#“ai” is a tool and tools can be made in non ethical ways and used for malicious purposes...

[andnowrotfront]

so fucking funny and also predictable that the main reason people on this site are against ai is the whole divine spark of creation argument... it's all a bit funny isn't it

[beatingtheouijaboardallegations]

forever tired of our voices being turned into commodity.

forever tired of thorough medaocrity in the AAC business. how that is rewarded. How it fails us as users. how not robust and only robust by small small amount communication systems always chosen by speech therapists and funded by insurance.

forever tired of profit over people.

forever tired of how companies collect data on every word we’ve ever said and sell to people.

forever tired of paying to communicate. of how uninsured disabled people just don’t get a voice many of the time. or have to rely on how AAC is brought into classrooms — which usually is managed to do in every possible wrong way.

forever tired of the branding and rebranding of how we communicate. Of this being amazing revealation over and over that nonspeakers are “in there” and should be able to say things. of how every single time this revelation comes with pre condition of leaving the rest behind, who can’t spell or type their way out of the cage of ableist oppression. or are not given chance & resources to. Of the branding being seen as revolution so many times and of these companies & practitioners making money off this “revolution.” of immersion weeks and CRP trainings that are thousands of dollars and wildly overpriced letterboards, and of that one nightmare Facebook group g-d damm it. How this all is put in language of communication freedom. 26 letters is infinite possibilities they say - but only for the richest of families and disabled people. The rest of us will have to live with fewer possibilities.

forever tired of engineer dads of AAC users who think they can revolutionize whole field of AAC with new terrible designed apps that you can’t say anything with them. of minimally useful AI features that invade every AAC app to cash in on the new moment and not as tool that if used ethically could actually help us, but as way of fixing our grammar our language our cultural syntax we built up to sound “proper” to sound normal. for a machine, a large language model to model a small language for us, turn our inhuman voices human enough.

forever tired of how that brand and marketing is never for us, never for the people who actually use it to communicate. it is always for everyone around us, our parents and teachers paras and SLPs and BCBAs and practitioners and doctors and everyone except the person who ends up stuck stuck with a bad organized bad implemented bad taught profit motivated way to talk. of it being called behavior problems low ability incompetence noncompliance when we don’t use these systems.

you all need to do better. We need to democritize our communication, put it in our own hands. (My friend & communication partner who was in Occupy Wall Street suggested phrase “Occupy AAC” and think that is perfect.) And not talking about badly made non-robust open source apps either. Yes a robust system needs money and recources to make it well. One person or community alone cannot turn a robotic voice into a human one. But our human voice should not be in hands of companies at all.

(this is about the Tobii Dynavox subscription thing. But also exploitive and capitalism practices and just lazy practices in AAC world overall. Both in high tech “ mainstream “ AAC and methods that are like ones I use in sense that are both super stigmatized and also super branded and marketed, Like RPM and S2C and spellers method. )

[walks-the-ages]

Nanowrimo made a half-assed, desperate ""apology"" post

Full text, for when they inevitably try to edit it; as of right now it's August 6th, 2024, around 5:30pm est.

A Note to Our Community About our Comments on AI – September 2024 To the NaNoWriMo Community: In early August, debates about AI on our social media channels became vitriolic. It was clear that the intimidation and harassment we witnessed were causing harm within our community of writers. The FAQs we crafted last week were written to curtail those behaviors. We wanted to send a clear signal that NaNoWriMo spaces would not be used to bully or delegitimize other writers. This was consistent with our May 2024 statement, which named a lack of civility in NaNoWriMo spaces as a longstanding concern. Taking a position of neutrality was not an abandonment of writers’ legitimate concerns about AI. It was an acknowledgment that NaNoWriMo can’t maintain a civil, inclusive community if we allow selective intolerance. We absolutely believe that AI must be discussed and that its ethical use must be advocated-for. What we don’t believe is that NaNoWriMo belongs at the forefront of that conversation. That debate should continue to thrive within the greater writing community as technologies continue to evolve. We apologize that our original message was unclear and seemingly random. Our note on ableism and classism was rooted in the desire to point out that, for people in certain circumstances, some forms of AI can be life-changing. We certainly don’t believe those with concerns about AI to be classist or ableist. Not being more careful about our wording was a bad decision on our part. Our Mission is about providing encouragement to writers and cheering them on as they progress toward their goals. That remains our primary focus. In the future, we will be more transparent about the issues that we are trying to address with any messaging we provide. Finally, we recognize that some members of our community have other questions and concerns that go beyond general context for our comments. We don’t think we can address all of these in a single communication. Additional context here is that we are a very small team (including our Interim Executive Director, who is a volunteer). We want to take the time to read through your letters with the care, attention, and concern they deserve. Please expect more in the coming weeks.  In partnership, The NaNoWriMo Team

I sincerely hope their other sponsors bail ship and leave them to flounder at this point lmao. There is no going back from "if you criticize generative AI you're just ableist classist and racist".

They've also once again edited their "What Is Nanowrimo's Stance on AI?" post:

New text, in full; looks like it was updated sometime late yesterday or early today (August 6th 2024):

What is NaNoWriMo's position on Artificial Intelligence (AI)? 13 hours ago -Updated Not yet followed by anyone

NaNoWriMo neither explicitly supports nor condemns any approach to writing, including the use of tools that  leverage AI. We recognize that harm has been done to the writing and creative communities at the hands of bad actors in the generative AI space, and that the ethical questions and risks posed by some aspects of this technology are real. The fact that AI is a large, complex technology category (which encompasses both non-generative and generative AI, applied in a range of ways to a range of uses) contributes to our belief that AI is simply too big and too varied to categorically support or condemn. NaNoWriMo's mission is to "provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people use their voices, achieve creative goals, and build new worlds—on and off the page." We fulfill our mission by supporting the humans doing the writing. Please see this related post that speaks to our overall position on nondiscrimination with respect to approaches to creativity, writer's resources, and personal choice.  We made mistakes in our initial expression of this position. We speak to those mistakes in this letter to our community, and we've simplified the language on this page to reflect our core position. 

If you're wondering why Nano's posting all these non-apologies, its because they started this debacle with seven huge sponsors.

