AGI Timeline, Profits, Layoffs, Storytelling, and Star Trek
Your Weekly Review of News in Technology, UX and AI
Here’s the latest news, resources, and use cases from the world of product, UX, AI and technology. Let’s go:
📊 AI Entrepreneurship
👩💻 AGI Timeline
💸 Profits
💩 Layoffs
✍️ Design
🧙♂️ Storytelling
🚀 Star Trek
Podcast
Unlocking the Secrets of AI Entrepreneurship with Founder Andrew Amann
In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle Evans interviews Andrew Amann, CEO and co-founder of NineTwoThree AI Studio. Andrew shares his extensive experience in entrepreneurship, product development, and the challenges of building AI products. We discuss the importance of understanding product-market fit, the patent process, and the journey of founding multiple companies. Andrew emphasizes the significance of focusing on a specific audience and the value of holistic entrepreneurship, where success is measured not just by financial gain but also by personal fulfillment and work-life balance. We also explore the future of AI, its applications across various industries, and the evolving landscape of technology.
News and Useful Reads
Why there’s so much disagreement about the timeline for advanced AI
AI has been advancing rapidly. Some CEOs (especially those with vested interests in pushing the AI narrative) expect we’ll see AGI soon, while other industry experts expect we’re decades away.
Many experts agree AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is possible, but not when it will arrive. Forecasts range from a few years to decades, reflecting uncertainty about what artificial intelligence truly requires and how long current progress can continue.
The AI Industry Can’t Profit Unless It Replaces Human Jobs, Warns Man Who Helped Create It
The only way our current investment in AI makes sense is if it replaces a massive number of jobs for companies. Either that, or we’re likely looking at companies that are massively overvalued. Either way, it doesn’t seem to bode well.
As Fortune noted, OpenAI alone has accounted for over $1 trillion in AI infrastructure deals, and still managed to lose some $11.5 billion in revenue over the last three months.
Asked by Bloomberg whether these jaw dropping investments could ever pay off without eviscerating the job market, Hinton’s reply was telling.
“I believe that it can’t,” he said. “I believe that to make money you’re going to have to replace human labor.”
AI drives worst October layoffs in over 20 years
Most companies are saying that AI is the cause of recent layoffs, but given the fact that AI can’t really replace people, it’s a good scapegoat but far from the truth.
By one measure, the U.S. economy added more jobs than expected in October. But data from a major outplacement firm paints a bleaker picture. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, companies announced 153,074 job cuts last month. That’s the most October layoffs since 2003 and nearly triple last year’s number.
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The Fundamentals Problem
Design goes beyond what a page or product looks like—it is also about the functionality and experience a user has.
Despite a continually growing awareness and experience of design in the marketplace, and despite the proliferation of design tools that put sophisticated capabilities in the hands of anyone with a web browser, designers and buyers of design services still lack a fundamental knowledge of what design is, how it works to capitalize on human attention, and how to apply it alongside brand expression.
The 5 Pixar Storytelling Principles That Will Redefine How You Present and Fast-Track Your Career
The ability to clearly articulate an idea and get a point across is critical in today’s corporate world. It’s a skill that takes practice.
We often think storytelling is something that belongs in the world of writers, filmmakers, or marketing teams. But storytelling is, in fact, the single most powerful skill you can develop to get your ideas heard, understood, and supported.
Other Interesting Finds
Lego boldly goes into the Star Trek universe with $400, 3,600-piece Enterprise-D
I grew up watching all the Star Trek shows and movies, which includes every episode of TNG. As a Trekkie, I can’t wait for this new Lego collaboration. Star Trek has had licensing deals with other brick makers, but as of this year, Lego will be starting to make some sets. And we all hope this is the first of many.
Star Trek fans who have long envied the Star Wars franchise’s collaboration with Lego are finally getting something to celebrate: Lego is introducing a version of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise, specifically the Enterprise-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation.