14 Quotes about AI Dangers

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The risk is that AI models will inevitably converge on a point at which they all share the same enormous training set collectivizing whatever inherent weaknesses that set might have. AIs don't know what they don't know. And that can be very dangerous. Axios 

The perennial problem is that technology and computing are portrayed in popular media as magic. Even in this Mission Impossible movie, the idea is once the good guys get a key to access the Entity’s source code, the AI can be controlled. That’s a misunderstanding. Even if you had the actual source code of an AI, it wouldn’t tell you what you need to know. -Alex Hanna, director of research at the Distributed AI Research Institute. Washington Post

Experts are raising alarms about the mental health risks and the emotional burden of navigating an information ecosystem driven by AI that's likely to feature even more misinformation, identity theft and fraud. Axios

“If you look at phishing filters, they have to learn first, and by the time they learn, they already have a new set of phishing emails coming,” Srinivas Mukkamala, chief product officer at cybersecurity software company Ivanti, told reporters. “So the chances of a phishing email slipping your controls is very, very high.” Route 55

AI technologies are bad for the planet too. Training a single AI model – according to research published in 2019 – might emit the equivalent of more than 284 tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is nearly five times as much as the entire lifetime of the average American car, including its manufacture. These emissions are expected to grow by nearly 50% over the next five years. The Guardian  

Tools like Amazon’s CodeWhisperer and Microsoft-owned GitHub Copilot suggest new code snippets and provide technical recommendations to developers.  By using such tools, it is possible that engineers could produce inaccurate code documentation, code that doesn’t follow secure development practices, or reveal system information beyond what companies would typically share. Wall Street Journal 

Attackers are using artificial intelligence to write software that can break into corporate networks in novel ways, change appearance and functionality to beat detection, and smuggle data back out through processes that appear normal. Washington Post 

Doctored photos are "a nifty way to plant false memories" and "things are going to get even worse with deep fake technology," psychologist Elizabeth Loftus said at the Nobel Prize Summit last month that focused on misinformation. Axios

In a world where talent is as scarce and coveted as it is in AI right now, it’s hard for the government and government-funded entities to compete. And it makes starting a venture capital-funded company to do advanced safety research seem reasonable, compared to trying to set up a government agency to do the same. There’s more money and there’s better pay; you’ll likely get more high-quality staff. Vox

“It’s possible that super-intelligent A.I. is a looming threat, or that we might one day soon accidentally trap a self-aware entity inside a computer—but if such a system does emerge, it won’t be in the form of a large language model.” New Yorker 

AI will be at the center of future financial crises — and regulators are not going to be able to stay ahead of it. That's the message being sent by SEC chair Gary Gensler, arguably the most important and powerful regulator in the U.S. at the moment. Axios

The challenge with generative AI is that the technology is developing so quickly that companies are rushing to figure out if it introduces new cybersecurity challenges or magnifies existing security weaknesses. Meanwhile, technology vendors have inundated businesses with new generative AI-based features and offerings—not all of which they need or have even paid for. Wall Street Journal

An estimated 3,200 hackers will try their hand at tricking chatbots and image generators, in the hopes of exposing vulnerabilities. “We’re trying something very wild and audacious, and we’re hopeful it works out.” Semafor

Researchers have found an AI-driven attack that can steal passwords with up to 95% accuracy by listening to what you type on your keyboard. Metro

14 quotes worth reading about students using AI

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Bots like ChatGPT show great promise as a “writing consultant” for students. “It’s not often that students have a chance to sit down with a professor and have long discussions about how to go about this paper, that paper, how to approach research on this topic and that topic. But ChatGPT can do that for them, provided…they know how to use the right ethics, to use it as a tool and not a replacement for their work.” CalMatters 

Don’t rely on AI to know things instead of knowing them yourself. AI can lend a helping hand, but it’s an artificial intelligence that isn’t the same as yours. One scientist described to me how younger colleagues often “cobble together a solution” to a problem by using AI. But if the solution doesn’t work, “they don’t have anywhere to turn because they don’t understand the crux of the problem” that they’re trying to solve. Chronicle of Higher Ed

Janine Holc thinks that students are much too reliant on generative AI, defaulting to it, she wrote, “for even the smallest writing, such as a one sentence response uploaded to a shared document.” As a result, wrote Holc, a professor of political science at Loyola University Maryland, “they have lost confidence in their own writing process. I think the issue of confidence in one’s own voice is something to be addressed as we grapple with this topic.” Chronicle of Higher Ed

