. Many house hunters who are already stretched thin by record-high home prices and closing costs must now decide whether, and how much, to pay an agent.

A 2-3% commission on the median home price of $416,700 could be well over $10,000, and in a world where consumers are accustomed to using technology for everything from taxes to tickets, many entrepreneurs see an opportunity to automate away the middleman, even as some consumer advocates say not so fast.

The State of AI Report 2024 — from nathanbenaich.substack.com by Nathan Benaich

The Great Mismatch — from the-job.beehiiv.com. by Paul Fain
Artificial intelligence could threaten millions of decent-paying jobs held by women without degrees.

Women in administrative and office roles may face the biggest AI automation risk, find Brookings researchers armed with data from OpenAI. Also, why Indiana could make the Swiss apprenticeship model work in this country, and how learners get disillusioned when a certificate doesn’t immediately lead to a good job.
…
A major new analysis from the Brookings Institution, using OpenAI data, found that the most vulnerable workers don’t look like the rail and dockworkers who have recaptured the national spotlight. Nor are they the creatives—like Hollywood’s writers and actors—that many wealthier knowledge workers identify with. Rather, they’re predominantly women in the 19M office support and administrative jobs that make up the first rung of the middle class.

“Unfortunately the technology and automation risks facing women have been overlooked for a long time,” says Molly Kinder, a fellow at Brookings Metro and lead author of the new report. “Most of the popular and political attention to issues of automation and work centers on men in blue-collar roles. There is far less awareness about the (greater) risks to women in lower-middle-class roles.”

Is this how AI will transform the world over the next decade? — from futureofbeinghuman.com by Andrew Maynard
Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei has just published a radical vision of an AI-accelerated future. It’s audacious, compelling, and a must-read for anyone working at the intersection of AI and society.

But if Amodei’s essay is approached as a conversation starter rather than a manifesto — which I think it should be — it’s hard to see how it won’t lead to clearer thinking around how we successfully navigate the coming AI transition.

Given the scope of the paper, it’s hard to write a response to it that isn’t as long or longer as the original. Because of this, I’d strongly encourage anyone who’s looking at how AI might transform society to read the original — it’s well written, and easier to navigate than its length might suggest.

That said, I did want to pull out a few things that struck me as particularly relevant and important — especially within the context of navigating advanced technology transitions.

And speaking of that essay, here’s a summary from The Rundown AI:

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei just published a lengthy essay outlining an optimistic vision for how AI could transform society within 5-10 years of achieving human-level capabilities, touching on longevity, politics, work, the economy, and more.

The details:

  • Amodei believes that by 2026, ‘powerful AI’ smarter than a Nobel Prize winner across fields, with agentic and all multimodal capabilities, will be possible.
  • He also predicted that AI could compress 100 years of scientific progress into 10 years, curing most diseases and doubling the human lifespan.
  • The essay argued AI could strengthen democracy by countering misinformation and providing tools to undermine authoritarian regimes.
  • The CEO acknowledged potential downsides, including job displacement — but believes new economic models will emerge to address this.
  • He envisions AI driving unprecedented economic growth but emphasizes ensuring AI’s benefits are broadly distributed.

Why it matters: 

  • As the CEO of what is seen as the ‘safety-focused’ AI lab, Amodei paints a utopia-level optimistic view of where AI will head over the next decade. This thought-provoking essay serves as both a roadmap for AI’s potential and a call to action to ensure the responsible development of technology.

AI in the Workplace: Answering 3 Big Questions — from gallup.com by Kate Den Houter

However, most workers remain unaware of these efforts. Only a third (33%) of all U.S. employees say their organization has begun integrating AI into their business practices, with the highest percentage in white-collar industries (44%).
…
White-collar workers are more likely to be using AI. White-collar workers are, by far, the most frequent users of AI in their roles. While 81% of employees in production/frontline industries say they never use AI, only 54% of white-collar workers say they never do and 15% report using AI weekly.
…
Most employees using AI use it for idea generation and task automation. Among employees who say they use AI, the most common uses are to generate ideas (41%), to consolidate information or data (39%), and to automate basic tasks (39%).

Nvidia Blackwell GPUs sold out for the next 12 months as AI market boom continues — from techspot.com by Skye Jacobs
Analysts expect Team Green to increase its already formidable market share

Selling like hotcakes: The extraordinary demand for Blackwell GPUs illustrates the need for robust, energy-efficient processors as companies race to implement more sophisticated AI models and applications. The coming months will be critical to Nvidia as the company works to ramp up production and meet the overwhelming requests for its latest product.

Here’s my AI toolkit — from wondertools.substack.com by Jeremy Caplan and Nikita Roy
How and why I use the AI tools I do — an audio conversation

1. What are two useful new ways to use AI?

  • AI-powered research: Type a detailed search query into Perplexity instead of Google to get a quick, actionable summary response with links to relevant information sources. Read more of my take on why Perplexity is so useful and how to use it.
  • Notes organization and analysis: Tools like NotebookLM, Claude Projects, and Mem can help you make sense of huge repositories of notes and documents. Query or summarize your own notes and surface novel connections between your ideas.
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How far should we go in allowing technology to aid our decision-making processes? [Schlegel] + other legaltech-related items

On 10/11/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, future, game-changing environment, Google, innovation, law schools, Legal operations, legal reform, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, Open AI, platforms, podcasting, by Daniel Christian

The Future of Umpiring in Baseball: Balancing Tradition and Technology — from judgeschlegel.com by Judge Scott Schlegel
This article is not about baseball.

As we look to the future of umpiring in baseball, a balanced approach may offer the best solution. Rather than an all-or-nothing choice between human umpires and full automation, a hybrid system could potentially offer the benefits of both worlds. For instance, automated tracking systems could be used to assist human umpires, providing them with real-time data to inform their calls. This would maintain the human element and authority on the field while significantly enhancing accuracy and consistency.

Such a system would allow umpires to focus more on game management, player interactions, and the myriad other responsibilities that require human judgment and experience. It would preserve the traditional aspects of the umpire’s role that fans and players value, while leveraging technology to address concerns about accuracy and fairness.

