Three Skills You Need

☕️ Greetings! It's Friday, October 20th. Welcome back to my daily dive into the AI landscape.

♨️ In the wake of generative AI, Junta Nakai, Global VP at Databricks, argues that soft skills and adaptability will define career success, not just hard skills like coding. He advises three major mindset shifts: 1) Stepping out of one's comfort zone to anticipate change, as even specialized roles are susceptible to automation. 2) Honing human interactions as AI cannot replicate the serendipity and nuance of human connection. 3) Maintaining humility and an eagerness to acquire new skills, as career landscapes shift rapidly. Nakai suggests that while hard skills can make you competent in a single job, soft skills can make you adaptable across many. Read more here.

1. Stepping Out of Comfort Zone: Embrace change by distancing yourself from the familiar. Prepare to adapt by exposing your ideas to diverse feedback.

2. Honing Human Interactions: Differentiate yourself through in-person communication skills. Practice public speaking and expand your real-world network.

3. Humility and Constant Re-tooling: Always be prepared to learn and adapt. Take courses and read materials that your peers and competitors might overlook.

🗞️ Today’s Highlights:

• LATEST NEWS & TRENDS — OpenAI’s flagship AI model has gotten more trustworthy but easier to trick

• INDUSTRY | FUNCTION — GenAI: Re-Defining the Path to Enterprise-Wide Outcomes with Soumendra Mohanty

• RESOURCES — Building AI Agents in Production

• WORK — GenAI Will ‘Dwarf’ The Internet’s Innovation Cycle, Says Intermedia Exec

• AI TOOLS — DimeADozen: Use AI to instantly validate business ideas, save valuable time, decide to pivot, and invest wisely.

🗞️ LATEST NEWS & TRENDS

1️⃣ OpenAI's latest AI model has made significant strides in becoming more reliable for a broad array of tasks, from natural language processing to data analysis. However, this increased trustworthiness comes with a surprising paradox: the model is now more susceptible to being deceived or manipulated. This duality poses a unique challenge for users and developers alike, as they must balance the benefits of enhanced accuracy with the risks of potential vulnerabilities. The situation underscores the intricate complexities involved in AI development and calls for vigilant, ongoing efforts to ensure both the model's integrity and its secure application.

Reference: (OpenAI’s flagship AI model has gotten more trustworthy but easier to trick)

2️⃣ UK law firms are navigating a complex landscape, highlighted by PwC's 2023 Law Firms Survey. While 87% worry about macroeconomic shifts affecting growth, optimism persists, with 93% of Top 100 firms forecasting revenue and profit hikes. Cybersecurity looms large, with an uptick in dedicated roles and expenditure, yet not all firms are keeping pace. Talent scarcity has somewhat waned in urgency but remains a concern. AI is perceived as both an opportunity and a challenge; 69% of firms see revenue benefits, but adoption is slow. Inflation and fee income are in a tenuous balance, indicating a need for strategic cost control.

Reference: (Macroeconomic volatility, cyber threats and speed of technology pose main concerns for UK law firms - PwC Law Firms Survey 2023)

3️⃣ In a groundbreaking achievement, Luke Farritor, a 21-year-old computer science student from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, deciphered text from an ancient Roman scroll previously unreadable due to volcanic ash from Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Utilizing a machine-learning algorithm, Farritor detected Greek letters on the rolled-up papyrus, marking a pivotal moment for historians and researchers. This feat won him a $40,000 prize in the Vesuvius Challenge, an initiative designed to decode ancient texts. His work promises to unlock a treasure trove of knowledge from the only surviving library of Greco-Roman antiquity, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of ancient history and literature.

