Is there a feature of AI that you’re jealous of?

I am a writer by trade so I’m generally jealous of the sheer speed with which AI produces text – less of the skill of the writing though, at least until recently. Only recently I realized how well AI can create original content when asked with a well crafted series of prompts, especially when you let the AI assess its own output critically, and use that assessment to improve its output. While I know that AI cannot really be creative based on the core of what it can do, which is to merely put one word after another, it can simulate creativity rather convincingly.

What’s the one fact about AI that everyone should know?

Be aware that almost all providers of large language models keep the training data and how the models were fine-tuned a secret. Notably, this applies to the most popular LLMs from the US and China. Which means that the AI models may be and almost certainly are purposefully biased in terms of political and societal view. Example: just this summer Donald Trump issued an executive order promoting radical freedom of expression in American AI models, with which he meant that the training data should be free of what he calls wokeness and political correctness. Instead, factually wrong claims, e.g. denying climate change, should be reproduced unfiltered. Not what I would call any sort of reasonable basis for a high quality AI. In contrast, Apertus, the model recently released by ETH Zürich, EPFL and CSCS in Switzerland, is purposefully open and transparent with everything concerning training, fine-tuning and post-training of the model. To my knowledge, it is the first LLM to fully comply with the EU AI Act.

What’s a good hobby to pick up?

Tennis. First of all it’s fun. And it’s interesting because it’s not just physical exercise but also a mind game, especially when you play matches. For me, playing matches often involves the challenge to let go of my edginess, frustration or anger at myself, and instead face each new point with a positive attitude. I kind of hope that this mental exercise will make me more relaxed not only on the tennis court, but also in everyday life. Apart from that, Tennis is the healthiest sport there is, as several studies found: people who play recreational tennis live longer than those who practice any other sport.