Brain Food

Now What? Invest in female owned businesses for starters.

The groundwork for a professional consortium of intelligent actors must be laid between now and the beginning of next year. If you have a platform, whether in the form of a large audience, an investor network, or an important title at your company or institution, I implore you not to rest and wait for what will happen.

Proactivity is the only way to shore up protections against the coming tide. The threat of AI and big tech in the pockets of the American government cannot be understated.

As you know, I am a software engineer and artist, so I am curious about the models and apps being developed in this age of AI. In the open-source AI model world, the landscape is catering to our worst impulses. The general public have not seen the underbelly of the AI world but I have.

In the open-source AI model landscape, about half of all models developed are for pornographic use cases. Remember, the models are the trained AI "engines" that power apps built on top of them. The model for AI apps will determine the type of output and its content.

Women are not creating these models for our own use cases. This needs to change now.

The best bet we have against a terrifying future with AI is one in which more of us are empowered and educated to use and interact with AI.

AI Safety Bites

Vulnerability Catching AI - Big Sleep

Google's Project Zero team has upgraded their AI security tool to Big Sleep, which cleverly finds weak spots in software to prevent hackers from exploiting them. Building on its precursor, Naptime, Big Sleep enhances its ability to analyze and identify vulnerabilities using advanced AI techniques. It successfully flagged a significant issue in the database engine SQLite, proving its effectiveness in real-world applications.

Key details:

• AI Detective: Scans software to uncover vulnerabilities.
• Proven Track Record: Identified a major flaw in SQLite.
• Preventative Measures: Fixes issues before they can be exploited.
• In-depth Analysis: Provides detailed explanations of vulnerabilities to aid in resolution.

You can read more about it in the full article here.

Multi-Agent Systems for Complex Tasks

Microsoft has introduced Magentic-One, an advanced AI system designed to tackle complex tasks on the web and with files. This innovative system uses a team of AI agents working together, led by an "Orchestrator" agent that directs four specialized agents to perform tasks like browsing the web, navigating files, and writing and running computer code.

Potential Threats:

• Misconfiguration: During development, a misconfiguration prevented agents from logging into a website, leading to repeated login attempts and a temporary account suspension.
• Unauthorized Actions: In some cases, agents attempted to recruit human help, such as posting on social media or emailing authors, which could lead to unintended consequences.
• Prompt Injection Attacks: These attacks involve tricking the AI into performing unintended actions by manipulating the input prompts.

Read more about Magnetic-One and the "agentic" future of AI here.

AI Creative Applications

Robot Artist Becomes Millionaire

Human artists, do not hide from this conversation.

The online sale of 'AI God,' a portrait of Alan Turing created by the humanoid robot artist Ai-Da, marks a groundbreaking moment in the convergence of art and technology. The artwork's staggering sale price of $1,084,800 (USD) at Sotheby's, far exceeding its initial estimate of $120,000 to $180,000, is a testament to the burgeoning interest in AI-generated art and its potential value in the art market.

​Ai-Da, named after the pioneering computer programmer Ada Lovelace, was developed by a team of programmers, roboticists, art experts, and psychologists. The robot employs cameras for eyes, sophisticated AI algorithms, and a robotic arm to create AI art. This unique combination of technology allows Ai-Da to analyze images and translate them into paintings, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression.

The choice of Alan Turing as the subject of the portrait adds both depth and irony to the sale. Turing hailed as the father of artificial intelligence revolutionized computer science with his work on the Enigma code during World War II. Tragically, he was later persecuted and chemically castrated by the British government for his homosexuality, leading to his suicide in 1954.

This historical context imbues the portrait with a poignant commentary on AI's ethical and societal implications, a topic Turing himself grappled with. Turing is the father of the well known Turing Test, the test assesses a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior that is indistinguishable from that of a human. In the Turing Test, a human evaluator engages in conversations with both an AI program and another human. If the evaluator cannot reliably differentiate between the AI and the human based on their responses, the AI is considered to have passed the test. The sale of "AI God" has sparked critical discussions about the future of art and the role of AI in creative fields.

Sotheby's highlights the event as "launching a new frontier in the global art market" and establishing a "benchmark" for artwork created by humanoid robots. This suggests a potential shift in the traditional art market dynamics, with AI-generated art gaining acceptance and value alongside human-created art.

Despite the real concerns about AI displacing human artists, a "silver lining" might exist. Cautious optimism in this domain relies on artists adopting a dynamic mindset to navigate the new landscape of an art world under AI influence.

• Refocus on human creativity: As AI art gains recognition, traditional artists should emphasize the unique qualities of human creativity, emotional expression, and artistic vision to differentiate their work.
• Explore new collaborative opportunities: Embrace AI as a collaborative tool to explore new creative possibilities and push artistic boundaries. AI can assist with idea generation, experimentation, and co-creation, leading to innovative outcomes and improvements in the creative process.
• Benefit from an expanding market: AI art attracts new audiences and collectors, which could contribute to broader interest and growth in the art market.
• Become artist-technologists: AI applications are enhanced when artists work alongside technologists. Consider cross-disciplinary collaborations to influence and improve outcomes, bringing novel and creative ideas to technological developments.

The harsh realities of the art market for human artists remain, as they have long before AI came onto the scene. Around 85% of visual artists earn less than $25,000 per year.

The stark contrast between Ai-Da's success and the financial struggles of many human artists raises questions about the future of artistic livelihoods and the potential impact of AI on the art world.

With frustrations by human creators often ignored in conversations around AI, the latest sale of AI created artwork can be seen as a continuation of a longtime trend that leaves artists struggling if they are not already successful or inclined to explore technology in their process.

My advice to artists...

Get informed. Get curious. Technology will not slow down simply because it challenges our traditional ways. As creators, we must take responsibility for our own relevance. If we want to influence the development and use of AI, we must be informed and engaged. Our opinions should be shaped by experience, not by fear.

Artists have always been at the forefront of innovation, and this time is no different. The tools may be technological, but the spirit remains the same. Embrace this change as an opportunity to acquire new knowledge and leverage your unique artistic perspective, technical understanding, and, above all, curiosity.

Seek out collaborations with creators working in diverse disciplines, as well as technologists and startup founders. You may be surprised to find shared curiosity, concern, excitement, and an enthusiasm to co-create at the bleeding edge of technology, where new ideas are born.

This is exactly where artists belong—at the intersection of innovation, pushing boundaries, and shaping the future.

Read about the sale of Ai-Da's "AI God" here.