Data Science Insider: March 24th, 2023

In This Week’s SuperDataScience Newsletter: Google's BART Chatbot Rivals GPT. Deepfake Trump Arrest Sparks Disinformation Fears. Bill Gates Touts AI Personal Assistants. Beyond the 'Black Box’. AI Threatens Hollywood's Future. Cheers, - The SuperDataScience Team P.S. Have friends and colleagues who could benefit from these weekly updates? Send them to [this link]( to subscribe to the Data Science Insider. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Google's BART Chatbot Rivals GPT]( brief: Google has launched its long-awaited own AI-powered chatbot, called BERT-As-A-Retriever (BART), to compete with other conversational AI systems such as OpenAI's GPT. BART differs from other chatbots in that it retrieves relevant information based on the user's query from a database, as opposed to generating a new response from scratch. This approach allows BART to provide more accurate and reliable information. Google has stated that BART is still in the experimental stage and will be gradually rolled out for use in Google Search and Google Assistant. The launch of BART highlights the growing competition in the conversational AI space and the importance of developing more advanced and effective chatbot technology. Why this is important: Regular readers of the SuperDataScience weekly newsletter will be aware that last month Google’s parent company, Alphabet, ended up with investors wiping more than $100bn (£82bn) off of its value after a promotional video showed BART giving an incorrect answer. Now the chatbot has fully launched we will see whether its kinks have been ironed out and if it can hold its own against Chat-GPT. [Click here to learn more!]( [Deepfake Trump Arrest Sparks Disinformation Fears]( brief: A recent deepfake image of former US President Donald Trump being arrested has garnered a lot of attention online and gone viral on social media. The image was created using AI technology and has prompted concerns about the potential spread of fake news and disinformation through memes and other forms of online content. While some view the image as a form of political commentary or satire, others worry that it could be used to deceive people or further fuel political polarization. The proliferation of deepfake technology has made it increasingly difficult to distinguish between real and fake content online. Experts warn that it is essential to stay vigilant and critical of the information we encounter online. Why this is important: Deepfake images can be fun and offer a new outlet for satirists but the speed and ease with which they can be spread without any context generates serious concerns about their potential for harm. [Click here to read on!]( [Bill Gates Touts AI Personal Assistants]( In brief: Bill Gates has shared his thoughts on the future of chatbots in a letter to students at Sidwell Friends School. The Microsoft co-founder predicted that AI-powered chatbots would become increasingly sophisticated, able to understand natural language and even express empathy. In a 7-page letter to students, Gates suggested that chatbots could one day be used to provide mental health support, among other applications. However, he also warned that chatbots could be used maliciously, pointing to the rise of deepfakes and other disinformation tools. Gates called for more research to be carried out into how to combat these threats and for chatbots to be developed with the user's best interests in mind. Why this is important: Gates’ fears won’t make for surprising reading for SuperDataScience subscribers but his position as a titan of the industry means that his views will always be of interest and should be given the utmost respect. He also called AI the “most important tech advance in decades” and although he left the day-to-day operations of Microsoft in 2008, he is still considered a leading figure in the world of tech. [Click here to discover more!]( [Beyond the 'Black Box’]( In brief: This interesting article from Innovation Origins discusses the challenges in deciphering black-box AI systems, which are complex algorithms that can make decisions without explanation. One issue is that the reasoning behind the decisions made by these systems is often opaque, making it difficult to understand and audit them. Additionally, AI systems can also be biased, reflecting the biases of their designers or the data they were trained on. This can have negative consequences, particularly in areas such as healthcare, where decisions made by AI systems can affect people's lives. To address these challenges, researchers are exploring new methods for auditing AI systems and developing techniques for improving the transparency and accountability of these systems. Why this is important: The inscrutable nature of black box systems has meant that data scientists, like ourselves, have struggled to understand how neural networks function beyond a superficial level. By challenging these systems researchers can help develop a better understanding which should lead to improved future projects. [Click here to see the full picture!]( [AI Threatens Hollywood's Future]( In brief: A new report warns that AI could dramatically change the Hollywood film industry, with AI-generated content potentially replacing traditional film-making methods. The report, published by the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and discussed in this Guardian article, highlights concerns about the impact of AI on the industry, including the potential loss of jobs and the challenges of preserving creative control. While AI has already been used in some aspects of filmmaking, such as visual effects and data analytics, the report warns that AI-generated content could become the norm, potentially leading to a decline in creativity and originality. The CAA urges the industry to address these concerns and consider the ethical implications of AI use in film-making. Why this is important: AI has led to amazing advances in visual effects and classic films such as The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Shrek and the latest Star Wars movies wouldn’t exist in the same way without its input. Despite this, as with all industries, there are concerns about creative losses and the replacement of a human workforce. [Click here to find out more!]( [Super Data Science podcast]( this week's Super Data Science Podcast, Jon Krohn talks to Alexander Holden Miller about his work in building a machine that can outsmart humans in the game of Diplomacy by engineering powers of persuasion and collusion to its own advantage. Is CICERO the greatest achievement in AI so far? [Click here to find out more!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What is the Data Science Insider? This email is a briefing of the week's most disruptive, interesting, and useful resources curated by the SuperDataScience team for Data Scientists who want to take their careers to the next level. Want to take your data science skills to the next level? Check out the [SuperDataScience platform]( and sign up for membership today! Know someone who would benefit from getting The Data Science Insider? 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