18 Articles about AI & the Creative Arts

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AI Definitions: Reinforcement Learning

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Reinforcement Learning - Rather than being given specific goals, the AI is deployed into an environment where it can train with minimal feedback. This trial-and-error approach involves adjusting weights until high-reward outcomes are achieved. Desirable behaviors are rewarded, and undesirable behaviors are punished. It is similar to a person learning how to work through levels of a video game, searching for an effective strategy. This type of machine learning sits somewhere in between supervised (by humans) and unsupervised learning. Reinforcement learning is used in video game development and has helped robots adapt to new environments.  

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Writing your Own Eulogy

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A visualization technique that asks people to write their own eulogy. It’s a technique that Daniel Harkavy, co-author of Living Forward, has been teaching executives for over 20 years.

Harkavy’s tip is to write your eulogy first as if your funeral was today and everything you’ve accomplished so far was all you ever would. “Picture your memorial service as if it were being held right now. Your casket is sitting center stage, and as you look down the center aisle you see the first three rows, usually reserved for those with whom we were closest. Who’s sitting there for you?” he asks. “Most likely your family and dearest friends. Now keep looking down the aisle, and now you’re looking at rows 10 through 20. Who’s sitting there? Probably acquaintances, clients, customers. What did you give to the people in these rows?”

Harkavy says when he walks clients through this exercise during his speaking engagements, they usually all say the same thing: “We gave them our best!” He then asks them what they gave to the people sitting in rows one through three–and their answers usually amount to “We gave them our leftovers.” In other words, their work-life balance is out of whack.

“When you go to write your eulogy, you need to be brutally honest. Don’t pull any punches. You want to really feel this,” Harkavy says. “What would those closest to you say about who you were, how you lived, and what you had to give them, and why would they say that?”

Michael Grothaus writing in Fast Company

LLMs Reflect Western Cultural Value

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It should not come as a surprise that a growing body of studies shows how LLMs predominantly reflect Western cultural values and epistemologies. They overrepresent certain dominant groups in their outputs, reinforce and amplify the biases held by these groups, and are more factually accurate on topics associated with North America and Europe. - Deepak Varuvel Dennisonis

19 Articles about AI & Coding

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AI Definitions: Vibe Coding

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Vibe Coding – An LLM generates code that meets the specifications stated in the user's prompt. This is not the same as software development, where the user reviews the AI coding and can explain it. This type of coding uses natural language to communicate desired outcomes. Vibe coding platforms would include Claude Artifacts, Creator Hunter, and Cursor. While the goal is a finished product, in practice, this approach entails risks, such as hidden bugs and subtle security issues. Some degree of human oversight and refinement is still needed for most LLM-generated code outcomes to become production-ready.

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Three types of Perfectionists

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A study measured three types of perfectionism: self-oriented, or a desire to be perfect; socially prescribed, or a desire to live up to others’ expectations; and other-oriented, or holding others to unrealistic standards. A person living with an other-oriented perfectionist might feel criticized by the perfectionist spouse for not doing household chores exactly the “right” way. Socially prescribed perfectionism is “My self-esteem is contingent on what other people think.”

Perfectionists tend to devalue their accomplishments, so that every time a goal is achieved, the high lasts only a short time, like “a gas tank with a hole in it.” 

There are also different ways perfectionism manifests. Some perfectionists are the sleeping-bag-toting self-flagellants, always pushing themselves forward. But others actually fall behind on work, unable to complete assignments unless they’re, well, perfect. Or they might self-sabotage, handicapping their performance ahead of time. They’re the ones partying until 2 a.m. the night before the final, so that when the C rolls in, there’s a ready excuse. Anything to avoid facing your own imperfections.

Olga Khazan writing in The Atlantic

AI Definitions: Opaque AI

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Opaque AI – This is when an AI algorithm operates as a black box that we can’t understand. This can lead to AI systems inadvertently perpetuating and amplifying biases. AI transparency, on the other hand, allows for the examination and understanding of how these biases occur, leading to more ethical and fair AI systems. The level of AI opacity varies depending on the industry. For example, in highly regulated industries, transparency is paramount for legal and regulatory compliance.

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20 Articles about how AI is Affecting Jobs

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AI Can’t Touch These Skilled Trade Jobs. If Only Enough Humans Would Fill Them. – Wall Street Journal 

The AI question every job candidate on interview should be prepared to answer – CNBC

The job replacement AI machine - Axios 

Can AI do your job? See the results from hundreds of tests. – Washington Post

Behind the Curtain: The job replacement AI machine – Axios  

The Problem With Letting AI Do the Grunt Work Artificial intelligence is destroying the career ladder for aspiring artists– The Atlantic  

Workday and Alix Partners data shows AI's productivity paradox is real - Axios

Job Seekers Find a New Source of Income: Training AI to Do Their Old Roles – Wall Street Journal

Why the McKinsey layoffs are a warning signal for consulting in the AI age – Fast Company  

There's new evidence that instead of bringing on a job apocalypse, AI is creating more work and jobs - Axios 

Finding Meaningful Work in the Age of Vibe Coding  - KD Nuggets 

Entry-level tech workers describe the AI-fueled jobpocalypse – Rest of World

Replace your boss before they replace you – Replace your Boss

Say Goodbye to the Billable Hour, Thanks to AI – Wall Street Journal

AI may discriminate against you at work. Some states are making it illegal. - Washington Post

What AI Skills Should Hiring Employers Look For? How to Define and Seek Out Workers with “AI Literacy” – JD Supra

Spooked by AI and Layoffs, White-Collar Workers See Their Security Slip Away – Wall Street Journal

The Forrester AI Job Impact Forecast, US, 2025–2030 - Forrester

When A.I. Took My Job, I Bought a Chain Saw – New York Times 

The surprising truth about AI’s impact on jobs – CNN

Saying "no" to 1,000 things

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People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying "no" to 1,000 things. 

Steve Jobs