Ep #105: What Economists Get Wrong About AI, AI Agent Landscape, and the Urgent Need for AI Literacy

Ep #105: What Economists Get Wrong About AI, AI Agent Landscape, and the Urgent Need for AI Literacy

Welcome to The Artificial Intelligence Show

The Artificial Intelligence Show is a podcast dedicated to helping businesses grow smarter by making AI approachable and actionable. Hosted by Paul Roetzer, Founder and CEO of Marketing AI Institute, and Mike Kaput, Chief Content Officer at Marketing AI Institute, they break down all the AI news that matters and provide insights to help advance your company and career.

Current Episode: Episode 105

General AI and Cognitive Tasks

Paul Roetzer begins by discussing the future landscape of AI, emphasizing the potential for AI to match or exceed human capability in virtually all cognitive tasks within the next two to three years. He notes that we are on the cusp of significant advancements, making this a crucial period for understanding and adapting to AI’s evolving capabilities.

Carl Schulman's Perspective on AI Disruption

Mike Kaput introduces Carl Schulman, an independent AI researcher affiliated with the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University. Schulman recently participated in a Marathon interview on the 80,000 Hours podcast, where he discussed the impending disruption from cheap, superhuman AI.

Schulman highlights the incredible efficiency of the human brain, using only 20 watts of power. He imagines a world where AI can match this efficiency and perform tasks such as medical advice, company management, and scientific research for a fraction of the cost, leading to massive economic transformations.

Scarcity vs. Abundance of Intelligence

Paul elaborates on Schulman’s points, discussing the transition from the current scarcity to an impending abundance of intelligence. He highlights that AI will initially impact high-value jobs like managers, directors, executives, and specialists before cascading down to more general roles. He reflects on the slow adaptation of Business Leaders who have yet to realize the broad implications of AI.

AI Agents and Their Trajectory

OpenAI President Greg Brockman recently discussed the importance of AI agents on social media. Venture capitalist Rob Toews also highlighted specific areas where AI agents show promise in his Forbes article. Key sectors include customer support, regulatory compliance, data science, and personal assistance.

Paul revisits the AI timeline from Episode 87 and notes important milestones for AI agents from 2023 to 2027. The achievable goals include increased efficacy, reliability, and less human oversight. Notably, the concept of working AI agents isn't new and has been explored since 2015.

AI Literacy for All

Early in 2024, Marketing AI Institute emphasized the importance of “AI Literacy for All” to enable smoother organizational transitions. With rapid AI advancements, organizations must increase education and training to empower employees, mitigate fear of change, and optimize AI adoption strategies.

Rapid Fire News

OpenAI’s New Classification System

OpenAI introduced a system to track AI progress, ranging from basic chatbots to AI capable of completing organizational tasks. Currently at Level 1, OpenAI aims for Level 2, characterized by human-level problem solving.

Lattice’s Digital Worker Initiative

Lis, an HR platform, announced the introduction of digital worker employee records, treating AI avatars like human employees. However, this concept seems premature and complicated, mainly serving as a PR move.

OpenAI Access Block in China

Amid geopolitical tensions, OpenAI announced blocking Chinese users from its platforms. Chinese AI firms are stepping in to fill this gap, reflecting broader global AI dynamics.

Microsoft and Apple’s Board Seat U-turn

Microsoft and Apple have opted out of observer seats on OpenAI's board, likely due to increased regulatory scrutiny on big tech and AI.

Google’s Gemini for Workspace

Google has rolled out Gemini AI within its workspace apps, offering advanced assistance in Gmail, Docs, and Sheets, significantly improving productivity.

Anthropics’ New Prompt Engineering Tools

Anthropic has introduced tools to help developers improve AI prompt engineering, featuring built-in generators, testing environments, and comparison tools.

Captions Secures $ 60 Million Funding

Captions, an AI video creation startup, raised $ 60 million, reflecting the growing interest and investment in AI-powered video tools.

Keywords

• AI disruption
• Scarcity vs. Abundance
• AI agents
• AI literacy
• OpenAI classifications
• Lattice digital workers
• Geopolitical tensions
• Microsoft and Apple board seats
• Google Gemini
• Anthropics prompt engineering
• Captions funding

FAQ

Q: What did Carl Schulman discuss in his interview about AI? A: Schulman discussed the potential disruption from cheap, superhuman AI, emphasizing the efficiency of the human brain and imagining AI performing complex tasks at low costs.

Q: Why are AI agents significant according to industry leaders? A: AI agents are considered significant because they can perform complex, multi-step tasks autonomously, which could dramatically increase productivity and efficiency across various industries.

Q: What barriers to AI adoption were highlighted in Marketing AI Institute’s report? A: The report highlighted a lack of AI Education and Training as the top barrier, with 67% of respondents citing it as an obstacle to AI adoption.

Q: Why did Microsoft and Apple opt out of observer seats on OpenAI’s board? A: They likely opted out due to increased regulatory scrutiny on big tech investments and AI, aiming to avoid additional complications.

Q: What is Google’s Gemini for Workspace? A: Gemini is an AI tool integrated into Google Workspace apps like Gmail, Docs, and Sheets to assist users by leveraging information from their emails and documents to enhance productivity.

Q: What is the significance of Lattice’s digital worker initiative? A: Although innovative, Lattice’s initiative to treat AI avatars as digital workers with employee records is seen as premature and more of a promotional strategy.