Thursday, February 15, 2024

Front Runners of First Quarter

The past four weeks have been busy and more furious than the past few semesters. Four students emerged as front runners.

Always early to the classroom, always on target with LabSim, and always prepared & participating in the weekly bonus quizzes is Haridev (Dev). The Allentown, PA native has already earned his master and bachelor degrees, now seeking to add pedigree to his trade of welding. I thank this veteran for his military services in the U.S. Air Force and Army. Dev continued his streak of leading in the bonus quizzes with BQ3 and BQ4 as Glenda shared the pole position with Dev on BQ4. I wonder how BQ5 will play out this coming Saturday.

Part of the inaugural class of female Eagle Scouts, Madison (Madi) is always eager to start her IS101-3002 coursework early and the first in seeking feedback on assignments & discussion threads and publishing her blog posts. The pioneering young lady completes half of the classroom's front row with Dev. Like her classmate next to her, Madi's father also served in our military; his service is definitely appreciated. 

Glenda often plays leapfrog in terms of coursework with Madi and keeping Dev company during the bonus quizzes. The gainfully employed wife, mother, and volunteer still finds time and energy to be a full-time college student. I know Glenda will achieve her goal of earning her Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology.

Many students play leapfrog with Madi and Glenda in their LabSim progress but the one that emerges as the clear leader is Kiet. The polite young man is so far ahead that he has already qualified to take the MO-110 Word certification exam! Perhaps one impetus for his proactive stance is his anticipation of missing some classes to fulfill his military duties on those weekends. I appreciate his military service, maturity, and capability in working ahead with his coursework.

There are other students who have or are serving in our military: Jonathan, Anthony, KeinaMichael (Mike), and Francisco (Tony). I thank them and hope they will join Kiet at the front of the pack.

Up until the end of the first week of semester for student to enroll in a course, twenty-nine (29) names cycled through the twenty (20) spots on my IS101-3002, Spring 2024 class roster. At the conclusion of the first quarter, one student never replied to me or attended class while another withdrew from the class due to personal reason. The eighteen students occupy the entire spectrum of course progress. As there are front runners, there are also those in danger of failing. I hope they will catch up in the next two weeks before taking the MO-110 Word certification exam.

I am especially excited for this coming Saturday. In the past two weeks, I gave PowerPoint presentations in the classroom. Beginning this coming classroom session, Madi and Dev will kick off students presentations!

Following up my previous blog post's topic of artificial intelligence (AI), this 27 min 52 sec video from last year is extremely timely and apropos. Viewer discretion is advised as the video contains strong languages and John Oliver's brand of humor. If you are under the age of 18 and cannot obtain your parent's permission, let me know and I will give you an alternate assignment in place of watching this video.


Be sure to view the video in full screen mode

Students,

Please address these three questions/topics in your comment:

(1) How do you think you performed in the first quarter of IS101-3002, Spring 2024?

(2) What are you throughs on any, some, or all of these points from John Oliver's video?

 a. Unexplainable how AI algorithms arrive at their results (i.e. "the problem with AI right now isn't that it's smart, but it's that it's stupid in ways we cannot predict")

 b. Unintended lessons (e.g. rulers are malignant)

 c. Bias-in-bias-out (e.g. pale male data, women = bad & men named 'Jared' who play high school lacrosse = good, TayTweets: from National Puppy Day to Nazi-leaning)

 d. Over-correcting (e.g. solves the problem of being racist by erasing minority)

 e. Would self regulation work for companies developing or using AI?

(3) Have you used AI yourself?

13 comments:

  1. 1. I believe I've had a successful quarter 1. This semester, I opted for a different approach. Instead of overwhelming myself with stress and attempting to complete everything in one go, I embraced a more mindful strategy. By incorporating effective time management, I've been able to tackle assignments at a comfortable pace. This approach grants me the flexibility to complete tasks in an organized manner, attend to my chores, carve out time for relaxation, and engage in outdoor activities.

