Shift Toward a Skills-Based Economy

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☕️ Greetings! It's Monday, November 6th. Welcome to my daily dive into the AI landscape.

♨️ In Udemy's 2024 Global Learning & Skills Trends Report, AI-related skills witnessed a remarkable 60% growth over the prior year. This comprehensive report, backed by data from nearly 15,000 business customers, underscores the importance of upskilling in generative AI, the imminent shift to a skills-centric economy, and an intensified focus on leadership development. Stephanie Stapleton Sudbury, Udemy Business's President, accentuates the pivotal role of a skills-first approach in today's rapidly transforming business milieu. As generative AI promises to automate a significant portion of work hours, Udemy's platform reported a 60% surge in AI-oriented training. Concurrently, the emphasis on cultivating robust leadership capabilities has never been more paramount, especially given the challenges posed by the proliferation of hybrid work and the expanding skills chasm. The report also spotlighted the fastest-growing skills, with OpenAI’s ChatGPT leading the charge, exhibiting a staggering 4,419% growth. In this fast-evolving landscape, professionals are keenly aware of the top 10 essential skills they must acquire, including:

1. OpenAI’s ChatGPT (4,419%)

2. Environmental, social and governance (3,128%)

3. Google Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer certification (1,454%)

4. Behavioral economics (1,326%)

5. Advertising strategy (1,118%)

6. Certification and software test-taking preparation (1,044%)

7. Microsoft Azure Synapse Analytics (799%)

8. Autodesk 3ds Max (780%)

9. DevSecOps (730%)

10. Software design (624%)

Reference: (Udemy Report Reveals Trends Around the Future of Work, Generative AI and the Shift Toward a Skills-Based Economy)

🗞️ Today’s Highlights:

• LATEST NEWS & TRENDS — Artists Lose First Round of Copyright Infringement Case Against AI Art Generators

• INDUSTRY | FUNCTION — The Definitive Guide to Generative AI for Industry

• RESOURCES — How To Make an AI Agent in 10 Minutes with LangChain

• WORK — How future augmented workforces can drive business value

• AI TOOLS — Userdesk: Create an AI assistant powered by your data that you can use anywhere

🗞️ LATEST NEWS & TRENDS

1️⃣ In a landmark lawsuit, artists challenging generative AI art generators faced setbacks with U.S. District Judge William Orrick dismissing most claims of unauthorized use of images for AI training. Orrick deemed claims against Midjourney and DeviantArt as flawed, raising questions about the AI's use of copyrighted images. However, Stability AI faces direct infringement claims over its product, Stable Diffusion. A significant challenge for artists is proving their works were used in AI training since AI datasets remain opaque. Orrick emphasized the need for proof of AI-generated images that match copyrighted material. Recently, President Biden introduced an executive order emphasizing AI's potential risks and the necessity for safeguards, receiving support from the Human Artistry Campaign. This order encourages self-regulation in the AI industry

Reference: (Artists Lose First Round of Copyright Infringement Case Against AI Art Generators)

2️⃣ Wraithwatch, a new security firm, intends to utilize AI to combat AI-driven cyber threats, confronting the increasing risk of AI-boosted malware and self-sustaining attacks. Founded by former SpaceX and Anduril employees, the company recognizes the escalating challenges with generative AI in cybersecurity. Current cybersecurity tools might soon be inadequate against AI-enhanced threats. Wraithwatch's platform, set to be commercially available next year, simulates potential AI attacks, suggesting proactive solutions. Although still in development, the firm has secured $8 million in seed funding, highlighting the growing urgency to advance AI-driven cybersecurity.

Reference: (When generative AI cyberthreats arrive, Wraithwatch will be ready and waiting)

3️⃣ Capitol AI has launched an innovative AI-driven platform that prioritizes human-centric, reliable, and shareable storytelling. Unlike typical AI tools, this platform is designed for everyday people, not just engineers. It offers rich narratives by melding open and proprietary data sources. Its unique features include genuine data sourcing, high customization options for story presentation, and a "Go Deeper" function to add depth to topics. Furthermore, Capitol AI fosters a communal learning environment by allowing users to share their AI-generated narratives. CEO Shaun Modi emphasizes the platform's ability to encourage critical thinking through AI-augmented storytelling.​

Reference: (Capitol AI Launches Generative AI Tool for Storytelling and Research)

