Skip to main content

About this Blog, why?

 Introduction and Welcome

I began writing this blog on the April 8th, 2003. I say that, but it's inaccurate. What I did, in fact was start a series of 'prompts' in ChatGPT via the Edge Browser to generate text, also  in Dall-E image creator to formulate the graphics. I only began my own content the day after, here. The examples of Tools I've used and Speculations about how certain tasks will change is far from exclusive. For instance I will not comment on the medical implications of AI, though fascinating (as GPT4 has passed medical exams - without taking a hypocritic oath) but instead confine myself to tasks I have had to undertake in my recent work career.

So welcome, this is a simple blog that aims to document the next 6 months of some of the AI occurrences, tools, news and opinions to document:
  1. Will the legislators respond to the call for a 6 month halt to a ChatGPT5 occur?
  2. Given the unprecedented speed of development, just 4 months ago ChatGPT could only muster a 40% pass rate at a bar exam and now it is passing at a 90% rate, what will happen in this next crucial time period.
There was a time, at the beginning of the 1980's and throughout the 1990's where I could, with a fair amount of accuracy, predict the development of IT, as it was then known, out to an 18 month or so period into the future. This gap became increasingly smaller circa 1997. I have still retained an interest, primarily as a user and low level developer of communication technologies. I write simple code for websites, CRM's and DAMs and customise them to suit a purpose. I began with code for typesetting in the late 1970's. 

All of this may seem that my views are perhaps archaic, the fact is that if people haven't studied what's happened last week, their views too are soon to be archaic. Where it once took 6 -18 months for major breakthroughs in technological applications to occur, it is now weeks, and very soon it will be counted in days, such is the transformative growth we are witnessing. 

So, I aim to complete this blog in October. I have no idea how much time I can spend upon it yet, but I do hope that the content I begin with will provide some utility.

Update June 2024.

I have started the blog once more, to cover some of the more interesting tools, perhaps describe my own experiences in setting up Open Source tools (like Llama in a Rag environment) and to use as a sounding out board as I've gone about AI policy developments. What I realised during the initial burst of blog writing is that if the tech evangelists are right - despite my many doubts - and we are seeing a transformative technology, then our governance responses are vital. This is the area I have a considerable amount of experience in, therefore this is the area I'm directing my energies. 

Just a quick note: I'm continuing to use the (appalling) AI generated 'art' for the articles, they are a part of the aesthetic. Even if the tech improves I want these bad images, reminds me of my early days with 8 bit graphics.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Whispers in the Machine: Why Prompt Injection Remains a Persistent Threat to LLMs

 Large Language Models (LLMs) are rapidly transforming how we interact with technology, offering incredible potential for tasks ranging from content creation to complex analysis. However, as these powerful tools become more integrated into our lives, so too do the novel security challenges they present. Among these, prompt injection attacks stand out as a particularly persistent and evolving threat. These attacks, as one recent paper (Safety at Scale: A Comprehensive Survey of Large Model Safety https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.05206) highlights, involve subtly manipulating LLMs to deviate from their intended purpose, and the methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated. At its core, a prompt injection attack involves embedding a malicious instruction within an otherwise normal request, tricking the LLM into producing unintended – and potentially harmful – outputs. Think of it as slipping a secret, contradictory instruction into a seemingly harmless conversation. What makes prompt inj...

The Future of Work in the Age of AGI: Opportunities, Challenges, and Resistance

 In recent years, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked intense debate about the future of work. As we edge closer to the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI), these discussions have taken on a new urgency. This post explores various perspectives on employment in a post-AGI world, including the views of those who may resist such changes. It follows on from others I've written on the impacts of these technologies. The Potential for Widespread Job Displacement Avital Balwit, an employee at Anthropic, argues in her article " My Last Five Years of Work " that AGI is likely to cause significant job displacement across various sectors, including knowledge-based professions. This aligns with research by Korinek (2024), which suggests that the transition to AGI could trigger a race between automation and capital accumulation, potentially leading to a collapse in wages for many workers. Emerging Opportunities and Challenges Despite the ...

Podcast Soon Notice

I've been invited to make a podcast around the themes and ideas presented in this blog. More details will be announced soon. This is also your opportunity to be involved in the debate. If you have a response to any of the blog posts posted here, or consider an important issue in the debate around AGI is not being discussed, then please get in touch via the comments.  I look forward to hearing from you.