It’s a conversation that can be evoked at will. But it’s not different in the content. You still have to evaluate what someone says and whether or not it’s sensible. CalMatters 

Helena Kashleva, an adjunct instructor at Florida SouthWestern State College, spots a sea-change in STEM education, noting that many assignments in introductory courses serve mainly to check students’ understanding. “With the advent of AI, grading such assignments becomes pointless.” Chronicle of Higher Ed 

Given how widely faculty members vary on what kinds of AI are OK for students to use, though, that may be an impossible goal. And of course, even if they find common ground, the technology is evolving so quickly that policies may soon become obsolete. Students are also getting more savvy in their use of these tools. It’s going to be hard for their instructors to keep up. Chronicle of Higher Ed 

In situations when you or your group feel stuck, generative AI can definitely help. The trick is to learn how to prompt it in a way that can help you get unstuck. Sometimes you’ll need to try a few prompts up until you’ll get something you like.  UXdesign.cc

Proponents contend that classroom chatbots could democratize the idea of tutoring by automatically customizing responses to students, allowing them to work on lessons at their own pace. Critics warn that the bots, which are trained on vast databases of texts, can fabricate plausible-sounding misinformation — making them a risky bet for schools. New York Times

Parents are eager to have their children use the generative AI technology in the classroom. Sixty-four percent said they think teachers and schools should allow students to use ChatGPT to do schoolwork, with 28 percent saying that schools should encourage the technology’s use. Ed Week

Student newspaper editors at Middlebury College have called for a reconsideration of the school’s honor code after a survey found two-thirds of students admitted to breaking it—nearly twice as many as before the pandemic. Wall Street Journal 

If you are accused of cheating with AI Google Docs or Microsoft Word could help. Both offer a version history function that can keep track of changes to the file, so you can demonstrate how long you worked on it and that whole chunks didn’t magically appear. Some students simply screen record themselves writing. Washington Post 

There is no bright line between “my intelligence” and “other intelligence,” artificial or otherwise. It’s an academic truism that no idea exists in an intellectual vacuum. We use other people’s ideas whenever we quote or paraphrase. The important thing is how. Chronicle of Higher Ed

Quizlet has announced four new AI features that will help with student learning and managing their classwork, including Magic Notes, Memory Score, Quick Summary, and AI-Enhanced Expert Solutions.  ZDnet 

James Neave, Adzuna’s head of data science, recommends interested job applicants build up their AI skills and stand out from the competition in three key ways: Stay on top of developments, use AI in your own work, and show how you’ve used AI successfully to achieve a specific goal. CNBC

Preparing Media Students for their AI Future

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When I was teaching at a journalism school some 15 years ago, many professors were wringing their hands about digital media. “Would print survive?” they wanted to know. The focus was on their past rather than the students’ future. By asking the wrong questions, they were leading themselves into irrelevance and their students unprepared.

Here we are again, only this time it is generative AI. Much of what’s called AI is mislabeled or overrated, but it doesn’t matter. Media students will need help understanding how to use it effectively and ethically. Employers will be expecting it from them. The students also need an idea as to where AI is inadequate—this will inform them as to which parts of the media process they will need to do themselves.

There is no way to do this without having a clear understanding of the goal: understanding what separates “great” writing/audio/video from “good” writing/audio/. They have always needed to be able to evaluate their own writing to get better. And now, they must be able to evaluate what the AI produces for them.

The advent of digital platforms changed the process and tools of journalism and media. The goal remained the same. Likewise, generative AI will impact the process but not the ultimate goal.

Stephen Goforth

9 Articles about AI & Politics

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You don't have wait until you know who you are to start creating

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So many people get stuck on things like “being a writer” or “being an entrepreneur” and they never get around to getting things done because they’re too busy trying to figure out if their ontological state gives them permission to do the thing they want to do.

Forget about your state of being for a second. Forget about your identity for a moment. Just do something. If you’re interested in it right now, then that’s enough to try it out. You’ll find out the most valuable information about yourself not by naval gazing and analyzing your soul all day long, but by getting to know what the creative process actually feels like. 

Your sense of self will evolve and expand until the day you die. So you’ll be waiting around forever if you insist on knowing who you are before beginning the work you feel compelled to do in the moment.

Knowledge of self is the effect, not the cause of all these things.

