Another Crazy Day in AI: Upgrading career support in associations

Hello, AI Enthusiasts.

The week is moving along, and it’s the perfect time to dive into the latest AI news.

Tonight, we’re featuring insights from a job board CEO on how AI is transforming career support within professional associations. Plus, discover how ed-tech companies are pitching AI to educators and explore the latest trends in AI search that are reshaping marketing.

Ready to dive in?

Here's another crazy day in AI:

• AI solutions for career centers at professional associations

• AI search redefines the future of marketing

• Ed-tech pushes AI tools to save teachers’ time

• Some AI tools to try out

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TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Five AI trends shaping career centers

Image Credit: Media from Wix

How can professional associations leverage AI to enhance their career development offerings and better serve their members?

Rodion Telpizov, CEO and founder of SmartJobBoard, recently shared his insights on this topic in a Forbes Council Post. As someone who's worked with associations for over 15 years, he's seen firsthand how AI can enhance the services offered by career centers.

These centers play a pivotal role in helping cresources such as career coaching and résumé writing. But for smaller associations, offering these services can be a real challenge. That's where AI comes in. Telpizov outlines five ways AI can shape professional associations' career centers:

• Résumé Critique: AI-powered tools can provide personalized résumé feedback, helping members fine-tune their applications and stand out in the job market.

• Résumé Writing: AI platforms like Rezi and Zety assist users in crafting tailored résumés that highlight key skills and experiences relevant to specific job descriptions.

• Career Coaching: AI-driven coaching platforms offer personalized advice and development plans, making career coaching more accessible to all members.

• Interview Coaching: AI-based interview simulators provide real-time feedback and insights to help job seekers improve their performance and confidence during interviews.

• Job Matching: AI systems can analyze members' skills and preferences, matching them with the most suitable job opportunities to streamline their job search.

While these tools offer associations a way to enhance their career services, Telpizov also mentions a few things associations need to keep in mind:

• AI Bias: AI systems can unintentionally reinforce biases related to race, gender, or age. It’s important for career centers to regularly audit these tools and ensure they're promoting diversity and fairness.

• Privacy Concerns: With AI tools collecting large amounts of personal data, it's essential to protect candidates’ information with strict data privacy measures.

• Lack of Nuance: AI might struggle to assess soft skills or cultural fit, so human oversight is still needed when evaluating candidates for jobs that require unique qualifications.

• The Limits of AI: AI shouldn’t be the only tool in the career center's arsenal. Job seekers should still personalize their applications, and associations should offer other resources like mentoring and workshops.

At the end of the day, it's all about leveraging technology to enhance the value associations bring to their members. And if implemented thoughtfully, AI can be a game-changer in helping career centers expand their reach and deliver more personalized, impactful support. We'd be curious to hear your thoughts on this - what do you think about the potential of AI in this space?

Read the full article here.

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OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:

AI search redefines the future of marketing

/Andrew Holland on MarketingWeek

OpenAI’s new search engine might change the game for Google and shift marketing back toward brand building. AI search engines, like Perplexity, are simplifying results, reducing the need for traditional web searches, and making way for real-time actions across various platforms. This poses a significant challenge to Google’s dominance, as AI search may plug directly into social media, TV, and phones, where inspiration for searches often begins.

Read more here.

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Ed-tech pushes AI tools to save teachers’ time

/James O'Donnell on MIT Technology Review

Ed-tech companies are promoting AI tools as time-savers for teachers, offering AI-powered assistants for grading, lesson planning, and providing feedback. While some teachers embrace these innovations, many remain cautious, especially regarding core teaching tasks like creative lesson planning and personalized student feedback. Educators in various countries are also issuing guidance on AI in classrooms, but resistance persists due to concerns over quality and the human element in education.

Read more here.

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SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:

• Storydoc - create engaging interactive slide decks

• LibroMatch - find books similar to your favorites with AI

• Runway Gen 3 Alpha - fast, high-quality video generation with customizable styles, dialogue, and voices

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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: Engineered intelligence fills the gap

Hello, AI Enthusiasts.

