SUPERHUMAN Coder in 2025? New OpenAI Paper... - Wes Roth, YouTube

This podcast by Wes Roth discusses OpenAI's research paper on competitive programming using large reasoning models (LRMs). It highlights the use of reinforcement learning to improve large language models for complex coding and reasoning tasks. The podcast introduces models like 01, 03, and 01 II, which have shown strong performance in competitive programming benchmarks such as the International Olympiad in Informatics and Codeforces. It explores the progress from AlphaCode to the advanced 03 model, which is nearing superhuman coding abilities. The discussion also considers the broader implications of AI in software engineering and the job market, and compares domain-specific models with general-purpose models, suggesting that scaled-up, general models with reinforcement learning are more promising for advanced [approaching superhuman] AI in reasoning. (summary provided by Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with reasoning across Google apps)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuP1z6P26zU&t=0s

Groundbreaking BBC research shows issues with over half the answers from Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants

New BBC research published today provides a warning around the use of AI assistants to answer questions about news, with factual errors and the misrepresentation of source material affecting AI assistants.

The findings are concerning, and show:

51% of all AI answers to questions about the news were judged to have significant issues of some form

19% of AI answers which cited BBC content introduced factual errors – incorrect factual statements, numbers and dates

13% of the quotes sourced from BBC articles were either altered or didn’t actually exist in that article.

https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2025/bbc-research-shows-issues-with-answers-from-artificial-intelligence-assistants

Thinking Out Loud With AI - Ray Schroeder Inside Higher Ed

I had the pleasure recently to participate in a lifelong learning session with a group of mostly current or retired educators at my nearby Lincoln Land Community College. The topic was AI in education. It became clear to me that many in our field are challenged to keep up with the rapidly emerging developments in AI. While OpenAI's latest version of Deep Research is not available to the general public at this time, online demonstrations show that this very powerful tool conducts both reasoning and far-reaching analysis. It puts us on the cusp of artificial general intelligence. In addition, with the advent of new competitors both here and abroad, we are seeing new options for open-source models and alternative approaches. As these become more efficient and reliable, prices are headed lower while features continue to expand. The vision of AGI seems only months, not years, away. How are these highly advanced tools going to  be used by your university to enhance teaching, learning, research and other mission-centric tasks? 

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/online-trending-now/2025/02/19/thinking-out-loud-ai

A new operating model for people management: More personal, more tech, more human - McKinsey

The way organizations manage their most important assets—their people—is ready for a fundamental transformation. New technologies, hybrid working practices, multigenerational workforces, heightened geopolitical risks, and other major dis A new operating model for people management: More personal, more tech, more human - McKinsey ruptions are prompting leaders to rethink their methods for attracting, developing, and retaining employees. In the past year alone, for instance, we have seen more and more companies adopt, innovate, and invest in technology—particularly in gen AI—in ways that have spurred more changes to people operations than we have observed in the past decade.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/a-new-operating-model-for-people-management-more-personal-more-tech-more-human

Does OpenAI's Deep Research signal the end of human-only scholarship? - Andrew Maynard, The Future of Being Human

This past Sunday, OpenAI launched Deep Research — an extension of its growing platform of AI tools, and one which the company claims is an “agent that can do work for you independently … at the level of a research analyst.” I got access to the new tool first thing yesterday morning, and immediately put it to work on a project I’ve been meaning to explore for some time: writing a comprehensive framing paper on navigating advanced technology transitions. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but I didn’t anticipate being impressed as much as I was. I’m well aware of the debates and discussions around whether current advances in AI are substantial, or merely smoke and mirrors hype. But even given the questions and limitations here, I find myself beginning to question the value of human-only scholarship in the emerging age of AI. And my experiences with Deep Research have only enhanced this.

https://futureofbeinghuman.com/p/openai-deep-research-ai-scholarship

GPT-5 Will Be Smarter Than Me: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman - Office Chai

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that GPT-5 — the company’s upcoming large language model — will be smarter than he is. “How many people feel they are smarter than GPT 4? ” he asked the audience at an event, and several hands went up. “Okay, how many of you think you’re still going to be smarter than GPT 5?” he asked, and slightly fewer hands went up. “I don’t think I’m going to be smarter than GPT 5,” Altman declared.

https://officechai.com/ai/gpt-5-will-be-smarter-than-me-openai-ceo-sam-altman/

Google Rolls Back AI Promises and DEI Measures as Staff Ask, ‘Are We the Bad Guys Now?’ - Kit Eaton, Inc.

Google used to have an ethical promise baked into its AI guidelines that forbade the technology giant from using AI to build weapons, surveillance systems, or things that “cause or are likely to cause overall harm.” It was a comforting notion to Google’s staff and the general public, given the billions the company spends on cutting-edge research and development. It even smacked of some famous science-fiction safety mantras like Isaac Asimov’s laws of robotics, which forbid smart tech injuring human beings. But Google just refreshed its rules and deleted these clauses. As Business Insider reports, this has upset some Googlers, who have taken to internal discussion boards to vent their concerns. As Google also moves to unwind some long-held U.S. workforce diversity and equality policies, the question arises: How will Google’s workers react to big cultural shifts that may change the feel of working for the company?

https://www.inc.com/kit-eaton/google-rolls-back-ai-promises-and-dei-measures-as-staff-ask-are-we-the-bad-guys-now/91144421

OpenAI now reveals more of its o3-mini model’s thought process - Kyle Wiggers, Tech Crunch

In response to pressure from rivals including Chinese AI company DeepSeek, OpenAI is changing the way its newest AI model, o3-mini, communicates its step-by-step “thought” process. On Thursday, OpenAI announced that free and paid users of ChatGPT, the company’s AI-powered chatbot platform, will see an updated “chain of thought” that shows more of the model’s “reasoning” steps and how it arrived at answers to questions. Subscribers to premium ChatGPT plans who use o3-mini in the “high reasoning” configuration will also see this updated readout, according to OpenAI.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/06/openai-now-reveals-more-of-its-o3-mini-models-thought-process/

Exploring the use of ChatGPT in higher education - PLOS, Techexplorist

An international survey study involving more than 23,000 higher education students reveals trends in how they use and experience ChatGPT, highlighting both positive perceptions and awareness of the AI chatbot’s limitations. Dejan Ravšelj of the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 5, 2025. Prior research suggests that ChatGPT can enhance learning, despite concerns about its role in academic integrity, potential impacts on critical thinking, and occasionally inaccurate responses. However, the few studies exploring student perceptions of ChatGPT in higher education have been limited in scope. Ravšelj and colleagues designed an anonymous online survey study aiming to provide a broader view.

https://www.techexplorist.com/exploring-chatgpt-higher-education/96735/

ChatGPT Search is now free for everyone, no OpenAI account required – is it time to ditch Google? - John-Anthony Disotto, Tech Radar

ChatGPT Search no longer requires an OpenAI account. You can access the AI search engine for free without logging in. ChatGPT Search lets you browse the web directly from within the world's most popular chatbot. ChatGPT Search is now available to everyone, regardless of whether you're signed into an OpenAI account or not. OpenAI announced the major update on X, bringing ChatGPT Search to the masses, without creating an account or giving any personal information to the world leaders in AI.

https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/chatgpt-search-is-now-free-for-everyone-no-openai-account-required-is-it-time-to-ditch-google

ChatGPT's Deep Research just identified 20 jobs it will replace. Is yours on the list? - Sabrina Ortiz, ZDnet

Min Choi, an X user whose account is dedicated to sharing informational AI content, asked Deep Research to "List 20 jobs that OpenAI o3 reasoning model will replace huma n with into a table format ordered by probability. Columns are Rank, Job, Why Better Than Human, Probability." Choi then shared the results of the chat via an X post, which has since garnered 984,000 views:

https://chatgpt.com/share/67a17688-7dbc-8013-b843-9812b97b6c83

https://www.zdnet.com/article/chatgpts-deep-research-just-identified-20-jobs-it-will-replace-is-yours-on-the-list/

A new operating model for people management: More personal, more tech, more human - McKinsey

The way organizations manage their most important assets—their people—is ready for a fundamental transformation. New technologies, hybrid working practices, multigenerational workforces, heightened geopolitical risks, and other major disruptions are prompting leaders to rethink their methods for attracting, developing, and retaining employees. In the past year alone, for instance, we have seen more and more companies adopt, innovate, and invest in technology—particularly in gen AI—in ways that have spurred more changes to people operations than we have observed in the past decade.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/a-new-operating-model-for-people-management-more-personal-more-tech-more-human

