Amazon-backed Anthropic debuts AI agents that can do complex tasks, racing against OpenAI, Microsoft and Google - Hayden Field, CNBC

Anthropic, the Amazon-backed AI startup founded by former OpenAI research executives, announced artificial intelligence agents that can use a computer to complete complex tasks like a human would.

AI agents are built for productivity and to complete multistep, complex tasks on a user’s behalf. Anthropic’s new Computer Use capability, part of its two newest AI models, allows its tech to interpret what’s on a computer screen, select buttons, enter text, navigate websites and execute tasks through any software and real-time internet browsing. The tool can “use computers in basically the same way that we do,” Jared Kaplan, Anthropic’s chief science officer, told CNBC in an interview, adding it can do tasks with “tens or even hundreds of steps.” 

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/22/anthropic-announces-ai-agents-for-complex-tasks-racing-openai.html

Education for all: An interview with Dr. Sven Schütt - McKinsey

Dr. Sven Schütt, CEO of the European university group IU Group (IUG), believes in lifelong learning and universally accessible education. IUG offers courses and degree programs in a variety of formats so that high school graduates and working adults can learn at their own pace and convenience. Founded in 2000, IUG, which currently has about 140,000 students enrolled worldwide, provides training, upskilling, and job certification across more than 250 degree programs and offers over 600 additional training programs.1 Schütt recently sat down with McKinsey partner Axel Domeyer to discuss how AI is transforming education—and his organization.

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/education-for-all-an-interview-with-dr-sven-schutt

Leveraging AI to Improve Learner Outcomes and Learner Records - UPCEA

The implementation of AI-driven tools in higher education is still in its early phases. It's clear that institutional staff either are still learning how to incorporate the tools into the learning process or are encountering obstacles in optimizing their use. This study revealed that interest in the potential of these technologies is far outpacing adoption. Most respondents are heavily involved in developing learner experiences and tracking outcomes, though nearly half report their institutions have yet to adopt AI-driven tools for these purposes. The research also found that only three percent of institutions have implemented Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs), which provide a complete overview of an individual’s lifelong learning experiences. Download your copy of UPCEA and Instructure's latest research study today.

https://upcea.edu/ai-to-improve-learner-outcomes/

Here Come the AI Agents! - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

Anthropic offers the new function that enables its Sonnet version to control your computer: “Claude 3.5 Sonnet is the first frontier AI model to offer computer use in public beta.” This is just the beginning of the next phase of generative AI. Over the coming weeks and months, we will see many platforms offer this capability to users. So, what’s the big deal? It is the equivalent of moving from an automobile to a self-driving autonomous vehicle. We have primarily worked with chat bot versions of generative AI in which we enter a prompt, the program does some research and responds via text, image, video or audio. That has been effective for single-instance transactional engagement. Yet, we have not been able to automatically create and complete a complex list of tasks on the computer that are dependent upon reasoning and prior actions. 

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/online-trending-now/2024/11/06/here-come-ai-agents

OpenAI reportedly plans to release its Orion AI model by December - Maxwell Zeff, Tech Crunch

OpenAI is reportedly planning to release its next frontier AI model, codenamed Orion inside the company, by December of this year, The Verge reported on Thursday. Unlike previous releases, the company reportedly plans to release the model gradually to trusted partners before a broader rollout through ChatGPT. The Verge writes that Microsoft engineers expect to receive access to Orion as early as November, although it’s unclear what OpenAI will ultimately call the model. The o1 series of models was codenamed “strawberry” inside OpenAI for months before it was released.

https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/24/openai-reportedly-plans-to-release-its-orion-ai-model-by-december/

The AI Paradox: Why Automation Will Fuel a Creative Revolution - Alina Okun, Future Skill

AI isn't replacing human workers. It's opening up a new frontier for them. As routine tasks get automated, we have more freedom to focus on the uniquely human skills that machines can’t replicate: Creativity, Critical thinking, and Innovation. This is what I call the AI Paradox: the more tasks AI takes over, the more space we have to lean into the things that machines simply can’t do. Let’s explore how this shift is evolving and why creativity is quickly becoming the most valuable skill in the workplace.

https://www.futureskillpro.com/p/the-ai-paradox-why-automation-will

Memorandum on Advancing the United States’ Leadership in Artificial Intelligence; Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Fulfill National Security Objectives; and Fostering the Safety, Security, and Trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence - the White House

