GenAI Studio: News, Tools, and Teaching & Learning FAQs
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.
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.
In this week’s tech news, Google is releasing three new “open” generative AI models, an addition to its Gemma 2 series. OpenAI has withheld its watermarking tool for ChatGPT due to concerns over false positives and user backlash. ByteDance’s CLASI system advances real-time speech translation, achieving near-human accuracy. Morphic, a Rust-based shell, offers enhanced developer productivity. CogVideoX-2b enables text-to-video generation with high precision, while FLUX.1 excels in detailed image generation.
Here’s this week’s news:
Google Launches New AI Models with Emphasis on Safety and Transparency:
Google has introduced three new models within its Gemma 2 family: Gemma 2 2B, ShieldGemma, and Gemma Scope. These models focus on safety, transparency, and usability, and aligns with broader industry efforts to make AI more accessible and secure. Read more
OpenAI Holds Back Watermarking Tool Amid Accuracy and Adoption Concerns:
OpenAI has developed a watermarking tool that can detect whether text was generated by ChatGPT with 99.9% accuracy. Despite its effectiveness, OpenAI has opted not to release the tool due to concerns about potential false positives, the stigmatization of non-native English speakers, and the risk of users abandoning ChatGPT. Additionally, there are concerns that the watermark can be bypassed, and some users may stop using ChatGPT if they know their text is watermarked. OpenAI is exploring alternative solutions, including cryptographic metadata. Read more
CLASI: Advancing Simultaneous Speech Translation
ByteDance Research has introduced CLASI, a cross-lingual agent for simultaneous speech translation (SiST) that closely mimics professional human interpreters. The system uses a data-driven approach, combining a read-write strategy with multi-modal retrieval, to improve translation quality and latency. CLASI significantly outperforms current commercial and open-source systems, achieving near-human interpreter parity, especially in challenging real-world scenarios. Read more
Morphic: A Rust-Powered Shell for Efficient Development
Morphic is an advanced shell for developers built on Rust, designed to enhance productivity and simplify complex workflows. It offers powerful scripting capabilities, rich auto-completion, and seamless integration with modern development tools, making it ideal for both simple tasks and sophisticated automation. Explore Morphic
CogVideoX-2b: Open-Source Text-to-Video Generation
CogVideoX-2b is an advanced open-source model for text-to-video generation developed by THUDM. Capable of generating short videos from text prompts, it supports 720×480 resolution at 8 frames per second. Designed for research and creative applications, it requires significant GPU resources for inference and fine-tuning. Explore CogVideoX-2b.
FLUX.1: A New Era in Image Generation
FLUX.1, developed by BasedLabs, is an advanced open-source model for generating high-quality images from text descriptions. With a focus on precision, FLUX.1 excels at rendering complex compositions, anatomical accuracy, and legible text, making it suitable for a wide range of creative applications, from detailed fantasy art to commercial design projects. Try FLUX.1
Tool of the Week
Tool of the Week: Glif App Using Flux 1 Pro
What is the Glif App?
Glif is an innovative AI-powered design tool that allows users to create AI-powered generators using different blocks with functions. The image generator function integrates Flux 1 Pro, a robust image generation model, to create high-quality visuals directly from text prompts.
How is it used?
Users can start by building a image-generating workflow using blocks, and then inputting a description of the desired image, and the Glif app will leverage Flux 1 Pro to generate detailed and precise images tailored to their specifications. It’s ideal for designers, marketers, and content creators seeking quick and professional-grade visuals.
What is it used for?
Glif can be used for a range of creative tasks, including generating marketing materials, social media content, and custom illustrations, helping users bring their creative visions to life efficiently.
For additional information, explore Glif.
Without a PIA, instructors cannot require students use the tool or service without providing alternatives that do not require use of student private information
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.
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How can I use GenAI in my course?
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