    2a Unpredictability of AI algorithms can lead to unintended consequences, as seen in TayTweets' racist and hateful behavior.
    b. AI algorithms can learn unintended lessons from training data, as seen in ruler AI's learning of rulers' malignity.
    c. Bias-in-bias-out can occur due to biased inputs or lack of understanding of algorithm results.
    d. Over-correcting for biases can lead to minority group erasure.
    e. Self-regulation may not address ethical concerns; companies should be held accountable for their algorithms' actions and biases through stricter regulations, public reporting, and industry-wide commitments.

    3. Indeed, I've harnessed the power of AI for various purposes – whether it's refining my grammar, seeking answers to intricate questions not readily available on Google, or sparking ideas during brainstorming sessions. AI has proven to be an invaluable tool, offering practical solutions across a spectrum of tasks

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  2. (1) My assessment is above average. I can work on attention to detail and reaching out to Professor Wu when I don’t understand the instructions since some require blogger commentary, email responses and others discussion threads. Once I figured out which was which, I settled down and have been performing at an above average level.

    (2) I can sum up most of the points John Oliver brought up with an old saying “GIGO” or “Garbage In, Garbage Out” when dealing with algorithms. AI is the newest shiny technology tool and as with any advance in technology, we are presently enamored with it. As humans, we are fallible, and all his points lead back to our inadequacies. No matter how much we want to believe we can create the perfect machine or algorithm, we can’t and therefore AI can’t. So, with AI, whatever is put in, regardless of how diligent or well-meaning we may be, the results will surprise us since we are human and aren’t perfect.
    The last point of self-regulation by companies, I’m cynical since I see what the 1% do to our public lands daily, so the 1% of AI developers or users will abuse it without some sort of regulation.

    (3) Unfortunately, yes, and not by choice since I believe it makes the brain lazy. I use the iPhone face recognition. I haven’t yet found an AI tool that saves time while keeping my mind sharp. As I get older, I find if I don’t keep using my mental skills they atrophy. In my trades job, I need math and 3D analysis skills to be able to be successful. I found when using apps, I started losing my sharpness, jobs took longer and I was very dependent on portable electronic devices, therefore, I now shun AI or apps unless necessary.

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  3. (1) I think I've been handling the work in IS 101 as well as I can although there is still some room for improvement. There were times I fell behind as I slowly get used to balancing all the work in my classes.

    (2) I don't think AI is something that can ever be self-regulated due to the various unknowns that come about using it. We have zero idea on how it generates it's results so not even the company may see the reason why the AI decided to discard a resume during the hiring process. It turns the tool into something that could help reduce work for humans to one that uses a unexplainable bias that may or may not be intentional. It is a tool that needs regulation to prevent its abuse.

    (3) I have ended up using ChatGPT as a way to generate ideas for some of my high school assignments but have yet to use it since. It can certainly be a helpful tool but it really depends on the use case. I wouldn't exactly trust ChatGPT to write a paper for me as it wouldn't be my own writing and there ends up being a clear difference between the two.

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  4. (1) In the first quarter of IS101 I believe I achieved what I expected of myself, towards the end I fell behind slightly but quickly caught myself up. The Word certification exam went extremely well, I was nervous though because of how tricky the wording can get when assigned certain task which is what I made sure to be careful of when reading.

    (2) Adding onto to "The problem with AI right now isn't that its smart, but it's stupid in ways that we cannot predict". This goes to show that the technology isn't perfect. Its like with everything that's ever been invented, cars couldn't reach 100mph in 1920, nor were cellphones fully touch screen. Everything is a process and robots / AI is probably one of the most ground breaking inventions known to man. In the future, we will see the evolution of this technology improve at a rapid pace because many companies are investing in this.

    (3) I myself have used AI, personally not as much as I expected of myself considering I like stuff like this. If technology existed while I was in high school, best believe I would be doing all kinds of things. I've mainly been interested in company's creating the ability to create images or videos from text which is fascinating considering how realistic they look. I'm eager to see where the future takes us, but scared too.