Over the course of the last three days, they've gone down to four.

They have literally lost about half their sponsors because of their support of generative ai.

And, as you can see in the "apologies" above, they're still defending their AI stance, by now claiming that their stance is because they were defending poor, hapless AI users from a horde of harassment and bullying from all sides, and they're not a platform that condones bullying! totally! (sarcasm).

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

I am fundamentally, ethically and morally against how AI is now being used for media purposes. I've seen some dubious edits going around recently and it was a strong reminder of how dangerous it is, especially since it's now a tool available for everyone.

AI is fun when you want to see how your favorite singer might sound on any possible track out there. It's less fun when that same technology can be used against that public figure or anyone for the matter, to have them say anything. And I mean anything. And if it sounds accurate, people will believe it.

It's fun when you want to see celebrities in various contexts and you generate images based on whatever you want. It's less fun when the quality of images and video improve so much that it will be easy to believe it's real. And we know from so many other cases, that the content will often be of a sexual nature.

It is less fun when (non)fiction works are being scanned and then used for purposes that have no connection to the original. It is less fun when we see more and more written content, be it news articles or actual fanfiction, being generated through ChatGPT.

It is less fun when it won't be marked as AI content. It is less fun when it's already out there and it will be hard to be taken down because it's the internet.

It is less fun when there's no real legislation out there that can protect us from various usages of AI.

The writers' and actors's strike has been fundamental in fighting against this. It's a real and dangerous issue.

The name and likeness of public figures are being used in the content of fan made works, including fanfiction and fanart. But in that context, we know it is fanmade and in no way is it being passed as being real. Those are not the words of the actual person, that fanart is a drawing based on actual photos/videos or imagination. It's a mutual understanding, sometimes explicitly specified, between creator and the one who consumes it, the audience.

So, before getting excited about your fantasies turning into two dimensional images and spreading them all over social media, take a step back and really think about the consequences.

I think we're in the early stages of this type of AI development. It will get more professional and more realistic. I do think there will be backlash and people questioning it more and more, but I'm afraid it will take for something dangerous to happen to have them truly pay attention to it. That's usually the case. We're not slaves to the AI, as long as we have free will with minds of our own. We control the technology and not the other way around. But when it gets into the wrong hands, then we'll see the consequences. Paired with lack of critical thinking and we get a bad combination. Or perhaps it will suffer the same consequences as NFT's and only a small percentage of stupid people will fall for it.

[vizthedatum]

AI is not the problem—we are. It's the way people and corporations devalue the work of creators, the way data is gathered and trained for these generative models, and the way we look to these as solutions, forgetting that they are only tools (that could be used way more ethically).

“AI” is just math, tech, statistics, and computing power... Built upon the resources mined from this earth and the minds of our collective species.

I believe that our creative and natural resources can never be replaced in their worth.

I am a data scientist by trade, and I build statistical models and AI. I use (non-generative) AI to help me understand how the world works and make decisions (including creation).

I sometimes program my art (or I use tools like Inkscape or similar software to help me! I use a computer!!) - because I can write instructions like a recipe where I gather all my ingredients with consent and fair use. (I can program, is what I’m saying. I can curate what data I'm using.)

I can have a tool to carry out my will to create. I am not arguing about that.

So, I understand the disability argument being made with generative AI.

Accessibility is important, and I agree with making information and creation more accessible.

I love that people can learn about stuff. My suggestion is for groups in power to make better search engines, tutorials, and tools for things with AI. Help people with formats! Help people automate!! I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

—

But here is the nuance to this:

—

Generative AI is an unethical tool if it feeds off work you can't see or validate.

This a corrupted data issue. This is a corrupted “people in power” issue.

There is a lack of transparency in these tools' decision-making. AI's intelligence is only as good as the intelligence of the data and algorithms.

It is a regurgitation of information that is feeding on itself.

So I don’t really care about people who use tools to create things - but I do care when those outputs are not crediting other artists’ works. I do care when systemic discrimination shows up in AI results because our data is inherently flawed (because our data is from our people).

We must be more critical and nuanced about how we talk about this.

The technology (statistical, machine, and deep learning models) has been around for a long time. Papers on deep learning have existed for decades. As a researcher, I find the math fascinating.

The leaps have been tremendous, but again… it’s not the nature of the tools themselves.

It’s us.

How are we using these tools, what information is being given to these tools, and what are the lasting impacts on our society?

[samarashoot]

two long essay posts sitting in my likes rn. one is about ai art ethics and the other is about the fast-fashion-ization of crafting and i think they're kind of the same thing

i've recently gotten into crochet. i don't have a ton of money to spare on artisanal hand-dyed natural fiber yarns, so i've been using the cheap acrylic stuff. without doing any research i can fairly safely assume that everything i am using, in addition to shedding plastic microfibers into our waterstreams and bloodstreams, was made by exploited people in a hazardous factory setting because that is the state of most global manufacturing today. if i continue to buy that yarn, am i directly responsible for the ocean pollution and worker exploitation involved in its production? non-rhetorical question, i don't think there's a simple yes or no answer.

same thing with ai. personally i don't think there's any kind of inherent evil to using publicly hosted artwork as training data (so many of my favorite art practices – from collage to readymades to drag lipsync tracks to music sampling to being 14 and tracing my favorite manga panels – rely on "stealing" the work of other artists without permission). but even if ai image generators were fundamentally exploitative in their sourcing, would their usage by random everyday people be any more inherently evil than me using unethically sourced yarn for my crochet projects?

idk. i do personally feel put off by most ai art i see (including the dunes video that sparked a lot of this buzz among my mutuals) because i find it aesthetically uninteresting and i can't stand the nft tech bro types who seem to gravitate towards it, but i am working on separating my moral judgements and my aesthetic judgements, which is much easier said than done. yesterday i saw someone say "ai is gross and scary" which like yeah it is! but that doesn't make it inherently evil, it is simply a tool

i don't believe in corporate sanctioned copyright laws or the almighty power of intellectual property and originality, nor do i ascribe much importance to ill-defined concepts like "human creativity" (inb4 hello i am a professional ~traditional~ artist and art teacher). but also i don't like to lean too hard on "no ethical consumption under late capitalism" as an easy way out to just do whatever regardless of the consequences. whatever to do!

