1st Street Partnerships’ Post

Civic AI Lab @SIAS: Empowering Equal Digital Opportunity The first lab we’re highlighting from the SIAS family is the Civic AI Lab AI Lab, which is dedicated to reducing inequality and fostering equal opportunity through the use of advanced algorithms and AI technology. As governments and businesses increasingly integrate algorithms into their operations, there’s enormous potential for improving efficiency, reach, and effectiveness of public services. However, these technologies also come with the risk of exacerbating existing inequalities or even creating new ones. At Civic AI Lab, we focus on public sector applications of AI with a critical lens on inequality in sectors like transportation, health, education, and governance. One standout project comes from Dimitris Michailidis, who is exploring the use of reinforcement learning models to optimize the placement of public transport infrastructure. By incorporating different inequality policies, Dimitris’ research shows how relatively small shifts in policy can lead to radically different algorithmic outcomes, highlighting the deep connection between social paradigms and technological systems. To dive deeper into Dimitris’ groundbreaking work, check out his recent publication at AAMAS: Learn more about Dimitris' work here.

Our world is changing. In the coming decades, advancements in AI and adjacent technologies—cybersecurity, quantum computing and autonomous systems—will revolutionize every area of life and geopolitics. America and our world stand on the edge of what could be likened to a New Space Race regarding these critical technologies and it’s ultimate outcome will set the table for global leadership, technological innovation, economic security and national security for the next half century. The countries that soar to the highest heights of this Fourth Industrial Revolution will be the ones that can successfully mass mobilize the populations of their nation, particularly historically marginalized communities, into these critical technology areas through top-notch storytelling campaigns and targeted investments in education and infrastructure. That is why Black Tech Street is working to not only pioneer an AI and AS Center of Excellence in historic Greenwood, but is also pioneering the kind of AI-led storytelling that our nation will need to use to achieve the kind of widespread adoption and mass mobilization into these technology areas to catalyze our domestic innovation engine and ultimately protect our national security. See the first taste of such storytelling with the subject being Hack the Future Greenwood, the event we are hosting in partnership with SeedAI and the The Wilson Center to demonstrate the transformative potential of AI for Black Tulsans through use case-based challenges, keynoted by Olivia Zhu from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Through community-focused and targeted storytelling about AI and its emerging technologies, leveraging AI itself in storytelling and pointing to a tangible outcome driven example of how to catalyze holistic AI transformations, 21st century Greenwood can be the national blueprint for how to achieve the mass mobilization of minorities and rural communities that will allow the US to continue its technological leadership for the next half century while staving off catastrophic economic inequality that will ultimately be created by this new technological revolution. We are excited to be doing this work alongside incredible partners like Tulsa Innovation Labs, SeedAI, Microsoft, The Wilson Center and the once-in-a generation opportunity to compete to accelerate this work via the U.S. Economic Development Administration Tech Hubs designation and grant. Finally, we want to thank the genius that is Lyndon Alvarez of @, who once again found the perfect way to translate our storytelling vision into an unbelievable product. At this divisive moment in history, it’s time to lead and unite our country through the call of innovation, powered by the story and 21st example of one of the greatest and most inspiring examples of American ingenuity in history, Black Wall Street. Join us! #BlackTechStreet #BlackWallStreet #EDATechHubs #GreenwoodLeadsonAI