Navigating the Intersection of Tradition and AI: The Future of Judicial Decision-Making — from judgeschlegel.com by Judge Scott Schlegel

Introduction
Continuing with our baseball analogy, we now turn our focus to the courtroom.

The intersection of technology and the justice system is a complex and often contentious space, much like the debate over automated umpires in baseball. As Major League Baseball considers whether automated systems should replace the human element in calling balls and strikes, the legal world faces similar questions: How far should we go in allowing technology to aid our decision-making processes, and what is the right balance between innovation and the traditions that define the courtroom?

AI and the rise of the Niche Lawyer — from jordanfurlong.substack.com by Jordan Furlong
A new legal market will create a new type of lawyer: Specialized, flexible, customized, fractional, home-based and online, exclusive, balanced and focused. This could be your future legal career.

Think of a new picture. A lawyer dressed in Professional Casual, or Business Comfortable, an outfit that looks sharp but feels relaxed. A lawyer inside their own apartment, in an extra bedroom, or in a shared workspace on a nearby bus route, taking an Uber to visit some clients and using Zoom to meet with others. A lawyer with a laptop and a tablet and a smartphone and no other capital expenditures. A lawyer whose overhead is only what’s literally over their head.

This lawyer starts work when they feel like it (maybe 7 am, maybe 10; maybe Monday, maybe not) and they stop working when they feel like it (maybe 4 pm, maybe 9). They have as many clients as they need, for whom they provide very specific, very personalized services. They provide some services that aren’t even “legal” to people who aren’t “clients” as we understand both terms. They have essential knowledge and skills that all lawyers share but unique knowledge and skills that hardly any others possess. They make as much money as they need in order to meet the rent and pay down their debts and afford a life with the people they love. They’re in complete charge of their career and their destiny, something they find terrifying and stressful and wonderful and fulfilling.

While We Were Distracted with the New ChatGPT Model, Google Quietly Dropped an AI Bombshell —  from judgeschlegel.com by Judge Scott Schlegel

While the latest ChatGPT model is dominating tech headlines, I was unexpectedly blown away by Google’s recent release of a new NotebookLM feature: Audio Overview. This tool, which transforms written content into simulated conversations, caught me off guard with its capabilities. I uploaded some of my blog posts on AI and the justice system, and what it produced left me speechless. The AI generated podcast-like discussions felt remarkably authentic, complete with nuanced interpretations and even slight misunderstandings of my ideas. This mirrors real-life discussions perfectly – after all, how often do we hear our own thoughts expressed by others and think, “That’s not quite what I meant”?

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“185 real-world gen AI use cases from the world’s leading organizations” [Google], a professional network for AI agents [Shah] + other items re: AI in general

On 10/01/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, communications, computer science, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, data related items, design, digital audio, digital video, emerging technologies, engineering, ethics, future, game-changing environment, Google, graphics, health, innovation, languages and translation, learning agents, Microsoft, morals/values, NVIDIA, online learning, online media, Open AI, platforms, podcasting, presentations, productivity / tips and tricks, programming, robotics, telemedicine / telehealth / virtual health, tools, training / L&D, United States, vendors, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, workplace, by Daniel Christian

AI’s Trillion-Dollar Opportunity — from bain.com by David Crawford, Jue Wang, and Roy Singh
The market for AI products and services could reach between $780 billion and $990 billion by 2027.

At a Glance

  • The big cloud providers are the largest concentration of R&D, talent, and innovation today, pushing the boundaries of large models and advanced infrastructure.
  • Innovation with smaller models (open-source and proprietary), edge infrastructure, and commercial software is reaching enterprises, sovereigns, and research institutions.
  • Commercial software vendors are rapidly expanding their feature sets to provide the best use cases and leverage their data assets.

Accelerated market growth. Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, summed up the potential in the company’s Q3 2024 earnings call: “Generative AI is the largest TAM [total addressable market] expansion of software and hardware that we’ve seen in several decades.”

And on a somewhat related note (i.e., emerging technologies), also see the following two postings:

Surgical Robots: Current Uses and Future Expectations — from medicalfuturist.com by Pranavsingh Dhunnoo
As the term implies, a surgical robot is an assistive tool for performing surgical procedures. Such manoeuvres, also called robotic surgeries or robot-assisted surgery, usually involve a human surgeon controlling mechanical arms from a control centre.

Key Takeaways

  • Robots’ potentials have been a fascination for humans and have even led to a booming field of robot-assisted surgery.
  • Surgical robots assist surgeons in performing accurate, minimally invasive procedures that are beneficial for patients’ recovery.
  • The assistance of robots extend beyond incisions and includes laparoscopies, radiosurgeries and, in the future, a combination of artificial intelligence technologies to assist surgeons in their craft.

Proto hologram tech allows cancer patients to receive specialist care without traveling large distances — from inavateonthenet.net

“Working with the team from Proto to bring to life, what several years ago would have seemed impossible, is now going to allow West Cancer Center & Research Institute to pioneer options for patients to get highly specialized care without having to travel to large metro areas,” said West Cancer’s CEO, Mitch Graves.

Clone your voice in minutes: The AI trick 95% don’t know about — from aidisruptor.ai by Alex McFarland
Warning: May cause unexpected bouts of talking to yourself

Now that you’ve got your voice clone, what can you do with it?

  1. Content Creation:
    • Podcast Production: Record episodes in half the time. Your listeners won’t know the difference, but your schedule will thank you.
    • Audiobook Narration: Always wanted to narrate your own book? Now you can, without spending weeks in a recording studio.
    • YouTube Videos: Create voiceovers for your videos in multiple languages. World domination, here you come!
  2. Business Brilliance:
    • Customer Service: Personalized automated responses that actually sound personal.
    • Training Materials: Create engaging e-learning content in your own voice, minus the hours of recording.
    • Presentations: Never worry about losing your voice before a big presentation again. Your clone’s got your back.