[cumulohimbus]

My two-cents on AI-generated art as someone with a college degree in studio art, and as a library technician who frequently deals with matters of copyright:

No one-- not you, not me, not even someone considered a master-- can objectively define what it means for something to be "art". Everyone is going to view different things as art. There is no possible way to concretely say "this is art" and "this isn't art"; this is an argument that has spanned time immemorial. If someone says the AI images they generated are intended to be art, then that should be validated**. If someone says that they don't consider AI-generated media to be art, then that should be validated. If someone states AI-generated media objectively is or is not art, well, they simply do not have the authority to decide that-- no one does!

**Whether or not something is intended to be art, does not negate that there are certain ethics surrounding art-making that are objectively crucial in each individual artist's reputation, and sometimes even beyond. If a piece of AI-generated media is used unethically (ex. made from stolen work and then sold for a profit), then (reasonable) negative consequences for those actions are also valid and necessary. What artists should be concerned about is "what are reasonable consequences for these circumstances?".

As someone who is wildly passionate about open access to things, I still think art theft is usually harmful (some exceptions apply). And, much like art, what constitutes as theft and what constitutes as fair use, is also a very blurry and subjective topic. There is a great example of this that I learned about in college of a photographer (I don't remember their name) who had/had access to the original photographs of another, now-deceased photographer. They took photos of this other photographer's photos, printed them, and put them in a gallery with their original titles but included the word "revisited" or something similar, and claimed them as original. These new photographs were technically the work of this newer photographer, but the content of their photos were entirely the work of someone else. I don't remember what resulted from any controversy that might have followed this situation.

There are plenty of things besides copyright that have an impact on an artist's reputation and sometimes these extend into the art world as a whole. Certain works have historically, and will continue to cause the entire art community to lose support, funding, and sponsorship. Sometimes it's an issue of copyright, other times it's subject matter that's considered obscene or pornographic, other times still it's content that draws the ire of others for being seemingly effortless in creation, or absurd and meaningless in content. Do I think the banana nailed to the gallery wall is "art"? I can't say for sure. I have a lot of questions about it. I don't personally find it an anathema, but I'm sure there were/are plenty of people, both the artistically inclined and the non-artistically inclined, that hate it and think it makes a mockery of "art".

Almost everything I've been seeing lately is someone taking a stance for or vehemently against AI-generated media, and while I find the topic to be one of great significance, I do think it's being approached very divisively, which is unnecessary. Instead of having conversations about whether AI-generated media is "real" or "fake", "bad" or "good", etc., etc., I propose we instead start discussing things like:

"How do we use AI-generated media as an art tool ethically?"

"What things should we require AI-generation software/programmers/creators/users to be fully transparent about?"

"What rules can be put in place to ensure that the needs of those who don't want their work used to teach AI are met?"

"How do we make AI-generated media accessible to those who want to use it while ensuring that creators maintain the rights to their own work, both AI-generated and non-AI-generated?"

"What are reasonable consequences for those who unethically use/profit off of AI-generated media?"

I've seen posts cross my dash of people vilifying AI-generated media, and then a day or two later seen those same people reblogging AI-generated images they seemed to think were neat. Like it or not, AI-generated media is here now, and it's not going to disappear easily, if ever. I don't think it helps anyone to get upset at artists using or liking AI for art-making, and I think it's way too soon to brand all AI-generated media as inherently theft, even some of the things created using programs that pull from non-public domain images, but that's just my opinion. And, I also think that AI-generated media will inevitably, and unfortunately result in making art theft easier, especially while it is still in its beginning stages, when there isn't as much wide spread knowledge about what it does and how it works.

Like every other art medium, there are going to be different ways to use AI, and some of them will go against what is intended/accepted/ethical, like the example I gave of the photographers above. I think individual creators should be held accountable for how they use AI in their art-making instead of people instantly frothing at the mouth if someone happens to say "hey, I think AI-generated images are cool, they give me lots of inspiration" or "hey, I don't really like AI-generated images, it's not for me, and I don't want my work being used to teach AI."

[tangibletechnomancy]

This is an AI art blog.

This is not a "generate something shiny to muscle in on that sweet sweet furry and waifu money" blog. This is, in fact, an anti-AI-as-a-tool-for-devaluing-artists blog.

I've been an experimental artist for as long as I've been able to hold supplies more varied than baby's first crayons and markers and fingerpaints. I've done a bit of everything from drawing and painting, to sculpting, to beadwork, to sewing, to photography, to assemblage - and I've won awards for a lot of it. My favorite thing to do with art is to incorporate unconventional processes and materials - some of my favorite pieces have been made primarily with industrial tools and processes.

All this to say - I'm not some random corporate clown who hasn't held a marker since 3rd grade and thinks artists who want to be recognized as PEOPLE who PERFORMED LABOR, not nebulous anonymous sources of pretty pictures to look at, are just uppity peasants who don't know their place. I AM an artist. I am INTIMATELY familiar with the unending barrage of "oh your work is so pretty, you should sell it! How's $25 for this piece you spent 3 months on sound?" It's been the persistent background noise of my life for about as long as I've been doing art beyond what is culturally expected of a child.

Which is why I made the decision to start aggressively adopting AI - and when I say "aggressively", I don't just mean "zealously", but primarily "with destructive intent toward both the philosophy of the worst of the people currently creating and using it, and the dangerous reactionary ideas getting bundled in with the resistance to that usage."

It's disgustingly common to see and hear people talking about using AI to put illustrators out of jobs, like that's some cute fun idea and claiming that this new tech means everyone who refined a passion - let alone turned it into a career - wasted their time, and while my own experience in the time since making this blog suggests that this is most likely a loud minority, even just one prominent voice acting Like That is shitty enough to be worth complaining about. I will waste little time on how infuriating this is and just say it makes me wish for a technological development that lets me taze people in the genitals through the internet and mostly leave it at that-

But no matter how disgusting that attitude is, I know image analysis and generation AI is here to stay, because it has way more purposes than simply enabling even more privacy violations than we already had to worry about in the modern connected age and enabling entitled goons to devalue artists even more than they already do - for instance, that time a scanner invented to make checkout at bakeries easier was modified to detect cancer cells. To say we need to roll it back completely is both impractical and potentially harmful - and it often gets just as needlessly cruel as the assholey usage if not more so; realize that most of the people I engage with who use AI as an art tool do so because of a disability, and there's a lot of dangerous trad-lite "REAL ART will die FOREVER this is the DOWNFALL OF WHITE WESTERN CIVILIZATION" rhetoric floating around which, surprise surprise, doesn't actually become good even when there is a legitimate economic and privacy concern.

