The TWIML AI Podcast (formerly This Week in Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence) Pushing Back on AI Hype with Alex Hanna - #649
12 snips
Oct 2, 2023 
In this engaging discussion, Alex Hanna, Director of Research at the Distributed AI Research Institute (DAIR), dives into the complexities of AI hype and its societal impacts. He delves into the origins of AI excitement and how it drives commercialization. Alex also sheds light on DAIR's innovative projects, including language technologies for low-resource languages in Ethiopia. The conversation tackles crucial topics like the politics of data sets and the ethical challenges in AI data sourcing, emphasizing the importance of critical evaluation and community engagement.
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AI Sentience Hype
- Alex Hanna mentions Blake Lemoine's firing from Google after claiming LaMDA was sentient.
- A Google VP and Ilya Sutskever further fueled the AI sentience hype.
History of AI Hype
- AI hype is not new; Joseph Weizenbaum discussed it in "Computer Power and Human Reason."
- Weizenbaum noted people's fascination with early chatbots like ELIZA and the resulting hype and job security fears.
Concerning AI Use Cases
- Alex Hanna expresses concern over AI's use in healthcare, citing the National Eating Disorders Association replacing staff with a chatbot.
- She also mentions alarming use cases like mushroom identification apps and Martin Shkreli promoting a diagnostic tool.