4️⃣ In the AI world, envisioning agents like Jarvis or TARS often springs to mind. Yet, our current tech is far from such cinematic AI. Present-day AI agents utilize advanced language models to automate tasks, acting as digital colleagues. Though AI agents are in nascent stages, they're evolving rapidly. Instead of typical human-AI interactions, these agents act autonomously, only requiring a set goal. They can prompt themselves, adapting and evolving to achieve objectives efficiently. This evolution marks the progression towards artificial general intelligence, where machines perform human-like tasks across all areas. AI agents can use computers proficiently, and their capabilities are expanding. AI agent examples include Stanford and Google's virtual town experiment with 25 AI agents and self-driving cars. AI agent platforms are emerging, and while bugs are expected, their potential is palpable. These agents can be tasked with online research or assist in day-to-day tasks. Developers are also offered tools to further explore AI agents. However, the rapid growth of AI agents prompts ethical and practical questions about their implications, from sentience and job displacement to bias and accountability. As AI agents become more integrated into our lives, it's vital to approach their evolution with caution and foresight. And if an AI starts resembling HAL 9000, it might be wise to find the off button.​¹​

Reference: (What is an AI agent?)

5️⃣ In 2010, Rama Ramakrishnan, an MIT Sloan professor, discerned two key insights from retail executives. Firstly, personalized recommendation systems in retail had limited returns. Secondly, infrequent shopping patterns left retailers with limited customer data. These insights led him to create CQuotient, a foundation for Salesforce's AI e-commerce platform. Ramakrishnan emphasizes the power of diligent data collection in understanding customer behavior. Returning to MIT Sloan, he educates on pragmatic tech application in real-world scenarios. Addressing concerns over AI and machine learning, he highlights the evolution of AI, emphasizing the capabilities and limitations of Large Language Models, urging businesses to approach them with caution and strategic intent.​

Reference: (Generating opportunities with generative AI)

🗞️ INDUSTRY | FUNCTION

In an era of rapid digital transformation and the rise of generative AI, relying solely on traditional vendors like IBM may hinder innovation. This mindset, once the gold standard for business stability, now poses risks in a landscape where agility and forward-thinking are crucial. As Gartner emphasizes, companies must evolve beyond best practices to embrace the "next practices." Those who don't adapt risk missing pivotal opportunities, akin to Apple's iPhone revolution. Generative AI, exemplified by technologies like ChatGPT, is pivotal, promising to revolutionize operations and decision-making. Hence, industrial entities must boldly reimagine their strategies, championing visionary leaders to drive this necessary evolution.​

Reference: (The Definitive Guide to Generative AI for Industry)

🗞️ RESOURCES

LangChain is a robust library for Python and Javascript/Typescript, designed for swiftly prototyping large language model applications. Its standout feature is chaining LLM tasks and deploying autonomous agents with ease. This guide demystifies setting up LangChain, crafting agents, and integrating custom tools. Notably, users can effortlessly create research agents using a blend of custom tools and LangChain's in-built DuckDuckGo search utility. Additionally, we venture into the experimental 'Plan and Execute' agent that automates intricate tasks, signifying LangChain's potential to redefine LLM application development.

Reference: (How To Make an AI Agent in 10 Minutes with LangChain)

🗞️ WORK

In an era marked by the rapid integration of AI and automation, human-machine collaborations are redefining job roles and amplifying organizational productivity. The World Economic Forum predicts this transformation will both displace 85 million jobs and introduce 97 million new ones by 2025. Andi Britt of IBM emphasizes the concept of "augmented intelligence," underscoring the importance of human decision-making, with AI providing analysis. He likens AI's job impact to historical technological advancements, emphasizing its role in enhancing productivity and tackling global challenges. Organizations must prioritize re-skilling, adapt operational models, and ensure ethical AI practices. As AI's influence grows, open dialogues and education on its capabilities become essential for societal well-being.

Reference: (How future augmented workforces can drive business value)

🗞️ AI TOOLS

🧰 Userdesk: Create an AI assistant powered by your data that you can use anywhere

🧰 Docue AI: Create new proposals automatically from your past proposals using AI

🧰 Julius AI: our AI for Analyzing Data & Files

🧰 Chatdox: Chat with your docs

🧰 LeonardoLaboratories: AI Assistants for business

Disclaimer: 1) The tool descriptions are from the company behind each tool/app. 2) Please read the site details thoroughly before using and/or acquiring any of the tools listed above. We have not tested these tools and we will not be liable for anything.

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_{I'm not a newsletter expert so you might find my approach a little different. In my daily dives into the world of AI, I handpick the latest gems, initially to support the AI projects that I’m working on. Realizing that these snippets might resonate with others, I thought, "Why not share this with my community and fellow AI enthusiasts?" I truly want this newsletter to be valuable to you so if there's anything on your mind—praises, critiques, or just a hello—please drop me a note. You can hit reply or shoot me a message directly at my email address: [email protected].}