AI FOMO is Real: How Professionals are Both Thrilled and Terrified About Robots in the Workplace — and Why You Should Care!

Make no doubt about it, we are in the age of AI, where "fake it till you make it" takes on a whole new meaning. So, LinkedIn decided to play therapist and asked nearly 30,000 professionals worldwide how they feel about AI in the workplace. Spoiler alert: It's complicated.

First, let's talk about the good stuff. The majority of professionals are not just open but excited about AI. A whopping 84% believe it'll catapult their career progression. The last two days we trained the management team at the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort on generative AI, and let me tell you, the room was buzzing. It’s like they found out they were getting a new, hyper-efficient coworker that doesn’t call in sick.

But here's the catch: people are excited but also confused. About 49% of the respondents admitted they should know more about AI than they currently do. It's like being handed the keys to a Ferrari but not knowing how to drive stick. In fact, 39% have fessed up to acting like they're in the AI-know when they're as clueless as a goldfish looking at calculus equations.

Let's chat about why people are hyped for AI, besides the obvious robot-overlord job security. Forty-five percent think it'll make their jobs easier. Imagine not having to dig through endless spreadsheets because your AI buddy did it while you were in your third Zoom meeting of the day. But it doesn’t stop there: People are already dreaming about what they'll do with their newfound time. The buzzwords? Work-life balance and skill enhancement. Makes sense; I would also love to channel my inner Gordon Ramsay after work rather than catch up on emails.

Now, about this AI anxiety. More than one-third of these folks are sweating about falling behind on the AI game. I get it; you don’t want to be the one using a typewriter in a sea of iPads. It's not just about job security; it's about not wanting to seem irrelevant. And hey, 56% said they don't even know how to use AI at work, which makes the anxiety quite understandable.

So what's the remedy? Upskilling. LinkedIn's data shows that generative AI could automate at least a quarter of repetitive tasks for 84% of US workers. That’s not a small chunk of your day, my friends. From my experience in Sandestin, FL, training corporate teams on AI is not just a necessity; it’s a gamechanger. Employees are more than eager to learn, and honestly, it lifts a ton of weight off their shoulders.

Finally, if you're already scrambling to Google "AI courses," hold your horses. LinkedIn is offering its 10 most popular AI courses for free until December 15. So, you've got no excuses now. Get out there and become the AI whiz you were destined to be, or at least stop pretending to be one. And if you are reading this and employ a large team that you want to personally guarantee they are ready for AI in the workplace, shoot me an email, and let’s talk.

From Deepfake Drama to Digital Vaults: How Celebs Are Taking Control of Their Virtual Selves with This Game-Changing Tool

The digital age is here: a utopia for memes, viral TikTok dances, and… deepfakes that could potentially ruin your life if you're a celeb. Enter Metaphysic, a company that first captured our attention by making deepfake videos of celebrities so convincing, you'd swear Tom Cruise just did a backflip in your living room. Now, they're flipping the script with a new tool aimed at helping performers keep their digital identities locked up tighter than my snack drawer during a diet.

So here's the lowdown. Metaphysic is rolling out a new product called "Metaphysic Pro." Its purpose? To let creators create an AI likeness of themselves and register it with the U.S. Copyright Office. Think of it as taking a selfie, but instead of posting it on Instagram, you're basically telling the world, "Hey, this digital me is mine, hands off!" This is especially critical in a time when AI can generate images of celebs doing things they've never done. I mean, imagine waking up to find a deepfake video of you juggling chainsaws. Not cool, right?

But wait, there's drama. Hollywood is basically in a civil war right now. Writers are on strike, actors are backing them up, and AI is at the center of it all. The bone of contention? Creators want better protections for their work and likenesses. It's like an episode of "Black Mirror" where the tech you thought was cool turns out to be the villain. The new Metaphysic platform is positioning itself as the peacemaker by allowing artists to control their personal data and digital selves. Imagine a virtual vault where Anne Hathaway or Tom Hanks can store their digital assets and decide who gets to use them and how. Yep, they're among the early adopters.

Thomas Graham, the big brain behind Metaphysic, is making it clear that consent and compensation are the stars of this show. In his words, the platform aims to be a "secure, transparent platform for performers, IP holders, and filmmakers." That's like a backstage pass, but instead of meeting the band, you're coordinating the use of your digital assets.

However, let's hit the brakes for a second. Copyrighting AI-generated content is still a murky pond. The U.S. Copyright Office has rejected AI-created art at least three times this year alone. So while you can register your AI likeness, the law hasn't fully caught up with technology yet. It's like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole; something's gotta give.

So what's the takeaway? If you're in the biz, getting ahead of the curve with something like Metaphysic Pro seems like a no-brainer. For the rest of us, it's a fascinating glimpse into a future where our digital selves might just be as valuable, and as vulnerable, as our real-world identities. Just make sure to read the fine print, because in this digital Wild West, it's every pixel for itself.

Your Tweets, Grocery Lists, and Awkward Zoom Calls Are Training the AI of Tomorrow—Here's Why You Should Care!