So, there are three areas where what to DO with it comes into play.

First is the legal end: how can we define what counts as fair use in AI training, in such a way that will protect conventional artists, ethical AI artists, anyone who posts or even just appears in any content posted online, and people who want to train image-processing AI for non-art, potentially lifesaving reasons alike, rather than in a way that's just a beautifully wrapped Christmas present for megacorporations and a flaming shit-covered middle finger to everyone who actually wants to use the technology for good, from scientists to experimental artists looking to make a statement to disabled artists who just want to be able to express themselves? I have a few thoughts on it but this is...largely outside my wheelhouse.

The second is the technical end: how do we write and train the software to respect any laws made about the above, as well as any requests that may not be encodable into law but are still a matter of decency, without completely kneecapping the technology in such a way that may have implications beyond the art world? How do we build the technology to check to make sure these kinds of limitations are implemented? This is...less outside my wheelhouse, but still not my strongest area.

But where I can make a difference pretty easily is in the third area: the end user's.

See, AI art, in its most basic form, is easy. You type words. You get a picture. Don't like it? Add more keywords. Maybe repeat some like you're trying to pull some SEO trick. You can get something visually appealing at an EXTREMELY low skill level.

You know what else that can be said for? Photography. Yet, you can't pass off a basic vacation snapshot as something that deserves to compete alongside a gallery of plein air paintings despite often being visually similar, and unless it's the luckiest snapshot in the world, it would almost certainly lose in a photography contest, because photography has found its own rules for what makes it good or bad.

My aim is to make the same happen to AI art - to be part of a movement to redefine "good AI art" from "a shiny result that lets some entitled douche with 5 minutes and a keyboard exploit art economies and MCU-ify even custom art" to "something that shows distinct expression by an actual human artist, and ideally, utilizes the unique quirks of the medium."

[kisshtreviewsblog]

Setting a New Standard in Fintech by Ethical Collection Practices at Kissht

In the ever-evolving world of fintech, where innovation and technology often dominate the conversation, Kissht is distinguishing itself by placing a strong emphasis on ethical collection practices. As a leading digital lending platform in India, Kissht is not only revolutionizing credit accessibility but also setting a benchmark for ethical standards in debt recovery. By focusing on fairness, transparency, and customer-centricity, Kissht is reshaping the way fintech companies approach collections.

Ethical Collection: A Core Pillar of Kissht’s Philosophy

Kissht understands that the foundation of any successful financial relationship is trust. At the heart of Kissht’s operations is a deep commitment to ethical collection practices. This trust is built through ethical practices that prioritize the well-being of the customer. Unlike traditional collection methods that can often prioritize aggressive tactics, Kissht employs a customer-first approach. This means understanding the customer’s financial challenges, understanding that every customer’s situation is unique and that empathy and fairness should guide every step of the collection process, and working collaboratively to find solutions that are both realistic and respectful.

In the midst of this, there were false allegations related to the Kissht Fosun report and the Kissht Chinese connection created doubts in the borrower’s minds. However, the leading fintech app focuses on creating a financially inclusive environment and ethical principles. Rumors like Kissht Fraud or Kissht Illegal are quite disturbing for a legitimate platform that is truly a Made-in-India fintech app. However, Kissht recognizes these challenges and has developed comprehensive strategies to curb this by focusing on development and financial inclusion.

Building Long-Term Relationships

At Kissht, the collection process is seen as an opportunity to build and strengthen long-term customer relationships. By engaging with customers in a respectful and empathetic manner, Kissht ensures that the process of debt recovery does not damage the relationship but instead fosters loyalty and trust. The company’s trained collection teams are equipped with the skills to handle sensitive situations with care, always aiming to preserve the dignity of the customer.

Technology-Driven Solutions for Ethical Collections

Leveraging advanced technology, Kissht has developed innovative solutions that support ethical collection practices. AI and data analytics are used to assess each customer’s financial situation, enabling Kissht to offer personalized repayment options. These tools also help in monitoring customer interactions, ensuring that the collection process is always conducted in a respectful and non-intrusive manner. By making data-driven decisions, Kissht minimizes the risk of undue financial strain on customers while maximizing the likelihood of successful repayments. However, the final decisions are always made with human oversight to ensure that ethical considerations are not overlooked. This blend of technology and human judgment ensures that collections are handled with both efficiency and compassion.

Transparency and Compliance: Building Trust

As the fintech industry continues to grow and evolve, the importance of ethical practices cannot be overstated. Kissht is leading the charge by setting a new gold standard for ethical collection practices in the fintech sector. Through a combination of customer-first strategies, data-driven decision-making, transparency, and a deep commitment to compliance, Kissht is not just collecting debts — it is building trust, empowering customers, and shaping the future of ethical fintech.

There were fake reports about Kissht Fosun and Kissht Chinese connection that tried to shake the trust. Amid this backdrop, Kissht stands out as a beacon of trust and transparency in the Indian fintech space. Kissht has consistently prioritized customer welfare, and data security, enhanced accessibility, and fostered trust and confidence among its users, enabling them to overlook baseless rumors like Kissht Banned or Kissht Fraud and continue relying on Kissht as their favorite instant personal loan app in India. Kissht’s rapid loan approval process has cemented its status as India’s favorite app defying unfounded rumors of Kissht Fraud and Kissht Illegal. Kissht recognizes these challenges and has developed comprehensive strategies to prevent and combat illegal activities effectively.