185 real-world gen AI use cases from the world’s leading organizations — from blog.google by Brian Hall; via Daniel Nest’s Why Try AI

In a matter of months, organizations have gone from AI helping answer questions, to AI making predictions, to generative AI agents. What makes AI agents unique is that they can take actions to achieve specific goals, whether that’s guiding a shopper to the perfect pair of shoes, helping an employee looking for the right health benefits, or supporting nursing staff with smoother patient hand-offs during shifts changes.

In our work with customers, we keep hearing that their teams are increasingly focused on improving productivity, automating processes, and modernizing the customer experience. These aims are now being achieved through the AI agents they’re developing in six key areas: customer service; employee empowerment; code creation; data analysis; cybersecurity; and creative ideation and production.
…
Here’s a snapshot of how 185 of these industry leaders are putting AI to use today, creating real-world use cases that will transform tomorrow.

AI Data Drop: 3 Key Insights from Real-World Research on AI Usage — from microsoft.com; via Daniel Nest’s Why Try AI
One of the largest studies of Copilot usage—at nearly 60 companies—reveals how AI is changing the way we work.

  1. AI is starting to liberate people from email
  2. Meetings are becoming more about value creation
  3. People are co-creating more with AI—and with one another

*** Dharmesh has been working on creating agent.ai — a professional network for AI agents.***

Speaking of agents, also see:

Onboarding the AI workforce: How digital agents will redefine work itself — from venturebeat.com by Gary Grossman

AI in 2030: A transformative force

  1. AI agents are integral team members
  2. The emergence of digital humans
  3. AI-driven speech and conversational interfaces
  4. AI-enhanced decision-making and leadership
  5. Innovation and research powered by AI
  6. The changing nature of job roles and skills

AI Video Tools You Can Use Today — from heatherbcooper.substack.com by Heather Cooper
The latest AI video models that deliver results

AI video models are improving so quickly, I can barely keep up! I wrote about unreleased Adobe Firefly Video in the last issue, and we are no closer to public access to Sora.

No worries – we do have plenty of generative AI video tools we can use right now.

  • Kling AI launched its updated v1.5 and the quality of image or text to video is impressive.
  • Hailuo MiniMax text to video remains free to use for now, and it produces natural and photorealistic results (with watermarks).
  • Runway added the option to upload portrait aspect ratio images to generate vertical videos in Gen-3 Alpha & Turbo modes.
  • …plus several more

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Should we be concerned about what’s happening at OpenAI? What does this say about the leader of arguably 1 of the most powerful co’s in the world today?

On 09/27/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, change, changing business models, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, leadership, new business models, Open AI, society, strategy, the downsides of how people use tech, United States, vendors, by Daniel Christian

One left
byu/jim_andr inOpenAI

 

From DSC:
I’m not trying to gossip here. I post this because Sam Altman is the head of arguably one of the most powerful companies in the world today — at least in terms of introducing change to a variety of societies throughout the globe (both positive and negative). So when we’ve now seen almost the entire leadership team head out the door, this certainly gives me major pause. I don’t like it. Items like the ones below begin to capture some of why I’m troubled and suspicious about these troubling moves.

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“AI, Humans and Work: 10 Thoughts.” [Tobaccowala] + other items re: AI in general

On 09/23/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, change, creativity, emerging technologies, engineering, experimentation, future, game-changing environment, generational differences, media/film, Open AI, platforms, robotics, society, tools, United States, vendors, workplace, by Daniel Christian

AI researcher Jim Fan has had a charmed career. He was OpenAI’s first intern before he did his PhD at Stanford with “godmother of AI,” Fei-Fei Li. He graduated into a research scientist position at Nvidia and now leads its Embodied AI “GEAR” group. The lab’s current work spans foundation models for humanoid robots to agents for virtual worlds. Jim describes a three-pronged data strategy for robotics, combining internet-scale data, simulation data and real world robot data. He believes that in the next few years it will be possible to create a “foundation agent” that can generalize across skills, embodiments and realities—both physical and virtual. He also supports Jensen Huang’s idea that “Everything that moves will eventually be autonomous.”

Runway Partners with Lionsgate — from runwayml.com via The Rundown AI
Runway and Lionsgate are partnering to explore the use of AI in film production.

Lionsgate and Runway have entered into a first-of-its-kind partnership centered around the creation and training of a new AI model, customized on Lionsgate’s proprietary catalog. Fundamentally designed to help Lionsgate Studios, its filmmakers, directors and other creative talent augment their work, the model generates cinematic video that can be further iterated using Runway’s suite of controllable tools.

Per The Rundown: Lionsgate, the film company behind The Hunger Games, John Wick, and Saw, teamed up with AI video generation company Runway to create a custom AI model trained on Lionsgate’s film catalogue.

The details:

  • The partnership will develop an AI model specifically trained on Lionsgate’s proprietary content library, designed to generate cinematic video that filmmakers can further manipulate using Runway’s tools.
  • Lionsgate sees AI as a tool to augment and enhance its current operations, streamlining both pre-production and post-production processes.
  • Runway is considering ways to offer similar custom-trained models as templates for individual creators, expanding access to AI-powered filmmaking tools beyond major studios.

Why it matters: As many writers, actors, and filmmakers strike against ChatGPT, Lionsgate is diving head-first into the world of generative AI through its partnership with Runway. This is one of the first major collabs between an AI startup and a major Hollywood company — and its success or failure could set precedent for years to come.

A bottle of water per email: the hidden environmental costs of using AI chatbots — from washingtonpost.com by Pranshu Verma and Shelly Tan (behind paywall)
AI bots generate a lot of heat, and keeping their computer servers running exacts a toll.

Each prompt on ChatGPT flows through a server that runs thousands of calculations to determine the best words to use in a response.

In completing those calculations, these servers, typically housed in data centers, generate heat. Often, water systems are used to cool the equipment and keep it functioning. Water transports the heat generated in the data centers into cooling towers to help it escape the building, similar to how the human body uses sweat to keep cool, according to Shaolei Ren, an associate professor at UC Riverside.

Where electricity is cheaper, or water comparatively scarce, electricity is often used to cool these warehouses with large units resembling air-conditioners, he said. That means the amount of water and electricity an individual query requires can depend on a data center’s location and vary widely.