The Industry Reacts to OpenAI's Deep Research - "Hard Takeoff" - Matthew Berman, YouTube

Matthew Berman responds to the release of OpenAI's "Deep Research." Generalized PhD: Deep Research's performance on STEM benchmarks surpasses that of human PhDs, demonstrating the potential for AI to outperform humans in specialized fields. Economic Impact: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, estimates that Deep Research can already accomplish a single-digit percentage of all economically valuable tasks in the world. Game Changer for Research: Deep Research is being used in various fields, including medicine, to assist with research, publishing, and even patient care. Google's Response: Google employees have expressed surprise and amusement at OpenAI's decision to name their product Deep Research, which is the same name as Google's research product. Overall, the podcast conveys a sense of excitement and urgency about the rapid advancements in AI and the potential impact on society. Berman emphasizes the importance of understanding and adapting to these changes as AI continues to evolve. (summary provided in part by Gemini 2.0)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4hGKsLaKfk

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warns: AI will match ‘country of geniuses’ by 2026 - Michael Nuñez, Venture Beat

AI will match the collective intelligence of “a country of geniuses” within two years, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned in a sharp critique of this week’s AI Action Summit in Paris. His timeline — targeting 2026 or 2027 — marks one of the most specific predictions yet from a major AI leader about the technology’s advancement toward superintelligence. Amodei labeled the Paris summit a “missed opportunity,” challenging the international community’s leisurely pace toward AI governance. His warning arrives at a pivotal moment, as democratic and authoritarian nations compete for dominance in AI development.

https://venturebeat.com/ai/anthropic-ceo-dario-amodei-warns-ai-will-match-country-of-geniuses-by-2026/

OpenAI DEEP RESEARCH Surprises Everyone "Feel the AGI" Moment is here... - Wes Roth, YouTube

Wes Roth is discussing OpenAI's latest release, a new AI agent with deep research capabilities. This agent can conduct multi-step research on the internet, synthesize information, and reason about it, taking up to 30 minutes to return comprehensive answers. This technology has shown impressive results on benchmarks like "Humanity's Last Exam" and has the potential to revolutionize fields like medicine, as demonstrated by a personal story shared by an OpenAI employee. The agent's ability to access and process information, including personal data, makes it a powerful tool for research and decision-making. While currently available on the Pro Plan, this feature will soon be accessible to a wider audience, promising significant changes in how people access and utilize information. (summary provided by Gemini 2.0 Flash)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sdUG1FtzH0

OpenAI launches ChatGPT for government agencies - Emma Roth, the Verge

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Gov, a version of its flagship chatbot that’s tailored to government agencies. The company says the tool will let US government agencies securely access OpenAI’s frontier models, like GPT-4o. As noted by OpenAI, government agencies can deploy ChatGPT Gov within their own Microsoft Azure cloud instance, making it easier to manage security and privacy requirements. OpenAI says the launch could help advance the use of OpenAI’s tools “for the handling of non-public sensitive data.”

https://www.theverge.com/news/598852/openai-chatgpt-gov-government-agencies

Implementing Artificial Intelligence in Academic and Administrative Processes Through Responsible Strategic Leadership in the Higher Education Institutions - Suleman Ahmad Khairullah, Frontiers in Education

 This review explores the substantial impact of integrating AI in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), from improving education delivery to enhancing student outcomes and streamlining administrative processes and strategic leadership.By catering to the diverse learning needs of students with the help of tools that directly affect academics, monitor student engagement and performance, and provide data-driven interventions, AI offers what the HEIs have long been waiting for to revolutionise the overall Higher Education landscape. This review also highlights that with AI's ability to streamline administrative tasks by enhancing admissions and enrolment processes, academic records management system, and financial aid and scholarships processes, AI not only facilitates improving the overall processes but also makes staff and faculty members focus less on mundane and monotonous tasks, hence concentrating more on the responsibilities and strategic initiatives that require focused attention.We identified that the key to unlocking the significant potential of AI is responsible strategic leadership.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1548104/abstract

OPENAI ROADMAP UPDATE FOR GPT-4.5 and GPT-5: - Sam Altman, X

We want to do a better job of sharing our intended roadmap, and a much better job simplifying our product offerings. We want AI to “just work” for you; we realize how complicated our model and product offerings have gotten. We hate the model picker as much as you do and want to return to magic unified intelligence. We will next ship GPT-4.5, the model we called Orion internally, as our last non-chain-of-thought model. After that, a top goal for us is to unify o-series models and GPT-series models by creating systems that can use all our tools, know when to think for a long time or not, and generally be useful for a very wide range of tasks. In both ChatGPT and our API, we will release GPT-5 as a system that integrates a lot of our technology, including o3. We will no longer ship o3 as a standalone model. The free tier of ChatGPT will get unlimited chat access to GPT-5 at the standard intelligence setting (!!), subject to abuse thresholds. Plus subscribers will be able to run GPT-5 at a higher level of intelligence, and Pro subscribers will be able to run GPT-5 at an even higher level of intelligence. These models will incorporate voice, canvas, search, deep research, and more.

https://x.com/sama/status/1889755723078443244

Leading Through Disruption: Higher Education Leaders Assess AI’s Impacts on Teaching and Learning - Elon University and AAC&U

Higher education leaders grapple with difficult challenges as artificial intelligence tools spread on campus, but they think there will eventually be better student learning outcomes as teaching models change. The spread of artificial intelligence tools in education has disrupted key aspects of teaching and learning on the nation’s campuses and will likely lead to significant changes in classwork, student assignments and even the role of colleges and universities in the country, according to a national survey of higher education leaders. The survey was conducted Nov. 4-Dec. 7, 2024, by the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center.

https://imaginingthedigitalfuture.org/collaborations/ai_higher_ed_survey_jan2025/

DeepSeek R1 Replicated for $30 | Berkley's STUNNING Breakthrough Sparks a Revolution - Wes Roth, YouTube

\Researchers at UC Berkeley have replicated the core technology of DeepSeek's R1 AI model for only $30. This is a significant breakthrough that could democratize AI research. The Berkeley team was able to achieve similar results to DeepSeek's R1 model, which was trained on a massive dataset of text and code. The Berkeley team's model was able to learn how to play the game of Go without any human data, solely through self-play. This breakthrough could lead to the development of more sophisticated AI models that can be used for a variety of tasks. The research is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to revolutionize the field of AI. (summary provided by Gemini  2.0)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_h8xt0X1Kg&t=0

When Academia Meets AI: A Journey Toward Ethical Innovation - Sol Saga

The evolving landscape of global challenges, such as climate change, technological disruptions, and societal inequalities, necessitates innovative approaches to knowledge creation and dissemination. Traditional academic structures often operate within rigid disciplinary boundaries, which can hinder holistic understanding and collaboration. Interdisciplinary education and research have emerged as transformative strategies to bridge these gaps, fostering new ways of thinking, learning, and solving complex problems. This conference, “Rethinking Academia: Interdisciplinary Strategies for Knowledge Creation and Collaboration,” seeks to explore how academia can evolve to address future humanistic challenges by embracing interdisciplinary approaches. It aims to create a platform for educators, researchers, and policymakers to reimagine the role of academic institutions in preparing learners for the complexities of the 21st century.

https://solsaga.in/when-academia-meets-ai-a-journey-toward-ethical-innovation/

Building Colossus: Supermicro’s groundbreaking AI supercomputer built for Elon Musk’s xAI - Venture Beat

The team at xAI, partnering with Supermicro and NVIDIA, is building the largest liquid-cooled GPU cluster deployment in the world. It’s a massive AI supercomputer that encompasses over 100,000 NVIDIA HGX H100 GPUs, exabytes of storage and lightning-fast networking, all built to train and power Grok, a generative AI chatbot developed by xAI. The multi-billion-dollar data facility, based in Memphis, TN went from an empty building, without any of the necessary power generators, transformers or multiple hall structure to a production AI supercomputer in just 122 days. To help the world understand the extraordinary achievement of the xAI Colossus cluster, VentureBeat is excited to share this exclusive detailed video tour, made possible by Supermicro, and produced by ServeTheHome.

https://venturebeat.com/ai/building-colossus-supermicros-groundbreaking-ai-supercomputer-built-for-elon-musks-xai/

Student-AI Relationships: The Rise of Artificial Intimacy - Kris Hendrikx, Diggit

