Don Kasprzak

Latest Read: AI 2041

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date December 15, 2021

AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan. Kai-Fu is a leading AI researcher. with a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. He landed at Apple in 1990 for a decade, then went to SGI.

Kai-Fu has previously served as the founding director of Microsoft Research Asia, then president of Google China, He departed to launch Sinovation Ventures, a venture capital firm in Beijing.

Over the course of my career I have grown rather confident that technology predications never really develop as projected. Hence, AI 2041 is no exception. While I do appreciate Chen’s writing skills, these predications are a real miss on the AI front.

In addition, each story begins with a brief note by Kai-Fu followed by Chen’s story. I must admit that I am certainly not really a fan of fiction, yet the detail writing by Chen is striking. Kai-Fu then closes each story with an accurate analysis of AI technologies key to the story.

Chapter Three: Twin Sparrows

Twin Sparrows, is certainly the best written chapter IMHO. The implementation of natural language processing, self-supervised training, and AI education made for a unique story, although straining at times.

Tags AI 2041, Artificial Intelligence, Kai-Fu Lee

Artificial Intelligence Education Reading

Latest Read: AI Superpowers

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date December 10, 2021

AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
by Kai-Fu Lee. He developed an advanced continuous speech recognition system during his Ph.D. work at Carnegie Mellon University in the early 1980s. He landed at Apple in 1990 for a decade, then went to SGI.

Since 2000 Kai-Fu served as the founding director of Microsoft Research Asia, then president of Google China, He departed to launch Sinovation Ventures, a venture capital firm in Beijing.

This book weaves in and out of AI technology developments. It is both surprising and disappointing. Many have certainly noted this is more or less propaganda for China. By the fourth chapter, I began wondering if Kai-Fu is considering a run for Chinese President.

Kai-Fu addresses in chapter 5, the four waves of AI: Internet AI, Business AI, Perception AI, and Autonomous AI. Elements of each wave appear even today, a bit far fetched for a democracy. However within a state controlled economy, China can force changes described across all four. With the US Population at 331 million compared to China’s 1.4 million, statements that China produces more data for AI system is certainly not a watershed thought. Certainly China will produce more data for AI systems than many country populations combined.

The AI shopping cart?

The idea of an AI enhanced shopping cart with a built-in LCD display and recognizes your shopping history upon touch, as you enter any Chinese local Yonghui superstore referenced in “Where every shopping cart knows your name” seems to still be a foreign concept across America’s grocery stores. Too many privacy concerns for the West. In addition, this was published prior to COVID. Today this idea certainly will be replaced by AI-enhanced mobile apps, or Internet AI as Kai-Fu is referencing above.

Tags AI Superpowers, Artificial Intelligence, china, Kai-Fu Lee

Education Reading Technology

Latest Read: What Happened To You?

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date December 3, 2021

What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Dr. Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey. This book will change the way you view not only your life, but the lives of family, colleagues, and friends.

Bruce is a psychiatrist and senior fellow of the Child Trauma Academy in Houston. In addition, he remains an adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. In 1987, Bruce began a fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Chicago.

Bruce has been a consultant to many high-profile incidents involving traumatized children: The Columbine High School massacre, The Oklahoma City bombing, and The Waco siege.

He also wrote The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog: What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love and Healing. Elements of that book are indeed discussed in this book as well.

Bruce began his relationship with Oprah in 1989 and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show many times sharing experiences of childhood trauma. Accordingly, Oprah shares her understanding from trauma and adversity from a young age.

Tags Dr. Bruce D. Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Resilience, Trauma, What Happened To You?

Artificial Intelligence Education Innovation Reading Technology

Latest Read: The Ten Equations That Rule the World

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date November 24, 2021

The Ten Equations That Rule the World by David Sumpter. He is a professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. David was awarded the UK’s Institute of Mathematics 2015 prize for communicating mathematics to a wider audience in his research How to Model Honeybee Colonies.

David provides a deep overview of ten equations: Betting, Judgement, Confidence, Skill , Influencer, Market, Advertising, Reward, Learning, and The Universal Equation. Each equation (algorithm) includes stories that certainly provide deeper understanding.

On the other hand, the opening chapter did not really connect with me. The Betting Equation focuses on UK soccer and for reveals how betting odds can be adjusted against reality.

Nevertheless, I am not sure why this did not resonate as the rest of the book is just delightful to read.

In addition, the second chapter, Judgement Equation is the basis of Bayesian statistics and this storyline really stuck with me.

Furthermore, it is great to see David reference The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver within the third chapter, The Confidence Equation.

Tags algorithms, David Sumpter, The Ten Equations That Rule the World

Education Globalization Reading Technology

Latest Read: An Ugly Truth

Post author By Don Kasprzak
Post date November 17, 2021

An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination by Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang. Sheera is a prize-winning technology reporter based in San Francisco. Cecilia covers technology and regulation.

This story of Facebook’s corruption and lack of a moral compass cannot not be any more clearer than this book. In addition, this is a story of greed, control, egos of company leaders. At first glance you may think this is simply not possible.

In contrast, the authors are tapping into current and former employees. All paint a rather horrific picture of Facebooks’ single focus: profits.

Above all, documents and interviews reveal how company wide lack of action weakened American democracy. Furthermore, ignoring the genocide of Rohingya peoples across Myanmar paints a rather shocking picture of Facebook as a company.

A key point certainly overlooked is how Facebook ‘arrived’ at the beginning of the internet’s gilded age. Therefore, no rules applied, just profits whatever the cost. Profit is certainly the only focus for Mark Zuckerberg. On the other hand, attempting to derail his profit focus results with aggressive and sometimes illegal tactics.

Chapter 7: Company over Country

An acknowledgment by Facebook’s security team that Russian spies hacked user accounts of GOP politicians certainly was not a surprise. Yet, the Russians hacked accounts of children from those GOP candidates. This also was certainly very shocking. Accordingly, all this activity was culminating in an internal report to company leadership:

Hence, Facebook did nothing. No notice to American intelligence services. Ultimately Facebook engineers held a rather unique eye on all user interactions.

Tags An Ugly Truth, Cecilia Kang, facebook, privacy, Sheera Frenkel, surveillance