TK Coleman, 5 Ways to Steal Like An Artist

7 Free Webinars this Week about Media & Journalism

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Mon, Aug 14 - Fact-checking 101: How to distinguish fact from feeling

What: The host will walk reporters and editors through the fundamentals of fact-checking. What are the key types of questions reporters should be asking when searching for sources for their stories? What are the essential pieces of evidence that editors should be seeking to substantiate the reporter’s findings? The fundamentals of this essential reporting process will be brought to life in a concrete way.

Who: CCIJ's Editorial Director, Yaffa Fredrick

When: 8 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism  

More Info

 

Mon, Aug 14 - Writing for Impact: A Nonprofit Professionals Guide to Drafting Content that Inspires

What: This workshop encourages learners to pause before putting pen to paper in order to find the voice of the organization they're working with, understand the audience they’re speaking to, and pick a tone that elevates their message clearly enough to engage effectively.

Who: Maura O'Leary & Sarah Hogan, Barefoot PR

When: 11 am, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Nonprofit Learning Lab

More Info

 

Tue, Aug 15 - How Reporters Can Use NAEP Tools to Examine Achievement Gaps

What: This webinar will teach journalists about federal education statistics from subjects including math and reading scores, and demonstrate federal tools that will help them go back to their newsrooms to tell the best education stories possible.

Who: Ebony Walton, statistician, National Center for Education Statistics; Grady Wilburn, statistician, National Center for Education Statistics; Matt Barnum, interim national editor, Chalkbeat (moderator)

When: 12 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Education Writers Association

More Info

 

Tue, Aug 15 - Developing a Website That Tells Your Story

What: In this session, we will share more than a decade of focus group research that reveals: The 5 elements of an engaging website. The one thing every nonprofit should be thinking about, but isn’t. The importance of storytelling and how to incorporate stories into your website. Real-world examples of nonprofit organizations that have mastered their online presence.

Who: Kiersten Hill Director of Nonprofit Solutions

When: 2 pm, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Firespring

More Info

 

Wed, Aug 16 - Amplify Your Social Media Presence with Canva

What: Designed exclusively for journalists looking to enhance their social media skills. We'll share some nifty tips and tricks that will save you time and boost productivity when working with Canva. We'll also unveil some cool techniques to create content that truly wows your audience and sets you apart from the competition.

Who: Diana Abeleven, Canva's Senior Global Strategic Partnerships Manager, News & Media

When: 9 pm, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: The Walkley Foundation

More Info

 

Thur, Aug 17 - Generative AI: What journalists need to know about ChatGPT and other tools

What: Understanding the AI capabilities that have emerged and what we do about those and how we take advantage of those, while also really trying to make sure we are poised for what feels like another wave upon wave of progress over the next couple of years as well. During the webinar, the Knight Center will announce a new massive open online course (MOOC) on generative AI and journalism.  

Who: Marc Lavallee, director of technology product and strategy for journalism at Knight Foundation; Aimee Rinehart, senior product manager of AI strategy for the Associated Press’ Local News AI initiative; and Sil Hamilton, a machine learning engineer and AI researcher-in-residence at the journalism organization Hacks/Hackers.

When: 11 am, Central

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas

More Info

Thu, Aug 17 - Assessing the 988 mental health hotline   

What: Panelists will discuss the national 988 mental health crisis line: How well has the hotline functioned, has it result in distressed people being involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospital wards and has it put callers at risk of trauma by sending armed police untrained in mental health interventions?

Who: Vincent Atchity, president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado; Heather Saunders, a postdoctoral fellow in the Kaiser Family Foundation Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured; Katti Gray, AHCJ's health beat leader for behavioral and mental health.

When: 1:30 pm, Eastern

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free

Sponsor: Assoc of Health Care Journalists

More Info 

17 articles about the Misuse of AI

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Your brain power on distraction

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Imagine your task is to ride a bicycle for 10 miles. You begin to pedal and just as you build up speed and start making progress, something unexpectedly makes you hit the brakes. Because you had to stop, you’ve lost your momentum and have to expend more effort to get going again. Imagine you are forced to brake every time you start to go faster. You can never coast. You have to pedal — hard — all the time. How much longer do you think it’s going to take you to get to your destination? How much more difficult and frustrating do you think it’s going to be? This is your brain power on distraction, and it causes unsatisfying, unfulfilling work days.

Maura Thomas writing in the Harvard Business Review

10 Things AI Can Do Now

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dull activities can spark creative thinking

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What if boredom is a meaningful experience—one that propels us to states of deeper thoughtfulness and creativity? That’s the conclusion of two fascinating recent studies. Boredom might spark creativity because a restless mind hungers for stimulation. Maybe traversing an expanse of tedium creates a sort of cognitive forward motion. A bored mind moves into a “daydreaming” state, says Sandi Mann, a psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire.