Our world is changing. In the coming decades, advancements in AI and adjacent technologies—cybersecurity, quantum computing and autonomous systems—will revolutionize every area of life and geopolitics. America and our world stand on the edge of what could be likened to a New Space Race regarding these critical technologies and it’s ultimate outcome will set the table for global leadership, technological innovation, economic security and national security for the next half century. The countries that soar to the highest heights of this Fourth Industrial Revolution will be the ones that can successfully mass mobilize the populations of their nation, particularly historically marginalized communities, into these critical technology areas through top-notch storytelling campaigns and targeted investments in education and infrastructure. That is why Black Tech Street is working to not only pioneer an AI and AS Center of Excellence in historic Greenwood, but is also pioneering the kind of AI-led storytelling that our nation will need to use to achieve the kind of widespread adoption and mass mobilization into these technology areas to catalyze our domestic innovation engine and ultimately protect our national security. See the first taste of such storytelling with the subject being Hack the Future Greenwood, the event we are hosting in partnership with SeedAI and the The Wilson Center to demonstrate the transformative potential of AI for Black Tulsans through use case-based challenges, keynoted by Olivia Zhu from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Through community-focused and targeted storytelling about AI and its emerging technologies, leveraging AI itself in storytelling and pointing to a tangible outcome driven example of how to catalyze holistic AI transformations, 21st century Greenwood can be the national blueprint for how to achieve the mass mobilization of minorities and rural communities that will allow the US to continue its technological leadership for the next half century while staving off catastrophic economic inequality that will ultimately be created by this new technological revolution. We are excited to be doing this work alongside incredible partners like Tulsa Innovation Labs, SeedAI, Microsoft, The Wilson Center and the once-in-a generation opportunity to compete to accelerate this work via the U.S. Economic Development Administration Tech Hubs designation and grant. Finally, I want to thank the genius that is Lyndon Alvarez of Buddy FX , who once again found the perfect way to translate our storytelling vision into an unbelievable product. At this divisive moment in history, it’s time to lead and unite our country through the call of innovation, powered by the story and 21st example of one of the greatest and most inspiring examples of American ingenuity in history, Black Wall Street. Join us! #BlackTechStreet #BlackWallStreet #EDATechHubs #GreenwoodLeadsonAI

"The current narrative around AGI has become too simplified, overly corporate in its winner-take-all framing. While AGI’s impact on humanity will surely be profound, the real economic opportunity lies in narrow, cost-efficient models that can handle specialized tasks." Why might the tremendous promise of AGI create incredible social value but capture significantly less economic value? In his column for Every Inc., TheGP's Phin Barnes explores this paradox and how understanding the limits of today’s AI technology can give builders and founders a strategic edge. 👉 Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gRhs4E7P

Last week I was fortunate to speak on behalf of Capital One at two timely conferences at the intersection of AI and finance, the Evident AI Symposium and the FinRegLab AI Symposium. In each forum it was clear that the pace of AI advances in financial services is moving rapidly. At the same time, the industry remains in a test-and-learn phase with a focus on thoughtful, risk-centered and well-managed AI development. I shared my strong belief that one of the noble aims of AI is to transfer cognitively burdensome tasks from the human to the system and deliver enhanced experiences for employees and customers alike. Achieving this in a durable way, at scale, requires a shift in focus from siloed use cases to an emphasis on the far-reaching technical and cultural underpinnings that make organizations AI-ready. This includes platformization, testing and benchmarking, monitoring and observability, and instrumentation to continually refine and improve AI post-deployment to name a few. All of this in turn enables collective learning and continual improvement for the long-term. Some of my thoughts here were captured on Bloomberg during the #EvidentAISymposium: https://lnkd.in/g8Ba5cPB Andrew Buemi Milind Naphade Abhijit Bose Aparna Sinha Maulin Patel John Morgan Sambit Sahu Giri Iyengar Stephen Rawls Stephen Potter Jennifer Borden Ilene Eng Rob Pulciani Micaela Klein Daben Liu Bayan Bruss Robert Alexander

Why do tech visionaries paint pictures of the future that seem like sci-fi? It's not just about selling a product. It's about selling a dream. When we hear about AI curing diseases and ending poverty, it sparks hope. But there's a fine line between inspiring progress and overpromising. These grand visions shape public expectations and drive massive investments. Yet they often gloss over the complex challenges and ethical dilemmas involved. As AI advances, we must critically examine both its potential and limitations. The future of AI isn't predetermined. It's up to us to shape it responsibly. #AIFuturism #TechEthics #CriticalThinking #JamieBykovBrett #BykovBrettEnterprises https://lnkd.in/gnkvQMvM

