Taking Action

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It doesn’t matter if you have a genius IQ and a PhD in quantum physics, you can’t change anything or make any sort of real-world progress without taking action. There’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. Knowledge and intelligence are both useless without action. It’s as simple as that.

Successful people know that a good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed someday. They don’t wait for the “right time” or the “right day” or the “right (impossible) circumstances”, because they know these reactions are based on a fear and nothing more. They take action here and now, today – because that’s where real progress happens.

Angel Chernoff

AI Hallucinations "can be remarkably useful"

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Innovators are finding that A.I. hallucinations can be remarkably useful. “The public thinks it’s all bad,” said Amy McGovern, a computer scientist who directs a federal A.I. institute. “But it’s actually giving scientists new ideas. It’s giving them the chance to explore ideas they might not have thought about otherwise.” A.I. hallucinations are reinvigorating the creative side of science. They speed the process by which scientists and inventors dream up new ideas and test them to see if reality concurs.

-William Broad writing in the New York Times

The Common Mistake in Premarital Counseling

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The failure of premarital counseling to affect the divorce rate today may be due primarily to the fact that the approach is often directed toward the couple's relationship. The focus on personality, psychodynamics, and transactions has deprived couples of a more enriching perspective from which to evaluate their problems and their future. By switching the focus to the bride and groom's families of origin, not only can premarital counseling be made more effective in its own right, but the very experience also becomes an opportunity to affect more than one couple and far more than one generation.

Edwin Friedman, Generation to Generation

AI Definitions: Unsupervised training

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Unsupervised training - Just as children mostly learn to explore their world on their own, without the need for too much instruction, in this type of AI training, the AI is turned loose on raw data without a human first labeling the data. Instead of the AI being told what to look for, it learns to recognize and cluster data possessing similar features. This can reveal hidden groups, links, and patterns within the data and is really helpful when the user cannot describe the thing they are looking for—such as a new type of cyberattack. Not as expensive as supervised learning, it can work in real-time but is also less accurate.

More AI definitions here

AI Definitions: GPT

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GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) – G for Generative because it generates words. P for Pre-trained because it’s trained on a lot of text. This step is called pre-training because many language models (like the one behind ChatGPT) go through important additional stages of training known as fine-tuning to make them less toxic and easier to interact with. T for Transformer which is a relatively recent breakthrough in how neural networks are wired. They were introduced in a 2017 paper by Google researchers, and are used in many of the latest AI advancements, from text generation to image creation. So GPT refers to a LLM (large language model) type of AI that first goes through an unsupervised period (no data labeling by humans followed by a supervised "fine-tuning" phase (some labeling).

More AI definitions here

The Top 8 AI Video Tools

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Adobe Firefly

An all-in-one solution for video production, Adobe’s AI-driven multimedia production tool is easy to use. It can do AI video editing, 3D modeling, text-to-image and text-to-video generation, photo editing, AI-enhanced scene transitions, auto-resizing and color correction. Of course, it has a smooth integration with Adobe Creative Cloud. Because it was trained on Adobe Stock images, there are no copyright issues. All the generated images safe for commercial use. The downside: it doesn’t do well with complex queries. Free version provides 25 monthly generative credits or $4.99 a month.

Captions AI

An AI phone app for video editing that adds captions including a feature to automatically transform your voice into any of 27 languages. Easy to use. Includes a teleprompter, an AI script-writing assistant, and a suite of AI editing features.  

Descript 

Edit a video or audio file as you would a Google Doc. You can delete words to edit out sections of your video or audio. Add transitions, titles, and music. Can remove background noise and filler words. Cannot edit a video using natural language.   

Eddie AI

Users can edit interview videos with natural language . Explain what you want in your own words. Cannot be used to add transitions, titles, or special effects. Free (but not for long). Basic explanation of how it works here. 

Hypernatural

Make short videos of text, audio, a link, etc. with AI. No editing skills needed. The results are less generic than other AI-video makers, partly because the user makes stylistic choices along the way, narration, color palette, transitions, video orientation, or use your own photos. Make 10 free 30 second videos (no longer) and after than paid accounts start at $12 a month.

Ideogram

An excellent AI image and video generator. A paid account isn’t needed to get quality images, this one is easier to use for beginners than tools like Midjourney. It has a simple to use interface. Text in the images comes out more readable than most AI image creators, which is important for social media graphics, thumbnails, logos, etc. Ten credits a day free (about 5 images). Free users can only download a 70% quality JPEG image, not the full-resolution version. Images are public when using the free version. Paid accounts starts at $7 monthly for more images and quicker rendering than the free version along with advanced features like Canvas, which lets you modify images. Paid accounts can use negative prompts (what you don’t want in the image).

Invideo.io

Video editing tool that works in a Chrome browser, Plenty of templates and tools. Can take a while to upload media to it. Users can edit particular scenes. The free plan allows 10 minutes of video and 4 exports a week. Some user reviews have been negative about hidden fees and other issues with paid accounts.  

