AI in the Community with Congressman Adriano Espaillat
By Susan Gonzales on 10/04/2024 @ 07:17 AM
AI in Harlem đź“Ł - AIandYou continued our series of AI in the Community events with policymakers to host AI-101 sessions and conversations between local leaders and their communities.
Silicon Harlem, a local tech training center, hosted our event with Congressman Adriano Espaillat, a U.S. House AI Caucus member. This series of events aims to create local, viral conversations about AI literacy to prepare communities for the opportunities and challenges AI brings to all.
You can see from the community photo that it was a good time. Fear of AI 🫣 was decreased, and curiosity 🤔 was increased. Mission accomplished!
AI, Creatives and AI Literacy
By Susan Gonzales on 10/01/2024 @ 09:00 AM
AI and Creatives - I share this not to call out my former boss. I share to illustrate the PROS and CONS of virtually all new AI tools. The missed opportunity when announcing new AI tools is educating people about its benefits and how these tools can help them as creative artists, educators, students, parents, and seniors.
It is not enough to show the bells and whistles of new AI tools and walk away. We need to walk people through the upside...and the risks. Just showing a new AI tool can freak out people and increase fear, which we don't need. The greater the fear, the lower the adoption of new AI tools. AI literacy is the key.
"Best-selling author Jason Pinter proclaimed that Zuckerberg’s creation made him “effing angry.”
“Mark Zuckerberg used AI to illustrate his daughter’s children’s book and this makes me so effing angry,” Pinter wrote. “He could have hired a PHALANX of amazing illustrators, but instead he used a computer program. If we don’t support actual artists, there won’t be any more artists.”
Yet despite the backlash, many commenters still appeared to side with AI. In response to Pinter, one user argued that Zuckerberg’s use of AI was perfectly justified.
“I think you’ve missed the point of the exercise. if you’re going to make a children’s book instead of buying one of the thousands available, you’re doing it because you think you can make it personal,” the user responded.
“Being rich doesn’t change that. For Zuck, AI is important and personal (to him). Hiring artists won’t get you a better book, and it probably won’t be more personal.”
To learn more about the ongoing conversation that inspired this blog, check out this article from Daily Dot.
Our CEO on AI Literacy and Education
By Susan Gonzales on 09/24/2024 @ 07:00 AM
AI in Education - AI has the potential to be a great equalizer - if we embrace the technology and know how to use it safely.
I've been hearing from educators a lot lately. Everything from "We are banning Generative AI at our school" to "We have encouraged our students to explore new AI tools."
Respectfully, the former does not appear realistic as it could hold students back from participating in the new world of AI and its opportunities and challenges. AI fear is real.
This is why AI Literacy is more crucial now than ever before.
To learn more about the ongoing conversation that inspired this blog, check out this article from Fast Company.