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AI artist says technology is ultimately ‘limiting’

Also: At CES 2024, AI Is Here to Help

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AI KATANA
January 14, 2024

Hi there!

In today's newsletter, we delve into diverse AI-related developments that are shaping various industries. Swedish artist Supercomposite, known for her AI-generated image "Loab", discusses her journey with AI in art creation, expressing concerns over its restrictive and addictive nature, leading her to pivot towards screenwriting. A McKinsey report underscores the widening gap between digital and AI leaders and laggards, with the former achieving significantly higher total shareholder returns. At CES 2024, the focus was on AI's practical applications in consumer electronics, from AI-enhanced televisions to AI-powered accessibility features. A study from Columbia University using AI to analyze fingerprints challenges the longstanding belief in their uniqueness, indicating a potential paradigm shift in forensic science. Alibaba's communication platform, DingTalk, hits 700 million users and introduces an AI agent, showcasing a leap in AI integration for workplace productivity. OpenAI launches its GPT Store, a significant development in accessible AI technology. However, despite the AI frenzy, U.S. startup funding experienced a 30% drop in 2023, indicating a cautious investment climate. These developments collectively highlight the pervasive and evolving influence of AI across various sectors.

Sliced:

  • 🖼️ AI artist says technology is ultimately ‘limiting’

  • 📈 McKinsey - Companies with strong digital and AI capabilities have figured out how to generate compounding value

  • 📱 At CES 2024, AI Is Here to Help

  • 🖐️ Our fingerprints may not be unique, claims AI

  • 🆕 Alibaba’s DingTalk Hits 700M Users and Unveils AI Agent to Boost Workspace Productivity

The article covers Supercomposite, an artist from Sweden, and her journey with AI in art creation. She gained notoriety for her AI-generated image "Loab," which became a viral sensation and sparked much debate. Despite the initial success, Supercomposite found the AI art-making process increasingly restrictive and unsatisfying. This dissatisfaction led her to abandon AI art in favor of screenwriting. She comments on the addictive nature of working with AI, despite its limitations, and the often unpredictable and unsettling results it produces.

The McKinsey report highlights the growing divide between digital and AI leaders and laggards in business. Companies excelling in these areas are outperforming their peers significantly, with gains ranging from two to six times in total shareholder returns across various sectors. This success is attributed to a comprehensive approach involving strategic roadmaps, organization and talent, operating models, technology, data, and adoption strategies. While the gap is widening, the study suggests that laggards can still catch up by committing to and effectively implementing these key capabilities. This trend underscores the critical role of digital and AI proficiency in achieving competitive business advantages.

At CES 2024, AI's practical applications were a central theme. Companies like LG and Samsung showcased AI-enhanced televisions, with features like conversational chatbots for settings optimization and image quality enhancement. Samsung also introduced AI-powered optical character recognition for accessibility. Home AI robots, though still prototypes, were presented as a futuristic vision. Startups like BlinkIn offered multimodal AI solutions for everyday device troubleshooting. Nvidia, emphasizing its AI prowess, introduced Chat with RTX, a Windows application that leverages large language models for information retrieval from documents. The event underscored the growing trend towards personalized AI assistants, demonstrating advancements in AI's accessibility and practicality in consumer electronics.

🖐️ Our fingerprints may not be unique, claims AI

The study by Columbia University using AI to analyze fingerprints brings a significant shift in forensic science. The AI's approach, focusing on ridge orientation rather than traditional minutiae, yielded a 75-90% accuracy in matching prints from different fingers to the same individual. This challenges the long-standing belief in the uniqueness of each fingerprint. The technology, though not yet refined for legal evidence, opens new avenues for forensic investigation, calling for a reassessment of fingerprint analysis methods. It underscores the growing impact of AI in various scientific fields, particularly in enhancing or challenging established theories.

Alibaba's communication platform DingTalk has achieved a milestone of 700 million users and introduced an AI agent, powered by Alibaba Cloud's large language model. This AI agent can perform a variety of tasks, such as document summaries and business trip bookings. It allows both enterprise and individual users to customize their AI assistants according to their workplace needs. Additionally, DingTalk plans to launch a marketplace for these AI agents, projecting a growth of over 10 million AI agents within three years. This development represents a significant advancement in integrating generative AI into workplace communication and productivity tools.

🛠️ AI tools updates

OpenAI has launched its GPT Store, a platform hosting GPTs developed by OpenAI and third-parties, catering to various needs such as writing and lifestyle. This launch, though delayed due to earlier management issues, marks a significant step in accessible AI technology. The store, currently available only to paid ChatGPT users, features a community leaderboard showcasing popular GPTs. OpenAI also introduced a "GPT builder revenue program" to compensate creators based on user engagement with their chatbots, fostering a vibrant ecosystem for AI development and usage.

💵 Venture Capital updates

In 2023, U.S. startup funding saw a 30% decrease despite heightened interest in AI technologies. The total funding, at $170.6 billion, marked a significant drop from the $242.2 billion in 2022 and the peak of $348 billion in 2021. Although AI startups gained a lot of traction, attracting about a third of all U.S. investments, the broader venture capital climate remained cautious. Many startups raised funds at lower valuations, reflecting a more conservative investment approach.

🫡 Meme of the day

⭐️ Generative AI image of the day