Sora

OpenAI's AI high-quality video generator with watermarks. Similar to other video editing tools with frame views on the bottom and various editing tools. Available to ChatGPT Plus users (50 videos a month) and ChatGPT Pro users (10 times more usage).

 

Other text to video creators

Hotshot.co – 5 free generations per day.

LumaDreamMachine – 30 free generations per month.

Kling AI – 6 free generations per day.

Runway – 125 free one-time credits. Paid accounts starting at $12 per month

Ideogram.ai – 40 generations per day free, paid plans start at $8

Hailuoai.video

PixVerse – free

Pika.art - 250 initial free credits and then 30 daily credits. Paid accounts from $8 to $58 per month

Kaiber – limited and typically used to create animations and transform existing videos into different styles. 60 free credits as part of a trial.

More AI Tools

Showing AI skills in your job search

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Given the emerging and quickly developing nature of AI tools, it can be tricky to display your expertise in a particular skill as a job candidate. Job applicants can build up their AI skills and stand out from the competition in three key ways:

Stay on top of developments. Find online resources and sign up to email lists to read about the latest trends and developments. The technology is moving so fast, the challenge is staying up to date. It is important to try  and build a fundamental knowledge of what’s going on behind the scenes with AI news.

Use AI in your own work. Seek out opportunities in your work to try and use these tools. That’s when you really start to understand the strengths and weaknesses and can learn to write smart prompts to get the best application out of them.   

Show how you’ve used AI successfully to achieve a specific goal. Indicate that you’ve added commercial value to your organization by using it. 

Adopted from a CNBC article by Jennifer Liu

The Top 8 AI Image Creation Tools

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Adobe Firefly

An all-in-one AI solution for video and photo production from the people who brought you. Easy to use, it can do AI video editing, 3D modeling, text-to-image and text-to-video generation, photo editing, AI-enhanced scene transitions, auto-resizing and color correction. Of course, it has a smooth integration with Adobe Creative Cloud. Because it was trained on Adobe Stock images, there are no copyright issues. All the generated images safe for commercial use. The downside: it doesn’t do well with complex queries and is not consistent when generating text within images. Free version provides 25 monthly generative credits or $4.99 a month.

Bing AI Image Creator

This feature in Microsoft’s search engine Bing is powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E. It allows users to generate realistic and creative images from text prompts. Free but with a limit of 25 images each day.

Canva

The graphic design platform has integrated generative AI into all its products including: image, and text creation, photos, audio, and video editing. Use Canvas drag-and-drop to create social media graphics, headers, slides, flyers, photo collages, posters, infographics, even mind maps for concepts. Share to social media straight from the app or download for posting. Limited editing tools so it’s more for beginners. Free. $12 a month gets you more options.

DALL-E

OpenAI’s tool that turns written text into images using AI. Named after painter Salvador Dali and Disney Pixar’s WALL-E. Understands long, complex queries. Includes a helpful edit feature. Select an area of a generated image and prompt it to change that part. However, not as reliable at generating accurate text than Ideogram or Flux. A limited number of images are free. $20 per month for ChatGPT Plus.

Ideogram

An excellent AI image and video generator. A paid account isn’t needed to get quality images, this one is easier to use for beginners than tools like Midjourney. It has a simple to use interface. Text in the images comes out more readable than most AI image creators, which is important for social media graphics, thumbnails, logos, etc. Ten credits a day free (about 5 images). Free users can only download a 70% quality JPEG image, not the full-resolution version. Images are public when using the free version. Paid accounts starts at $7 monthly for more images and quicker rendering than the free version along with advanced features like Canvas, which lets you modify images. Paid accounts can use negative prompts (what you don’t want in the image).

Microsoft Designer's Image Creator

One of the best image creators, it is powered by DALL-E 3. Accessible in the same place that you access Microsoft's AI chatbot Copilot. Free (though you must create a Microsoft account).

MidJourney

One of the best AI image generators, it uses machine learning to create high-quality pictures based on text. The interface has been improved since it first launched. There is a limited free version but paying the monthly cost will avoid annoying ads. You’ll find a good prompt book here and a guide to get started here.

Stability AI's DreamStudio

A more accessible version of Stable Diffusion, which requires some technical skills. Users can create images through AI with many customizations, such as telling it what to avoid. An account must be created sign in with Google or Discord accounts. $1 for 100 credits, one image costs two credits.

 

Others worth Considering 

Leonardo.AI

Originally meant to help folks create gaming assets, it produces impressive and clear images. Useful but limited editing tools. There’s no post-editing on the free plan and the privacy plan is weak. Free plan allows up to 150 images each day.

Flux AI

Use this AI image generation tool for free through HuggingFace or Freepik. It creates gorgeous images and doesn’t require any special prompting lingo.