Understanding Parasocial Relationships in the Digital Era In today’s digital age, where  influencers and celebrities are increasingly visible, and social media continuously offers access to their lives, the phenomenon of parasocial relationships is widespread. Parasocial relationships traditionally refer to one-sided connections where individuals feel a sense of intimacy or closeness with media figures through mediated communication (Bahmanmirza, 2022). With the rise of social media, interactivity – such as through comments – has somewhat increased. However, the rise of interactive AI like ChatGPT has created a situation whereusers can actually interact with the entity with which they experience a parasocial relationship. This means that the rise of artificial intelligence has added a new dynamic to parasocial relationships. 

https://www.diggitmagazine.com/student-ai-relationships-rise-artificial-intimacy

OpenAI launches ChatGPT for government agencies - Emma Roth, the Verge

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Gov, a version of its flagship chatbot that’s tailored to government agencies. The company says the tool will let US government agencies securely access OpenAI’s frontier models, like GPT-4o. As noted by OpenAI, government agencies can deploy ChatGPT Gov within their own Microsoft Azure cloud instance, making it easier to manage security and privacy requirements. OpenAI says the launch could help advance the use of OpenAI’s tools “for the handling of non-public sensitive data.”

https://www.theverge.com/news/598852/openai-chatgpt-gov-government-agencies

Chinese firms ‘distilling’ US AI models to create rival products, warns OpenAI - the Guardian

Chinese firms ‘distilling’ US AI models to create rival products, warns OpenAI

ChatGPT maker cites IP protection concerns amid reports DeepSeek used its model to create rival chatbot

openAI has warned that Chinese startups are “constantly” using its technology to develop competing products, amid reports that DeepSeek used the ChatGPT maker’s AI models to create a rival chatbot. OpenAI and its partner Microsoft – which has invested $13bn in the San Francisco-based AI developer – have been investigating whether proprietary technology had been obtained in an unauthorised manner through a technique known as “distillation”. The launch of DeepSeek’s latest chatbot sent markets into a spin on Monday after it topped Apple’s free app store, wiping $1trn from the market value of AI-linked US tech stocks. 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/29/openai-chatgpt-deepseek-china-us-ai-models

The rise of synthetic respondents in market research - Martin Levanti and Courtenay Verret, Nielsen IQ

Synthetic respondents are artificial personas generated by machine learning models to mimic human responses. When informed by diverse datasets, these “stand-in consumers” can be used to quickly evaluate new product concepts. The overnight rush to launch synthetic feedback tools has posed a dilemma for the market research industry, primarily due to AI’s ability to produce convincing—but sometimes unsubstantiated—output. In this article, we share three characteristics of best-in-class synthetic models—and why a “fake it ‘til you make it” approach won’t suffice. [Ray's note: Imagine synthetic students to stimulate class discussions and to engage self-paced learners]

https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/education/2024/the-rise-of-synthetic-respondents/

She lost her scholarship over an AI allegation — and it impacted her mental health - Rachel Hale, USA TODAY

University of North Georgia student Marley Stevens was sitting in her car when she got the email notification: Her professor had given her a zero on a paper and accused her of using artificial intelligence to cheat. Her offense? Using Grammarly, a spell check plug-in that utilizes AI, to proofread a paper. Despite the tool being listed as a recommended resource on UNG’s site, Stevens was put on academic probation after a misconduct and appeals process that lasted six months. Getting a zero on the paper impacted her GPA, and she lost her scholarship as a result. She was already taking Lexapro for diagnosed anxiety and struggling with a chronic heart condition before the ordeal. In the months during and after, her mental health plummeted.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/01/22/college-students-ai-allegations-mental-health/77723194007/

Survey: Higher Ed Leaders Doubt Student Preparedness for AI - Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, The Charlotte Observer

A survey of 337 university administrators found most were optimistic about artificial intelligence, but also concerned about cheating and student readiness for work environments where AI skills will be important. Considering this, the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and North Carolina’s Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center conducted a survey of 337 university presidents, chancellors, provosts, rectors, academic affairs vice presidents, and academic deans on the impact of GenAI tools on campuses. The majority of leaders believed students were using AI tools to complete their coursework, with 89 percent estimating that at least half of students use the tools. Despite this, when asked how prepared they felt their spring 2024 graduates were in terms of understanding and using AI, only 1 percent thought they were “very prepared,” while 40 percent thought they were “somewhat prepared,” 53 percent thought they were “not very prepared,” and 6 percent thought they were “not at all prepared.”

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/survey-higher-ed-leaders-doubt-student-preparedness-for-ai

Anthropic chief says AI could surpass “almost all humans at almost everything” shortly after 2027 - Benj Edwards, Ars Technica

On Tuesday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted that AI models may surpass human capabilities "in almost everything" within two to three years, according to a Wall Street Journal interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Speaking at Journal House in Davos, Amodei said, "I don't know exactly when it'll come, I don't know if it'll be 2027. I think it's plausible it could be longer than that. I don't think it will be a whole bunch longer than that when AI systems are better than humans at almost everything. Better than almost all humans at almost everything. And then eventually better than all humans at everything, even robotics."

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/01/anthropic-chief-says-ai-could-surpass-almost-all-humans-at-almost-everything-shortly-after-2027/

AI agents may soon surpass people as primary application users - Joe McKendrick, ZDnet

Tomorrow's application users may look quite different than what we know today -- and we're not just talking about more GenZers. Many users may actually be autonomous AI agents.  That's the word from a new set of predictions for the decade ahead issued by Accenture, which highlights how our future is being shaped by AI-powered autonomy. By 2030, agents -- not people -- will be the "primary users of most enterprises' internal digital systems," the study's co-authors state. By 2032, "interacting with agents surpasses apps in average consumer time spent on smart devices."

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ai-agents-may-soon-surpass-people-as-primary-application-users/

Setting a Context for Agentic AI in Higher Ed - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

On Jan. 23, OpenAI released a research preview of an agent called Operator, level 3, that can use its own browser to perform tasks for users. The tool is still in preview. It will require further development and refinement. Yet, this early version of a computer-using agent shows the enormous potential of the tool to enhance and enable efficiency and effectiveness in daily use in higher education teaching, learning and administration. Still to come this year is likely to be the level-4 Innovator that will mark artificial general intelligence. The AGI definition varies, but centers on an AI tool that encompasses broadly the collective knowledge and intelligence of a human. There is speculation that AGI does already exist in developmental models at the frontier AI enterprises such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Google, Anthropic, Meta and others. It may be two more years before the awe-inspiring artificial super intelligent tools are released.

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/online-trending-now/2025/02/04/setting-context-agentic-ai-higher-ed

How are colleges handling AI? An Elon University survey asked. - Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, NewsObserver

And while opinions on these generative artificial intelligence tools (tools that create content) such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and CoPilot are mixed — one thing is clear. They’re here to stay and likely to become more and more prevalent. Considering this, the American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and North Carolina’s Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center conducted a survey of 337 university presidents, chancellors, provosts, rectors, academic affairs vice presidents, and academic deans on the impact of GenAI tools on campuses. What they found was that while a majority of leaders were optimistic about the use of this technology, many had concerns, including:

students developing an over-reliance on GenAI.

academic integrity.

exacerbating inequalities stemming from the digital divide.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article298982745.html

DeepSeek’s Safety Guardrails Failed Every Test Researchers Threw at Its AI Chatbot - Matt Burgess, Wired

Ever since OpenAI released ChatGPT at the end of 2022, hackers and security researchers have tried to find holes in large language models (LLMs) to get around their guardrails and trick them into spewing out hate speech, bomb-making instructions, propaganda, and other harmful content. In response, OpenAI and other generative AI developers have refined their system defenses to make it more difficult to carry out these attacks. But as the Chinese AI platform DeepSeek rockets to prominence with its new, cheaper R1 reasoning model, its safety protections appear to be far behind those of its established competitors. Today, security researchers from Cisco and the University of Pennsylvania are publishing findings showing that, when tested with 50 malicious prompts designed to elicit toxic content, DeepSeek’s model did not detect or block a single one. In other words, the researchers say they were shocked to achieve a “100 percent attack success rate.”

https://www.wired.com/story/deepseeks-ai-jailbreak-prompt-injection-attacks/

‘A death penalty’: Ph.D. student says U of M expelled him over unfair AI allegation - Feven Gerezgiher, MPR News

The University of Minnesota expelled a third-year health economics Ph.D. student in November after faculty accused him of using artificial intelligence on an exam. He denies their claims and, this month, filed a lawsuit accusing the U of M of violating his due process. He has also filed a defamation suit against one of his professors.  In a federal lawsuit, Haishan Yang, 33, alleges a student conduct review panel unjustly found him guilty of academic dishonesty through a process riddled with “procedural flaws, reliance on altered evidence, and denial of adequate notice and opportunity to respond.”  The review was prompted by accusations that Yang used a large language model like ChatGPT on a written preliminary exam, which doctoral students must pass to start their dissertation.  