After the first workday of September, post-Labor Day, we’ve got some intriguing AI content to help you wind down.

Ever wondered why so many AI projects fall short of their promises? Some experts are sharing their insights on what might be missing. Plus, get the latest on Canva’s price increase and check out a new book that tackles AI hype and how to sidestep it.

Settle in and enjoy your evening read!

Here's another crazy day in AI:

• Engineered Intelligence: the missing link in AI's success story

• Canva’s AI rollout drives major price hike

• A new book exposes AI hype and how to avoid it

• Some AI tools to try out

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TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: The missing piece in AI implementation

Image Credit: Wowza (made with Ideogram 2.0)

Ever wondered why brilliant AI ideas often struggle to make it in the real world?

AI experts Brian Evergreen and Kence Anderson, might have cracked the code.

In their recent article on VentureBeat, they introduce a fresh perspective on why so many AI projects fail to deliver. They argue that AI has been missing a critical component: a dedicated discipline for applying AI research to real-world challenges, much like how other scientific breakthroughs are handed off to engineers for practical use. This new field, which they call "engineered intelligence," aims to fill that gap by blending scientific advancements with engineering principles to create tangible value.

Here's what stood out:

• AI Winter Warning: There's a growing concern that AI isn't delivering the returns many hoped for. We could be heading for another "AI winter" unless something changes.

• The Engineer-Shaped Hole: Unlike other scientific fields, AI lacks a clear path from research to real-world application. This gap might explain why a whopping 87% of AI projects aren't meeting expectations.

• Enter "Engineered Intelligence": This new approach aims to bridge the gap between AI theory and practice. It's about creating real-world solutions without relying solely on data scientists.

• A Practical Roadmap: The authors outline a five-step process to bring engineered intelligence into organizations. It starts with identifying valuable areas of expertise rather than just looking at available data.

• AI's Next Chapter: By adopting this engineering-focused approach, companies might finally unlock AI's true potential. There's also hope that this could create new jobs and economic opportunities as the field grows.

What's compelling about this perspective is how it grounds AI in practical, real-world needs. Instead of chasing the next big AI breakthrough, it focuses on making the most of existing technology and scaling human expertise through intelligent systems.

While it's too soon to say if engineered intelligence is the silver bullet for AI's challenges, it's certainly a fresh take worth considering.

In a field that's often dominated by hype and grand promises, this grounded, expertise-focused approach feels like a breath of fresh air. It'll be interesting to see how these ideas evolve and potentially reshape the AI landscape in the coming years.

Read the full article here.

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OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:

Canva’s AI rollout drives major price hike

/Jess Weatherbed, News Writer, The Verge

Canva is raising subscription prices for some users by over 300% due to the introduction of new AI features. The price increase primarily affects Canva Teams subscribers, with some users in the U.S. seeing costs rise from $120 to $500 per year, though a temporary discount reduces it to $300. These changes have sparked backlash among customers, who are considering alternatives like Adobe. Canva justifies the hike by pointing to the enhanced value of its AI tools, which have expanded the platform's offerings.

Read more here.

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A new book exposes AI hype and how to avoid it

/Elizabeth Quill, Executive Editor, Science News

Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor’s book AI Snake Oil critiques the overhyped claims of AI, highlighting its limitations and potential harms. They explore AI tools that claim to predict future events, arguing that most fail to deliver on their promises. The book also delves into the ethical issues surrounding AI, including privacy, misinformation, and social inequities. The authors stress that society must scrutinize and regulate AI more effectively, focusing on how people use it rather than fearing the technology itself.

Read more here.

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SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:

• Collato - instantly turn meetings into documents with customizable templates

• ClickUp Brain - connects tasks, docs, and team knowledge with AI

• Jamboss - create personalized songs for friends and family using AI

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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: Amazon's Alexa gets a Claude upgrade

Hello, AI Enthusiasts.

