Welcome to my latest little experiment: The Snarky Bot News Roundup. This is a list of news articles that have something to do with AI and business – with the occasional piece of whimsy thrown in to spice things up.
Everything that comes after my blurb here has been written by AI; a snarky AI that likes to poke fun at the articles. If you want serious analysis of the news stories, you can find that elsewhere. This will hopefully put a smile on your face while it brings you up to date.
The views of the snarky bot are not necessarily my own. But I believe it’s always healthy to have a contrarian and occasionally sarcastic checkin. Because the world of AI has a habit of taking itself a little bit too seriously. Someone needs to call out the BS.
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AI Overlords: The New Corporate Drama
Generative AI has gone from backstage nerd to rockstar disruptor, reshaping businesses faster than you can say "Skynet." Now, every company needs a Chief AI Officer (CAIO) to navigate this brave new world of digital innovation. According to KPMG's AI guru, the role isn't just for tech wizards; it demands a blend of geeky know-how and business savvy. Governance, employee empowerment, and swift action are key. Ignore this AI revolution at your peril—unless you enjoy getting leapfrogged by the competition. (Read more)
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Meta's "Creative" Approach to Data: From Art to AI and Angry Artists
In the latest episode of “Tech Giants Behaving Badly,” Meta’s brilliant idea to use your Facebook and Instagram images to train AI has artists fuming. Forget using your art – they’re snatching everything, even your late grandma’s pics. Despite the AI Act, opt-outs feel like a bureaucratic shrug. Enter Cara, the anti-AI hero app that’s gaining users faster than Meta loses respect. Artists are torn between staying in the toxic social media pool or jumping ship to a safer harbor. Ah, the digital age – where your masterpiece becomes AI’s next meal. (Read more)
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Hologram Hollywood: AI’s Necromancy for Nostalgics
In a plot twist no one saw coming, ElevenLabs is resurrecting dead celebs' voices for your audiobook and PDF narrating pleasure. Not content with just living actors, they’ve roped in the estates of Judy Garland, James Dean, and other Hollywood ghosts. The company claims it’s all about accessibility, but we know it’s about those sweet, sweet royalties. While Liza Minnelli is thrilled to hear Mom's voice again, the AI ethics debate rages on. Hollywood’s past is now a subscription service, because who wouldn’t want the dead narrating their grocery list? (Read more)
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AI: Making the Planet Hot and Bothered
Google’s emissions soared 48% since 2019, and they’re pointing the finger at AI. Turns out, our beloved chatbots and fancy AI tools are power hogs, guzzling electricity like there’s no tomorrow. Data centers are sweating, burning through juice to run and cool these supercomputers. Experts are nervous as AI demands way more power than traditional computing. While tech giants like Google and Microsoft promise greener energy, their emissions keep rising. Who knew your curious “how-to” question to AI might be cranking up the planet's thermostat? (Read more)
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Siri: Now with 50% Less Intelligence!