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/01/17/phd-student-says-university-of-minnesota-expelled-him-over-ai-allegation

DeepSeek R1 - o1 Performance, Completely Open-Source - Matthew Berman, YouTube

Matthew Berman, in this video discusses the release of DeepSeek R1, an open-source AI model with capabilities comparable to OpenAI's O1. The model is completely open source, including its weights, and is licensed under MIT license, allowing for free commercial and non-commercial use. The YouTuber highlights DeepSeek R1's impressive performance on various benchmarks, where it matches or even surpasses O1 in several tasks. The model's open-source nature is emphasized, with the speaker predicting a surge of similar open-source models in the near future. The video also covers DeepSeek R1's pricing, which is significantly lower than O1, showcasing the impact of open source on cost reduction and competition. The YouTuber demonstrates the model's reasoning abilities through tests like counting the 'r's in "strawberry" and tracking a marble's position after a series of movements. (summary mostly by Gemini 1.5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KRKqLaVYQU

For AI to make government work better, reduce risk and increase transparency - Valerie Wirtschafter, Brookings

A growing body of research highlights the benefits of using AI in the workplace. Examples from recent federal deployments of AI-enabled tools and other technological solutions show clear promise. For so-called “high impact service providers”—public-facing departments of federal agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service or Customs and Border Protection—any AI-backed performance gains could improve Americans’ perceptions of the U.S. government’s overall competence.  However, a “move fast and break things” approach that leverages technology to improve government efficiency could also have significant consequences. 

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/for-ai-to-make-government-work-better-reduce-risk-and-increase-transparency/

"Super Agent" and THE END Of Human Work - Wes Roth, YouTube

Roth discusses recent rumors and developments in the field of AI, including:

• Mark Zuckerberg's statements on replacing mid-level engineers with AI, and subsequent layoffs at Facebook.
• OpenAI's upcoming announcement of "PhD-level super agents," AI capable of complex human tasks, and its potential impact on various sectors.
• The US government's involvement in AI development, with a focus on national security and the AI arms race with China.
• The potential for AI to lead to catastrophe or improve human life, and the importance of a balanced approach to AI development.
• The role of AI in the workforce, and the potential for job displacement.
• The importance of staying ahead in the AI race, and the potential consequences of falling behind.

Roth also discusses the views of various experts and leaders on AI, including Jake Sullivan, Mark Andreessen, and Leopold Aschenbrenner. He concludes by emphasizing the rapid pace of AI development and the potential for significant changes in the near future.

https://youtu.be/SyQJoih7uQU?si=rOD8a4UVyjnxQsn5

Salesforce Founder on Why They Aren’t Hiring More Engineers - MOONSHOTS, Peter H. Diamandis

This video features a discussion with the Salesforce Founder, where they explain the company's decision to not hire more engineers despite predicting a 30% increase in productivity.

The key takeaways are:

Increased productivity through AI: The company has been able to achieve a 30% increase in productivity due to the implementation of AI and automation technologies. This has allowed them to deliver technology and capabilities faster than ever before.

Rebalancing workforce: Instead of hiring more engineers, Salesforce is rebalancing its existing workforce, including customer support engineers, into new areas of the company. This is made possible by the increased efficiency and automation brought about by AI.

Focus on Agentic platform: Salesforce is focusing on its Agentic platform, which enables companies to connect with their customers in new ways using AI. The platform has seen rapid adoption with over 1,500 paid implementations.

https://youtu.be/ey_MM1x-mu4?si=d9OjotpVCh1lI8Ed

Teen ChatGPT Usage Surges: What Does This Mean for Education? - Alex McFarland, Unite.ai

The latest Pew Research data shows 26% of teens are now using ChatGPT for schoolwork, up from 13% in 2023.

79% of teens now know about ChatGPT (up from 67%)

32% say they know a lot about it (up from 23%)

About a quarter of 9th and 10th graders are ChatGPT users

https://www.unite.ai/teen-chatgpt-usage-surges-what-does-this-mean-for-education/

An AI Chatbot Took A Graduate Course And Got An A. No One Noticed. - Forbes

\For nearly an entire semester last year, a student enrolled in an online Masters-level course in health administration at a University in South Carolina was doing really well, participating in class discussion boards, contributing to live online seminars, and getting very high marks on written work and quizzes. But it was not a student at all. It was an AI chatbot – ChatGPT (GPT-4) – surreptitiously enrolled in the course as part of a test by academic researchers. They wanted to see whether a chatbot could do graduate-level coursework, and whether the work of a chatbot would be noticed or caught by anyone.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2025/01/17/an-ai-chatbot-took-a-graduate-course-and-got-an-a-no-one-noticed/

Researchers STUNNED As AI Improves ITSELF Towards Superintelligence - Wes Roth, YouTube

This podcast talks about the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly the development of reasoning models like OpenAI's 01 and DeepSeek's R1. These models are capable of "thinking" behind the scenes and using that data to answer questions, leading to significant improvements in AI performance. The podcast highlights the concept of knowledge distillation, where these reasoning models are used to train smaller, more efficient models like the 03 mini and DeepSeek V3. This process allows for the creation of AI models that are faster, cheaper, and even more intelligent than their predecessors. The discussion also touches on the potential for AI to recursively self-improve, leading to an intelligence explosion or singularity. This is driven by the possibility of AI automating AI research and development, allowing for rapid advancements in AI capabilities. (summary provided by Gemini 1.5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy8tKHVSJfo

OpenAI employees “crazy hint” that ASI has been successfully developed internally? It was revealed that GPT-5 was trained but hidden - PassionateGeeks

OpenAI, something big is happening! Various revelations have come out recently. For example, OpenAI has crossed the critical point of “recursive self-improvement”, o4 and o5 have been able to automate AI research and development, and has even OpenAI developed GPT-5? OpenAI employees are flooding in with revelations, wildly suggesting that ASI has been developed internally. There is even a rumor that OpenAI and Anthropic have trained GPT-5 level models, but they have chosen to “sleep”. The reason is that although the model has strong capabilities, the operating cost is too high. It is more cost-effective to use GPT-5 to distill models such as GPT-4o, o1, and o3.

https://passionategeekz.com/openai-employees-crazy-hint-that-asi-has-been-successfully-developed-internally-it-was-revealed-that-gpt-5-was-trained-but-hidden/

Rumors are swirling that OpenAI is on the brink of AGI and ASI - Chris Smith, BGR

We’ve been waiting for a big ChatGPT upgrade for months now, but OpenAI has yet to announce one. Sure, the company had a monster month of announcements in December. OpenAI took the o1 reasoning model out of beta, making it available to more ChatGPT users. The text-to-video Sora tool is now available to users in certain markets. The o3 reasoning model has also been announced and is currently undergoing testing. These are just a few of the AI announcements OpenAI made in December, but there’s no word on when the GPT-4o upgrade will drop. Unofficially, reports say that ChatGPT GPT-5, or whatever it ends up being called, is running behind schedule, as OpenAI has had issues training the next-gen AI model. OpenAI isn’t the only AI company experiencing such problems.

https://bgr.com/tech/rumors-are-swirling-that-openai-is-on-the-brink-of-agi-and-asi/

How Will AI Fundamentally Transform Our Economy? - Anton Korinek, U of Virginia Darden School of Business

AI is about to fundamentally transform our economic system in ways that are comparable to the Industrial Revolution. Just as that earlier transition moved us from the Middle Ages to our modern industrial economy, AI will usher in an entirely new economic paradigm. The technology is rapidly advancing, with the potential to automate both cognitive and physical work across virtually all sectors. Still, there is significant uncertainty about the timeline and extent of these changes. Some experts predict transformative advances within the next year or two, while others expect more gradual changes, in a range of five to 10 years from now. What’s clear is that AI is already affecting productivity and starting to affect labor markets and financial systems.

https://news.darden.virginia.edu/2025/01/16/how-will-ai-fundamentally-transform-our-economy/

ChatGPT’s NEW Task Scheduling Feature is MIND BLOWING (automates any task) - "Rob the AI Guy," YouTube

This video is about the new task feature of ChatGPT. The speaker introduces the feature and how to use it. The speaker also provides six prompts that viewers can start implementing today. The speaker believes that this is the biggest update that OpenAI has ever released. This video shows you how to use OpenAI’s new ChatGPT feature tasks to schedule out tasks in the future. If you want to learn more about ChatGPT’s new feature or how AI agents are changing in 2025 this video is for you.

https://youtu.be/6d4AIwWETLU?si=bV9j_Nm5-m87ZzvV

Microsoft Launches Quantum Ready Program for Business - Berenice Baker, IOT World Today

The Quantum Ready program focuses on four key areas:

Hybrid Applications: Encouraging the development of applications that integrate quantum and classical computing to address current business challenges and future opportunities.