AI, Humans and Work: 10 Thoughts. — from rishad.substack.com by Rishad Tobaccowala
The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past. Edition 215.

10 thoughts about AI, Humans and Work in 10 minutes:

  1. AI is still Under-hyped.
  2. AI itself will be like electricity and is unlikely to be a differentiator for most firms.
  3. AI is not alive but can be thought of as a new species.
  4. Knowledge will be free and every knowledge workers job will change in 2025.
  5. The key about AI is not to ask what AI will do to us but what AI can do for us.
  6. Plus 5 other thoughts

 

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Numerous items re: OpenAI o1, Microsoft Copilot, Google’s Notebook LM, and AI in general

On 09/17/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, education technology, emerging technologies, Google, innovation, Microsoft, Open AI, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, skills, tools, United States, by Daniel Christian

“Who to follow in AI” in 2024? — from ai-supremacy.com by Michael Spencer
Part III – #35-55 – I combed the internet, I found the best sources of AI insights, education and articles. LinkedIn | Newsletters | X | YouTube | Substack | Threads | Podcasts

This list features both some of the best Newsletters on AI and people who make LinkedIn posts about AI papers, advances and breakthroughs. In today’s article we’ll be meeting the first 19-34, in a list of 180+.

Newsletter Writers
YouTubers
Engineers
Researchers who write
Technologists who are Creators
AI Educators
AI Evangelists of various kinds
Futurism writers and authors

I have been sharing the list in reverse chronological order on LinkedIn here.

Inside Google’s 7-Year Mission to Give AI a Robot Body — from wired.com by Hans Peter Brondmo
As the head of Alphabet’s AI-powered robotics moonshot, I came to believe many things. For one, robots can’t come soon enough. For another, they shouldn’t look like us.

Learning to Reason with LLMs — from openai.com
We are introducing OpenAI o1, a new large language model trained with reinforcement learning to perform complex reasoning. o1 thinks before it answers—it can produce a long internal chain of thought before responding to the user.

Items re: Microsoft Copilot:

Also see this next video re: Copilot Pages:

Sal Khan on the critical human skills for an AI age — from time.com by Kevin J. Delaney

As a preview of the upcoming Summit interview, here are Khan’s views on two critical questions, edited for space and clarity:

  1. What are the enduring human work skills in a world with ever-advancing AI? Some people say students should study liberal arts. Others say deep domain expertise is the key to remaining professionally relevant. Others say you need to have the skills of a manager to be able to delegate to AI. What do you think are the skills or competencies that ensure continued relevance professionally, employability, etc.?
  2. A lot of organizations are thinking about skills-based approaches to their talent. It involves questions like, ‘Does someone know how to do this thing or not?’ And what are the ways in which they can learn it and have some accredited way to know they actually have done it? That is one of the ways in which people use Khan Academy. Do you have a view of skills-based approaches within workplaces, and any thoughts on how AI tutors and training fit within that context?
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“Introducing OpenAI o1” [OpenAI] + other items re: AI in general

On 09/12/2024, in Adobe, art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, education, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, Google, graphics, multimedia, new media literacies, online media, Open AI, physics, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, tools, training / L&D, trends, vendors, by Daniel Christian

Introducing OpenAI o1 – from openai.com

We’ve developed a new series of AI models designed to spend more time thinking before they respond. Here is the latest news on o1 research, product and other updates.

Something New: On OpenAI’s “Strawberry” and Reasoning — from oneusefulthing.org by Ethan Mollick
Solving hard problems in new ways

The new AI model, called o1-preview (why are the AI companies so bad at names?), lets the AI “think through” a problem before solving it. This lets it address very hard problems that require planning and iteration, like novel math or science questions. In fact, it can now beat human PhD experts in solving extremely hard physics problems.

To be clear, o1-preview doesn’t do everything better. It is not a better writer than GPT-4o, for example. But for tasks that require planning, the changes are quite large.

What is the point of Super Realistic AI? — from Heather Cooper who runs Visually AI on Substack

The arrival of super realistic AI image generation, powered by models like Midjourney, FLUX.1, and Ideogram, is transforming the way we create and use visual content.

Recently, many creators (myself included) have been exploring super realistic AI more and more.

But where can this actually be used?

Super realistic AI image generation will have far-reaching implications across various industries and creative fields. Its importance stems from its ability to bridge the gap between imagination and visual representation, offering multiple opportunities for innovation and efficiency.

Heather goes on to mention applications in:

  • Creative Industries
  • Entertainment and Media
  • Education and Training

NotebookLM now lets you listen to a conversation about your sources — from blog.google by Biao Wang
Our new Audio Overview feature can turn documents, slides, charts and more into engaging discussions with one click.

Today, we’re introducing Audio Overview, a new way to turn your documents into engaging audio discussions. With one click, two AI hosts start up a lively “deep dive” discussion based on your sources. They summarize your material, make connections between topics, and banter back and forth. You can even download the conversation and take it on the go.

Bringing generative AI to video with Adobe Firefly Video Model — from blog.adobe.com by Ashley Still

Over the past several months, we’ve worked closely with the video editing community to advance the Firefly Video Model. Guided by their feedback and built with creators’ rights in mind, we’re developing new workflows leveraging the model to help editors ideate and explore their creative vision, fill gaps in their timeline and add new elements to existing footage.

Just like our other Firefly generative AI models, editors can create with confidence knowing the Adobe Firefly Video Model is designed to be commercially safe and is only trained on content we have permission to use — never on Adobe users’ content.

We’re excited to share some of the incredible progress with you today — all of which is designed to be commercially safe and available in beta later this year. To be the first to hear the latest updates and get access, sign up for the waitlist here.