Empowering Customers Through Financial Education

While encountering rumors related to Kissht Fraud or Kissht Illegal, ensure the information is authentic and correct. Kissht believes that ethical collection practices extend beyond the recovery of dues. The company is dedicated to empowering its customers through financial education, helping them make informed decisions and manage their finances more effectively. To this end, the company provides customers with educational resources that help them better understand their financial obligations and options. By offering resources and guidance on budgeting, debt management, and financial planning, Kissht is not only addressing immediate financial challenges but also contributing to the long-term financial well-being of its customers. Kissht’s ethical collection practices are not just about doing the right thing — they are about setting new benchmarks for the entire fintech industry.

As the fintech industry continues to grow and evolve, the importance of ethical practices cannot be overstated. Kissht is leading the charge by setting a new gold standard for ethical collection practices in the fintech sector. Through a combination of customer-first strategies, data-driven decision-making, transparency, and a deep commitment to compliance, Kissht is not just collecting debts — it is building trust, empowering customers, and shaping the future of ethical fintech.

[thevitaminz]

B(ai)ck to the Future: Preparing for the proliferation of AI

As AI becomes more ubiquitous, companies are increasingly looking for ways to stand out in a crowded market. While the underlying technology may be similar, the way companies brand and position their AI offerings can make a significant difference in how they are perceived by consumers and businesses alike.

One notable example is the way OpenAI introduced its ChatGPT language model. By making the tool accessible through a simple web interface and allowing users to engage with it using natural language, OpenAI significantly lowered the barriers to entry for those who might not have extensive technical expertise. This made it possible for a wide range of users to experiment with the technology and explore its potential applications.

On the other hand, companies like Anthropic and DeepMind have differentiated themselves by emphasizing their commitment to ethical AI development. For example, Anthropic has developed a set of AI ethics principles that guide its work, including commitments to beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. The company has also been transparent about its research and development process, publishing academic papers and engaging in public dialogue about the implications of its work. By positioning themselves as responsible stewards of this powerful technology, they have been able to build trust with both the public and potential partners.

The current excitement around AI is reminiscent of the early days of the mobile revolution. When smartphones first emerged, they were seen as a game-changing technology that had the potential to transform industries and reshape consumer behavior. Companies that were early adopters of mobile (e.g., Apple and Google) were able to establish themselves as leaders in the space and build strong brand associations with the technology. However, as mobile devices became more ubiquitous and the underlying technology more standardized, simply having a mobile app or presence was no longer enough to differentiate or make a brand. Instead, companies had to focus on creating unique and compelling mobile experiences that leveraged the full potential of the technology. Similarly, as AI becomes more widespread, companies will need to move beyond simply touting their AI capabilities and instead focus on creating AI-powered products and services that deliver real value to users. Today’s business leaders will need to prepare for the future AI proliferation, harnessing rather than relying on the technology’s potential in the context of their brands.

#MITSloanBranding2024B

[snsl0530]

How might activist use social media in the future

Social media has totally changed the game when it comes to how we communicate, connect, and share information. It's pretty amazing, right? In the past few years, it has also become a really powerful tool for activists to spread awareness, gather support, and make a difference. As technology keeps advancing, it's really important to think about how activists can use social media in the future to make their voices heard and bring about positive change in society and politics.

Global Connectivity: 

In the future, remarkable breakthroughs in technology will bring us even closer together as a global society. This implies that activists from all around the world can communicate and collaborate with one another. That's really cool, right? Let's keep making progress toward our goals and standing up for what we believe in. When it comes to uniting people from different parts of the world, social media platforms will play a crucial role. They'll help activists share their experiences, strategies, and resources with one other. Social media will play a pivotal role in fostering global coordination and cooperation by bringing together activists from all over the world (John, 2020). Because of this, the activist community as a whole will grow stronger and more effective.

Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics: 

With advances in AI and data analytics, activists now have access to more powerful tools for analysing trends, attitudes, and demographic tendencies. This will allow them to reach members of specified demographics more accurately with tailored advertising. AI-powered algorithms can also aid with data processing, movement organization, and prospect research. Activist strategies have been completely transformed by the advent of AI and data analytics. To better target certain populations with highly focused ads, activists may now more accurately assess trends, emotions, and demographic patterns with the help of these tools. Algorithms driven by artificial intelligence can also help in the fields of prospect research, movement organization, and data analysis1 (Biswas, 2021). These tools can allow activists to determine the most successful ways to express their message and rally support for their cause. It is worth noting, however, that the use of these tools also poses ethical problems, such as privacy and data protection, that must be addressed to guarantee the technologies are utilized in a responsible and transparent manner (Kumari, 2020).

Virtual Reality and Immersive Experiences: 

Now I want to talk about recent virtual reality (VR) developments. As Lai and Klöckner (2022) point out, the applications for fully immersive VR experiences extend far beyond gaming and entertainment. It may give activists a highly immersive platform to engage audiences in a more engaging and emotional way. It is possible to organize virtual rallies and protests, allowing people to feel the fervor and intensity of in-person demonstrations without leaving the comfort of their own homes. VR simulations can also assist in creating empathy by allowing viewers to step into the shoes of underrepresented people, fostering a stronger understanding and creating support (Wilson & Scully 2023).

Gamification for Social Change:

Activism may be made more exciting and rewarding with gaming mechanics. If you're trying to encourage people to alter their social or behavioural norms, gamification is a fantastic tool that may become an integral part of your outreach arsenal. Using games and gamification approaches may provide non-profits and public organizations with a novel and exciting means of interacting with their community in order to achieve change that is mutually beneficial to both individuals and society (Blogger 2015). Possible future additions to social media include interactive challenges, quizzes, and competitive activities on pressing societal concerns. In addition to facilitating learning and expanding exposure, this strategy has the added benefit of fostering camaraderie and healthy rivalry among activists. Adding game-like elements to social media can motivate users to perform meaningful activities (Blogger, 2015).

Accountability and Transparency: 

Concerns about privacy and data security may lead to a future where social media companies place a greater emphasis on accountability and openness. Sprout Social (n.d.) found that 87 percent of Americans value corporate transparency as high as it has ever been, and 73 percent of buyers are prepared to pay a premium for products backed by this promise of openness. This finding demonstrates the importance of platforms that protect the privacy of their users, ensure that their algorithms are fair, and provide clear guidelines for moderating content, all of which can aid activists in building trust with their audiences, maintaining the integrity of their messages, and minimizing the risk of censorship or manipulation (MacCarthy, 2022). Activists can greatly benefit from platforms that value user privacy, make sure algorithms are fair, and have clear content moderation. Taken together, these safeguards can greatly improve the likelihood that activists will be able to build trust with their audience, maintain the integrity of their ideas, and avoid censorship or manipulation.

