Many of us are using AI only as a replacement for Google Search. In order to more fully utilize the remarkable range of capabilities of AI today, we need to become comfortable with the many input and output modes that are available. From audio, voice, image and stunning video to massive formally formatted documents, spreadsheets, computer code, databases and more, the potential to input and output material is beyond what most of us take for granted. That is not to mention the emerging potential of embodied AI, which includes all of these capabilities in a humanoid form, as discussed in this column two weeks ago. Think of AI as your dedicated assistant who has multimedia skills and is eager to help you with these tasks. If you are not sure how to get started, of course, just ask AI.
Wednesday, July 09, 2025
No One Is in Charge at the US Copyright Office - Kate Knibbs, Wired
It’s a tumultuous time for copyright in the United States, with dozens of potentially economy-shaking AI copyright lawsuits winding through the courts. Described as “sleepy” in the past, the Copyright Office has taken on new prominence during the AI boom, issuing key rulings about AI and copyright. It also hasn’t had a leader in more than a month. In May, Copyright Register Shira Perlmutter was abruptly fired by email by the White House’s deputy director of personnel. Perlmutter is now suing the Trump administration, alleging that her firing was invalid; the government maintains that the executive branch has the authority to dismiss her. Despite the firing, Perlmutter still characterizes herself as the Copyright Register. “Despite Mr. Perkins’s claim that he is Acting Register of Copyrights, I remain Register of Copyrights and therefore am required by law to fulfill my above-described statutory obligations,” she said in a declaration in May. As the legality of the ouster is debated, the reality within the office is this: There’s effectively nobody in charge.
Tuesday, July 08, 2025
What is multimodal AI? - McKinsey
Multimodal AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can understand and process different types of information, such as text, images, audio, and video, all at the same time. Multimodal gen AI models produce outputs based on these various inputs. Multimodal models mirror the brain’s ability to combine sensory inputs for a nuanced, holistic understanding of the world, much like how humans use their variety of senses to perceive reality. These gen AI models’ ability to seamlessly perceive multiple inputs—and simultaneously generate output—allows them to interact with the world in innovative, transformative ways and represents a significant advancement in AI. By combining the strengths of different types of content (including text, images, audio, and video) from different sources, multimodal gen AI models can understand data in a more comprehensive way, which enables them to process more complex inquiries that result in fewer hallucinations (inaccurate or misleading outputs).
Scientists forge path to the first million-qubit processor for quantum computers after 'decade in the making' breakthrough - Owen Hughes, Live Science
Scientists have developed a new type of computer chip that removes a major obstacle to practical quantum computers, making it possible for the first time to place millions of qubits and their control systems on the same device.The new control chip operates at cryogenic temperatures close to absolute zero (about minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius) and, crucially, can be placed close to qubits without disrupting their quantum state. "This result has been more than a decade in the making, building up the know-how to design electronic systems that dissipate tiny amounts of power and operate near absolute zero," lead researcher David Reilly, professor at the University of Sydney Nano Institute and School of Physics, said in a statement.
Monday, July 07, 2025
GPT-5: The AI That Will End The World As We Know It - Julia McCoy, YouTube
This podcast episode delves into the much-anticipated release of OpenAI's GPT-5, heralding it as a groundbreaking advancement in artificial intelligence that will reshape our world. The episode outlines a potential release by the summer of 2025, with some speculating a later release in December. The discussion highlights the expected capabilities of GPT-5, which are predicted to include superior reasoning skills, mastery in coding, and a significant reduction in AI "hallucinations." The podcast also touches upon the rise of autonomous AI agents by July 2025, capable of managing complex workflows and utilizing real-world APIs at speeds far exceeding human capabilities [04:03]. Leaked benchmarks suggest remarkable improvements in accuracy across various tasks, including a 95% accuracy in MMLU, an 85% in SWE-Bench, and significant gains in advanced mathematics and multimodal tasks [04:32]. The episode challenges the conservative predictions of major think tanks, arguing that AI development is accelerating at a much faster pace than anticipated [05:04]. The host concludes by urging listeners to embrace these changes and become "first movers" in this AI-driven revolution, emphasizing the transformative impact on the job market and the opportunities that will arise for those who are prepared [08:28]. [Summary developed with the help of Gemini 2.5 Pro]
Meta Wins Blockbuster AI Copyright Case—but There’s a Catch - Kate Knibbs, Wired
Meta scored a major victory in a copyright lawsuit on Wednesday when a federal judge ruled that the company did not violate the law when it trained its AI tools on 13 authors' books without permission. “The Court has no choice but to grant summary judgment to Meta on the plaintiffs’ claim that the company violated copyright law by training its models with their books,” wrote US District Court judge Vince Chhabria. He concluded that the plaintiffs did not present sufficient evidence that Meta’s use of their books was harmful.
Sunday, July 06, 2025
Mo Gawdat: AI Is Manipulating You More Than You Realize - Mo Gawdat, YouTube
In the video, Mo Gawdat outlines three essential skills for navigating the age of AI. The first is to learn to use AI tools, and he recommends experimenting with different language models like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude. He even created his own custom AI to help with various tasks. The second skill is to question everything. Gawdat points out that AI can provide a single, seemingly accurate answer that may be biased or incorrect. He gives an example of an AI providing false historical information, which was only corrected after he prompted it to cross-reference multiple sources. The third and most important skill is human connection. Gawdat argues that while AI will surpass humans in most tasks, it cannot replicate genuine human connection, making strong relationships with family, friends, and colleagues essential for the future. [summary assistance provided by Gemini 2.5 Pro]
The Year of Quantum: From concept to reality in 2025 - McKinsey
When it comes to quantum technology (QT), investment is surging and breakthroughs are multiplying. The United Nations has designated 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, celebrating 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics. Our research confirms that QT is gaining widespread traction worldwide. McKinsey’s fourth annual Quantum Technology Monitor covers last year’s breakthroughs, investment trends, and emerging opportunities in this fast-evolving landscape. In 2024, the QT industry saw a shift from growing quantum bits (qubits) to stabilizing qubits—and that marks a turning point. It signals to mission-critical industries that QT could soon become a safe and reliable component of their technology infrastructure. To that end, this year’s report provides a special deep dive into the fast-growing market of quantum communication, which could unlock the security needed for widespread QT uptake.
