Another Crazy Day in AI: Choosing the right chatbot in 2024

Hello, AI Enthusiasts.

It’s Friday night, and we’ve got a treat for you! 🌟 As you wind down from the workweek, take a moment to explore our newsletter featuring a journalist’s review of the top AI chatbots for 2024.

Get the scoop on their best features, pros and cons, costs, and insights into their large language models (LLMs). Plus, enjoy some thought-provoking AI insights to ponder over the weekend. 🌙

Here's another crazy day in AI:

• Find the perfect AI chatbot for you: a 2024 roundup

• 3 must-know tips to strengthen AI security practices

• MIT CSAIL researchers developed an AI system that manages team coordination

• Some AI tools to try out

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TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Comprehensive guide to the best AI chatbots

Image Credit: Wowza (made with Ideogram 2.0) / Prompt: "Person holding a phone, with the screen centered and enlarged. The screen displays a big 'AI CHATBOT' at the top and 'WOWZA' in the middle."

Are you maximizing the potential of AI chatbots in your daily tasks, or is there a better tool out there waiting for you?

AI chatbots have become integral tools for both professional and personal tasks. With so many options out there, it can be challenging to figure out which one best suits your needs. Sabrina Ortiz, an editor at ZDNET, has done the heavy lifting by testing numerous AI chatbots over the past 18 months.

The article covers the top AI chatbots on the market, each with their own unique strengths and capabilities. Whether you're looking to boost your productivity, streamline your writing process, or just have an engaging back-and-forth with a knowledgeable AI companion, there's an option here that's sure to fit the bill.

Here's the full rundown of Sabrina's top AI chatbot picks:

• ChatGPT - The best AI chatbot overall, with mind-blowing skills in writing, STEM subjects, and natural conversation.

  • Pros: Writing skills, STEM knowledge, Conversational

  • Cons: Limits to GPT-4o, Boots free users down to GPT-4o-mini when at capacity

• Microsoft Copilot - An excellent ChatGPT alternative, with internet access, source attribution, and the same powerful GPT-4 Turbo language model.

  • Pros: Access to the internet, Links back to sources, Uses OpenAI's LLM Cons: Grounded in Bing, Not as strong as ChatGPT

• Anthropic's Claude - Stands out for its strong conversational abilities, allowing for back-and-forth exchanges.

  • Pros: Upload document support, Chat controls, Light and dark mode

  • Cons: Unclear usage cap, Knowledge cutoff

• Perplexity.ai - The top pick for search-focused tasks, with internet access and a user-friendly interface.

  • Pros: Links to sources, Access to internet, Simple UI

  • Cons: Paid subscription required for GPT-4 access, Some irrelevant suggestions

• Jasper - The best option for businesses and marketers who need AI-generated content and writing assistance.

  • Pros: 50 different writing templates, Copyediting features, Plagiarism checker

  • Cons: Need a subscription to try, Steep cost

• You.com - Allows users to test and compare different language models in one convenient place.

  • Pros: Readily available, Free, Source Citing

  • Cons: Some answers stronger than others, Subscription required for GPT-4 access

• Chatsonic by Writesonic - Tailored for article writers, with features like SEO optimization and plagiarism checking.

  • Pros: Up-to-date, Variety of use cases, Free trial

  • Cons: Need to sign in, A bit of a lag

• Gemini (formerly Google Bard) - A great choice for those in the Google ecosystem, with integration across Google services.

  • Pros: Free, Access to Google, Good text editing skills

  • Cons: No sources, Can't help much with code

• Socratic by Google - The recommended chatbot for students and kids, with an educational focus.

  • Pros: Free, Educational, Easy to use

  • Cons: Doesn't write text

• HuggingChat - An open-source option for those who want to build and customize their own chatbot.

  • Pros: Clean, ChatGPT-inspired interface, Entirely customizable, Great for developers or AI fanatics

  • Cons: Intermediate/advanced skills needed, Have to create an account

Now, we know what you might be thinking - with so many choices, how do I even begin to decide?

As you review Sabrina's top picks, keep in mind that the "best" chatbot is the one that aligns closest with your unique needs and workflows. Take the time to thoughtfully assess your goals and experiment with a few different options. Don't be afraid to try something new - the perfect AI assistant is out there, just waiting to unlock your full potential and transform how you approach your daily tasks.

This isn't about finding the "one-size-fits-all" solution. It's about selecting the tool that seamlessly integrates into your routine and empowers you to work smarter, not harder. Approach this process with an open mind and a willingness to explore.

Read the full overview of the leading AI chatbots in 2024 here.