In conclusion, social media has already shown how valuable it can be for activists. But the future holds even more potential for using these platforms in even more powerful ways. As the world becomes more connected, data analysis gets smarter, and virtual reality and gamification become part of social media, activists will have awesome tools to make their messages louder, reach more people, and create real change. It's really important to address the issues of privacy and accountability, but the exciting thing is that social media can actually empower people and communities to make a positive impact on the world.

Reference:

Biswas, D 2021, “These Leading Activists Are Promoting Ethical AI,” Analytics India Magazine, accessed 20 November 2023 <https://analyticsindiamag.com/these-leading-activists-are-promoting-ethical-ai/>.

Blogger, I 2015, “How to Use Gamification for Social Change”, accessed 21 November 2023 <https://www.marketing-partners.com/conversations2/how-to-use-gamification-for-social-change>.

“#BrandsGetReal: Social media & the evolution of transparency | Sprout Social” n.d., Sprout Social, accessed 21 November 2023 <https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/social-media-transparency/>.

John, L 2020, “From local to global: How can social-activism volunteering unite communities?”, accessed 23 November 2023 <https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/op-eds/4584-from-local-to-global-how-can-social-activism-volunteering-unite-communities>.

Kumari, T 2020, “Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence: Together Driving the Organization of Today,” Data Science Central, accessed 23 November 2023, <https://www.datasciencecentral.com/data-analytics-and-artificial-intelligence-together-driving-the/>.

Lai, AE & Klöckner, CA 2022, “Can Virtual Reality Become Real? How Immersive Virtual Experiences Might Trickle into the Real World,” Disruptive Environmental Communication, Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 129–146, accessed 24 November 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17165-9_8>.

MacCarthy, M 2022, “Transparency is essential for effective social media regulation | Brookings,” Brookings, accessed 21 November 2023, <https://www.brookings.edu/articles/transparency-is-essential-for-effective-social-media-regulation/>.

Wilson, RS & Scully, K 2023, “Virtual Reality and Activism,” Anthropology News, accessed 20 November 2023 <https://anthropology-news.org/articles/virtual-reality-and-activism/>.

[myhotelline]

Navigating Cultural Differences in International Hotel Management

Navigating cultural differences is crucial for international hotel management as it directly impacts guest satisfaction, employee engagement, and the overall success of a hotel. The hospitality industry is uniquely positioned to bridge cultural divides and create a welcoming environment for people from all walks of life. Here is a detailed exploration of how hotel management can effectively navigate these differences.

**Understanding Cultural Sensitivity in Hospitality**

The first step in navigating cultural differences is understanding what cultural sensitivity means within the context of international hospitality. Cultural sensitivity involves recognizing and respecting the diverse cultural practices, beliefs, and values of both guests and staff. This can include differences in communication styles, dining preferences, religious practices, and service expectations.

**Communication Across Cultures**

Effective communication is one of the most critical components of successful hotel management. Language barriers can be a significant challenge, but non-verbal communication, such as gestures and body language, also varies widely between cultures. Hotel staff should be trained in basic phrases in multiple languages, and hotels should employ multilingual staff whenever possible. Furthermore, understanding the nuances of high-context (indirect and relational) and low-context (direct and informational) communication can aid in better guest relations.

**Customizing Guest Experiences**

Personalization of guest experiences is a trend in hospitality that also applies to cultural navigation. Hotels can create culturally personalized experiences by recognizing important dates from various cultures, offering culturally diverse dining options, and being mindful of cultural norms and customs. For example, providing prayer mats for Muslim guests or acknowledging holidays like Diwali or Chinese New Year can make a significant difference.

**Training for Cultural Competence**

Ongoing training is essential to equip hotel staff with the skills needed to handle cultural differences adeptly. Cultural competence training programs can help staff understand and appreciate diversity, teaching them to be observant, ask respectful questions when in doubt, and avoid stereotypes. Role-playing scenarios can be an effective way to prepare staff for real-world interactions.

**Diversity in Staffing**

Having a diverse staff is a practical approach to managing cultural differences. Employees from various backgrounds bring different perspectives and can often communicate more effectively with guests who share their culture. They can also educate their colleagues about cultural norms and expectations.

**Creating Inclusive Environments**

Inclusivity should be a core principle of international hotel management. This means creating spaces where all cultures feel respected and welcomed. Art, music, literature, and décor can be used thoughtfully to reflect global cultures and create inclusive environments that celebrate diversity.

**Handling Cultural Misunderstandings**

Misunderstandings are inevitable, but how they are handled can make a difference. Training staff to approach such situations with empathy, apologize sincerely when mistakes are made, and learn from these experiences is key to improving cultural relations.

**Leveraging Technology**

Technology can play a significant role in bridging cultural gaps. Digital translation tools, cultural guides accessible via apps, and AI-driven personalization can enhance guest experiences and support staff in managing cultural differences effectively.

**Ethical and Respectful Marketing**

Marketing strategies should be culturally sensitive and avoid stereotypes. Campaigns should be crafted to resonate with diverse audiences, which may mean having different strategies for different regions or cultures.

**Design and Facilities**

Hotel design can also reflect cultural sensitivity. Including elements that cater to different cultural needs, such as designing rooms with a Qibla direction for Muslim guests or offering onsen-style bathing facilities for Japanese travelers, can make guests feel more at home.

**Legal and Ethical Considerations**

Understanding the legal implications of cultural sensitivity is crucial. This includes complying with anti-discrimination laws and ensuring that cultural practices are accommodated within the bounds of local laws.

**Measuring Success and Feedback**

Finally, success in navigating cultural differences can be measured through guest and employee feedback. Surveys, comment cards, and online reviews can provide insights into how well a hotel is managing cultural diversity.