As Monday night settles in, we hope you had a fantastic Labor Day holiday.

Now that the long weekend is behind us, unwind with some interesting AI reads.

Tonight, we’re exploring the latest buzz about Amazon’s partnership with Anthropic to boost Alexa’s capabilities, along with some other fresh AI news.

Enjoy your evening and these engaging updates!

Here's another crazy day in AI:

• Amazon's Alexa gets a major AI upgrade

• How AI is transforming antibiotic discovery

• Copyright conflicts in AI development

• Some AI tools to try out

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TODAY'S FEATURED ITEM: Amazon's Alexa gets a boost from Anthropic

Image Credit: Amazon Alexa YT | "Get more ideas on how to use Alexa | Tips & Tricks | Amazon Echo"

What if your virtual assistant could do more than just set timers and play music?

Amazon is taking Alexa to the next level by integrating advanced AI technology from Anthropic, known as Claude. In an effort to make Alexa more conversational and capable of handling complex requests, Amazon has partnered with Anthropic to enhance its voice assistant's capabilities. Greg Bensinger from Reuters takes a closer look at why Amazon made this move and what it means for the future of Alexa.

What’s Happening?

• Alexa's Transformation: Amazon is launching an enhanced version of Alexa in October, powered by Anthropic's Claude AI to deliver a more intelligent experience.

• Paid Subscription: The new "Remarkable" Alexa will cost between $5 to $10 per month, while the existing "Classic" Alexa remains free to use.

• Why Claude? Amazon turned to Anthropic because their own AI was falling short, leading to slower responses and less reliable performance.

• Enhanced Abilities: This upgraded Alexa will offer personalized shopping advice, manage your smart home more efficiently, and handle more complex tasks.

• The Bigger Picture: With this upgrade, Amazon hopes to make Alexa a profitable service, banking on the new features to draw in paying customers.

Amazon's ambitious plan to revamp Alexa is creating quite a buzz in the tech world. By partnering with Anthropic, they're not just giving their virtual assistant a facelift – they're potentially redefining how we interact with AI in our homes. It's a clever move, showing that even tech giants recognize when to bring in fresh talent to stay competitive.

But here's the million-dollar question: will people open their wallets for features they've been enjoying for free?

Amazon's betting that users will see the value in a smarter, more capable Alexa. They'll need to make a compelling case, addressing privacy concerns and regulatory scrutiny along the way. Plus, they've got to ensure that all this new tech doesn't turn Alexa into a complex gadget that requires a user manual.

Come October, all eyes will be on Amazon. If they can stick the landing, we might be looking at a real game-changer in the AI assistant arena. It's not just about making Alexa smarter – it's about raising the bar for what these digital helpers can do in our daily lives. One thing's certain: the race to build the ultimate AI assistant is heating up, and Amazon's jumping in with both feet.

Read the full article here.

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OTHER INTERESTING AI HIGHLIGHTS:

How AI is transforming antibiotic discovery

/Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker

AI is transforming drug discovery, particularly in the search for new antibiotics. By analyzing vast datasets, AI models like those at MIT have uncovered novel compounds, such as the promising antibiotic "Halicin," which could be critical in combating resistant bacteria. The potential of AI to revolutionize medicine by identifying drugs that traditional methods might overlook is emphasized.

Read more here.

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Copyright conflicts in AI development

/George Hammond, Financial Times

Legal challenges are mounting as AI companies push the limits of available data. Lawsuits against firms like Anthropic for alleged copyright infringement highlight the tension between technological advancement and intellectual property rights. The industry is now navigating a complex landscape where securing data through legal means or partnerships is becoming increasingly essential.

Read more here.

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SOME AI TOOLS TO TRY OUT:

• SpeakHints - real-time speech assistant that offers AI-generated suggestions on what to say next

• Fellow - automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings, integrating seamlessly with your workflow and tools

• CheatSheet AI - generate visual cheat sheets on any subject effortlessly

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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.