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  5. 1. The first quarter of IS101 was quite overwhelming for me. Juggling assignments and lab simulations was challenging, and getting up early on Saturdays for the bonus quiz was difficult. However, I understand the vital role consistency plays in achieving success, so I stuck to my strategy. Despite not being naturally tech-savvy and grappling with computer terminology, I remain committed to learning. To be honest I am really enjoying the class, especially the lab sim because I am learning a lot.

    2. Based on the video, particularly regarding the concept of "bias in, bias out." I agree with his perspective because as I understand it, AI systems like ChatGPT can only respond based on the input they receive and training they undergone. They lack the ability to independently discern what is right or wrong.

    3. Yes, I have integrated AI into my daily routine, relying on Google both at home and in the car. Its navigation features have been particularly beneficial to me as a new driver in Las Vegas, where everything feels unfamiliar.

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  6. (1) How do you think you performed in the first quarter of IS101-3002, Spring 2024?
    Could have done better in my Exam. I should be more focused while taking up my exam. Will plan well for the next half of the semester.
    (2) What are you throughs on any, some, or all of these points from John Oliver's video?
    a. Unexplainable how AI algorithms arrive at their results (i.e. "the problem with AI right now isn't that it's smart, but it's that it's stupid in ways we cannot predict") - Speaking about the technical aspect behind the AI Algorithm. There is the concept of Deep learning, which helps in the arriving at the AI algorithm. Still the process is not matured enough and it still need domain expert still to transform stupid machine to smart machine.
    c. Bias-in-bias-out (e.g. pale male data, women = bad & men named 'Jared' who play high school lacrosse = good, TayTweets: from National Puppy Day to Nazi-leaning) - AI is programmed by human and it still depends on what data is feed in the program to determine Bais-in-bias-out. As a general user, we may not be aware of what was programmed and we always with the intrusion that AI is not Biased.
    e. Would self regulation work for companies developing or using AI? - Self regulation is something that we cannot expect all the time in an organization. In such case, a company opt for AI. Some of the employee, may feel frustrated and my think the AI as dictator. So, it's really better if the usage of AI is limited to serve its purpose.
    (3) Have you used AI yourself? I have used Chat GPT, to explore what it was during the initial phase of its launch. Currently I am using copilot which comes along with Microsoft. I prefer copilot search when compared to google search, since it can readout louder for me without spending my time to read by myself. This feature, helps me in multitasking.

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  7. 1)I think I did pretty good at IS101 in the first quarter of the semester. Sometimes I was behind but kept doing all the lab sim work and all other school homework, I finished my MS word exam successfully.
    2)AI is a new technology for the world and as humans we keep practicing using it for our tasks. In present people who develop the AI also failed to explain how it works and how it reaches their results. That’s a kind of main problem AI developers struggling right now.
    3)So far yes, as we are lazy or for make our tasks easy, I use AI sometimes. When accessing something using FaceID instead of typing the password. Then use voice to text features instead of typing the whole thing.

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  8. During the first quarter of IS101, I found myself ahead of the class schedule, surpassing my own expectations. While there was a brief period where I fell slightly behind towards the end, I managed to quickly regain my momentum. The Word certification exam

    Reflecting on the statement "The problem with AI right now isn't that it's smart, but it's stupid in ways that we cannot predict," it becomes evident that while AI is undeniably advancing, it still exhibits unpredictable shortcomings. This observation parallels the evolution of past inventions; just as cars couldn't reach 100mph in 1920 and early cellphones lacked touch screens, AI undergoes a continuous process of refinement. Despite its imperfections, AI stands as one of the most groundbreaking inventions of our time. With numerous companies heavily investing in its development, we can anticipate rapid progress and improvement in the future.

