👩‍💻 Metaproof AI

Hey frens, this is Sophia from 👩‍💻 Metaproof AI, the weekly newsletter where we keep you informed on how artificial intelligence (AI) is shaking things up across industries.

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📲 By the numbers

AI could unlock trillions of dollars of value. Some telling indicators (Source):

• Open AI-built ChatGPT took the world by storm when it was launched in November 2022, reaching 1 million users within the 1st week of its launch.

• ChatGPT is estimated to have hit 100 million users in January, 2 months after its launch.

• The next 10 years could be some of the best 10 years we've ever had or some of the worst, warned Stanford Digital Economy Lab director Erik Brynjolfsson amid AI platforms potentially creating trillions of dollars of value.

📫 News & trends

🤖 A human convincingly beat an artificial intelligence at Go with the help of another bot

In a rare human victory since a landmark victory in 2016, amateur player Kellin Pelrine has beaten high-class AI KataGo system in the game of Go, winning 14 out of 15 games. How? By exploiting a weakness discovered by another bot! Further details on the rare win:

• Research company FAR AI developed a program that spots KataGo’s weaknesses, so after playing more than 1 million games it detected a weakness - the same method used to defeat Leela Zero, another top Go AI.

• The goal was to create a large “loop” of stones to encircle an opponent’s group, then distract the computer by making moves in other areas of the board. Its group was nearly surrounded, yet the computer failed to notice the strategy.

• The flaw shows how AI systems can’t “think” outside of their training, so they often do things that seem silly to a human.

🛒 Woolworths expands self-checkouts using artificial intelligence

In Australia, the country’s largest supermarket chain Woolworths has expanded its AI self-checkouts to 250 stores across New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria. In the sector’s continuing bid for efficiency and reduced costs, the technology comes in handy for detecting when items aren't scanned correctly and for training staff.

While Woolworths has strict policies in place to protect customer privacy, concerns have been raised about using AI in retail settings. The Privacy Act, last updated in 1988, is critiqued as inadequate in protecting Australians' privacy in the digital age. Woolworths noted that cameras are fitted above the checkouts and use AI to detect scanning errors while customer's faces and pin pads are blurred for privacy.

🧠 Will artificial intelligence replace financial advisers? Here's what ChatGPT and a financial adviser had to say.

Here’s a snippet of conversation between the author and ChatGPT:

Question: "What are some of the best investments for a young person who wants to start saving for retirement?" ChatGPT recommended employer-sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k)s and a traditional or Roth IRA, and proceeded to recommend index funds as well as individual stocks and exchange-traded funds “if you’re comfortable with a higher level of risk.”

Rick Nott, certified financial planner from investment advisor LourdMurray, pointed out that although the question asked for "some of the best investments," ChatGPT's first two answers - 401(k)s and individual retirement accounts - are investment methods, while only the final two - individual stocks and ETFs - are actual investments. The answer is technically correct but can confuse someone “who doesn’t have the requisite knowledge,” Nott said.

🔬 Maryland researchers working to correct potential biases in artificial intelligence

Ongoing research is out to consider equity and help correct the potential biases of AI systems. Seeking to achieve “algorithmic fairness,” the University of Maryland, Baltimore County researchers want to correct those biases within the data. What AI does is compile data, statistics, and other research, then form its own conclusion. As it helps determine if someone is eligible for parole, a job, and figure in other selection processes, the outcomes can sometimes be detrimental, so scientists are studying how AI can impact those decisions, particularly in light of minority and underrepresented groups being disproportionately affected.

🤵 Roger C. Schank, theorist of artificial intelligence, dies at 76

Combining linguistics, cognitive science, and computing in his groundbreaking research, scientist Roger C. Schank, who made influential contributions to the field of artificial intelligence, died on January 29 at age 76 from heart failure. Here are some of his contributions to the field:

• Dr. Schank was an assistant professor at Stanford, computer science and psychology professor at Yale University, and director of the Yale Artificial Intelligence Project. He mentored dozens of students who became AI researchers at universities and companies, including Google.

• In the late 1960s and 70s, in a model dubbed as “conceptual dependency theory,” he developed ideas for how to represent symbols for a computer simple concept, such as people and places, objects and events, cause-and-effect relationships, that humans describe with words.

• In a 1995 essay, he described the common theme of his academic and business projects as “trying to understand the nature of the human mind” and “building models of the human mind on the computer.”

👚 Artificial intelligence in fashion

As AI models can be trained to predict future sales, fashion enterprises can make more informed decisions on what to stock and when, helping slash waste, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive profits. On the marketing front, analysis from AI-powered tools determines the best strategies, targets the right customers, and maximizes advertising dollars. In design, AI algorithms predict trends and analyze customer preferences to help produce designs that are more likely to sell.

Challenges exist, particularly on the human workforce and homogenization in fashion, yet the drawbacks are there alongside benefits that can foster growth and improve the bottom line when the right approach is applied.

🔒 How can artificial intelligence testing enhance cybersecurity in 2023?

AI-based cybersecurity solutions are becoming increasingly useful in gathering information from various company information systems and notifying users of potential online dangers. They aid in the fight against phishing attacks, analyzing email content, sender reputation, and email header details to detect and thwart phishing attempts. They also identify unusual patterns in network data, such as login attempts or traffic, and examine typical behavior patterns to spot unusual conduct and preempt any breach. Hackers continue to evolve and develop new tactics so AI-based solutions may struggle to keep up, so it’s critical for companies to balance the use of these technologies with other strong cybersecurity measures.

🏃‍♂️Quick hits

• Sci-fi publisher Clarkesworld halted pitches amid deluge of AI-generated stories, rejecting 500 pitches this month alone and banning authors amid influencers promoting “get rich quick” schemes among budding writers.

• NYC’s comptroller’s office is calling for stronger oversight of the government’s AI programs, after an audit spotted lapses that it says heighten risks of bias, inaccuracies, and harm “for those who live, work or visit NYC.”

• Amid the current boom in AI interest among investors - and with obscure companies making triple-digit gains this year - Toggle AI CEO says people may be buying into the sector broadly without understanding the full implications, yet AI is unlikely to be a fad but instead something that becomes table stakes.

• Video: More startups are using AI to replicate human voices, which comes in handy for films, ads, marketing, and training.

• Indian telcos like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea are using AI to enhance customer experience in a continuing move to improve subscriber stickiness and reduce churn.

💸 Finance buzz

• AI-related stocks: Buzzfeed rallied 300% after announcing it will use ChatGPT to generate some content: while, C3.ai is up to 125% YTD. (Source)

• AI company Elemental Cognition partnered with Bridgewater to integrate its AI program Collaborative Research Assistant (Cora) into the asset management firm’s research process. (Source)

• AR and VR company Glimpse’s subsidiary PulpoAR integrated AI-based real-time fingernail segmentation and skin diagnostics into its SaaS-based AR products, including those expected to be used by a global social media company, for virtual try-on offerings in beauty and fashion. (Source)

🗣️ Quote of the week

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All content on this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not aim to serve as or replace expert investment advice.

If you are a startup building in the metaverse / web3 ecosystem and are raising capital, please reach out to Sfermion. Sfermion is an investment firm focused on accelerating the emergence of the metaverse.

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