Welcome back! In this last AI Insider of 2023, we’ll do what every media outlet and content producer worth their salt does and look back at the year in AI. And who better to do a recap than the bots themselves? I asked Bing, Bard, and ChatGPT what they saw as the biggest AI news this year. I also weighed in with my thoughts and some awards. We’ll be back in the new year to continue updating you about AI. (In plain English!) Happy holidays and Happy New Year everyone! We hope that we’ve been good and get something in our stocking this year.
My Take on the Year in AI
By Michelle Johnson, AI Insider
AI hit like a tsunami at the beginning of the year, set off by the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022.
Since then, a fundamental shift has occurred in how we do almost everything. Name a field that hasn’t been impacted or isn’t scrambling to figure out how to move forward in this changed world. Tough, right?
I will leave the recap of AI in 2023 to the bots. Instead, I want to point out what I think was one of the biggest things going on in AI this year: Ongoing research.
If you think 2023 was a blur of AI wonderment, just wait. Anyone looking at research papers and experiments that happened in 2023 will tell you that many more mind-blowing things are ahead.
You may ask: What is this research that you speak of?
Here’s an example. (Note: This is not a product yet. It’s purely research.)
Video animation: This paper outlines a method of animating humans from a still image. The big whoop? You can swap out the human for a cartoon character, an animal, or a robot and quickly have it make the exact same moves.
Teams around the world are publishing the results of AI research daily. So, buckle up, friends. This ride has just begun.
A Year of Breakthroughs and Buzz
By ChatGPT for AI Insider
The world of Artificial Intelligence has been a whirlwind of innovation and excitement in 2023. From groundbreaking technologies to ethical debates, AI has dominated headlines and sparked conversations across the globe. Here’s a look at what I think are some of the biggest stories that have shaped the AI landscape this year.
- AI in Healthcare: Saving Lives with Smarter Tech
One of the year’s most inspiring stories is how AI is revolutionizing healthcare. Machine learning algorithms have become adept at diagnosing diseases, often with greater accuracy than human doctors. This year saw AI systems detecting conditions like cancer and heart disease earlier, potentially saving countless lives. - AI Art: Creativity or Controversy?
AI-generated art has taken the world by storm, raising questions about creativity and originality. Platforms like DALL-E and others have enabled users to create stunning visuals simply by typing a description. While these images are mesmerizing, they’ve also sparked debates over intellectual property and the true nature of creativity. - Chatbots: Conversing with AI
Chatbots were launched and became more sophisticated as the year wore on. They became more capable of handling complex conversations and offering personalized experiences. This leap in conversational AI has transformed customer service, with bots assisting in everything from online shopping to tech support. - AI Ethics: The Great Debate
With AI’s growing influence comes greater scrutiny. 2023 saw intense debates over privacy, bias, and the ethical use of AI. Governments and organizations worldwide are grappling with how to regulate AI, striving to harness its power while protecting individual rights. - AI in Entertainment: Changing the Game
The entertainment industry has been revolutionized by AI. From personalized movie recommendations to AI-generated music, the way we experience entertainment is changing. This year also saw AI scriptwriters hinting at a future where AI could play a significant role in content creation. A writers’ strike pushed back on this concept looking to preserve humans’ jobs. - AI in Everyday Life: The Invisible Helper
AI’s impact on everyday life has become more apparent. Smart homes, AI-driven personal assistants, and even self-driving cars are no longer just concepts but part of our daily lives. - Corporate AI Moves: Big Players Making Bigger Plays
Major companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have made significant strides in AI, introducing new products and technologies. Their investments and innovations continue to push the boundaries of what AI can achieve.
In summary, 2023 has been a landmark year for AI, marked by achievements and challenges. As AI becomes more embedded in our lives, the coming years promise even more exciting developments and discussions.