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“Which AI tools do Instructional Designers use the most?” [Hardman] + other items re: AI in our learning ecosystems

On 09/12/2024, in 21st century, accessibility / UDL, adjunct faculty, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, biology, colleges, community colleges, corporate universities / corporate training, creativity, digital audio, digital learning, digital video, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, face-to-face, faculty/staff, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, media/film, multimedia, Natural Language Processing (NLP), neurodivergent/special needs, Open AI, personalized/customized learning, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, skills, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, training / L&D, trends, United States, universities, vendors, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, writing, by Daniel Christian

The Most Popular AI Tools for Instructional Design (September, 2024) — from drphilippahardman.substack.com by Dr. Philippa Hardman
The tools we use most, and how we use them

This week, as I kick off the 20th cohort of my AI-Learning Design bootcamp, I decided to do some analysis of the work habits of the hundreds of amazing AI-embracing instructional designers who I’ve worked with over the last year or so.

My goal was to answer the question: which AI tools do we use most in the instructional design process, and how do we use them?

Here’s where we are in September, 2024:
…

Developing Your Approach to Generative AI — from scholarlyteacher.com by Caitlin K. Kirby,  Min Zhuang, Imari Cheyne Tetu, & Stephen Thomas (Michigan State University)

As generative AI becomes integrated into workplaces, scholarly work, and students’ workflows, we have the opportunity to take a broad view of the role of generative AI in higher education classrooms. Our guiding questions are meant to serve as a starting point to consider, from each educator’s initial reaction and preferences around generative AI, how their discipline, course design, and assessments may be impacted, and to have a broad view of the ethics of generative AI use.

The Impact of AI in Advancing Accessibility for Learners with Disabilities — from er.educause.edu by Rob Gibson

AI technology tools hold remarkable promise for providing more accessible, equitable, and inclusive learning experiences for students with disabilities.

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“A third of all generative AI projects will be abandoned, says Gartner” [Ray]

On 09/06/2024, in art, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, content development, aggregation, repositories, creativity, graphics, multimedia, Open AI, platforms, tools, vendors, by Daniel Christian

A third of all generative AI projects will be abandoned, says Gartner — from zdnet.com by Tiernan Ray
The high upfront cost of deployment is one of the challenges that can doom generative AI projects

Companies are “struggling” to find value in the generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) projects they have undertaken and one-third of initiatives will end up getting abandoned, according to a recent report by analyst Gartner.
…
The report states at least 30% of Gen AI projects will be abandoned after the proof-of-concept stage by the end of 2025.

From DSC:
But I wouldn’t write off the other two thirds of projects that will make it. I wouldn’t write off the future of AI in our world. AI-based technologies are already massively impacting graphic design, film, media, and more creative outlets. See the tweet below for some examples of what I’m talking about.

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“When A.I.’s Output Is a Threat to A.I. Itself” [Bhatia], xAI introduces most powerful AI training system in the world +other items re: AI

On 09/03/2024, in Amazon, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, bots, business, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, corporate / business world, data related items, design, emerging technologies, Google, graphics, learning agents, legislatures / government / legal, Open AI, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, the downsides of how people use tech, tools, United States, universities, vendors, videoconferencing, by Daniel Christian

When A.I.’s Output Is a Threat to A.I. Itself — from nytimes.com by Aatish Bhatia
As A.I.-generated data becomes harder to detect, it’s increasingly likely to be ingested by future A.I., leading to worse results.

All this A.I.-generated information can make it harder for us to know what’s real. And it also poses a problem for A.I. companies. As they trawl the web for new data to train their next models on — an increasingly challenging task — they’re likely to ingest some of their own A.I.-generated content, creating an unintentional feedback loop in which what was once the output from one A.I. becomes the input for another.

In the long run, this cycle may pose a threat to A.I. itself. Research has shown that when generative A.I. is trained on a lot of its own output, it can get a lot worse.

Per The Rundown AI:

The Rundown: Elon Musk’s xAI just launched “Colossus“, the world’s most powerful AI cluster powered by a whopping 100,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, which was built in just 122 days and is planned to double in size soon.
…
Why it matters: xAI’s Grok 2 recently caught up to OpenAI’s GPT-4 in record time, and was trained on only around 15,000 GPUs. With now more than six times that amount in production, the xAI team and future versions of Grok are going to put a significant amount of pressure on OpenAI, Google, and others to deliver.

Google Meet’s automatic AI note-taking is here — from theverge.com by Joanna Nelius
Starting [on 8/28/24], some Google Workspace customers can have Google Meet be their personal note-taker.

Google Meet’s newest AI-powered feature, “take notes for me,” has started rolling out today to Google Workspace customers with the Gemini Enterprise, Gemini Education Premium, or AI Meetings & Messaging add-ons. It’s similar to Meet’s transcription tool, only instead of automatically transcribing what everyone says, it summarizes what everyone talked about. Google first announced this feature at its 2023 Cloud Next conference.

The World’s Call Center Capital Is Gripped by AI Fever — and Fear — from bloomberg.com by Saritha Rai [behind a paywall]
The experiences of staff in the Philippines’ outsourcing industry are a preview of the challenges and choices coming soon to white-collar workers around the globe.

[Claude] Artifacts are now generally available — from anthropic.com

[On 8/27/24], we’re making Artifacts available for all Claude.ai users across our Free, Pro, and Team plans. And now, you can create and view Artifacts on our iOS and Android apps.

Artifacts turn conversations with Claude into a more creative and collaborative experience. With Artifacts, you have a dedicated window to instantly see, iterate, and build on the work you create with Claude. Since launching as a feature preview in June, users have created tens of millions of Artifacts.

MIT's AI Risk Repository -- a comprehensive database of risks from AI systems

What are the risks from Artificial Intelligence?
A comprehensive living database of over 700 AI risks categorized by their cause and risk domain.

What is the AI Risk Repository?
The AI Risk Repository has three parts:

  • The AI Risk Database captures 700+ risks extracted from 43 existing frameworks, with quotes and page numbers.
  • The Causal Taxonomy of AI Risks classifies how, when, and why these risks occur.
  • The Domain Taxonomy of AI Risks classifies these risks into seven domains (e.g., “Misinformation”) and 23 subdomains (e.g., “False or misleading information”).

California lawmakers approve legislation to ban deepfakes, protect workers and regulate AI — from newsday.com by The Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California lawmakers approved a host of proposals this week aiming to regulate the artificial intelligence industry, combat deepfakes and protect workers from exploitation by the rapidly evolving technology.