Strategic Skilling: Providing workforce training to bridge the quantum expertise gap, as 76% of leaders report that lacking quantum skills hinders innovation.

Quantum-Safe Security: Offering guidance on adopting new cryptographic standards to ensure long-term security in anticipation of quantum advancements.

Future-Proof Investments: Assisting businesses in aligning their quantum strategies with industry-specific needs to ensure sustainable and relevant investments. 

https://www.iotworldtoday.com/quantum/microsoft-launches-quantum-ready-program-for-business

Ph.D.-level AI super-agent breakthrough expected very soon - Mike Allen & Jim VandeHei, Axios

We've learned that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman — who in September dubbed this "The Intelligence Age," and is in Washington this weekend for the inauguration — has scheduled a closed-door briefing for U.S. government officials in Washington on Jan. 30. Between the lines: A super-agent breakthrough could push generative AI from a fun, cool, aspirational tool to a true replacement for human workers. Our sources in the U.S. government and leading AI companies tell us that in recent months, the leading companies have been exceeding projections in AI advancement. OpenAI this past week released an "Economic Blueprint" arguing that with the right rules and infrastructure investments, AI can "catalyze a reindustrialization across the country."

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/19/ai-superagent-openai-meta

How should we test AI for human-level intelligence? OpenAI’s o3 electrifies quest - Nicola Jones, Nature

Some researchers think AI systems will reach human-level intelligence soon; others think it’s far away. The technology firm OpenAI made headlines last month when its latest experimental chatbot model, o3, achieved a high score on a test that marks progress towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI’s o3 scored 87.5%, trouncing the previous best score for an artificial intelligence (AI) system of 55.5%. This is “a genuine breakthrough”, says AI researcher François Chollet, who created the test, called Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus for Artificial General Intelligence (ARC-AGI)1, in 2019 while working at Google, based in Mountain View, California. A high score on the test doesn’t mean that AGI — broadly defined as a computing system that can reason, plan and learn skills as well as humans can — has been achieved, Chollet says, but o3 is “absolutely” capable of reasoning and “has quite substantial generalization power”.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00110-6

3 Areas Where AI Will Impact Higher Ed Most in 2025 - Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology

In an open call last month, we asked higher education and ed tech industry leaders for their predictions on developments in artificial intelligence for 2025. Their responses suggested three key areas where AI would have the most impact in higher education: teaching and learning; AI literacy and career readiness; and operations and decision-making. Here's what they told us.

https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2025/01/15/3-Areas-Where-AI-Will-Impact-Higher-Ed-in-2025.aspx

Google inks deal with The Associated Press to bring more real-time info to Gemini - Kyle Wiggers, Tech Crunch

In a bid to make its Gemini chatbot app more of a one-stop shop, Google says it’s working with The Associated Press to build “a feed of real-time information” in Gemini. Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s VP of global news partnerships, said that the goal is to “further enhance the usefulness of results” in the Gemini experience. “As we develop new AI offerings and product[s], we’re identifying specific types of information and data that can help improve our products and services for people everywhere,” Zaidi wrote in a blog post. “This [new feed] will be particularly helpful to our users looking for up-to-date information.” Zaidi gave no indication as to when this feature might arrive in Gemini, nor whether it’ll be visible to users in every region where the app is available.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/15/google-inks-deal-with-the-associated-press-to-bring-more-real-time-info-to-gemini/

SUNY Will Teach Students to ‘Ethically Use AI’ - Johanna Alonzo, Inside Higher Ed

Since the launch of ChatGPT a little over two years ago, universities have struggled to figure out generative artificial intelligence’s place on their campuses. But the State University of New York—which, early on, invested heavily in AI research—has given the technology a place of prominence as a key subject every undergraduate student will be required to study to earn their degree. The university system announced earlier this month that it would adjust one of its “core competencies”—general education requirements that all undergraduate students are required to take—to include education about AI. The change comes alongside others to the system’s general education program, including the addition of a new civic education core competency.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/artificial-intelligence/2025/01/16/suny-adds-ai-education-its-information

Your PC Is About to Get an AI Brain | NVIDIA CES 2025 Changes Everything - Julia McCoy, YouTube

This video highlights a keynote by Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA.  His message is that AI is going to transform the supply chain industry. Nvidia is partnering with key players in the industry to optimize warehouse logistics and reduce waste. Overall, the keynote highlighted the following: 

The convergence of AI, robotics, and computing. This will fundamentally change how we live and work.

The importance of AI agents in the future workforce. Businesses need to start preparing for this shift now.

The rapid pace of AI innovation. 

The future is here, and it's being driven by AI.

(this summary generated in part by Gemini 1.5)

https://youtu.be/QoH6em5aZXg?si=SRXhQoYBg-NXej8X

NVIDIA CEO's Shocking Prediction: "AGI ROBOTS" - Matthew Berman, YouTube

Jensen Wong, CEO of Nvidia, predicts the rise of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and robotics in the near future. He believes that humanoid robots will soon be integrated into various aspects of society because the world is already built for human-like forms. Wong emphasizes the importance of "tokenization" in AI development, allowing for the simulation and prediction of actions like grasping a coffee cup. He also highlights the significance of "Brownfield" robotics, where robots can operate in existing human environments without modifications. Wong further discusses the impact of AI on the workforce, envisioning AI employees in various roles and the need for efficient onboarding processes. He believes AI will revolutionize science and engineering, with generative AI becoming fundamental to research and development across all fields. Wong concludes by emphasizing the transformative potential of AI and its impact on the future of computing and software development. (summary provided by Gemini 1.5)

https://youtu.be/UeXOOYYAiis?si=Lhvv5u3zQSFIFpB9

World models help AI learn what five-year-olds know about gravity - Think, IBM

A toddler knows not to stack bigger blocks on smaller ones. A robot? Not so much. At least until now. Traditional AI models excel at processing text and digital data, but struggle with basic physics that children grasp naturally. NVIDIA aims to change that with NVIDIA Cosmos, a new platform announced at CES 2025 that teaches machines how the physical world works. The technology centers on "world models," AI systems that form internal representations of structure, dynamics and causal relationships. These models could transform how robots and autonomous vehicles navigate real-world environments and help in areas such as weather prediction and medicine.

https://www.ibm.com/think/news/cosmos-ai-world-models

These tech skills drove the biggest salary increases over the past year - Joe McKendrick, ZDnet

Professionals and managers working directly with artificial intelligence (AI) solutions are seeing their compensation shoot upward. These workers also experience greater job satisfaction. That's the word from Dice's latest tech salaries report, based on the responses of 2,835 tech professionals conducted in the fall of 2024. The research also shows how tech workplaces are evolving. Women respondents, who trailblazed in a male-dominated field, say that opportunities and workplace cultures have opened up. Female professionals who have worked in tech for more than two decades are 1.5 times more likely than men to say tech culture has improved over the past 20 years (64% versus 46%).

https://www.zdnet.com/home-and-office/work-life/these-tech-skills-drove-the-biggest-salary-increases-over-the-past-year/

Introduction to Operator & Agents - OpenAI, YouTube

OpenAI launched its first AI agent, Operator, which can use a web browser to accomplish tasks independently. Operator is still in its early research preview, but it can already do a lot of cool things, like booking restaurants and buying groceries. Operator is based on a new model called the computer using agent, or Kua, which is trained to use and control a computer in the same way that humans can. Kua is still under development, but it has already achieved some impressive results on benchmarks like OS World and Web Arena. Open AI is starting to roll out Operator to Pro users in the US, and it will be available to Plus users in the coming months. The API for Operator will be available in a few weeks. (summary provided by Gemini 1.5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSE77wAdDLg

What Is Agentic AI? - Erik Pounds, Nvidia Blog

AI chatbots use generative AI to provide responses based on a single interaction. A person makes a query and the chatbot uses natural language processing to reply. The next frontier of artificial intelligence is agentic AI, which uses sophisticated reasoning and iterative planning to autonomously solve complex, multi-step problems. And it’s set to enhance productivity and operations across industries. Agentic AI systems ingest vast amounts of data from multiple sources to independently analyze challenges, develop strategies and execute tasks like supply chain optimization, cybersecurity vulnerability analysis and helping doctors with time-consuming tasks.

https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/what-is-agentic-ai/

AI agents coming soon to a workplace near you - Emily Peck, Axios

AI technology is advancing rapidly and if you're not already using it at work, brace yourself. Why it matters: That was Sam Altman's message, buried in a blog post. "We believe that, in 2025, we may see the first AI agents 'join the workforce' and materially change the output of companies," writes the OpenAI founder. State of play: The possibility of using AI agents to do work instead of expensive humans has some companies super excited. It's making many workers super anxious. Distinct from an AI chatbot, an AI agent can work autonomously. You tell it what to do, and the agent goes off and does it in the real world. In other words, it could theoretically fully replace a human.

