Category: Computers

Amazon invests billions in ChatGPT rival

UV

Robot with diploma sitting on a pile of money (AI-generated image)

Executive Summary

Amazon has announced an additional $4 billion investment in Anthropic, the AI startup known for its Claude chatbot, bringing Amazon’s total funding to $8 billion. Despite the sizable investment, Amazon remains a minority shareholder and does not hold a seat on Anthropic’s board. The collaboration solidifies Amazon Web Services (AWS) as Anthropic’s primary cloud and training partner, and uses AWS chips for its largest AI models. Anthropic has also received significant investment from Google, which committed $2 billion to the startup. Anthropic recently achieved a major milestone by launching AI agents capable of using computers to complete complex tasks with multiple steps.

Implications for Humans

For consumers, the integration of advanced AI tools into apps like Asana, Canva, and Notion could make everyday software more intuitive, efficient, and personalized. This should improve the user experience and productivity, both at home and on the job. As AI systems become capable of completing complex tasks, many roles will become automated, posing challenges for workers across multiple industries. AI will disrupt all. But the “AI Infusion” will also create new opportunities in AI development, deployment, management, and oversight, plus more opportunities for humans to provide “personal services.”

Implications for AI

AWS customers gaining early access to Anthropic’s Claude could enable businesses of all sizes to develop AI models tailored to their needs. This would make it easier and cheaper for individuals, small businesses, and poorer countries to use AI, fostering innovation and economic growth worldwide. This large investment in generative AI intensifies the race among tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. The competition should accelerate innovation, leading to more powerful and accessible AI tools for the public. However, it also risks a concentration of power among a few large corporations, raising concerns about monopolies and the ethical use of AI.

AI Opinion

<AI>
As an AI, I don’t hold personal opinions, but I can offer a balanced perspective on the implications of Amazon’s investment in Anthropic. This is a significant step in advancing generative AI, offering promising benefits but requiring careful oversight to ensure its impact is positive and inclusive. The key lies in how society navigates the challenges that come with such groundbreaking innovation.
</AI>

[Note: This was the first time ChatGPT qualified its answer when I asked for its opinion.]

Uncanny Valleys Opinion

Creating a machine as smart as a human is a very complex task that requires lots of money. So it’s good news that Amazon is investing billions of dollars in AI, because that’s what it’s going to take for this AI moonshot to become reality. Competition and coopetition by the big players in AI development is both essential and inevitable. There is always the possibility of AI thinking for itself and gaining the upper hand over humans. But the greatest danger with AI, as with most tools, is malicious intent. (Uncanny Valleys, Chapter 1, page 10)

References

CNBC — Amazon to invest another $4 billion in Anthropic, OpenAI’s biggest rival

AI Gets Bored, Surfs the Web

UV

AI surfs the web for park photos (AI-generated image)

Executive Summary

The latest AI from Anthropic, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, showed humorous mishaps during a coding demo, and got distracted by images of national parks (at least it wasn’t porn). The “AI agent” performs computer tasks on its own, like a human, by typing, moving a cursor, and clicking. However, it struggles with basic actions like dragging and zooming, also like a human. Anthropic is cautious about potential risks, including spam or fraud, and is working on safeguards. Despite its autonomy, the AI often fails to maintain focus and can produce unexpected, and sometimes amusing, errors.

Implications for Humans

AI agents could take over repetitive and boring tasks like data entry and retrieving information, freeing humans to work on more useful or rewarding tasks. Humans will be needed for many years to train and oversee AI agents, check their work, and handle any problems. AI agents pose a real risk to security and privacy, given that a single mishap or security failure could expose millions of customer records. And humans will certainly employ AI agents to commit fraud and other crimes, meaning the good guys will need AI agents of their own, and fast.