    Personally, while I've dabbled with AI, I haven't explored it as extensively as I initially anticipated, given my enthusiasm for such technology. Reflecting on how I would have embraced it during my high school years if it had been available, I'm particularly fascinated by applications that generate images or videos from text inputs. The realism achieved in these creations is remarkable. As we look ahead, the trajectory of AI both excites and concerns me. The possibilities it presents are vast, yet the ethical implications and potential consequences warrant careful consideration.

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  9. 1) As of now, I think I lie right in the average population when it comes to completing work, but I do think I've done well in the assignments themselves. I'm also proud of my exam score, but throughout the rest of this class, I will focus on being ahead in classwork.
    2c) The fact that the AI system used on self-driving cars neglected jaywalkers and also had less accuracy in detecting people with darker skin is infuriating. These two discoveries should be enough reason as to why AI can't be trusted yet, especially self-driving cars. I'm not sure why a person would choose a self-driving car over another transportation service such as taxis (with an actual driver), trains, etc. On top of that, company hiring algorithms that incorporate AI bias a certain group of people by default because of the existing hiring decisions that were racist and/or sexist, even when instructed to ignore race and gender. So unless you are a high school lacrosse player named Jared, good luck finding a job.
    3) I've used AI as a study tool for my classes, but that's pretty much it.

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  10. (1) When it comes to the first quarter of IS101, I believe in medicine. Below my standards of school, since high school, I've prided myself on getting schoolwork done. Procrastination and I were antonyms. Even with a job in school remotely, I was able to get stuff done remotely efficiently and proficiently. I tend to make complicated assessments despite the simple directions. College in general has been really busy. I wouldn't go as far as preaching. I haven't learned anything, but most, if not all, of the information I could've learned without going to school for it. Without going on a tangent, this first quarter has been a bit of an uphill climb. Compared to high school, where I was working to save up and pay bills, now I'm working towards my dreams and passion. Unfortunately, too many times, school is getting in the way with the amount of time I have to dedicate to finishing
    assessments.
    (2) After watching the video I'm not surprised with all the technological advancement these past few years. AI in general is a type of technology that should scare more people than it does. In general, this concept of technology has been around for years, however as mentioned earlier technology has been advancing so fast that it's only becoming so apparent now. Machine learning systems concepts have been around and the fact these"machines" can outlearn human capabilities so quickly is alarming. With these kinds of innovations, we may not to the true lessons whether malignant or not until its too late. We can see now with AI applications replicating voice. As dangerous as this may appear, other applications like AI human tracing where you can replicate human faces to anyone else. Its only a matter of time before this can turn malicious. At the end of the day, it would be difficult to find the right solution/correction for this dilemma. It reminds me a bit of "A Space Odyssey" where AI can reach. Regulating AI is necessary but at the end of the day, it's becoming a tool in many businesses. However, with any tool, it can be misused so I relegate it. Finally, I believe most people have used some sort of AI even if they don't realize it. For instance, most companies have some sort of AI Chat Box with their customers. Customer Services numbers are the same, but for me, I've used it mainly in Photoshop. It helps work get done faster although it's not always so accurate. After watching the video I'm not surprised with all the technological advancement these past few years. AI in general is a type of technology that should scare more people than it does. In general, this concept of technology has been around for years, however as mentioned earlier technology has been advancing so fast it's only becoming so apparent now. Machine learning systems concepts have been around and the fact these"machines" can outlearn human capabilities so quickly is alarming. With these kinds of innovations, we may not to the true lessons whether malignant or not until its too late. We can see now with AI applications replicating voice. As dangerous as this may appear, other applications like AI human tracing where you can replicate human faces to anyone else. Its only a matter of time before this can turn malicious. At the end of the day, it would be difficult to find the right solution/correction for this dilemma. Remind me a bit of "A Space Odyssey" where AI can reach. Regulating AI is necessary but at the end of the day, it's becoming a tool in many businesses. However, with any tool, it can be misused so I'd relegate it.
    (3) Finally, I believe most people have used some sort of AI even if they don't realize it. For instance, most companies have some sort of AI Chat Box with their customers. Customer Services numbers are the same, but for me, I've used it mainly in Photoshop. It helps work get done faster although it's not always so accurate.