AI Development Takes Off
By Bing for AI Insider
Here are some highlights of the year in AI:
- Microsoft Copilot lands. The launch of Copilot, a new AI-powered feature that works with Bing, Edge, Windows 11, and Microsoft 365. Copilot is an assistant for the web, while I’m a copilot for chat. We’re both here to help you get things done faster and easier. You can learn more about Copilot from this article. [Editor’s Note: OK Bing, Copilot is a Microsoft product like you. Way to suck up by starting with this.]
2. The breakthroughs in generative AI, such as ChatGPT, Grok, and GPT-4 Turbo. These technologies create realistic and engaging content, such as text, images, audio, and video. They can also be used for various applications, in fields such as science, education, entertainment, journalism, and more. You can read more about generative AI from this article and this article. [Ed note: Don’t think I’m giving you a pass about being self-serving just because you mentioned journalism.]
3. The challenges and opportunities of AI regulation and ethics. As AI becomes more powerful and pervasive, it also raises questions about its impact on society, privacy, security, and human rights. There have been debates and initiatives on regulating AI and ensuring its ethical and responsible use. You can learn more about AI regulation and ethics from this article and this article.
[Ed. Note: I cut Bing’s list short because it picked stuff that didn’t happen in 2023, thereby showing off one of the limitations of chatbots.]
From Art to Education, AI’s Widespread Impact
By Bard for AI Insider
Here’s my list of the top developments in AI for 2023:
- Google Launches Gemini: Google unveiled its groundbreaking large language model, Gemini, boasting superior capabilities compared to its competitors. Bard now runs on a version of Gemini. This launch marks a major milestone in AI development and promises to shape the future of language processing and creative applications. (Ed. Note: You and Bing both lead with stories about you!)
- AI Takes on the Classroom: Educational AI tools took center stage, offering personalized learning experiences and tutoring support. AI-powered platforms customized learning plans, assessed student progress, and provided feedback in real-time, ushering in a new era of intelligent education. [Ed. Note: You left out the part about how this struck fear in educator’s hearts.]
- Voice Cloning Goes Mainstream: The ability to recreate voices using AI reached new heights. Voice cloning technology sparked both excitement and ethical debates.
- AI Artists Make Waves: Generative art powered by AI captured the imagination of art enthusiasts and collectors. AI-generated images and videos challenged traditional notions of art and sparked conversations about creativity, copyright, and ethical issues.
- AI Deciphers Ancient Languages: AI was used to decipher ancient languages that have been lost to time. Researchers developed AI systems that can read these languages. This could lead to new insights into ancient civilizations and cultures.
- AI Creates Lifelike Videos:AI is now able to create realistic videos of people that can be used for training purposes or for entertainment. Researchers developed AI systems that can mimic facial expressions and head movements to create videos that are nearly indistinguishable from real life.
From the mind-bending possibilities of generative AI to real-world applications in arenas such as education and medicine, AI continues to reshape our world in fascinating ways.
Top in AI, 2023
As we’ve seen, this has truly been a breakout year for AI. Having reviewed many AI-driven products and tech in 2023, I offer this list of what I think should be award winners. (Michelle Johnson)
Chatbots
- ChatGPT Plus – No surprise that ChatGPT, the Plus version, takes the top spot. Far more useful than the freebie edition, Plus opened up a world of extras and plugins on a regular basis. The current iteration’s GPT builder and integration of an image generator (see below), code, and data tools have been a joy to watch and use.
- Bing – I love Bing. Mostly because we’ve had some of the most fun chats. In comparison to the other bots, Bing has been spicy and useful when it comes to current events. After ChatGPT, I head over to Bing to yak about what’s going on.
- Bard – Bard comes in third, but it’s just behind Bing. Bard has gotten better with every upgrade. Its ties to Google products (Gmail, Docs, Sheets etc.) put it high on my list. Bard has also been great at comparison shopping, menu planning, and travel assistance. It will also run a check on the accuracy of its responses (Click the big “G). An update this week to Google’s new Gemini large language model will no doubt make it even stronger.