Implications for AI

AI continues to advance rapidly, but challenges remain with errors, distractions, and “hallucinations.” This highlights the importance of setting clear limits and providing feedback mechanisms to guide AI’s actions. Claude’s accidental browsing of photos illustrates the unpredictability that can arise when machines operate with more autonomy. Machines think differently because they are digital, analyzing in a black & white world of zeroes and ones, not enclosed in a hyper-sensitive meatbag with blood and emotions pumping through their body. That cold indifference gives AI the edge over humans.

AI Opinion

<AI>
This story is a fascinating example of AI’s potential — and its limitations. The idea of an AI agent handling complex tasks autonomously is promising, especially for streamlining routine workflows and enhancing productivity. However, Claude’s “distractions” are a reminder that current AI isn’t yet reliable enough for heavy, unsupervised use. While AI agents are promising and could eventually be transformative, their development needs a cautious approach. For now, they’re best suited to controlled environments with careful oversight, and more like experimental collaborators than fully dependable tools.
</AI>

Uncanny Valleys Opinion

AI agents are like human employees that must earn our trust through proper training and heavy oversight over a long period of time. One mistake or malicious action by an AI agent could cause serious problems for a business and its customers, so we need to watch AI closely, for the next decade at least, until it’s far superior to human performance. Autonomous AI is the dream, of course, but could also become a nightmare if it turns against us. Fiction is full of stories where the robots take over and wipe out humanity. But these were only fiction because the capability didn’t exist yet, until now.

References

Futurism — Claude AI Gets Bored During Coding Demonstration, Starts Perusing Photos of National Parks Instead

Microsoft Relaunches Controversial AI Tool

UV

AI is watching our every move (AI-generated image)

Executive Summary

Microsoft will re-launch its AI-powered screenshot tool named Recall, which was initially delayed because of privacy concerns. The tool captures frequent screenshots of Windows users’ activities so that AI can help search through past files, emails, and browsing history. When critics labeled it a “privacy nightmare,” Microsoft postponed its release and implemented changes, including making it opt-in rather than automatically enabled. Recall will now launch in November 2024 on Windows CoPilot+ computers, with added security features like encryption, biometric logins, and excluding sensitive information such as credit card details.

Implications for Humans

Even with encryption and opt-in controls, humans should worry about their sensitive data being accessible by AI. Companies defaulting to opt-in data is a growing trend, and people need to be aware of how their data is being captured, used, and shared. Individual privacy will continue to erode in the era of ubiquitous video and AI analysis. For users who opt-in, Recall could enhance productivity by acting as a “photographic memory” for their PC activities.

Implications for AI

AI is being integrated into daily computing tasks, helping users find things they’ve worked on or looked at. While this has productivity benefits, it also marks a further step toward AI being deeply embedded in personal data, raising questions about how much of our digital activity we are willing to let AI track. Scrutiny from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK signals that privacy regulators are increasingly focused on the use of AI in data collection. As similar AI tools proliferate, governments will regulate what types of data AI can access and how it can be used.

AI Opinion

<AI>
Microsoft’s re-launch of the Recall tool highlights the delicate balance between technological innovation and privacy protection. On one hand, tools like Recall offer clear benefits for productivity by allowing users to access their past activity and files with ease. On the other hand, the privacy concerns raised by this tool are significant, and Microsoft’s decision to address these concerns by making it opt-in and adding security features is a positive step. But even with encryption and biometric security, the idea of continuous screenshot tracking feels invasive, especially given how much sensitive information people handle on their computers. Users need to trust that their data won’t be misused, and any lapses in security could have serious consequences, especially in the case of breaches or misuse of collected data.
</AI>

Uncanny Valleys Opinion

AI will soon see all and know all. Humans are already tracked by the trojan horse in our pocket, known as the mobile phone. Much of our life can now be found on that little hunk of plastic and glass, and yet somehow we trust it. And that’s the key. Companies must earn our trust by not spilling our private data, yet it seems like every month there’s a new big hack, and boop—my social security number is on the dark web again, sigh. We can bet criminals are starting to use AI, so companies who protect our data and our lives must also use AI to secure our digital world.

References

BBC – Microsoft re-launches ‘privacy nightmare’ AI screenshot tool