Elon Musk's assertion that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could be achieved by next year certainly sparks intrigue. However, the divergence of opinions within the AI community, with figures like Yann LeCun suggesting a more distant timeline, underscores the complexity of this endeavour. Musk's optimism is palpable, but it raises questions about the potential consequences of accelerating AGI development. Are we adequately prepared to handle the ethical, societal, and existential implications of creating a machine that surpasses human intelligence?🤖📈 Moreover, the contrasting viewpoints highlight the uncertainty surrounding AGI's arrival. How can we navigate this uncertainty while ensuring that AGI development aligns with our values and priorities? Ultimately, the discussion surrounding AGI extends beyond technological advancements; it's a reflection of our aspirations and concerns about the future of AI. As we continue to push the boundaries of AI research, it's essential to approach this journey with caution, mindfulness, and a commitment to ethical innovation. #ArtificialIntelligence #AGI #FutureTechnology #EthicalAI #TechDebate #Reflection #Opinion #Questioning

According to McKinsey & Company, the economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier, identified up to $4.4 trillion in potential global economic impact from gen AI across functions and industries. With gen AI in its infancy, organizations are just beginning to understand the potential of applying it to their own goals. Generative AI has the potential to widen the racial economic gap in the United States by $43 billion each year. But deployed thoughtfully, it could actually remove barriers to Black economic mobility.

𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁! Anthropic is launching a program to fund the development of new types of benchmarks to evaluate the performance and impact of AI models, including generative models like Claude. The program will provide funding to third-party organizations that can effectively measure advanced capabilities in AI models. Anthropic aims to create challenging benchmarks focused on AI security and societal implications, using new tools, infrastructure and methods. Specific areas of focus include: - assessing models' ability to carry out cyberattacks, - enhance weapons of mass destruction, - manipulate people, - aid scientific study, - converse in multiple languages, - mitigate biases, and self-censor toxicity. Anthropic envisions new platforms allowing experts to develop evaluations and large-scale trials involving thousands of users. The company has hired a full-time coordinator and may purchase or expand promising projects. Funding options will be tailored to each project's needs and stage. Anthropic wants some evaluations to align with its own AI safety classifications. The program aims to catalyze progress towards comprehensive AI evaluation as an industry standard. Some experts may criticize Anthropic's focus on "catastrophic" AI risks as distracting from more immediate regulatory issues. 👉 Follow the link to know more https://lnkd.in/eRT63kt9 🐾 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Three months ago, we identified a gap in AI benchmarking within the mobile gaming sector. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁. 👉 We invite you to read analysis on why existing benchmarks fall short in providing accurate assessments and how the industry can address this issue: https://lnkd.in/divE-YXN 🔔𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀? Worry not! Place the emoji 😀 in a comment below, and we'll make sure to tag you once we publish anything new. 👑 Here are our VIP alert subscribers: Martyn Redstone, Illia Shestakov, Albert Nicola, Maryanne Collins, Vakhtang Matskeplishvili, Michal Lissak, Omer Gerson

A leading computer scientist brings human sense to the AI bubble <https://www.nextpak.org/> “After reading Mitchell’s guide, you’ll know what you don’t know and what other people don’t know, even though they claim to know it. And that’s invaluable." –The New York Times No recent scientific enterprise has proved as alluring, terrifying, and filled with extravagant promise and frustrating setbacks as artificial intelligence. The award-winning author Melanie Mitchell, a leading computer scientist, now reveals AI’s turbulent history and the recent spate of apparent successes, grand hopes, and emerging fears surrounding it. In Artificial Intelligence, Mitchell turns to the most urgent questions concerning AI today: How intelligent―really―are the best AI programs? How do they work? What can they actually do, and when do they fail? How humanlike do we expect them to become, and how soon do we need to worry about them surpassing us? Along the way, she introduces the dominant models of modern AI and machine learning, describing cutting-edge AI programs, their human inventors, and the historical lines of thought underpinning recent achievements. She meets with fellow experts such as Douglas Hofstadter, the cognitive scientist and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of the modern classic Gödel, Escher, Bach, who explains why he is “terrified” about the future of AI. She explores the profound disconnect between the hype and the actual achievements in AI, providing a clear sense of what the field has accomplished and how much further it has to go. Interweaving stories about the science of AI and the people behind it, Artificial Intelligence brims with clear-sighted, captivating, and accessible accounts of the most interesting and provocative modern work in the field, flavored with Mitchell’s humor and personal observations. This frank, lively book is an indispensable guide to understanding today’s AI, its quest for “human-level” intelligence, and its impact on the future for us all.