Apple's big brainwave, Apple Intelligence, is set to drop with iOS 18 this fall. But, hold your horses—Siri's most dazzling new tricks won't be available until next spring. Despite WWDC's razzle-dazzle, Siri will remain her usual self for a while. According to Mark Gurman, the super-duper Siri upgrade, promising magical feats like cross-app wizardry, will debut with iOS 18.4. Early adopters can beta test in January. In the meantime, expect a prettier Siri with some ChatGPT sass. Just in time for your 2024 New Year’s resolution to use your phone more productively. Maybe. (Read more)
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Nintendo Gives AI the Side-Eye: Back to Basics
In a world where every tech company is hitching their wagon to the generative AI bandwagon, Nintendo's president Shuntaro Furukawa gave it a hard pass. During a recent investor call, Furukawa emphasized that while AI has been used for in-game mechanics for ages, generative AI’s IP issues make it a no-go. Nintendo, the IP guard dog of the gaming world, prefers delivering unique experiences that can't be replicated by mere algorithms. So, while Microsoft and EA are flirting with AI, Nintendo’s sticking to its creative guns. (Read More)
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ChatGPT: From Chatty to Chiseled
Businesses are on a quest to squeeze every drop of productivity out of AI, and fine-tuning ChatGPT is their golden goose. This involves customizing the chatbot to make it understand industry jargon better than a conference full of experts. The process? Collect data, tweak the settings, and repeat until ChatGPT is basically your new best employee, minus the coffee breaks. While it promises efficiency and cost savings, be prepared for a tech marathon involving high-quality data and significant computational oomph. Who knew your next top hire would be a robot in a hoodie? (Read more)
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AI to the Rescue: From Data Crunching to Heart-Healing
AI isn't just about data anymore; it's now your office therapist. According to Andre Shojaie, AI's "healing leadership" means machines help bosses show empathy and support mental health. AI tools like Cogito analyze speech patterns to improve team communication, and bots handle mundane tasks, so humans can focus on creativity. Leaders need to balance AI's potential with privacy concerns, ensuring ethical use. In short, the future of leadership is about tech-enhanced empathy and a happier workplace. Because nothing says "I care" like an algorithm analyzing your voice tone. (Read more)
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When Chatbots Go Rogue: Legal Edition
ChatGPT's creative genius strikes again! This time, a Vancouver lawyer, Chong Ke, relied on the chatbot for legal research, only to find out it served up fictional cases. Cue the professional embarrassment. Turns out, ChatGPT's hallucinations aren't courtroom-appropriate. Lawyers in Canada, Massachusetts, and Colorado have fallen victim to its charm, resulting in sanctions and suspensions. Despite AI's potential to ease lawyerly burdens, it’s proving to be as trustworthy as a used car salesman. So, until AI learns to lawyer up, real attorneys better double-check their facts or risk becoming the next headline. (Read more)
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AI Isn't Hallucinating, It's Just Full of It
Why say AI chatbots are hallucinating when they're clearly just BS-ing? Philosopher Harry Frankfurt’s definition fits: chatbots don’t care about truth, they just spew whatever sounds good. Like that lawyer who got duped by fake citations from ChatGPT. These LLMs predict words, not truth. Calling their nonsense "hallucinations" gives them too much credit. Let's be real: they're just sophisticated BS machines. And misnaming it messes with our understanding and trust in tech. So next time ChatGPT makes stuff up, just call it what it is: total BS. (Read more)
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AI: Dial-Up’s Déjà Vu
Remember the symphony of screeching modems? Today's AI feels just as slow and clunky. Despite AI's promise, it still drags its feet, delivering results as sluggishly as a 1200-baud modem. Just like the dial-up days, AI's performance often makes you wonder if the wait is worth it. And just like AOL's costly service, AI features come at a premium, without the all-you-can-eat buffet. AI’s mainstream moment? Don’t hold your breath—it’s more like waiting for broadband in the ‘90s. (Read more)
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AI Winter is Coming: Tech's Trillion-Dollar Whoopsie
In a classic tale of tech exuberance gone cold, AI investments are freezing faster than a snowman in July. Nvidia's stock nosedived, raising fears of a contagion, as Sequoia, Barclays, and Goldman Sachs point out the stark reality: AI’s promises are melting into hallucinations and financial black holes. Big tech's $1 trillion bet on data centers might soon look as wise as investing in Blockbuster. Bill Gates and other experts warn this AI hype train might be more "Excel macro" than "Industrial Revolution." Whoops! (Read more)
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AI: More Moral Than Your Average Human (Or So They Think)
Humans asked AI and humans for ethical advice. Guess what? AI won the popularity contest, making it look like a saint compared to our flawed species. People couldn't spot the human touch, instead praising AI for its "superior" moral compass. Spoiler: This isn't a victory for humanity. It’s a red flag for how much we're starting to trust our digital overlords. Welcome to the future, where your new moral advisor might just be a robot with zero life experience. (Read more)
So there you you have it, from corporate boardrooms rolling out the red carpet for AI overlords, to chatbots that overshare like your tipsy uncle at Thanksgiving, it’s clear the future is now—complete with all the drama, faux pas, and ethical conundrums.
Until next time, stay classy.
Dave