The problem, the psychologists worry, is that these days we don’t wrestle with these slow moments. We eliminate them (with mobile devices). This might relieve us temporarily, but it shuts down the deeper thinking that can come from staring down the doldrums. Noolding on your phone is “like eating junk food,” she says.

So here’s an idea: Instead of always fleeing boredom, lean into it. Sometimes, anyway. When novelists talk about using Freedom, the software that shuts down one’s Internet connection, they often say it’s about avoiding distraction. But I suspect it’s also about enforcing a level of boredom in their day—useful, productive monotony.

And there is, of course, bad boredom. The good type motivates you to see what can come of it: “fructifying boredom,” as the philosopher Bertrand Russell called it. The bad type, in contrast, tires you, makes you feel like you can’t be bothered to do anything. (It has a name too: lethargic boredom.)

A critical part of our modern task, then, is learning to assess these different flavors of ennui—to distinguish the useful kind from the stultifying. (Glancing at your phone in an idle moment isn’t always, or even often a bad thing.) Boredom, it turns out, may be super-interesting.

Clive Thompson writing in Wired Magazine

9 Articles about the Impact of AI on Medicine

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Worry Deadlines

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Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to the time we allow it. Put simply, if you give yourself one month to create a presentation, it will take you one full month to finish it. But if you only had a week, you’d finish the same presentation in a shorter time.   

I’ve observed a similar principle among sensitive strivers — that overthinking expands to the time we allow it. In other words, if you give yourself one week to worry about something that is actually a one-hour task, you will waste an inordinate amount of time and energy.

Melody Wilding writing in the Harvard Business Review

Eight Suggestions about AI for Those Teaching this Fall  

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The challenges that generative AI poses to teaching requires campus-wide faculty discussions. Most students will have to use generative AI when they move into their careers, and it would be a shame for them to graduate without understanding how to use it and without having wrestled with its ethical limits. As you prepare for your fall classes consider these suggestions: 

Have a Class Discussion. Talk openly and frankly with your students about your expectations regarding the use of generative AI in your classes as well as how you are using it yourself. Invite your students to share with you in an honest discussion about these and related questions. Keep in mind that the line between which AI is acceptable and which is not is often blurry because AI is being integrated into many different apps and programs.

Keep the Door Open. Cultivate an environment in which students will feel comfortable approaching you if they need more direct support—whether from you, their peers, or a campus resource to successfully complete an assignment. Talk to them about their motivations for turning to generative AI: time pressure, curiosity, burn out, etc.  Barnard College 

AI Bias. Make the students aware that AI can reflect societal prejudices. If the AI training sets underrepresent the views of marginalized populations, then the essays they produce may omit those views as well. Bloomberg

Vulnerable Students. Consider how chatting with AI systems might affect vulnerable students, including those with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. Chronicle of Higher Ed

Privacy Issues. It is important for students to be aware that personal information provided to generative AI tools has the potential to be shared with third parties. This can may raise serious privacy concerns for your students and perhaps in particular, those students who are from marginalized backgrounds. Barnard College 

Think Through the Pedagogical Impact. What are the cognitive tasks students need to perform without AI assistance? When should students rely on AI assistance? Where can an AI aid facilitate a better outcome? Are there efficiencies in grading that can be gained? Are new rubrics and assignment descriptions needed? Inside Higher Ed 

A Syllabus Statement. Include a syllabus statement that gives clear guidance regarding your expectations for the use of generative AI in your classes. The Sentient Syllabus Project

AI Detectors. If you plan to put students’ work through an AI detector, please inform them in advance, keeping in mind that a reliable detection tool has yet to be developed. False positives carry real harm when a student is wrongly accused. English language learners, international students, and students with learning challenges might write in a style that instructors wrongly assume is AI when it is not. Washington Post

“There’s more of a danger in not teaching students how to use AI. If they’re not being taught under the mentorship of scholars and experts, they may be using it in ways that are either inappropriate or not factual or unethical.” Johanna Inman, quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Ed

Stop chasing originality

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The quest for originality is a distraction. It usually leads to a self-obsessive focus on saying what’s never been said when all that really matters is saying what you believe, saying what you feel, and saying what you mean. When you first start doing this, you might not sound very original, but this process is precisely how you find your voice. 

TK Coleman, 5 Ways to Steal Like An Artist

8 Articles about Detecting AI

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