By Rosalie Lack
I recently attended the Weights and Biases Fully Connected AI conference in San Francisco, California. Here are three takeaways from an amazing day filled with thought-provoking talks about the current state and future possibilities of generative AI and LLMs (large language models).
1. Opportunity. Chip Huyen (@chipro), CEO & Co-Founder of Claypot AI, gave a great presentation to help decision-makers evaluate AI opportunities. In the context of for-profit companies, Huyen mentioned that one of the factors that makes companies well placed to engage in AI projects is having proprietary data. In the context of higher education, I suggest considering the data you have now and how you might use that data for good – such as for informing policy decisions or finding economic development solutions.
2. Search. I never thought I’d see technology that could even begin to rival Google search. But that technology might just be you… You.com, that is. You.com is changing the paradigm of searching – rather than relying on keyword searching that we’re all familiar with, You.com offers an interactive question/answer approach to phrasing your search request. Consider what other discovery or interactive interface you have (such as a library catalog, digital repository, or reference desk) that would benefit from a Q/A format, rather than a simple keyword search box.
3. Responsibility. Speaker Tim Urban (Writer/Illustrator and Co-Founder, Wait But Why) reminded us that there’s an awesome responsibility that comes with working with AI. AI has the potential to do great things, but also great harm. Urban likened it to children playing with dynamite (what could possibly go wrong?!). AI is clearly not just a passing fad; it’s the future. We all need to understand the technology as well as the possible societal implications for projects and decisions we make around our use of AI.
CONTACT US: ADLSN is exploring opportunities for AI and higher education in Africa. Please contact us if you’re interested in learning more and to discuss possible partnership opportunities. info@adlns.org