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OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:

3 must-know tips to strengthen AI security practices

/Anton Chuvakin on Cybersecurity Dive

Anton Chuvakin from Google Cloud outlines three essential strategies to secure AI systems. He emphasizes the importance of adapting existing risk frameworks to AI, enhancing technical controls to protect AI infrastructure, and expanding cybersecurity strategies to address AI-specific threats like data poisoning. By combining human oversight with strong technical measures, organizations can better safeguard their AI deployments.

Read more here.

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MIT CSAIL researchers developed an AI system that manages team coordination

/Alex Shipps, MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)

MIT's CSAIL developed an AI assistant that enhances teamwork by aligning actions and beliefs among team members, which is crucial in high-pressure environments like rescue missions or surgery. The AI uses a "theory of mind" model to predict and correct misalignments in understanding, ensuring efficient and coordinated efforts across teams. This technology could also improve collaboration in areas like video gaming.

Read more here.

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SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:

• Google AI Studio: get prompt ideas for working with the latest Gemini models

• Hexus: quickly create interactive product demos, videos, and guides

• BiRead: instantly translate website content into bilingual text with one click

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That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.

Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉

Leveraging AI for Enhanced Content: As part of our commitment to exploring new technologies, we used AI to help curate and refine our newsletters. This enriches our content and keeps us at the forefront of digital innovation, ensuring you stay informed with the latest trends and developments.

Another Crazy Day in AI: Coding with a broken hand

Hello, AI Enthusiasts.

Happy Wednesday night! We’re at the heart of the week, and it's a great opportunity to catch up on all things AI.

Let’s dive into the latest updates and explore the innovations that are making waves this week.

Here's another crazy day in AI:

• An engineer broke his hand and let AI handle the code

• Why AI projects need more than just technology

• Paper: GPT-4’s accuracy in predicting social science results

• Some AI tools to try out

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TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Engineer's broken hands unlock coding breakthroughs

AI-generated image/Wix AI image creator

Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to code without actually typing? Sounds wild, right?

Erik Schluntz, an engineer and entrepreneur, shares his unexpected journey into the world of AI-assisted coding after breaking his hand in a biking accident. Schluntz reveals how he adapted to coding primarily using voice commands and AI assistance, leading to surprising productivity gains and insights into the future of software development.

Highlights:

• Initial Setup: Erik used a combination of voice-to-text and Claude AI to continue coding despite his injury.

• Voice-to-Text Challenges: While Mac's Voice Control was helpful for natural language, it struggled with coding syntax.

• Claude AI in Action: By feeding large chunks of code into Claude, Erik could refactor functions and write unit tests efficiently.

• Learning Curve: Erik quickly identified effective ways to give instructions to AI, realizing the importance of specific and example-based commands.

• Autonomous Coding: Erik found success in allowing Claude to handle larger coding tasks autonomously, contrary to common advice of incremental prompting.

• Tool Creation: Claude helped Erik build quick, disposable tools, such as a GPS visualization web app, significantly speeding up the debugging process.

• Future of AI in Coding: Erik envisions a future where AI tools like Claude evolve into "AI Engineers," working autonomously on well-defined tasks and pairing with humans on more complex problems.

• Human-AI Collaboration: Despite advancements, human engineers will remain crucial for high-level decision-making and overseeing AI-generated work.

This experience shows how a challenging situation can lead to unexpected innovation in software development. But don't worry, he's not saying human coders are going extinct or anything. It's more like we're getting a super-powered sidekick. Think of it as moving from a regular calculator to a graphing calculator - sure, it does more of the work, but you still need to know what you're doing to use it right.

So, what do you think? Ready to give your coding skills an AI upgrade?

Read more here.

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OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:

Why AI projects need more than just technology

/Ron Schmelzer on Forbes

When building AI projects, the focus often lies on the technology itself. However, project success frequently hinges on human elements, such as communication and problem-solving skills, known as "power skills." Rich Maltzman, a master lecturer at Boston University, emphasizes the importance of blending methodologies like agile and waterfall, and fostering a collaborative environment where AI and human skills drive success. According to the Project Management Institute's Pulse of the Profession 2023 report, organizations prioritizing power skills see significantly higher success rates.

Read more here.

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Paper: GPT-4’s accuracy in predicting social science results

/Ashwini Ashokkumar, Luke Hewitt, Isaias Ghezae, Robb Willer

A recent study explores the potential of GPT-4 to simulate human responses in social science experiments. By analyzing 70 pre-registered survey experiments with over 105,000 participants, researchers found that GPT-4's predictions closely match actual outcomes, even surpassing human forecasters in accuracy for unpublished studies. This capability could revolutionize experimental methods, enabling rapid, cost-effective pilot studies and enhancing theoretical research.