Whisk

Google’s new AI tool Whisk uses image prompts instead of text. Input a collection of images without a prompt and choose a style to generate a new image. Unlike traditional AI image generators, which allow users to specify exactly what they want, Whisk enables users to experiment and draw inspiration without the constraints of text inputs. Users can tweak the final image. Intended as a fun AI feature, rather than a refined professional work tool.

 More AI Tools

The Top 7 Chatbots for Writing

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ChatGPT

Trained on the most data so it is the most powerful overall AI. Faster than other chatbots and can answer more difficult, complex questions than many other chatbots with better memory. Processes up to 25K words and can use both images and text as inputs. It doesn’t do sourcing and does not pull from the most recent info. Can browse the internet with Bing. Performed faster than other chatbots in tests, offering more-thorough answers, and answers more-difficult, complex questions. The advance voice mode makes it easy to chat with while you are on the go, making it a useful replacement for search quires. There’s a feature that allows users to customize the tone and voice to their own style of writing. There is a limited free version or pay $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus.  

Perplexity AI

A good research option among the generative AI tools when accuracy is critical. It acts like a search engine but includes results from the web (unlike ChatGPT).Automatically shows where the information came from, so it’s more reliable than ChatGPT. Users can specify where they want the information to be drawn from among a few categories such as academic sources or YouTube. Users can also upload documents as sources and ask it to rewrite prompts. It suggests follow-up questions you might not have considered. Less useful for creative writing. In tests, it was better at summarizing passages, providing information on current events and do coding better than other chatbots. Unmatched speed and accuracy in processing millions of data makes it very useful to data scientists for advanced predictive models. The free plan allows 3 pro searches every four hours. Video tutorial here.

ChatSonic

Created by WriteSonic built on top of the same technology that powers ChatGPT. Can assume personas such as a philosopher or stand-up comic. Create up to 100 AI-generated images each month for free. Connected to the internet, so it can provide real-time, up-to-date answers, which ChatGPT cannot do. Free.

Claude

Writing, coding, in-depth analysis AI. Designed to be inoffensive. Like ChatGPT, it can act on text or uploaded files. Useful for summarizing long transcripts, clarifying complex writings, and generating lists of ideas and questions. Can analyze huge documents, up to 75K words at a time. In tests, it is more conversational, gives direct answers, sometimes links to sources, and offers better creative writing suggestions than other chatbots but can be slower. It can mimic your writing style and users have the option of three presets: formal style, concise, or explanatory style. Trained on the AP Stylebook. Free plan allows up to 40 messages a day.

Gemini

Google claims this large language model is better at math, coding and other tasks than many other programs. It provides real time responses with the help of Google’s search engine. Besides text, it can take commands that come as videos, images, voice and code. It has access to more timely and updated information than ChatGPT. Gemini Advanced costs $20 a month after the trial period ends.

Jasper AI

AI story writing tool for fiction and nonfiction. Pick a tone of voice for style. Pre-built templates available. A more business-focused AI that is particularly helpful for advertising and marketing. Remembers past queries, However, no sources are provided and limited to pre-2022 information. Short free trial. $29 month.

Poe (Platform for Open Exploration)

Created by Quora, this AI lets users create a personalized chatbot using one of 70 bots (such as OpenAI or Anthropic). Poe lets you compare and contrast models to find the right fit for your specific need in any given moment. (Poe doesn't have its own large language model.) Free.

 

AI Text Tools for Everyday

ChatGPT for quick inquiries

Claude as an everyday workhorse

Perplexity for research

NotebookLM to condense large amounts of information

Infography.in for text to infographics

Napkin AI to convert text into visuals and charts.

More AI Tools

What Would You Do?

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You have applied for a job and the interviewer asks you a question that lands like a bombshell: do you have a boyfriend? Then another: do people find you desirable? And a third: do you think it is important for women to wear bras to work? If you are a woman you probably know what you would do. Perhaps you would refuse to answer, complain or walk out. You would certainly be furious.

This is how 197 female American undergraduates, asked to imagine such an interview, said they would react. But they—and probably you—were wrong. The psychologists who asked them, Marianne LaFrance and Julie Woodzicka, orchestrated a real-life version of this ordeal, by advertising for a research assistant and arranging for male accomplices to interview the first 50 women who applied. 

Half were randomly chosen to be asked those three questions. Not one refused to answer, let alone complained or walked out. When they were asked afterwards (and offered the chance to apply for a real job), they said they had felt not anger, but fear.

Videos of the interviews showed how much this supposedly minor sexual harassment threw the women off their stride. They plastered on fake smiles.

In a final twist, the researchers showed clips of the videos to male MBA students. Fake smiles are fairly easy to tell from real ones: they involve fewer facial muscles and do not crinkle the corners of the eyes. But many of the men saw the women as amused, even flirtatious.

The Economist