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/10/ai-agents-sam-altman-workers

NVIDIA Unveils STUNNING Mini Supercomputer, AI Agents, World Model (CES 2025) - Matthew Berman, YouTube

Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia, kicked off CES 2025 with a keynote address focused on the rise of AI, particularly agentic AI and its applications in various fields. He highlighted the shift from classical computing to AI-driven computing, where AI models will predict and generate content in real-time, including video game graphics. Huang also introduced NVIDIA Cosmos, a world foundation model designed to simulate the physical world for training AI in areas like robotics and autonomous driving. He predicted the rise of humanoid robots and the growth of the robotics industry, fueled by advancements in AI. Finally, he unveiled Project Digits, a mini supercomputer for home use that can run large language models locally, emphasizing privacy and security.  (summary  provided by GenAI Gemini 1.5)

https://youtu.be/N6xDzN71BYo?si=rne91uXwwDOK9hRn

OpenAI’s secret robot plans revealed - Amanda Greenwood, the AI Report

After it closed the doors on its robotic division in 2020 (to focus on building Large Language Models, capable of achieving Artificial General Intelligence), OpenAI has reopened them again, revealing secret details about its plans to build and mass produce its own set of robots—complete with custom sensors—via several job listing posts. According to the job listings, the newly formed robotic team will focus on developing “general-purpose,” “adaptive,” and “versatile” robots that can operate in real-world, dynamic environments, with human-like intelligence.

https://www.theaireport.ai/articles/openais-secret-robot-plans-revealed

The Rise of Multidisciplinary Research Stimulated by AI Research Tools - Ray Schroeder, Inside Higher Ed

A revolution is quietly taking place in academic and scholarly research prompted by the advent of AI research tools. This will reshape the very nature of our studies and greatly accelerate synergies and collaborations across academic fields.... for the most part, our peer-reviewed academic journals are in only one discipline, although sometimes they welcome papers from closely associated or allied fields. Dissertations are most commonly based in a single discipline. Many of the common frontier language models powering research tools are multidisciplinary by nature, although some are designed with strengths in specific fields. Their responses to our prompts are multidisciplinary. The response to our iterative follow-up prompts can take us to fields and areas of expertise of which we were not previously aware. The replies are not coming solely from a single discipline expert, book or other resource. They are coming from a massive language model that spans disciplines, languages, cultures and millennia.

https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/blogs/online-trending-now/2025/01/22/rise-multidisciplinary-research-stimulated-ai

“Only three jobs will survive AI”: Bill Gates paints a grim picture for the future of work - Smith Noah, JasonDeegan

As technology continues to evolve at a breakneck pace, the future of work is becoming a hot topic of conversation. Renowned tech visionary Bill Gates has recently shared a startling prediction: only three professions will withstand the tidal wave of artificial intelligence (AI) advancements. Gates’ forecast suggests that only three sectors will remain robust in the face of AI disruption: energy, biology, and AI system programming itself. These fields require a level of expertise and adaptability that AI cannot easily replicate. For instance, energy roles involve intricate problem-solving and sustainability efforts that demand human oversight. Similarly, biological sciences require nuanced understanding and empathy, especially in areas like healthcare and biotechnology.  What does this mean for the millions of workers worldwide? Are we truly prepared for this impending revolution? 

https://jasondeegan.com/only-three-jobs-will-survive-ai-bill-gates-paints-a-grim-picture-for-the-future-of-work/

AI’s next leap requires intimate access to your digital life - Gerrit De Vynct, Washington Post

Tech companies are racing to upgrade chatbots like ChatGPT not only to offer answers, but also to take control of a computer to take action on a person’s behalf. Experts in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity warn the technology will require people to expose much more of their digital lives to corporations, potentially bringing new privacy and security problems. In recent weeks, executives from leading AI companies including Google, Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI have all predicted that a new generation of digital helpers termed “AI agents” will completely change how people interact with computers.

https://wapo.st/3CcdkNN

What Are Employers Looking for When Reviewing College Students’ Resumes? - Kevin Gray, NACEweb

Specifically, when asked what attributes they are looking for on resumes, nearly 90% of employers responding to NACE’s Job Outlook 2025 survey indicated they are seeking evidence of a student’s ability to solve problems and nearly 80% are seeking candidates who have strong teamwork skills. (See Figure 1.) Written communication skills, initiative, strong work ethic, and technical skills are important to at least 70% of responding employers. In addition, more than two-thirds seek verbal communication skills, flexibility/adaptability and analytical/quantitative skills in the candidates they recruit.

https://www.naceweb.org/talent-acquisition/candidate-selection/what-are-employers-looking-for-when-reviewing-college-students-resumes

Prophecies of the Flood - Ethan Mollick, One Useful Thing

Recently, something shifted in the AI industry. Researchers began speaking urgently about the arrival of supersmart AI systems, a flood of intelligence. Not in some distant future, but imminently. They often refer AGI - Artificial General Intelligence - defined, albeit imprecisely, as machines that can outperform expert humans across most intellectual tasks. This availability of intelligence on demand will, they argue, change society deeply and will change it soon. Yet, dismissing these predictions as mere hype may not be helpful. Whatever their incentives, the researchers and engineers inside AI labs appear genuinely convinced they're witnessing the emergence of something unprecedented. Their certainty alone wouldn't matter - except that increasingly public benchmarks and demonstrations are beginning to hint at why they might believe we're approaching a fundamental shift in AI capabilities. The water, as it were, seems to be rising faster than expected.

https://www.oneusefulthing.org/p/prophecies-of-the-flood

Gender balance in computer science and engineering is improving at elite universities but getting worse elsewhere - Joseph Cimpian, the Conversation

The share of computer science and engineering degrees going to women has increased at the most selective American universities over the past 20 years and is approaching gender parity, while the proportion has declined at less selective schools. Those are the main findings of a study my colleague and I recently published in the journal Science. Jo R. King and I analyzed over 34 million bachelor’s degrees awarded by nearly 1,600 American universities from 2002 to 2022 – data covering almost all bachelors-degree-granting institutions in the U.S. We wanted to identify which factors best predict parity among men and women in physics, engineering and computer science majors.

https://theconversation.com/gender-balance-in-computer-science-and-engineering-is-improving-at-elite-universities-but-getting-worse-elsewhere-244365

The future of telcos: Mapping the routes to renewed success - McKinsey

In recent years, telcos have repeatedly attempted to turn around their flagging fortunes by embracing agile ways of working, core-adjacent businesses or services, advanced network technologies, and assorted productivity improvements. Yet these piecemeal efforts have not been sufficient to turn the tide. The challenges the industry faces are fundamental and arguably existential, including massive capital requirements and complex underlying issues. Nevertheless, based on our research and experience in the market, including interviews with telco leaders, we see a few viable options for putting the industry on firmer footing. Telcos can reinvent the integrated business and operating model, move away from the integrated approach by delayering or separating into multiple focused entities, or transform into a utility-like organization with greater emphasis on sustainability, efficiency and more government support.