This memorandum fulfills the directive set forth in subsection 4.8 of Executive Order 14110 of October 30, 2023 (Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence).  This memorandum provides further direction on appropriately harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) models and AI-enabled technologies in the United States Government, especially in the context of national security systems (NSS), while protecting human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, and safety in AI-enabled national security activities.  A classified annex to this memorandum addresses additional sensitive national security issues, including countering adversary use of AI that poses risks to United States national security.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/10/24/memorandum-on-advancing-the-united-states-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence-harnessing-artificial-intelligence-to-fulfill-national-security-objectives-and-fostering-the-safety-security/

Anthropic’s agentic Computer Use is giving people ‘superpowers’ - Taryn Plumb, Venture Beat

Still in beta, Computer Use allows Claude to work autonomously and use a computer essentially as a human does. The groundbreaking capability has broad implications for the future of work, as it can work essentially on its own, perform repetitive tasks and quickly gather up data from numerous disparate sources. “Anthropic just released the most amazing AI technology I’ve ever used. I’m not kidding,” startup founder Alex Finn posted to X (formerly Twitter). “It’s legit changing day to day.”AI agents are here and you can now build your own personal army of AI's that will do work for you. Here is your demo and complete beginner's guide:

https://venturebeat.com/ai/anthropics-agentic-computer-use-is-giving-people-superpowers/

SynthID: Identifying AI-generated content with SynthID - Google Deep Mind

Being able to identify AI-generated content is critical to promoting trust in information. While not a silver bullet for addressing problems such as misinformation or misattribution, SynthID is a suite of promising technical solutions to this pressing AI safety issue. This toolkit is currently launched in beta and continues to evolve. It’s now being integrated into a growing range of products, helping empower people and organizations to responsibly work with AI-generated content. SynthID uses a variety of deep learning models and algorithms for watermarking and identifying AI-generated content.

https://deepmind.google/technologies/synthid/

Intelligent Agents in AI Really Can Work Alone. Here’s How. - Tom Coshow, Gartner

Today’s AI models perform tasks such as generating text, but these are “prompted” — the AI isn’t acting by itself. That is about to change with agentic AI, or AI with agency. By 2028, 33% of enterprise software applications will include agentic AI, up from less than 1% in 2024, enabling 15% of day-to-day work decisions to be made autonomously. Intelligent agents in AI are goal-driven software entities that use AI techniques to complete tasks and achieve goals. They don’t require explicit inputs and don’t produce predetermined outputs. Instead, they can receive instructions, create a plan and use tooling to complete tasks, and produce dynamic outputs. Examples include AI agents, machine customers and multiagent systems.

https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/intelligent-agent-in-ai

Can Anthropic’s Claude control your PC? - Martin Crowley, AI Tool Report

Anthropic unveiled an updated Claude 3.5 Sonnet (which is available in public beta) with a new feature, called ‘Computer Use,’ which completes tasks on a computer like a human does. ‘Computer Use’ can understand and interact with any PC desktop app, and can control a PC—by moving the cursor, clicking buttons, and typing text—based on human prompts. For example, when Claude was asked to plan an outing with two friends, to see the Golden Gate Bridge, it opened Chrome, searched for the ideal viewing spot and times, and then used the calendar app to create and send invites out. All by itself. Claude can now see what’s on the PC screen (something it couldn't do, previously) and break the prompt down into a list of computer commands, like move the cursor, click here, or type this, to complete the task.

https://www.aitoolreport.com/articles/can-anthropics-claude-control-your-pc

Ellucian's AI Survey of Higher Education Professionals Reveals Surge in AI Adoption Despite Concerns Around Privacy and Bias - Ellucian

Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, released its second annual AI survey report. This report shows that AI adoption by higher education professionals for work and personal use has more than doubled over the past year. In a survey of 445 faculty and administrators from more than 330 institutions across the U.S. and Canada, 93% expect to expand their AI use for work purposes over the next two years. While the use of AI is growing, the survey also shows increasing concerns. The percentage of respondents worried about bias in AI models rose from 36% in 2023 to 49% in 2024. Similarly, data privacy and security concerns increased from 50% in 2023 to 59% in 2024. These findings reflect a complex mix of enthusiasm and caution across the industry.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ellucians-ai-survey-of-higher-education-professionals-reveals-surge-in-ai-adoption-despite-concerns-around-privacy-and-bias-302282652.html