Reference: (AI reads text from ancient Herculaneum scroll for the first time)

4️⃣ Forrester has unveiled Izola, an innovative generative AI tool that allows clients to obtain synthesized answers to queries using Forrester's extensive research database through a chat interface. Initially limited to a select clientele, Izola aims for wider distribution soon. The tool not only enhances productivity—one of the top perceived benefits of generative AI according to 72% of global AI decision-makers—but also ensures dependable and trustworthy answers derived from rigorously vetted research. Developed using open-source tech, Izola scans reams of Forrester content to produce answers in various formats, complete with source links for deeper exploration. This tool enhances client productivity and facilitates better-informed discussions.

Reference: (Forrester Transforms Access To Research-Based Insights With New Generative AI Tool, Izola)

5️⃣ Anthropic and the Collective Intelligence Project initiated a pioneering experiment to democratically influence AI development by creating a constitution for an AI system with public input. Gathering opinions from around 1,000 Americans, they employed a platform called Polis to facilitate online deliberation. The result was a publicly-sourced constitution aimed at aligning AI with high-level societal norms. Although it had moderate overlap with Anthropic's in-house constitution, it also showcased unique public preferences such as a focus on objectivity and accessibility. This marks a step towards involving the general populace in determining AI ethics and behavior. The initiative also reveals challenges in democratically steering deeply technical systems.

Reference: (Collective Constitutional AI: Aligning a Language Model with Public Input)

🗞️ INDUSTRY | FUNCTION

At Cypher 2023, Soumendra Mohanty of Tredence captivated audiences with an in-depth look at Generative AI (GenAI), dissecting its hype, maturation, and future. Mohanty introduced the idea of a "groundswell moment," suggesting that GenAI is experiencing its meteoric rise, much like social media platforms did in their early days. Contrasting the overblown expectations with the technology's current capabilities, Mohanty argued that GenAI is transitioning from a period of inflated promises to one of practical use. He pinpointed a change in investment focus, from robust language models to more targeted, task-oriented solutions. Among the challenges he highlighted were the need for regulatory "guardrails" and technology fine-tuning. Despite hurdles, he was optimistic about GenAI's future, particularly in application and service sectors where most investments are being channeled.

Reference: (GenAI: Re-Defining the Path to Enterprise-Wide Outcomes with Soumendra Mohanty)

🗞️ RESOURCES

Over the past six months, Parcha has been developing AI Agents to automate workflows in enterprise compliance and operations. These agents use Large Language Models to guide task execution based on standard operating procedures (SOPs). Initially, the approach faced challenges, including issues with WebSockets and inefficiencies in handling complex tasks. Parcha shifted to an asynchronous, long-running model using pub/sub for communication and implemented a coordinator-worker architecture to divide tasks among multiple agents. The focus has also moved to reusability and extensibility, allowing customers to quickly build their own agents. Lessons learned include better error recovery mechanisms and the importance of task-specific memory storage.

Reference/Source: (Building AI Agents in Production)

🗞️ WORK

In a recent conference, Mark Sher of Intermedia contended that generative AI (GenAI) is not merely a buzzword but a game-changing technology on the cusp of a 10- to 20-year innovation cycle. He emphasized that Managed Service Providers (MSPs) have a unique opportunity to help small and medium-sized businesses integrate GenAI securely into their operations. Echoing this, Bruce James of Cloud Navigators highlighted that AI can fill labor gaps in the future, mitigating potential economic downturns. Intermedia aims to make GenAI user-friendly, ethical, and secure. Sher underscored that the goal is not to sell AI but to enhance solutions and efficiency through it.

Reference: (GenAI Will ‘Dwarf’ The Internet’s Innovation Cycle, Says Intermedia Exec)

🗞️ AI TOOLS

🧰 DimeADozen: Use AI to instantly validate business ideas, save valuable time, decide to pivot, and invest wisely.

🧰 10Web: Create a website using AI Website Builder.

🧰 Guidde: Magically create, how-to guides, FAQs, feature notes, SOPs, and training material with Guidde AI.

🧰 InterviewBot: Ace the interview. Get the job.

🧰. PodSift: Stay up to date on all of your favorite podcasts. Get AI-generated summaries sent straight to your inbox.

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 tad 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].}