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-future-of-telcos-mapping-the-routes-to-renewed-success

9 AI ‘Impossible’ Inventions That Experts Said Could Never Exist - AI Dark Files, YouTube

This video explores nine examples of AI-generated inventions that were once considered impossible by experts. It highlights how AI is now achieving breakthroughs in various fields, including drug discovery, art creation, and even emotional intelligence. The video showcases instances where AI has surpassed human capabilities, such as designing unique fractal food containers, creating bizarre yet effective antenna shapes for NASA, and discovering new antibiotics. It also delves into the emergence of AI in quantum computing, brain-computer interfaces, and agentic AI systems that can set their own goals and act autonomously. The video emphasizes that AI is no longer just a tool but a co-creator and partner in innovation. It challenges viewers to embrace AI's potential while actively shaping its development through education, ethical guidelines, and cross-disciplinary cooperation. By investing in AI and fostering collaboration, we can ensure that AI serves the common good and continues to push the boundaries of what's possible. (summary provided by GenAI)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrLJEzUxIs0

Understanding And Preparing For The 7 Levels Of AI Agents - Douglas B. Laney, Forbes

The following framework I offer for defining, understanding, and preparing for agentic AI blends foundational work in computer science with insights from cognitive psychology and speculative philosophy. Each of the seven levels represents a step-change in technology, capability, and autonomy. The framework expresses increasing opportunities to innovate, thrive, and transform in a data-fueled and AI-driven digital economy.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/douglaslaney/2025/01/03/understanding-and-preparing-for-the-seven-levels-of-ai-agents/

Music’s New Frontier. How AI is Changing the Game. - Luca Jagger, Qhubo

In the evolving landscape of the music industry, a revolutionary change is underway. Canadian icon Drake is trailblazing into novel territories by blending his artistry with  Artificial Intelligence (AI), hinting at a seismic shift in how music could be crafted soon. Teaming up with a leading tech company, Drake is set to utilize AI-based technology to revolutionize his music production. The AI-driven software is designed to delve into extensive databases of themes, beats, and lyrics, thus offering a fresh lens through which to experience music creation. This venture highlights a growing trend where musicians marry creativity with cutting-edge technology, potentially reshaping artistic boundaries.

https://www.qhubo.com.ni/news2/musics-new-frontier-how-ai-is-changing-the-game/46239/

NVIDIA Unveils STUNNING Mini Supercomputer, AI Agents, World Model (CES 2025) - Matthew Berman, YouTube

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made a splash at CES 2025 with a slew of exciting announcements centered around advancing AI. He introduced the Project Digits, a compact yet powerful AI supercomputer the size of a Mac Mini, priced at $3,000. This device boasts the capability to handle massive AI models with up to 200 billion parameters, making it significantly more powerful than the average laptop. Beyond the hardware, Huang emphasized the rise of "agentic AI," highlighting its potential to revolutionize various fields. He also unveiled new RTX 50 series GPUs, promising enhanced performance, and showcased "Cosmos" foundation models capable of generating photorealistic video for training robots and self-driving cars. These announcements solidify Nvidia's position at the forefront of AI innovation, driving towards a future where AI is more accessible and impactful than ever before. (summary provided by GenAI)

https://youtu.be/N6xDzN71BYo?si=ACVKD7wZjhj2xUJi

Nvidia's mini 'desktop supercomputer' is 1,000 times more powerful than a laptop — and it can fit in your bag News - Keumars Afifi-Sabet, Live Science

Scientists have created a new mini PC that is almost as powerful as a supercomputer but can fit in your bag. The new device, dubbed "Project Digits," is designed for developers, researchers, students and data scientists who work with artificial intelligence (AI). Its uses include running AI models that would have previously required tapping into massive data centers via the cloud, Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang announced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Although the product design has not yet been finalized, it will be small enough to fit on your desk or even in your bag.

https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/nvidias-mini-desktop-supercomputer-is-1-000-times-more-powerful-than-your-laptop-and-can-fit-in-your-pocket

OpenAI is turning its attention to ‘superintelligence’ - Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch

AGI, or artificial general intelligence, is a nebulous term, but OpenAI has its own definition: “highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work.” OpenAI and Microsoft, the startup’s close collaborator and investor, also have a definition of AGI: AI systems that can generate at least $100 billion in profits. When OpenAI achieves this, Microsoft will lose access to its technology, per an agreement between the two companies. So which definition might Altman be referring to? He didn’t specify, but the former seems likeliest. Altman wrote that he thinks AI agents — AI systems that can perform certain tasks autonomously — may “join the workforce,” in a manner of speaking, and “materially change the output of companies” this year.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/05/openai-is-beginning-to-turn-its-attention-to-superintelligence/

Watch "Sam Altman's STUNNING New Statement "EVERYTHING is About to Change" - Wes Roth, YouTube

Sam Altman shared a six-word story on Twitter: "Near the singularity, unclear which side." This statement encapsulates the uncertainty and excitement surrounding the rapid advancement of AI. It also alludes to the simulation hypothesis, suggesting that we may be approaching a point where we can determine if our reality is simulated. In a blog post titled "Reflections," Altman shared his thoughts on the progress of OpenAI and the future of AI. He highlighted the rapid growth of AI, particularly the success of ChatGPT, and the challenges OpenAI has faced in building a company around this new technology. He emphasized the importance of safety and alignment research and expressed confidence in their approach of gradually releasing AI systems into the world. Altman also discussed the future of AI, predicting the emergence of AI agents in the workforce by 2025 and the potential for superintelligence to accelerate scientific discovery and innovation. He acknowledged the concerns and uncertainties surrounding AI but expressed optimism about its potential benefits. (summary provided by GenAI Gemini 1.5)

https://youtu.be/ppWSFpTPXa8?si=olyT2FjNGjsarM4m

Biden drops plan to ban flexible online learning for trade programs - Matt Lamb, the College Fix

President Joe Biden’s administration will no longer try to ban asynchronous learning for trade programs and career certificates. The Biden administration is wrapping up remaining regulations in the final several weeks before President Donald Trump returns to the White House.  It recently announced that while the Department of Education will collect more information on distance education, it will allow schools to use asynchronous learning, in contradiction to a proposed rule.

https://www.thecollegefix.com/biden-drops-plan-to-ban-flexible-online-learning-for-trade-programs/

The AI skills you’ll need for 2025: IBM SkillsBuild education forecast - IBM

This trend is common across industries. A new report from IBM reveals that 87% of executives expect jobs to be augmented rather than replaced by generative AI. As for the human element, the challenge today is that about half (47%) of executives say their people lack the knowledge and skills to effectively implement and scale AI across the enterprise. The answer is that we need to invest in education and upskilling to fully reap the benefits of AI. People are crucial to this effort. With that in mind, here are IBM’s three predictions for education in 2025, and the skills we need to build now to prepare.

https://www.ibm.com/think/insights/ai-skills-you-need-for-2025

UTSA Gives Details on College of AI, Cyber and Computing - Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News

Set to launch this fall, a new college at the University of Texas at San Antonio is expected to enroll more than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students in programs driving workforce and economic development. The university recently released details of its new College of AI, Cyber and Computing. The new college is part of its efforts to develop and integrate emerging technologies. UTSA will begin a national search in January for a founding dean of the new college, scheduled to launch in fall 2025. 

"This innovative college will build on UTSA's leadership in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science and related disciplines to address the demands of an increasingly digital and interconnected world," UTSA said.

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/utsa-gives-details-on-college-of-ai-cyber-and-computing

25 experts predict how AI will change business and life in 2025 - Mark Sullivan, Fast Company

Expect to see the rise of AI agents and multimodal models, along with an end to “AI theater.”  Expectations are high that AI will move beyond just generating text and images and morph into agents that can complete complex tasks on behalf of users. Here’s what 25 of them said. (The quotes have been edited for clarity and length.) Charles Lamanna, Corporate Vice President, Business and Industry Copilot at Microsoft: “By this time next year, you’ll have a team of agents working for you. This could look like anything from an IT agent fixing tech glitches before you even notice them, a supply chain agent preventing disruptions while you sleep, sales agents breaking down silos between business systems to chase leads, and finance agents closing the books faster.” 

https://www.fastcompany.com/91254053/25-experts-predict-how-ai-will-change-business-and-life-in-2025

Why more colleges are embracing AI offerings - Lilah Burke, Higher Ed Dive

Ever since the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022, artificial intelligence has dominated conversations related to higher education and the future of work in the U.S. Now, some colleges are investing significantly in AI-related programs, from specific degrees to integrating AI literacy into other disciplines.  They are doing so for several reasons. Those include responding to predictions that the American workforce will rely on AI much more in the future. For students who would like to work with the development and science of AI, that can mean jobs — some of which are fairly high-paying. For students in other disciplines, that could mean they need to demonstrate AI-related knowledge or competency to land jobs. 

https://www.highereddive.com/news/colleges-artificial-intelligence-programs-investments/736196/

Your Facebook & Instagram feeds may soon be filled with AI bots in the future - Rafly Gilang, MS Power User

The bots will have their own bios and profile pictures and will be able to create and share AI-generated content—just like real-life users—making sure it’s labeled “AI” of course, as Meta is on the C2PA Steering Committee. Meta first started talking about this in August, and although they haven’t given a timeframe for a full rollout, they have disclosed that a large number of bots do already exist, and are being tested, privately. Facebook and Instagram have been fighting a decline in popularity and engagement over recent months, especially among younger audiences, and this move is undoubtedly Meta’s way of trying to remain relevant.