In conclusion, managing cultural differences is a complex yet rewarding aspect of international hotel management. By fostering an environment of respect and understanding, training staff effectively, creating personalized experiences, and utilizing technology, hotels can not only enhance guest satisfaction but also set themselves apart in the competitive hospitality industry. The goal is to create a universally welcoming atmosphere that acknowledges and celebrates the rich tapestry of global cultures.

[thosemintcookies]

I still stand by this that AI is just another tool to be adapted into the modern artistic context. Is it functionally all that different from taking inspiration from many sources and making a new piece? There are people who wish to create and communicate vision who don't otherwise have access to creation.

AI itself is morally neutral. Art theft isn't real. I can understand how people can feel hurt over the unauthorized use of your own pieces, but even then it's how humans are and how we collectively participate in creation together. We deface and replicate and destroy and recontextualize. It's collage its pop art its memes.

My main issue is with the way that it does affect labour, in the way automation has affected labour in other sectors service and manufacturing. I feel like society does need ways to safety net people in general, but its not just artists.

Like what is art for? It's supposed to be recreated and changed and for people to draw inspiration from it. Art is fundamentally about sharing and non ownership. These are just colours and concepts. IP law was flawed at its outset because it creates art ownership which is counter to the Point Of It All. Everyone should be making art and we should be making societies that make it easier for people to have more time to be making art. People making art for others to have as objects and commodities should be compensated fairly and have ethical working conditions, but that's every step of the production chain not just a Guy at the top getting the clout because they Made the Image

[emergingindiaanalyticsnoida]

Chat GPT: The Future Of Conversational AI In The Cyber Security Landscape

Conversational AI  (chatgpt open ai) has been rapidly gaining momentum in recent years, and its impact on the cyber security landscape has been significant.

One of the most promising developments in this field is the use of ChatGPT open ai (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) models.

Chat GPT models are designed to generate human-like responses in natural language conversations, and they have the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with computer systems and improve cyber security.

The rise of Chat GPT open ai in cyber security has been driven by several factors. First, the explosion of data and the growth of unstructured data sources have made it increasingly difficult for human analysts to keep up with the volume and complexity of cyber threats.

Chat GPT models are designed to analyze and understand natural language text, which can help to identify patterns and detect anomalies in large data sets.

Second, the rapid development of machine learning technology has made it possible to train Chat GPT models to learn from vast amounts of data, making them more accurate and effective over time. This means that Chat GPT models can continually improve their performance, making them an increasingly valuable tool for cyber security.

Finally, the increasing use of conversational interfaces and virtual assistants in business and consumer applications has created a demand for more sophisticated and human-like conversational AI systems. Chat GPT models have the potential to provide a more natural and intuitive way for users to interact with computer systems, improving the user experience and making it easier for non-technical users to navigate complex cyber security issues.

One of the most exciting applications of Chat GPT in cyber security is in the area of threat intelligence. By analyzing large volumes of natural language data, such as social media posts, chat logs, and forum discussions, Chat GPT models can identify patterns and detect anomalies that may be indicative of cyber threats. This can help organizations to stay ahead of emerging threats and respond more quickly and effectively to cyber attacks.

Another application of Chat GPT in cyber security is in the area of user authentication. Chat GPT models can be trained to recognize the unique linguistic patterns and preferences of individual users, making it possible to authenticate users based on their language use.

This can provide a more secure and user-friendly alternative to traditional authentication methods, such as passwords or biometrics.

ChatGPT open ai models also have the potential to improve cyber security education and awareness. By analyzing natural language text from cyber security training materials and other educational resources, Chat GPT models can identify common misconceptions and areas of confusion, helping to tailor educational materials to the needs of individual users.

However, there are also some challenges associated with the use of Chat GPT in cyber security. One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the models are properly trained and validated.

This requires access to large amounts of high-quality data, which can be difficult to obtain in the cyber security domain.

Another challenge is ensuring that the models are robust to adversarial attacks. Adversarial attacks are a type of cyber attack in which an attacker deliberately manipulates input data to mislead a machine learning model.

Chat GPT models can be particularly vulnerable to adversarial attacks because they are designed to generate natural language responses, which can be more difficult to detect than other types of attacks.

Finally, there are also ethical considerations associated with the use of Chat GPT in cyber security. For example, there may be concerns about privacy and data protection if Chat GPT models are used to analyze personal data.

Additionally, there may be concerns about bias and discrimination if the models are trained on biased data sets or if they generate responses that reflect societal biases and stereotypes.

Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of Chat GPT in cyber security are significant. As Chat GPT technology continues to evolve and improve, it is likely to play an increasingly important role in protecting organizations and individuals from cyber threats.

By leveraging the power of natural language processing and machine learning, Chat GPT models can provide a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of cyber threats, improving the accuracy and effectiveness of threat detection and response.

In conclusion, the use of Chat GPT in cyber security represents a significant shift in the way that organizations approach threat detection and response.

By leveraging the power of natural language processing and machine learning, Chat GPT models have the potential to provide a more sophisticated and effective approach to cyber security, improving the accuracy and speed of threat detection and response.

However, as with any new technology, there are challenges and ethical considerations associated with the use of Chat GPT in cyber security. It will be important for organizations to carefully consider these issues and work to address the m in order to fully realize the benefits of this exciting technology.

[hightechinfluencer]

Going viral with AI on Instagram

Recently my business partner Topher Welsh and I were able to take his Instagram account from 1k to 125k in only 8 weeks flat. When I tell my friends who are in the influencers what we did they almost can’t believe it. Some of them have almost 100k in followers after 4 years of continued growth. What we did was part luck and part skill with 20 years of experience each behind it. We knew there were some simple methods that could be used to get our content to take off. Marvel babies were born…. Expanding into other pop culture icons.

The Content…

AI is a bad word for artists these days but with it, we were able to post 1–2 times a day. Each post had between 4–8 images all related together. We knew that if we used AI, we would be able to make base images and then Photoshop them to look like the images we wanted. (We are both professional designers.) This method is just like how other artists might use stock images and then edit them into a new piece. There is a misconception that it’s a collage tool that cuts out pieces of other art to make new ones which is incorrect. AI analyzes images and then creates new images based on machine learning algorithms.

[While we use Midjouorney, we do believe that artists should be able to opt out of their trained data set and these generative AIs should be retrained with ethical means. We also believe that retraining should also include non-bias models for a better representation in their outputs. We hope to see this change in the future.]