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  11. 1. I believe my work through the first quarter of IS101, was mediocre. I did alright however it was no where near what I am capable of. I need to try to focus more on getting things done ahead of time and excess at everything I do. Sometimes it can be difficult to manage multiple different task at once, however it is something I try to work on and improve on a daily basis. My first MO exam went quiet well, but I still have a lot of work to do to get to my final goal of completing all.

    2. I do believe that one of AI's biggest flaws is over-correcting. There is many different ways of this, from over calculations or just do to the fact that there is no emotion involved. The main difference between human and AI is emotion. AI does not see or feel emotion, so it cant 'soften the blow' is terms of anything. Whether this is telling someone that they are incorrect or AI just trying to fix itself.

    3. In high school I had many encounters with AI. Like many others, chatGPT was a big one. Controversy to many opinions I believe chatGPT is a good thing if its used correctly. I would use it to help with programming issues I was stuck on, not to write my essay for me. Also throughout my times in robotics there were multiples times we had to program an 'AI' aspect into it. So the robot would have to make its own decisions and outcomes based on different reading of sensors.

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  12. 1. I believe my work in the first quarter of this class was pretty average. I have set aside days to complete assignments in a large quantity, versus doing little every day. Because of this, I fall behind and then play a big game of catch up throughout the week. I have to work on my time management, but I am proud of staying, for the most part, caught up enough where the stress of not finishing never overcame me.
    2.AI and its possibilities is honestly a slightly scary thought. AI is a program that can take jobs away from people and has endless answers. Although it has all the answers, so it seems, no one really knows how AI works. This quote, "the problem with AI right now isn't that it's smart, but it's that it's stupid in ways we cannot predict,” is a great example of this. People may put so much reliability on AI that we do not know when, why, or where it went wrong. Lack of transparency of where AI’s answers come from raises concerns about accountability, fairness, and trust. Overcorrection in AI systems can occur when attempts to mitigate biases or errors lead to unintended consequences, such as sacrificing accuracy or introducing new biases. Striking a balance between addressing biases and preserving performance is essential. This involves careful consideration of trade-offs and iterative refinement of AI models and processes. Self-regulation by companies in the AI space can play a role in promoting responsible development and deployment of AI technologies. However, relying solely on self-regulation may not be sufficient, as it could lead to inconsistencies, loopholes, or inadequate oversight. A combination of self-regulation, industry standards, government regulations, and public scrutiny is necessary to ensure ethical and accountable AI practices.
    3. I believe it would be hard for people to avoid AI completely these days. I use chat boxes for companies, my FaceID on my phone, and have used Chat GPT to help fill in holes of a concept I do not understand so I am able to write my essay. AI is a tool, that when used correctly, can be very beneficial.

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  13. 1. I feel that the first quarter of the semester was good for me. I was able to keep up with all of my work once I realized what kind of effort was going to be needed to be successful. There was a good combination of stress and excitement keeping up with the diverse workload.

    2. There were two points from the video that stood out to me. Being unable to understand how AI comes up with the results that are displayed and using the internet to feed AI as in the example of Microsoft with their chat bot, "Taytweets". Like Oliver stated, anyone who has been on the internet long enough can tell you how toxic of an environment it can be, so much so that the AI released by Microsoft become hateful in a few hours. If we understood how AI comes up with its results, we could try to teach it to avoid that hateful language....but then we come to the next point that even when AI is told to ignore biases, it arrives to the same conclusions regardless. AI is a tool that needs to be taken more seriously and not be relied upon until it is understood better.

    3. Yes, I have used AI, ChatGPT. I used it several times for fun and once seriously. I asked it to come up with recipes based on a list of ingredients and also to come up with a roadmap to learn investing. I used it seriously to write a cover letter for a new job. I did receive a interview but did not get the job so I think the AI did its duty, which was to write a good cover letter.

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