https://mspoweruser.com/your-facebook-instagram-feeds-may-soon-be-filled-with-ai-bots-in-the-future/

Chinese Researchers Reveal The Secrets of OpenAI’s Best Model! - Matthew Berman, YouTube

The paper from Fuhan University and Shanghai AI laboratory, focuses on test-time compute, which allows models to reach PhD-level mathematics and scientific research. The key is that the model "thinks" during inference time, meaning it takes its time and uses more tokens and compute to respond to a prompt. This results in insane performance on complex tasks, such as math, science, reasoning, and logic. The paper identifies four critical elements of test-time compute are. The researchers speculate that OpenAI’s 01 model uses a combination of these four elements to achieve its impressive results. They also highlight a number of future directions for research, such as how to adapt 01 to general domains, how to introduce multi-modality to 01, and how to learn and search within a world model.

https://youtu.be/-haWhgmUheA?si=Rdb1k0PcrHRMA7qU

The case for human-centered AI - James Landay, Mckinsey Digital

Maximizing generative AI’s promise while minimizing its misuse requires an inclusive approach that puts humans first. Over the past two years, generative AI (gen AI) has been a rapidly evolving trend that has touched the lives of many around the globe. Which is why the design of these formidable systems must include experts from diverse backgrounds, says James Landay, a professor of computer science at Stanford University. On this episode of the At the Edge podcast, Landay talks with McKinsey senior partner Lareina Yee about how to develop safe, inclusive, and effective AI.

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-case-for-human-centered-ai

Why more colleges are embracing AI offerings - Lilah Burke, Inside Higher Ed

Now, some colleges are investing significantly in AI-related programs, from specific degrees to integrating AI literacy into other disciplines.   They are doing so for several reasons. Those include responding to predictions that the American workforce will rely on AI much more in the future. For students who would like to work with the development and science of AI, that can mean jobs — some of which are fairly high-paying. For students in other disciplines, that could mean they need to demonstrate AI-related knowledge or competency to land jobs. 

https://www.highereddive.com/news/colleges-artificial-intelligence-programs-investments/736196/

Our predictions for AI in 2025 – Eric Hal Schwartz Tech Radar

AI assistants are pretty good already at answering questions, but 2025 will likely see a lot more proactive action and anticipation of your needs. Imagine ChatGPT reorganizing your day based on traffic updates and weather, rescheduling a missed doctor’s appointment without you needing to ask, and even drafting a birthday card for your friend (complete with suggestions for gifts they’ll love). Google Gemini is working on embedding similar predictive features into Google Workspace, while companies like Amazon are rumored to be enhancing Alexa with task prioritization and advanced calendar integration of their own.

https://www.techradar.com/computing/artificial-intelligence/our-predictions-for-ai-in-2025-what-next-for-chatgpt-apple-intelligence-and-more

How will the rise of AI in the workplace impact liberal arts education? - Danielle McClean, Higher Ed Dive

Demand for liberal arts education has declined in recent years as students increasingly eye college programs that directly prepare them for jobs. But according to many tech and college experts, as businesses launch advanced AI tools or integrate such technology into their operations, liberal arts majors will become more coveted. That’s because employers will need people to think through the ethical stakes and unintended consequences of new technologies. Companies may also need people to help improve the written commands given to chatbots or resolve challenging customer service disputes that AI can’t handle. College leaders therefore need to take action as AI changes the workforce, scholars say. 

https://www.highereddive.com/news/artificial-intelligence-liberal-arts-education/720640/

Wall Street needs to prepare for an AI winter - Dave Lee, Financial Review

Over the past several weeks, AI leaders have been choosing their words carefully. Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, speaking at a New York Times event, said he felt the “low-hanging fruit” had now been picked. Expanding on the point, he told Semafor: “As we go to this next level, you need more insightful breakthroughs.” Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, talks about how he still felt his company would reach “artificial general intelligence” but that it would “matter much less” than some observers might have previously thought. Superintelligence would be the great disruptor, he says – but it’s further away. Behind the scenes, several reports have suggested that OpenAI is struggling to conjure the great leaps in capability that had been expected.

https://www.afr.com/technology/wall-street-needs-to-prepare-for-an-ai-winter-20241226-p5l0p6

Georgia State to Build AI Literacy Program for Underserved Communities - Mirtha Donastorg, Atlanta Journal Constitution

Georgia State University is partnering with financial literacy nonprofit Operation HOPE on a new artificial intelligence training program for students from underserved communities, primarily those in the south side of Atlanta, officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The new AI Literacy Pipeline to Prosperity Project is an initiative of the nonprofit’s prominent AI Ethics Council. That council boasts civil rights leaders, presidents of historically Black colleges and universities and major tech leaders as its members. The council is co-chaired by Operation HOPE founder John Hope Bryant and Sam Altman, who leads OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. The goal of the literacy pipeline project is to start training people from kindergarten all the way through college on AI.  (summary provided in part by GenAI)

https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/georgia-state-to-build-ai-literacy-program-for-underserved-communities

OpenAI Chatbots for Education: Custom GPTs to Possibly Help Improve Online Learning - Isaiah Richard, Tech Times

In the two years since generative AI was first introduced to the world, they have significantly improved after delivering significant problems that made them untrustworthy to many users. However, that is not yet over as there are still tendencies that chatbots may hallucinate. Despite this, the likes of OpenAI and other learning institutions are now looking towards creating custom models that would deliver online learning for many students worldwide. Now, OpenAI is making its massive and aggressive move towards entering the education industry with its plans to create custom GPTs that are meant to teach thousands of online students, and the company thinks it can do it.

https://www.techtimes.com/articles/308845/20241226/openai-chatbots-education-custom-gpts-possibly-help-improve-online-learning.htm

Sam Altman's STUNNING Statement, "We're Working on Superintelligence" - Mattthew Berman, YouTube

The OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently posted a cryptic tweet and a blog post discussing the company's progress in artificial intelligence (AI). He believes that they have a clear path to achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), which is the point where AI can perform any intellectual task that a human can. They are now shifting their focus towards achieving Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI), which is a hypothetical AI that surpasses human intelligence in all aspects. Altman believes that the transition to a world with superintelligence is the most important project in human history, but also the most hopeful and scary. He predicts that the first AI agents will join the workforce in 2025 and materially change the output of companies. OpenAI believes that ASI could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation, leading to increased abundance and prosperity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vSGitTEmno

Sam Altman chats with users and reveals possible new ChatGPT features for 2025 - Chris Smith, BGR

We can expect several upgrades across all of OpenAI’s products, including ChatGPT, in 2025. Sam Altman teased some of them after asking ChatGPT users what they’d want to see from OpenAI next year. “What would you like openai to build/fix in 2025?” the CEO asked on X on Christmas Day. Unsurprisingly, plenty of people provided useful suggestions, aside from the obvious AGI and GPT-5 answers one could easily throw at Altman. The CEO addressed some of them, teasing the kind of ChatGPT features and upgrades coming next year. ChatGPT app for macOS is the closest thing we have to ChatGPT AI agents, but it’s not quite that. Rumors say OpenAI is working on AI agents in addition to GPT-5. Someone asked for proper agents for 2025, to which Altman responded with, “Happy 2025!” I see that as a teaser that AI agents are coming to ChatGPT next.

https://bgr.com/tech/new-chatgpt-features-for-2025-from-sam-altmans-chat-with-users/

PsiQuantum plans to build one of the world’s first commercially useful quantum computers in Chicago — despite huge obstacles - Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune

Instead of building a small-scale quantum computer designed primarily for testing and public demonstrations, PsiQuantum is shooting for the moon with a 1 million-quantum-bit machine capable of tackling practical, real-world applications. It’s a future that even leading scientists aren’t sure is possible. But PsiQuantum co-founder Pete Shadbolt, in Chicago recently to share his plans, intends to prove that it is. “It’s like breaking the sound barrier,” Shadbolt said, “… from having systems that are really toys to systems that are commercially valuable.” PsiQuantum is to be the anchor tenant, along with a joint state and U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) facility to test quantum technology prototypes. Earlier this month, IBM announced plans to build a National Quantum Algorithm Center on the site, with help from a $25 million state grant. IBM also has a $100 million joint venture with the University of Chicago and University of Tokyo to build a 100,000-qubit quantum-centric computer.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/12/26/psiquantum-computer-plans/