A(NU) Thought

Open Intelligence: Education Between Art and Artificial by Saikat Majumdar, published by Vintage, an imprint of Penguin Randon House, is an interesting take on technology, art, education and AI. The perspective on AI from a professor of English and a creative writer was a fresh take. The author uses interesting anecdotes, research, technology, education, philosophy, popular books, movies, & brands from across the world to explain his ideas. He raises some relevant questions about the role of education in a future shaped by AI and attempts to answer them. He highlights that changes need to happen right from the root level, education, abilities, aptitudes, and interests, to make children future-ready. I particularly liked how the narrative moves from AI to humans and the importance of raising children with emotions and not just focusing on academics. The book gets a little essay-ish in between but picks up pace & brings in some interesting concepts of ACI, AGI, Bot Bias, co-exis...

Our brains can influence the way we perceive and judge people! Yes, you already know it. But let me tell you why? Ever wondered why one good quality makes us overlook four bad qualities in someone? You meet a colleague who is extremely articulate and confident. You immediately think: “She’s smart and capable. She'll probably be a great leader.” But do we actually know that? This is the Halo Effect. One positive quality can influence our overall perception of a person, even when that quality has nothing to do with their actual performance in other areas.

Just watched this very interesting video: “People are getting quieter and scientists are concerned” | DW News.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeJ61w7be2A   I noticed this during Covid, when we had all resigned ourselves to our homes (and fate!), that most of us were talking less amongst ourselves and more with technology. But the research discussed in the video is fascinating. Apparently, we are speaking 338 fewer words per person per day, every year, amounting to roughly 28% fewer spoken words in 2019 than in 2005. Yes, we text and video-call more. But much of that communication is limited to people we already know.