Are minions behind AI?

Good morning! Did you know that Tuesday was specifically designed for exploring the latest AI updates? Crazy, right? 🤪

🤯 MYSTERY AI LINK 🤯

(The mystery link can lead to ANYTHING AI related. Tools, memes, articles, videos, and more…)

🔨 AI TOOLS OF THE DAY

🗓️ Dola AI: The ultimate AI calendar sidekick. → check it out

📝 Sentence Rewriter: Take your existing content and rewrite it in a way that is more engaging, informative, and easy to read. → check it out

✍️ Doogle AI: Create and assign actionable quests (forms, checklists, workflows, and recipes) to get anything done. → check it out

ARE MINIONS BEHIND AI? 🤖

Is AI “despicable”? The general public seems to think so. 🙃

What happened? A commercial for Despicable Me 4 aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday, and it sparked mixed emotions from the public over AI.

What was the ad? The ad (above) showed the famously goofy and irresponsible minions generating AI images that were distorted, and in many ways revealed some of the flaws of AI image generation. The voiceover (some think disingenuously) stated, “Artificial intelligence is changing the way we see the world, showing us what we never thought possible, transforming the way we do business, and bringing family and friends closer together.” In the end, the ad revealed that the goofy minions were behind the AI systems, and the voiceover stated rather sarcastically, “With artificial intelligence, the future is in good hands.”

What’s the takeaway? Many look at this ad as a goofy, lighthearted promotion for the new movie to be released on July 3rd. While that is true, on a deeper level, it reveals how many are still not ready to take AI seriously, minimizing its abilities and likening developers and tech leaders to minions who have been irresponsible with its implementation. As AI continues to evolve, monitoring the shift in public perception will be interesting to track.

GOOGLE INVESTS $27 MILLION FOR GLOBAL AI OUTREACH 💰

Google is investing money overseas. In fact, they are gonna ship the cash on a giant boat! … Not really, but that would be epic. 🚢

What’s up? Google, expanding its international presence, has committed to empowering individuals in Europe with a $26.98 million investment aimed at fostering AI literacy.

How? Google plans to establish “growth academies” to support companies utilizing AI for scaling, alongside expanding its free online AI training courses to 18 languages.

Why? Given AI’s massive rise over the past two years, many experts have expressed concerns that countries and individuals who lack access to AI resources will fall behind dramatically both in terms of economic security and employment opportunities. Google’s goal is to address these inequalities. This new initiative aims to equip people across Europe with the knowledge and skills to navigate the AI landscape, ensuring inclusivity and preventing anyone from being left behind.

COMPANIES USE AI TO MONITOR EMPLOYEE MESSAGES 📲

Q: Why don’t vampires use autocorrect?

A: Because they love Type Os. 🧛‍♂️

What’s new? Big companies like Walmart, Delta, T-Mobile, Chevron, and Starbucks are turning to AI firm Aware to monitor employee messages.

How does it work? Aware’s analytics tool delves into the sea of workplace interactions, with an ability to monitor messages from popular platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. With a repository boasting 20 billion individual interactions from over 3 million employees, the Columbus-based startup provides real-time insights into employee attitudes and also alerts management about potential harassment situations.

What about privacy? The rise of AI surveillance in employee messaging does not come without its share of concerns. Some experts criticize this approach as an invasion of privacy, likening it to “thought crime” and treating people as mere “inventory.” Aware’s CEO, Jeff Schumann, does not view privacy as a concern, as he asserts that the AI is focused on understanding communication within the company and providing insights about employee attitude, and it doesn’t flag individual names unless an issue arises.

TWITTER TUESDAY 🐦

HAS AI REACHED SINGULARITY? CHECK OUT THE FRY METER BELOW