AI news you might have missed this week: Music, ChatGPT, and Bill ...
Musicians getting behind AI, ChatGPT gets much-needed improvements, and Microsoft's co-founder weighs in. AI is one of the hottest topics in tech right now, and the rate at which the news cycle churns is almost impossible to keep up with. Here are some of the most interesting AI-related news topics you might have missed from this last week.
Grimes Sanctions AI-Generated Music Tracks
Musician Grimes is one of the first major artists in the world to officially sanction the use of her voice in AI-generated tracks. The music industry is notoriously litigious, and it was caught by surprise in recent weeks when a viral AI-produced track featuring Drake and The Weeknd was released. Grimes is setting a precedent that hopefully, other musicians will follow. AI is here to stay, and it's better surely to get in front of it than go through the lawyers.
UK Backed State-Run Model for Public Services?
The UK has been in the Microsoft news cycle for all the wrong reasons this week, but things are more promising on the AI front. There's been a lot of talk in the EU about the models behind the recent wave of chatbots like ChatGPT, especially over privacy. AI has the potential to be extremely useful in public life, but there will always be questions over data handling by private entities. In theory, a state-backed model for public services could quell many of these concerns. But only time will tell.
Alternative to GPT-4
ChatGPT grabs a lot of the headlines, but there's yet another alternative making its way out into the world. While it's unlikely that HuggingChat will surpass ChatGPT, an open-source alternative is most welcome. GPT-4 is entirely closed, meaning that only those within OpenAI know truly what has gone into the model. An open-source model not only makes AI tools more accessible and affordable, Open Assistant is trying to be less hardware intensive and usable on consumer-grade hardware. The road will be long, but it's going to be a project worth following.
New ChatGPT Updates on the Way
The updates to ChatGPT continue to roll, and in the same week, the long-awaited browsing feature started showing up for its Plus subscribers. There's also talk of a forthcoming subscription for businesses. OpenAI is using data entered into ChatGPT to further train the GPT model behind it. While this is going to be fine for a lot of the data we're putting in there, it's definitely not for businesses or any other type of official bodies with secretive information. A dedicated business version seems like a no-brainer, but it should also help in parts of the world that have been less receptive to ChatGPT so far, notably in Europe where GDPR and privacy regulations are particularly strict.
Bill Gates on AI in Education
Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, has weighed in with some of his thoughts on AI in a recent public appearance, particularly how he thinks it will relate to our kids. Much has been made of students using tools like ChatGPT to cheat, but there's been less focus on the potential positive implications of AI in educating youngsters. Children are already made to use computers in much of their education, but as Gates pointed out, they lack any sort of cognitive abilities. AI can certainly improve upon this and turn a computer from just a tool into something that is able to react and respond in a manner that could truly nurture a child's education. It could certainly be a more accessible way to offer dedicated tutoring to all.
