AI Update: AI In Schools, Anthropic's Claude 2, Google's Quantum Computer

AI in Schools: The Fear, The Ban, and The Potential

Imagine, if you will, a classroom in the not-so-distant future. A student raises their hand, not to ask a question to their human teacher, but to their AI assistant. This isn't a scene from a sci-fi movie, but a reality that could be upon us sooner than we think, if we let it.

I recently came across a compelling article about Amedeo Bettauer, a 13-year-old from Brookline, Massachusetts, who made a passionate case for the use of AI in education. Bettauer's perspective, coming from someone directly affected by the decisions of school administrators, offers a fresh take on the ongoing debate about AI in the classroom.

In the letter, Bettauer argues against the knee-jerk reaction of many schools to ban AI technologies, like ChatGPT, out of fear of cheating. He likens this response to the initial panic when the internet was first introduced into classrooms. The fear then was that students would use this new technology to cheat, leading to crackdowns rather than embracing the potential learning opportunities the internet could offer.

Now, Bettauer argues, we're on the brink of making the same mistake with AI technologies. Instead of banning these tools, he suggests that schools should teach students how to use them responsibly.

Just as we teach digital literacy and safe internet use, we should be teaching AI literacy. This includes understanding how AI-generated content works and how to use it to enhance learning. Bettauer points to Khan Academy's use of GPT-4, a generative AI, to tutor students in math as a positive example of AI in education.

Rather than trying to detect and punish students for using AI, schools should be encouraging its use for educational purposes. In essence, Bettauer is advocating for a shift in mindset. Instead of viewing AI as a threat to be feared and banned, we should see it as a tool to be understood and harnessed. And I have to say, I agree with him. After all, as the saying goes, "The children are our future." And in this case, they might just be the ones to teach us a thing or two about embracing AI.

So, the next time you hear about AI in schools, don't panic. Remember Bettauer's wise words. Instead of fearing what AI could become, let's focus on what it can do right now to enhance our children's education. And who knows? Maybe the next time a hand goes up in the classroom, it'll be to ask an AI assistant a question. Now that's a future I can get behind.

Anthropic Launches Claude 2: A New Contender in the Thriving AI Chatbot Race

In the escalating AI arms race, a new contender has emerged. Anthropic, a start-up founded by former OpenAI research executives, has unveiled its new AI chatbot, Claude 2, and is inviting the public to use it.

The company, valued at $4.1 billion, has raised $750 million in two funding rounds since March. Anthropic's debut of Claude 2 comes amidst a growing competition between Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google to develop the most advanced chatbots, powered by generative artificial intelligence.

Anthropic's chatbot technology is being opened up to consumers for the first time. Over the past two months, businesses such as Slack, Notion, and Quora have tested the company's AI models. More than 350,000 people are currently on a waitlist requesting access to Claude's application programming interface and its consumer offering.

Claude 2 will initially only be available to users in the U.S. and U.K., with plans to expand availability in the coming months. The company claims that Claude 2 has the ability to summarize up to about 75,000 words, which could be the length of a book. Users can input large data sets and ask for summaries in the form of a memo, letter, or story.

However, despite the advancements, co-founder Daniela Amodei acknowledges that there are many challenges ahead for Anthropic and the entire industry. For example, the tendency for AI chatbots to make up incorrect answers, termed "hallucinations" by some tech companies, remains a persisting problem.

In May, Anthropic was one of four companies invited to a meeting at the White House to discuss responsible AI development with Vice President Kamala Harris. The other companies were Google parent Alphabet, Microsoft, and OpenAI.

The emergence of Anthropic and the debut of Claude 2 signal a significant step in the development of AI chatbots. As demand for large language models outpaces the industry's current supply, the landscape is wide open for multiple players to succeed. The question remains: how will these advancements shape the future of AI and its role in our everyday lives?

Google’s Quantum Computer

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