Read the paper here.

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SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:

• Black Forest Labs FLUX.1: advanced image generator with precise prompts and diverse outputs

• Brainybear: scans websites or files to provide quick, accurate answers to customer queries

• Table: personal CRM that imports and enriches contacts with smart reminders and interaction tracking

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That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.

Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉

Leveraging AI for Enhanced Content: As part of our commitment to exploring new technologies, we used AI to help curate and refine our newsletters. This enriches our content and keeps us at the forefront of digital innovation, ensuring you stay informed with the latest trends and developments.

Another Crazy Day in AI: Wearable tech listens and learns from your conversations

Hello, AI Enthusiasts.

We hope you had a restful weekend and are ready to dive into a fresh start.

Monday is here, and so are the latest developments in AI. Let's get started!

Here's another crazy day in AI:

• Wearable tech gets smarter with Bee AI

• Key considerations and tips on creating clear AI policies

• Tech giant deploys AI to streamline traffic flow

• Some AI tools to try out

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TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Bee AI's $7M bet on wearable assistants

Image Source: Bee AI / "Bee AI raises $7M for its wearable AI assistant that learns from your conversations" by Ivan Mehta on TechCrunch

Are you ready for an AI assistant that you could wear and actually gets you?

In an exciting development in wearable tech, Bee AI has raised $7 million to advance its innovative AI-powered wearable assistant. Ivan Mehta's recent article on TechCrunch, offers an inside look at how Bee AI, founded by Maria de Lourdes Zollo and Ethan Sutin, aims to create a device that learns from your conversations, helps with daily tasks, and keeps your privacy in mind.

Here’s what makes Bee AI stand out:

• Funding and Development: The company has raised $7 million from investors like Exor, Greycroft, and Banana Capital.

• Smart Wearable: The assistant listens to your conversations, helps with notes, reminders, and task management, and even pairs with an Apple Watch app.

• Features: Early features include reading notifications, writing emails, and offering shopping suggestions. The device has a mute button and potential future commands.

• Market Position: Bee AI is part of a growing field with competitors like Limitless and Friend, focusing on refining wearable AI technology.

• Privacy Measures: To address privacy concerns, Bee AI uses transcripts instead of recordings and plans to exclude non-users’ voices from its data.

The product is currently in beta. Before its official launch, Bee AI plans to introduce consent protocols for non-users’ voices and emphasizes that it only uses transcripts, not audio recordings, for learning. Orders are anticipated to begin before Black Friday.

You might be wondering: “Will this AI assistant take over my life?” It’s a great question, especially with a $7 million investment riding on it! Will these new AI helpers make our lives easier or just add another layer of complexity? And, who knows, maybe they'll even start finishing our sentences!

What’s your take? Excited to try out a wearable AI, or do you prefer the simplicity of good old post-it notes? Let us know!

Read the full article here.

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OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:

Key considerations and tips on creating clear AI policies

/Avi Gesser, Matt Kelly, Melyssa Eigen, and Ned Terrace on Debevoise Data Blog

When crafting AI policies, businesses struggle with defining AI and knowing when AI governance should apply. Commonly, firms adopt regulatory definitions, but these can be ambiguous, posing compliance challenges. Alternatives include adding examples to definitions, using clear and simple definitions, matching policies to regulatory obligations, and creating separate policies for generative AI. Key considerations for drafting AI definitions involve clarity and coverage of high-risk models under regulatory scrutiny.

Read more here.

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Tech giant deploys AI to streamline traffic flow

/Steven Romo on NBC News

Google is leveraging AI to enhance traffic flow, partnering with Boston to optimize stoplight timings and alleviate gridlock. This initiative aims to reduce traffic congestion in one of the nation’s worst traffic cities. The project exemplifies the practical application of AI in urban planning and infrastructure management.

Watch the news here.

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SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:

• Algolia: enhance website and app search with AI that delivers fast, accurate results and integrates with WordPress

• Elastic: AI-powered search tool providing real-time insights and precision, part of the ELK stack

• Kotae: AI chatbot that automates customer inquiries for small businesses, powered by your content

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That’s a wrap on today’s Almost Daily craziness.

Catch us almost every day—almost! 😉

Leveraging AI for Enhanced Content: As part of our commitment to exploring new technologies, we used AI to help curate and refine our newsletters. This not only enriches our content but also keeps us at the forefront of digital innovation, ensuring you stay informed with the latest trends and developments.