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Welcome back Everyone 👋,

Welcome back! We trust your break was refreshing. Dive into the latest in AI and tech with us as we uncover the unfolding saga at OpenAI and its implications. Plus, delve into the controversial rise of autonomous weapons amidst global unrest. Don't miss our insights on a new study linking AI to worker productivity, along with today's standout AI tools.

This is what’s going on:

• AI Wars are Here

• OpenAI’s Drama is just Starting

• What are the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality?

• Cheat Sheet of the Week

• Are you into Cyber Monday?

• 🤔 What Does that even Mean? (AGI)

• 🧰 AI Tools of the Day (Fashion Assistants)

• 💰 Follow the Money

💪🏽 Important AI News and Trends.

• Inside OpenAI, a rift between billionaires and altruistic researchers (News)

• Anthropic slashes AI pricing amid rising competition (VB)

• Doomer vs Accelerationist: the two tribes fighting for the future of AI (Dazed)

• Porch piracy is a $20 billion a year problem. AI provides a solution (FC)

• Bill Gates thinks a 3-day work week is possible thanks to AI (Fortune)

🌐 Web3 and Other Tech news.

• Black Friday is online now, with a record $9.8 billion in U.S. online sales (CNBC)

• X May Lose Up to $75 Million in Revenue as More Advertisers Pull Out (NYT)

• Ukraine's use of advanced Tech (AP)

• Shein is trying to clean its image, but is harder than thought (TheVerge)

• Instagram now allows anyone to download public Reels (TC)

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AI Wars are Here

The Pentagon is advancing towards the deployment of AI-driven drones capable of making autonomous kill decisions, raising ethical, legal, and security concerns. Countries like the US, China, and Israel are developing lethal autonomous weapons, despite calls for a UN resolution to restrict their use. The US, resisting binding regulations, is advocating for non-binding resolutions, with officials arguing that AI drones, capable of decisions under human supervision, are crucial for maintaining military advantage. Already, AI drones may have seen use in Ukraine, although their impact on human casualties is not confirmed. As we witness more conflict worldwide, we will, unfortunately, see more autonomous weapons being used.

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OpenAI’s Drama is just Starting

A group of former OpenAI employees has voiced concerns over alleged misconduct by Sam Altman, urging the Board of Directors to investigate. They claim that during OpenAI's shift from non-profit to for-profit, a high attrition rate of 50% between January 2018 and July 2020 was due to employees being forced out. Allegations include deceit by Altman and Greg Brockman in their quest for AGI, silencing of dissent, manipulation of research progress, discrimination, and misuse of company resources for personal gain. The letter, which we found on GitHub, calls for an expanded investigation, protection for whistleblowers, and a recommitment to ethical practices and transparency at OpenAI.

OpenAI has garnered significant attention not only for its swift release of AI innovations but also for the recent turbulence involving its CEO's dismissal and subsequent reinstatement. Such internal dynamics hint at deeper issues that may soon emerge. Considering the global impact of AI development and deployment, transparency about these underlying factors is not just important for industry insiders but for all of us who are affected by AI's expanding influence.

What are the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality?

A research study release by Harvard titled "Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality" explores the impact of AI, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4, on professional knowledge workers. The study, involving 758 consultants at Boston Consulting Group, used a randomized controlled experiment to assess how AI tools affect productivity and the quality of complex, knowledge-intensive tasks.

The research found that AI significantly boosted productivity and quality within the AI's capabilities. Participants using AI completed 12.2% more tasks and were 25.1% quicker, with a 40% higher quality of output compared to the control group. Consultants below average performance improved by 43%, and those above by 17%.

However, when tasks fell outside the AI's capabilities, consultants using AI were 19 percentage points less likely to produce correct solutions. The study also revealed two distinct strategies of AI usage: "Centaur" behavior, where tasks were divided between humans and AI based on their strengths, and "Cyborg" behavior, where human efforts were closely integrated with AI.

The study highlighted the nuanced role of AI in work environments and suggested that understanding how to navigate this "jagged frontier" of AI capabilities is crucial for maximizing its benefits and avoiding potential drawbacks.

Cheat Sheet of the Week

For Higher Education - Source

💰Follow the Money

• $330 Million, budget of Kyutai, an Open-Source AI research lab

• $50 Million, target by Andrew NG for Second AI Fund.

• $43M, Musk’s Neuralink Raised facing ethical concern

• $6 Million, raised by Lasso Security for Advanced LLM Cybersecurity

• $5.9M Seed funding secured by Floy's AI solution for radiology diagnostics.

• $3.3M, RegTech in Pre-Series A Funding by Startup Aptus.AI.

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🤔 What Does that even Mean?

AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is a type of AI that has the ability to understand, learn, and apply knowledge in a way that is not limited to a specific task, hence being "general." It is capable of reasoning, problem-solving, and abstract thinking like a human.

Example: An AGI system could perform a variety of tasks, from driving a car to cooking a meal to writing a book. If you had an AGI personal assistant, it could manage your schedule, hold a conversation with you about the news, learn to cook new recipes from just reading them and adapt to new games or hobbies just by observing or reading the rules, all without being specifically programmed for each task.

🧰 AI Tools of the Day

Fashion Assistants.

• WardRobe AI - Personalised wardrobe advice.

• FashionAI - Personalized style recommendations tailored to your style.

• Peach - Your own AI Fashion Assistant.

• Stlst - AI Fashion Review - iPhone APP.

We have added over 100 tools to our AI tools database. Get 250+ Tools free here.

📰 Publications I am currently reading and recommending:

• Chartr - The world explained in Charts.

• Growth Forum - Hacks and tips to grow your business.

• 1 Minute Question - Motivation for business owners and entrepreneurs.