Your data being used to train the AI overlords of tomorrow. Yeah, you heard me right. Big names in tech like Twitter, Microsoft, and even the grocery-delivery service Instacart are adjusting their terms of service like they're tailoring a suit. Except this suit lets them use your data to teach their AI models how to, well, be smarter.

Remember Zoom's mini-crisis when people found out their video calls might be used to train AI? The company backpedaled faster than I do when someone suggests a vegan restaurant for dinner. "No, no, we won't use your videos for AI," they quickly clarified. But that hasn't stopped other companies from hopping on the "our platform is now your AI's training ground" bandwagon.

Take Rev, for example, the popular transcription service. They've got a shiny, new clause in their terms that basically says, "Hey, your uploaded content? Yeah, we'll be using that to improve our speech-to-text AI models, thanks!" They slipped this into their terms in June but decided September was a good time to let you know—probably while you were busy Googling "how to make pumpkin spice at home." Oh, and get this, they're partnering with OpenAI. So, your awkward conference calls might just be part of the next big thing in AI.

But hey, if you're a Rev user and you're not into sharing your voice memos with robots, you can opt out by emailing support. No dedicated form, but they "promise" to honor your request. Fingers crossed, right?

Switching gears to Instacart. These guys updated their terms to say you can't use their data for your AI experiments. But wait, there's a loophole! They can use your grocery list data to "enhance machine learning algorithms." So, your preference for almond milk over cow's milk is valuable intel, my friend. Who knows? The next AI could be programmed to suggest oat milk as a more sustainable option, based on collective dairy preferences.

Even Meta is in on the action. Your status updates, your Instagram selfies, even your awkward use of AI chat tools—all fair game to train their AI. They've got an opt-out form, but it's anyone's guess if they'll actually respect that.

Bottom line? If you're online—which you are, unless you're reading this via carrier pigeon—your data is becoming the protein shake for these emerging AI gym rats. Sure, it's exciting that AI is getting smarter, but at what cost? Companies need to be more transparent. Like, don't tell me you're "improving services" when you're really building a digital Frankenstein. So, next time you see a "We've updated our terms" email, maybe actually read it. Your future AI-generated self will thank you.

Microsoft's New Budget-Friendly AI is About to Shake Up the Tech World—Here's Why Even Your Grandma Could Soon Be a Coder

Let me spill some tea that's hotter than the coffee you just burned your tongue on. You know how building those giant, chatty AI models (yeah, like ChatGPT, LLaMA, and their other alphabet soup pals) is usually a sport for the big leagues? Think OpenAI, Meta, Google, and those with pockets deeper than the Mariana Trench. Well, guess what? Microsoft Research is saying, "Hold my energy drink, we're making this a game for everyone."

Meet Sebastien Bubeck and his band of brainiacs at Microsoft Research, who've been cooking up something called phi-1.5. Hold your horses; it's not a new Star Wars droid, but an AI model trained to be as smart as its big brothers, but without emptying your bank account or requiring a NASA-level computer farm. How? They use data created by existing large language models (like yours truly, ChatGPT) to train this bad boy. It's like training a new chef by having Gordon Ramsay prepare all the ingredients. All you need to do is cook it up!

You might think, "Oh, it's a 'lite' version, probably not as good." But here's the kicker: phi-1.5 has only 1 billion parameters (which in the AI world is like being a Mini Cooper among Hummers), but it performs like it's been hitting the intellectual gym. It's like that kid in class who never took notes but aced every test—a total dark horse. And because they're using data generated from existing models, they're not tripping over copyright wires or spending a fortune scraping the web like a digital dumpster diver.

Now let's talk about the dollar bills, y'all. You'd think training an AI model would cost more than your entire collection of Star Wars memorabilia, but nah. Two weeks, eight A100 GPUs, and just $1,000. That's right, for less than the price of that designer gaming chair you've been eyeing, you can train your own AI model. It's like buying a DIY rocket kit instead of a SpaceX ticket.

But how do they ensure the model is as diverse as a college brochure? They use something called the "Textbooks Are All You Need" methodology, which is as straightforward as it sounds. It's like curating your kid's reading list instead of letting them loose on the internet, where they might end up thinking the Earth is flat. They even have a fun technique of throwing random seed words into the data mix, like tossing jalapeños into your guacamole. It makes things interesting!

And before you ask, "What about benchmarks?"—Bubeck says, toss 'em. Traditional benchmarks are like trying to measure your grandma's cooking skills with a ruler; they don't capture the essence. He's all about interactive testing. You know, actually talking to the model to see if it's just spitting out rehearsed lines or if it can actually hold a convo.

In a nutshell, Microsoft Research is democratizing AI, making it accessible for more than just the Silicon Valley titans. If they pull this off, we're looking at a playground where even your Aunt Karen, who thinks rebooting means kicking the computer, could potentially dabble in AI. So, watch this space, because the future of AI might just be in your very capable (or not-so-capable, we don't judge) hands.