Per Oncely:

The Details:

  • Combatting Deepfakes: New laws to restrict election-related deepfakes and deepfake pornography, especially of minors, requiring social media to remove such content promptly.
  • Setting Safety Guardrails: California is poised to set comprehensive safety standards for AI, including transparency in AI model training and pre-emptive safety protocols.
  • Protecting Workers: Legislation to prevent the replacement of workers, like voice actors and call center employees, with AI technologies.

New in Gemini: Custom Gems and improved image generation with Imagen 3 — from blog.google
The ability to create custom Gems is coming to Gemini Advanced subscribers, and updated image generation capabilities with our latest Imagen 3 model are coming to everyone.

We have new features rolling out, [that started on 8/28/24], that we previewed at Google I/O. Gems, a new feature that lets you customize Gemini to create your own personal AI experts on any topic you want, are now available for Gemini Advanced, Business and Enterprise users. And our new image generation model, Imagen 3, will be rolling out across Gemini, Gemini Advanced, Business and Enterprise in the coming days.

Cut the Chatter, Here Comes Agentic AI — from trendmicro.com

Major AI players caught heat in August over big bills and weak returns on AI investments, but it would be premature to think AI has failed to deliver. The real question is what’s next, and if industry buzz and pop-sci pontification hold any clues, the answer isn’t “more chatbots”, it’s agentic AI.

Agentic AI transforms the user experience from application-oriented information synthesis to goal-oriented problem solving. It’s what people have always thought AI would do—and while it’s not here yet, its horizon is getting closer every day.

In this issue of AI Pulse, we take a deep dive into agentic AI, what’s required to make it a reality, and how to prevent ‘self-thinking’ AI agents from potentially going rogue.
…
Citing AWS guidance, ZDNET counts six different potential types of AI agents:

    • Simple reflex agents for tasks like resetting passwords
    • Model-based reflex agents for pro vs. con decision making
    • Goal-/rule-based agents that compare options and select the most efficient pathways
    • Utility-based agents that compare for value
    • Learning agents
    • Hierarchical agents that manage and assign subtasks to other agents

Ask Claude: Amazon turns to Anthropic’s AI for Alexa revamp — from reuters.com by Greg Bensinger

Summary:

  • Amazon developing new version of Alexa with generative AI
  • Retailer hopes to generate revenue by charging for its use
  • Concerns about in-house AI prompt Amazon to turn to Anthropic’s Claude, sources say
  • Amazon says it uses many different technologies to power Alexa

Alibaba releases new AI model Qwen2-VL that can analyze videos more than 20 minutes long — from venturebeat.com by Carl Franzen

Hobbyists discover how to insert custom fonts into AI-generated images — from arstechnica.com by Benj Edwards
Like adding custom art styles or characters, in-world typefaces come to Flux.

200 million people use ChatGPT every week – up from 100 million last fall, says OpenAI — from zdnet.com by Sabrina Ortiz
Nearly two years after launching, ChatGPT continues to draw new users. Here’s why.

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5+ items regarding AI in general including voice-based interactions with AI moving forward

On 08/15/2024, in Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, business, change, corporate / business world, emerging technologies, intelligent systems, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Open AI, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, trends, UK, United States, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, voice recognition / voice enabled interfaces, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Gemini makes your mobile device a powerful AI assistant — from blog.google
Gemini Live is available today to Advanced subscribers, along with conversational overlay on Android and even more connected apps.

Rolling out today: Gemini Live <– Google swoops in before OpenAI can get their Voice Mode out there
Gemini Live is a mobile conversational experience that lets you have free-flowing conversations with Gemini. Want to brainstorm potential jobs that are well-suited to your skillset or degree? Go Live with Gemini and ask about them. You can even interrupt mid-response to dive deeper on a particular point, or pause a conversation and come back to it later. It’s like having a sidekick in your pocket who you can chat with about new ideas or practice with for an important conversation.

Gemini Live is also available hands-free: You can keep talking with the Gemini app in the background or when your phone is locked, so you can carry on your conversation on the go, just like you might on a regular phone call. Gemini Live begins rolling out today in English to our Gemini Advanced subscribers on Android phones, and in the coming weeks will expand to iOS and more languages.

To make speaking to Gemini feel even more natural, we’re introducing 10 new voices to choose from, so you can pick the tone and style that works best for you.

.

Per the Rundown AI:
Why it matters: Real-time voice is slowly shifting AI from a tool we text/prompt with, to an intelligence that we collaborate, learn, consult, and grow with. As the world’s anticipation for OpenAI’s unreleased products grows, Google has swooped in to steal the spotlight as the first to lead widespread advanced AI voice rollouts.

Beyond Social Media: Schmidt Predicts AI’s Earth-Shaking Impact— from wallstreetpit.com
The next wave of AI is coming, and if Schmidt is correct, it will reshape our world in ways we are only beginning to imagine.

In a recent Q&A session at Stanford, Eric Schmidt, former CEO and Chairman of search giant Google, offered a compelling vision of the near future in artificial intelligence. His predictions, both exciting and sobering, paint a picture of a world on the brink of a technological revolution that could dwarf the impact of social media.

Schmidt highlighted three key advancements that he believes will converge to create this transformative wave: very large context windows, agents, and text-to-action capabilities. These developments, according to Schmidt, are not just incremental improvements but game-changers that could reshape our interaction with technology and the world at large.

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The rise of multimodal AI agents— from 11onze.cat
Technology companies are investing large amounts of money in creating new multimodal artificial intelligence models and algorithms that can learn, reason and make decisions autonomously after collecting and analysing data.

The future of multimodal agents
In practical terms, a multimodal AI agent can, for example, analyse a text while processing an image, spoken language, or an audio clip to give a more complete and accurate response, both through voice and text. This opens up new possibilities in various fields: from education and healthcare to e-commerce and customer service.

AI Change Management: 41 Tactics to Use (August 2024)— from flexos.work by Daan van Rossum
Future-proof companies are investing in driving AI adoption, but many don’t know where to start. The experts recommend these 41 tips for AI change management.

As Matt Kropp told me in our interview, BCG has a 10-20-70 rule for AI at work:

  • 10% is the LLM or algorithm
  • 20% is the software layer around it (like ChatGPT)
  • 70% is the human factor

This 70% is exactly why change management is key in driving AI adoption.

But where do you start?

As I coach leaders at companies like Apple, Toyota, Amazon, L’Oréal, and Gartner in our Lead with AI program, I know that’s the question on everyone’s minds.

I don’t believe in gatekeeping this information, so here are 41 principles and tactics I share with our community members looking for winning AI change management principles.

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12+ resources regarding what’s happening in the world of AI (in general)

On 08/13/2024, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assistive technologies, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), content development, aggregation, repositories, digital learning, digital photography, education technology, emerging technologies, experimentation, Google, graphics, human-computer interaction (HCI), internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, Microsoft, neurodivergent/special needs, NVIDIA, Open AI, platforms, tools, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
The above item is simply excellent!!! I love it!

Also relevant/see:

3 new Chrome AI features for even more helpful browsing — from blog.google from Parisa Tabriz
See how Chrome’s new AI features, including Google Lens for desktop and Tab compare, can help you get things done more easily on the web.

On speaking to AI — from oneusefulthing.org by Ethan Mollick
Voice changes a lot of things

So, let’s talk about ChatGPT’s new Advanced Voice mode and the new AI-powered Siri. They are not just different approaches to talking to AI. In many ways, they represent the divide between two philosophies of AI – Copilots versus Agents, small models versus large ones, specialists versus generalists.

Your guide to AI – August 2024 — from nathanbenaich.substack.com by Nathan Benaich and Alex Chalmers

Microsoft says OpenAI is now a competitor in AI and search — from cnbc.com by Jordan Novet

Key Points

  • Microsoft’s annually updated list of competitors now includes OpenAI, a long-term strategic partner.
  • The change comes days after OpenAI announced a prototype of a search engine.
  • Microsoft has reportedly invested $13 billion into OpenAI.

Excerpt from by Graham Clay

1. Flux, an open-source text-to-image creator that is comparable to industry leaders like Midjourney, was released by Black Forest Labs (the “original team” behind Stable Diffusion). It is capable of generating high quality text in images (there are tons of educational use cases). You can play with it on their demo page, on Poe, or by running it on your own computer (tutorial here).

Other items re: Flux:

How to FLUX  — from heatherbcooper.substack.com by Heather Cooper
Where to use FLUX online & full tutorial to create a sleek ad in minutes

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Also from Heather Cooper:

Introducing FLUX: Open-Source text to image model

FLUX… has been EVERYWHERE this week, as I’m sure you have seen. Developed by Black Forest Labs, is an open-source image generation model that’s gaining attention for its ability to rival leading models like Midjourney, DALL·E 3, and SDXL.

What sets FLUX apart is its blend of creative freedom, precision, and accessibility—it’s available across multiple platforms and can be run locally.

Why FLUX Matters
FLUX’s open-source nature makes it accessible to a broad audience, from hobbyists to professionals.

It offers advanced multimodal and parallel diffusion transformer technology, delivering high visual quality, strong prompt adherence, and diverse outputs.

It’s available in 3 models:
FLUX.1 [pro]: A high-performance, commercial image synthesis model.
FLUX.1 [dev]: An open-weight, non-commercial variant of FLUX.1 [pro]
FLUX.1 [schnell]: A faster, distilled version of FLUX.1, operating up to 10x quicker.

Daily Digest: Huge (in)Flux of AI videos. — from bensbites.beehiiv.com
PLUS: Review of ChatGPT’s advanced voice mode.

  1. During the weekend, image models made a comeback. Recently released Flux models can create realistic images with near-perfect text—straight from the model, without much patchwork. To get the party going, people are putting these images into video generation models to create pretty–trippy–videos. I can’t identify half of them as AI, and they’ll only get better. See this tutorial on how to create a video ad for your product..

 

7 not only cool but handy use cases of new Claude — from techthatmatters.beehiiv.com by Harsh Makadia

  1. Data visualization
  2. Infographic
  3. Copy the UI of a website
  4. …and more

Achieving Human Level Competitive Robot Table Tennis — from sites.google.com

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14+ resources regarding AI in our learning ecosystems

On 08/13/2024, in adjunct faculty, adult learning, Australia, CMS/LMS, content development, aggregation, repositories, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, digital learning, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, experimentation, faculty/staff, Google, heutagogy, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, instructional design, intelligent systems, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, leadership, learning, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning theories, lifelong learning, Microsoft, multimedia, Open AI, platforms, policy, productivity / tips and tricks, religion, strategy, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, tools, training / L&D, United States, universities, vendors, by Daniel Christian

What Students Want When It Comes To AI — from onedtech.philhillaa.com by Glenda Morgan
The Digital Education Council Global AI Student Survey 2024

The Digital Education Council (DEC) this week released the results of a global survey of student opinions on AI. It’s a large survey with nearly 4,000 respondents conducted across 16 countries, but more importantly, it asks some interesting questions. There are many surveys about AI out there right now, but this one stands out. I’m going to go into some depth here, as the entire survey report is worth reading.

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AI is forcing a teaching and learning evolution — from eschoolnews.com by Laura Ascione
AI and technology tools are leading to innovative student learning–along with classroom, school, and district efficiency

Key findings from the 2024 K-12 Educator + AI Survey, which was conducted by Hanover Research, include:

  • Teachers are using AI to personalize and improve student learning, not just run classrooms more efficiently, but challenges remain
  • While post-pandemic challenges persist, the increased use of technology is viewed positively by most teachers and administrators
  • …and more

From DSC:
I wonder…how will the use of AI in education square with the issues of using smartphones/laptops within the classrooms? See:

  • Why Schools Are Racing to Ban Student Phones — from nytimes.com by Natasha Singer; via GSV
    As the new school year starts, a wave of new laws that aim to curb distracted learning is taking effect in Indiana, Louisiana and other states.