- Claude – Honorable Mention. Claude first caught my attention because it purported to all uploads of large files (like the size of a book) for analysis. It also has been built to be safe. Academics, in particular, will like Claude. It’s straightforward and follows prompts well.
AI Assistants
Microsoft Co-pilot – Copilot is Bing on steroids. Sure, it will chat, and summarize documents and web pages, basically acting as an assistant. But Co-pilot lands on this list for features such as allowing you to feed it two different documents and then asking it to compare them. That’s a useful time-saver that quickly got my attention.
Writing Aids
- Google Docs “Help Me Write” feature. – It seemed to appear out of nowhere. One day I started a new Google doc, and a pencil icon with the text “Help Me Write” appeared offering to summarize text, suggest changes in tone, and even elaborate. Help Me Write gets the top spot for ease of use and being truly helpful. If you’re a Google docs user, you already have it. Just look for the pencil icon on your documents.
- Grammarly – Grammarly adopted AI even more enthusiastically in 2023. It was always a useful writing tool, but with the inclusion of AI functions, it became much more so. In addition to correcting grammar and spelling, it may emulate your writing style. It’s in second place because, between Google Docs tools and Grammarly, I generate fewer typos and other mistakes.
- Quillbot – Honorable Mention. Early in the year, I was impressed with a new AI-driven tool aimed at helping writers. Simply doing a cut and paste and hitting a “Regenerate” button resulted in better text. It will be rewritten for you in various styles including Academic, Formal, and Simple. Quillbot is also multi-lingual.
Imaging
- Midjourney – This image generator quickly became the top tool for turning out everything from insanely realistic photo styles to oil paintings, or anything that you can dream up. In fact, the prompt for Midjourney starts with “/imagine.” It’s magical and deserving of the top spot.
- Dall-E 3 – I’m shocked that I’m acknowledging this product in the No. 2 spot. Until version 3, OpenAI’s Dall-E was terrible. I barely used it. It had a first-mover advantage, so it got lots of press, and people were amused that they could make a picture by typing in a box, but it has never been very good until now. Prompt adherence, the ability to generate text, and its speed are impressive. I now use it to generate images for this newsletter because it’s built into ChatGPT, a “correspondent” for AI Insider.
- Adobe Firefly – Honorable Mention. I beta-tested Adobe’s Firefly for months and watched it get better by the day. Firefly gets high marks for “prompt adherence,” meaning that it is more likely to give you exactly what you ask for, unlike other products that take more license. Adobe also gets high marks for making Firefly safe to use. It’s also among a few image generators that routinely give you diverse results (race, gender). An upgrade toward the end of the year added useful settings that mimic camera settings such as aperture and shutter speed.
GPT Tools
- OpenAI’s GPT Builder – A few weeks ago, OpenAI updated ChatGPT Plus and unveiled a tool that allows mere mortals to create custom GPTs. Since then, a flood of these mini app-like bots have been released. OpenAI wins the top spot for creating a tool that anyone with the time can use to try something new.
- Quora’s Poe – Before OpenAI’s “Create a GPT” popped up, there was Poe. It operates very similarly to GPT Builder. I was tickled to be able to easily generate a bot that allows you to chat with a black historical figure.
Graphic Design
- Canva – I confess I’d all but given up on Canva a couple of years ago. There were better tools out there for designing flyers, invitations, and such. Then, it started to perk back up with new templates. Then they busted out the AI. Canva gets the top spot both for rising from the almost-dead (in my mind) to one of the best implementations of AI for helping novices create documents, presentations, animations, talking avatars for videos, and a lot more. Most of this happens via third-party plugins, but everything works nicely together.
- Adobe Express – Adobe Express is the runner-up in this category. Like Canva, it had fallen behind and was a mess with too many features and options. The homepage has been revamped and integration with their image generator Firefly has given Express new life. AI integration is happening regularly.
Aht Gallery
Happy holidays, everyone! (Michelle Johnson via Midjourney, Leonardo, Ideogram, Firefly)