Saturday, July 05, 2025
AI Could Actually Boost Your Workers’ Mental Health. Here’s How - Kit Eaton, Inc.
New research into AI’s impact on workers’ wellbeing offers a startling conclusion that refutes critics of the AI’s impact on the workplace, and counters recent reports suggesting the new technology is bad for people’s critical thinking abilities. Data from a large study suggest that though AI is relatively new, and the evidence is quite early, its use in the workplace hasn’t harmed people’s mental health or negatively affected their job satisfaction. Quite the opposite, in fact. The study found that letting your workers use AI may actually slightly benefit their health—particularly among less well-educated staff. The research, published this week, compared workers in occupations with high exposure to AI to those in less AI-exposed jobs, science news site Phys.org reports. There are a few wrinkles in the conclusions, and the authors explicitly warned that it’s very early to draw long-term conclusions about the impact of AI, but the results are definitely interesting food for thought for any company leader who’s been wary, thus far, of rolling out AI tools in the office or factory floor.
How People Use Claude for Support, Advice, and Companionship - Anthropic
Affective conversations are relatively rare, and AI-human companionship is rarer still. Only 2.9% of Claude.ai interactions are affective conversations (which aligns with findings from previous research by OpenAI). Companionship and roleplay combined comprise less than 0.5% of conversations. People seek Claude's help for practical, emotional, and existential concerns. Topics and concerns discussed with Claude range from career development and navigating relationships to managing persistent loneliness and exploring existence, consciousness, and meaning. Claude rarely pushes back in counseling or coaching chats—except to protect well-being. Less than 10% of coaching or counseling conversations involve Claude resisting user requests, and when it does, it's typically for safety reasons (for example, refusing to provide dangerous weight loss advice or support self-harm). People express increasing positivity over the course of conversations. In coaching, counseling, companionship, and interpersonal advice interactions, human sentiment typically becomes more positive over the course of conversations—suggesting Claude doesn't reinforce or amplify negative patterns.
Friday, July 04, 2025
‘The Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook’: Three questions for Jocelyn Widmer and Thomas Cavanagh - Joshua Kim, Inside Higher Ed
The Chief Online Learning Officers’ Guidebook is now available for order. As one of the (many) contributors that Jocelyn Widmer and Thomas Cavanagh brought together to participate in the book, I was especially excited to receive my copy in the mail. Reading through the book, I’ve found it fast-paced, informative and sometimes provocative. To help spread the word about the book, I asked if its authors, Jocelyn Widmer and Thomas Cavanagh, would answer my questions. [The book is published in partnership with UPCEA']
One Provost’s Approach to Building an AI College - University of South Florida, University Business
Given latitude by Mohapatra to find the best model for the new college, the task force began work last spring and ultimately recommended a hub-and-spoke academic structure. The belief was this would eliminate silos and underscore the interdisciplinary nature of AI and cybersecurity, resulting in university-wide collaboration. It would also allow most of the 200-plus faculty currently working in areas that comprise the new college to remain in their home units. The question of governance was more challenging for the task force, which eventually landed on a flat structure that is similar to models currently used in other USF colleges. Flat governance would make it possible to add new programs in areas such as quantum computing and digital twins while promoting collaboration and quicker decision-making. In its recommendations, task force members wrote, “The relationship between AI, cybersecurity and computing reflects a rapidly evolving landscape where traditional departmental boundaries are increasingly blurred. These fields are deeply interconnected, with advancements in one area often propelling developments in others.”
Thursday, July 03, 2025
The next innovation revolution—powered by AI - McKinsey
Innovation has been the driver of the extraordinary progress from which humankind has benefited for a couple of centuries, but it faces a largely hidden threat: Innovation is becoming harder and more expensive. It’s instructive here to take the long view. For most of recorded human history, improvements in human welfare from generation to generation have been limited. Take, for example, GDP per capita as a measure of economic prosperity. For most of human history, roughly until the early 1800s, the measure barely moved to $1,200. But since that time, it has grown by more than 14 times (Exhibit 1).1 Human health has followed a similar trajectory—low for centuries and only significantly improving in recent generations. In 1900, for example, the average life expectancy of a newborn was 32 years. By 2021, this had more than doubled to 71 years.2
Court filings reveal OpenAI and io’s early work on an AI device - Maxwell Zeff, Tech Crunch
The form factor of OpenAI and io’s first hardware device has largely remained a mystery. Altman merely stated in io’s launch video that the startup was working to create a “family” of AI devices with various capabilities, and Ive said io’s first prototype “completely captured” his imagination. Altman had previously told OpenAI’s employees at a meeting that the company’s prototype, when finished, would be able to fit in a pocket or sit on a desk, according to the Wall Street Journal. The OpenAI CEO reportedly said the device would be fully aware of a user’s surroundings and that it would be a “third device” for consumers to use alongside their smartphone and laptop.
https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/23/court-filings-reveal-openai-and-ios-early-work-on-an-ai-device/
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