A three-part series from Dr. Phillippa Hardman:

Part 1: Writing Learning Objectives  
The Results Part 1: Writing Learning Objectives

In this week’s post I will dive into the results from task 1: writing learning objectives. Stay tuned over the next two weeks to see all of the the results.

Part 2: Selecting Instructional Strategies.
The Results Part 2: Selecting an Instructional Strategy

Welcome back to our three-part series exploring the impact of AI on instructional design.
…
This week, we’re tackling a second task and a crucial aspect of instructional design: selecting instructional strategies. The ability to select appropriate instructional strategies to achieve intended objectives is a mission-critical skill for any instructional designer. So, can AI help us do a good job of it? Let’s find out!

Part 3: How Close is AI to Replacing Instructional Designers?
The Results Part 3: Creating a Course Outline

Today, we’re diving into what many consider to be the role-defining task of the instructional designer: creating a course design outline.

ChatGPT Cheat Sheet for Instructional Designers! — from Alexandra Choy Youatt EdD

Instructional Designers!
Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned expert, this comprehensive guide will help you leverage AI to create more engaging and effective learning experiences.

What’s Inside?
Roles and Tasks: Tailored prompts for various instructional design roles and tasks.
Formats: Different formats to present your work, from training plans to rubrics.
Learning Models: Guidance on using the ADDIE model and various pedagogical strategies.
Engagement Tips: Techniques for online engagement and collaboration.
Specific Tips: Industry certifications, work-based learning, safety protocols, and more.

Who Can Benefit?
Corporate Trainers
Curriculum Developers
E-Learning Specialists
Instructional Technologists
Learning Experience Designers
And many more!
…

ChatGPT Cheat Sheet | Instructional Designer

5 AI Tools I Use Every Day (as a Busy Student) — from theaigirl.substack.com by Diana Dovgopol
AI tools that I use every day to boost my productivity.
#1 Gamma
#2 Perplexity
#3 Cockatoo

I use this AI tool almost every day as well. Since I’m still a master’s student at university, I have to attend lectures and seminars, which are always in English or German, neither of which is my native language. With the help of Cockatoo, I create scripts of the lectures and/or translations into my language. This means I don’t have to take notes in class and then manually translate them afterward. All I need to do is record the lecture audio on any device or directly in Cockatoo, upload it, and then you’ll have the audio and text ready for you.

…and more

Students Worry Overemphasis on AI Could Devalue Education — from insidehighered.com by Juliette Rowsell
Report stresses that AI is “new standard” and universities need to better communicate policies to learners.

Rising use of AI in higher education could cause students to question the quality and value of education they receive, a report warns.

This year’s Digital Education Council Global AI Student Survey, of more than 3,800 students from 16 countries, found that more than half (55 percent) believed overuse of AI within teaching devalued education, and 52 percent said it negatively impacted their academic performance.

Despite this, significant numbers of students admitted to using such technology. Some 86 percent said they “regularly” used programs such as ChatGPT in their studies, 54 percent said they used it on a weekly basis, and 24 percent said they used it to write a first draft of a submission.

Higher Ed Leadership Is Excited About AI – But Investment Is Lacking — from forbes.com by Vinay Bhaskara

As corporate America races to integrate AI into its core operations, higher education finds itself in a precarious position. I conducted a survey of 63 university leaders revealing that while higher ed leaders recognize AI’s transformative potential, they’re struggling to turn that recognition into action.

This struggle is familiar for higher education — gifted with the mission of educating America’s youth but plagued with a myriad of operational and financial struggles, higher ed institutions often lag behind their corporate peers in technology adoption. In recent years, this gap has become threateningly large. In an era of declining enrollments and shifting demographics, closing this gap could be key to institutional survival and success.

The survey results paint a clear picture of inconsistency: 86% of higher ed leaders see AI as a “massive opportunity,” yet only 21% believe their institutions are prepared for it. This disconnect isn’t just a minor inconsistency – it’s a strategic vulnerability in an era of declining enrollments and shifting demographics.

(Generative) AI Isn’t Going Anywhere but Up — from stefanbauschard.substack.com by Stefan Bauschard
“Hype” claims are nonsense.

There has been a lot of talk recently about an “AI Bubble.” Supposedly, the industry, or at least the generative AI subset of it, will collapse. This is known as the “Generative AI Bubble.” A bubble — a broad one or a generative one — is nonsense. These are the reasons we will continue to see massive growth in AI.

AI Readiness: Prepare Your Workforce to Embrace the Future — from learningguild.com by Danielle Wallace

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries, enhancing efficiency, and unlocking new opportunities. To thrive in this landscape, organizations need to be ready to embrace AI not just technologically but also culturally.

Learning leaders play a crucial role in preparing employees to adapt and excel in an AI-driven workplace. Transforming into an AI-empowered organization requires more than just technological adoption; it demands a shift in organizational mindset. This guide delves into how learning leaders can support this transition by fostering the right mindset attributes in employees.

Claude AI for eLearning Developers — from learningguild.com by Bill Brandon

Claude is fast, produces grammatically correct  text, and outputs easy-to-read articles, emails, blog posts, summaries, and analyses. Take some time to try it out. If you worry about plagiarism and text scraping, put the results through Grammarly’s plagiarism checker (I did not use Claude for this article, but I did send the text through Grammarly).

Survey: Top Teacher Uses of AI in the Classroom — from thejournal.com by Rhea Kelly

A new report from Cambium Learning Group outlines the top ways educators are using artificial intelligence to manage their classrooms and support student learning. Conducted by Hanover Research, the 2024 K-12 Educator + AI Survey polled 482 teachers and administrators at schools and districts that are actively using AI in the classroom.

More than half of survey respondents (56%) reported that they are leveraging AI to create personalized learning experiences for students. Other uses included providing real-time performance tracking and feedback (cited by 52% of respondents), helping students with critical thinking skills (50%), proofreading writing (47%), and lesson planning (44%).

On the administrator side, top uses of AI included interpreting/analyzing student data (61%), managing student records (56%), and managing professional development (56%).

Addendum on 8/14/24:

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