These sixty minute, weekly sessions – facilitated by Technologists and Pedagogy Experts from the CTLT – are designed for faculty and staff at UBC who are using, or thinking about using, Generative AI tools as part of their teaching, researching, or daily work. Each week we discuss the news of the week, highlight a specific tool for use within teaching and learning, and then hold a question and answer session for attendees.

They run on Zoom every Wednesday from 1pm – 2pm and you can register for upcoming events on the CTLT Events Website.

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News of the Week

Each week we discuss several new items that happened in the Generative AI space over the past 7 days. There’s usually a flood of new AI-adjacent news every week – as this industry is moving so fast – so we highlight news articles which are relevant to the UBC community.

Here’s this week’s news:

Meta Llama 3: Meta introduced Meta Llama 3, the latest iteration of its open-source large language model, which features improvements in reasoning, code generation, and instruction-following. This model comes in 8B and 70B parameter versions, promising state-of-the-art performance and enhanced capabilities, supporting a broad range of use cases and aiming to foster innovation across the AI development ecosystem.

Phi-3: Microsoft introduced the Phi-3, a compact and cost-effective AI model suite designed to operate on smartphones without an internet connection. Despite its small size, Phi-3 is capable of performance levels nearly equivalent to GPT-3.5, showcasing how technological advancements are making powerful AI models more accessible and affordable​

EU AI Act: The European Union’s AI Act is the first comprehensive legal framework globally, aimed at regulating the development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence within the EU. The legislation focuses on ensuring AI systems are trustworthy, respect fundamental rights, and are safely integrated into various sectors, addressing high-risk applications with stringent requirements

Culturally Insensitive Robots: This article explores the challenges and advancements in making robots culturally sensitive. Researchers are working on algorithms that help robots recognize and respect cultural norms and practices, which is increasingly important as robots become more integrated into diverse human environments. This involves training AI with diverse data sets and implementing ethical guidelines to prevent cultural insensitivity.

RStudio Chattr Integration: RStudio has released ‘chattr’, a new Shiny add-in allowing users to interact directly with large language models (LLMs) like GitHub Copilot and OpenAI’s GPT models within the IDE. This tool simplifies the integration and interaction with AI models for coding assistance, providing an interface for executing and managing AI-driven code suggestions directly in RStudio.

Adobe Firefly 3: Adobe has significantly updated its Firefly AI models, introducing Adobe Firefly 3 which is integrated into Photoshop and other Creative Cloud tools. The latest enhancements in Firefly 3 include more advanced image generation capabilities, such as higher-quality image rendering and improved text alignment. Additionally, Adobe introduced a vector model for generating scalable vector graphics and a design model for creating instant templates, aiming to streamline workflows and enhance creative processes across various Adobe applications

Buzz: Buzz is an open-source tool that allows users to transcribe and translate audio offline on personal computers, utilizing OpenAI’s Whisper technology. It supports various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, and is designed to enhance accessibility and productivity in audio processing tasks.

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Tool of the Week

Each week we demonstrate a Generative AI tool that can be used within teaching and learning. The GenAI space is evolving rapidly, and as such we demo new tools or new ways people use those tools.

As a reminder not all tools we showcase have successfully been through the PIA process at UBC.

This week’s Tool of the Week: Buzz

What is Buzz?

Buzz is a desktop tool that harnesses OpenAI’s Whisper model to transcribe and translate audio files with high accuracy. Beyond its primary function, Buzz stands out for its ability to operate completely offline, ensuring that sensitive information never leaves the user’s computer, thereby providing a secure transcription solution.

How is it used?

Intuitive in design, Buzz allows users to set their transcription and translation preferences through a straightforward command-line interface. The application processes the audio data using advanced machine learning algorithms to deliver reliable text output, which can be critical for users who need to transcribe audio in environments where internet access is restricted or when privacy is a priority.

What is it used for?

Ideal for a wide range of users, from journalists recording interviews to students capturing lectures, Buzz’s transcription service is invaluable for those needing immediate text documents from audio sources. Its offline functionality is especially pertinent for those in the field or in areas with limited internet connectivity.

For additional information, explore Buzz’s extensive features on GitHub.

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Questions and Answers

Each studio ends with a question and answer session whereby attendees can ask questions of the pedagogy experts and technologists who facilitate the sessions. We have published a full FAQ section on this site. If you have other questions about GenAI usage, please get in touch.