This is how we did it…

Knowing the Basics:

It’s going to be hard to grow on IG without knowing the basics. There are things you will have to research like which hashtags to use for your content, how to make reels, and what the best starter image for a carousel. These are conditional on your content. Some people may have a great engagement with normal photos and some might find more success with just reels or stories. You will need to research what works for others so you can copy their formula. Our niche was “baby versions of famous pop culture icons”.

4 Quadrant - Method:

I like to use a system called the “4 Quadrant Method” invented by the studio Cineasaurus. It basically pulls from 4 specific areas that allow for content to find maximum reach.

Fandom: You can create content around subject matter that people are already interested like Starwars, Marvel, Ghostbusters, Nascar, cakes, etc. By utilizing these fandoms you can tap preexisting audiences rather than building your own. Just remember to keep your feed of content related to each other in some way. If you build a following around cartoons but then start making content around hiking you have essentially “bait & switched” your followers. They will leave in droves.

Flagpole content: Content released around an event, release, or holiday can give you a boost because people are talking about the subject matter. Our best release over the 6 weeks was that of the Addams Family because the show Wednesday had just been released. It got 3 times more views than the next post. People went as far as getting the pieces tattooed on their bodies!

Quality: You need to be able to judge your content independently. Too many people fall in love with their own work expecting other people to feel the same way about it. That just doesn’t work, coming from a place of a professional we can judge a set of works pick out the best ones then improve upon them. This improves the quality of the page overall.

Marketing: You have to have a distribution system to put your work in other places to guide people back to your page.

It’s not a problem if its a feature - Method:

One of the downsides of using Midjourney as a base is that it has a hard time doing hands and feet. We used this to our advantage. Instead of fixing the issues in photoshop, we made sure to leave them in resulting in people feeling the need to call out the imperfections. This led to more engagement, with the posts spreading their reach. I’ve seen people purposely leave mistakes in their reels as a way of enticing people to leave comments correcting them.

Credit and community!

There was an influx of accounts making things out of our content. They were seen in everything from printed on walls, used in marketing content, reuploaded to wallpaper websites, and even was seen tattooed on people. We asked people to tag and credit the account if they were going to re-upload the content. We had to contact Instagram several times over stolen work and accounts passing them off as their own.

The Metrics… How did we do?

8-week growth Growth: Around 12,400% increase

Accounts reached: 16.9 Million

Accounts engaged: 980k

Engagement: 4.1% Rate

Note: Engagement for Instagram is typically very low across all metrics.

Less than 1% is low engagement

Between 1% and 3.5% is average/good

Between 3.5% and 6% is high (This is where our account ranks)

More than 6% is incredibly high

See the account for yourself on Instagram

Write Up in Bored Panda

If you find this newsletter useful, share or tag a friend. 

Got questions? You can DM me directly on Twitter

[drdubz]

Authorblues chose Violence, now so do I.

These past couple of years have been weird for artists. Some saw productivity rise as they had to rely on art (like me, weirdly got way more traction). We had to then battle with the obvious NFT grift that is now collapsing while most of the winners of it walk away with undeserved money. Now that crypto and Web3 bullshit has died down we're onto the next weird tech scheme: AI art.

As a person who has used AI art generators in the past for a Lancer game, I feel I should apologise for my ignorance. I've felt the power I have at my hands, and I certainly understand that it's kind of addictive, and unfortunately inevitable. That said there absolutely SHOULD be a pushback on the commodification of it. It SHOULD be vilified and it SHOULD be regulated on artist consent.

So, the one argument I see is that it empowers non artists to create. Like.. sure, I guess, it's still art. It's a soulless sludge, but it's still art. It doesn't deserve the praise though because there was no story behind it. Even the objectively worst art in history at least has an interesting story that reveals the humanity within. It is true however that those without the equipment or skill is empowered to create with a few keystrokes.

The problem arises however when we know that higher ups in big production companies are also, in as much as we can stretch the definition of the term, human. In a tweet that makes so much sense it made me sit back in my chair and ponder for way too long, it was noted that artists in the future would expect to use these tools to boost productivity. As such, this means that art sectors in companies can then be reduced, since AI will provide tools to speed up generation of product.

So while the chosen few watch their coworkers get laid off, they are then saddled with the simple fact that yes, they're providing more productivity, but their salary doesn't change. Their job becomes less meaningful, in both the volume of work that is expected and the importance of a single person's ability. You can guarantee a higher up doesn't care, the tech doesn't exist to help artists, it exists to cut corners and costs, and we all KNOW where the bloated slices of the money pie goes in game and film production.

I've also noticed a trend that it's very often artists who're advocating and speaking out against industry crunch. This goes for ALL facets. We're not against programmers, we're against grifters and people who exploit art and artists. We rarely, if at all, see the AI advocates present a both sides argument when they demand one of artists, who in a fair few cases do see merit in AI art when used ethically and on a personal level.

But in the end, us digital artists rely on good programmers to make good programs. Thing is we -pay- for those programs. Even Adobe where I'm the 'you can always pirate it' guy has to make money, and they do, they're industry standard. But the thing about the market is that we can move on to buying a different program, like I did with Clip. Yes, they can demand money for their programming skill, but people who program AI art generators are doing so off the backs of people who don't even realise it's happening to them. So yes, we're hostile because they wouldn't EXIST without us, and there's no compensation whatsoever.

This is the part that made me mad about Auth telling us we had to read that godawful thing that ended in the term 'democratization'. Like fuck you dude who said that, stealing isn't a democracy, and even if it was it certainly doesn't make it right. At that point the advocates shouldn't even try to justify anything, should just stay quiet and soulless, carry on without trying to be some philosophical genius who can take a higher ground because they can. They have no defences and they should stop trying.

In the end, we see what they're doing. They're the tracers who get called out on FA and are run out of the community and make sad journals about how everyone was mean to them and find a bunch of weird friends who're also outcast because they don't understand that good artists tore themselves apart to get to where they are. The product matters more than the ethics, and in a world where rich people can no longer convince the masses that those without the same money are jealous, we see exactly what's going on.

It fucking sucks man.