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, John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton received the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for their contributions to machine learning. A Venturebeat article emphasizes the importance of maintaining skepticism about AI’s rapid development to ensure responsible usage, while a LinkedIn article argues that AI can be seen as a new form of colonialism, as it may perpetuate global inequalities in various ways. Meta has unveiled Movie Gen, a generative AI tool for video creation, and Anthropic introduced a Message Batches API to optimize large-scale data processing. Apple has published a paper about its Depth Pro model, which can produce depth estimation from single images, while Cohere has upgraded its Command R model to have improved fine-tuning capabilities. The University of British Columbia will host a session on October 16th, exploring the impact of generative AI in education. Finally, OpenAI has launched “canvas”, a collaborative tool for writing and coding within ChatGPT.
Here’s this week’s news:
Hopfield and Hinton Win 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics
John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics for their contributions to machine learning, which laid the foundation for today’s AI developments. Both scientists have expressed concerns about potential negative consequences of AI as it continues to evolve.
Skepticism About AI is Healthy
This article from Venturebeat highlights why it is good to be cautious and skeptical about AI, as recent studies suggest concerning trends about the future development of AI-focused projects. Healthy skepticism, the article argues, can lead to more responsible deployment of AI technologies. The article offers recommendations and methods for staying critical of AI as it becomes more prevalent in society.
AI as a New Form of Colonialism
A LinkedIn article argues that AI technology can be seen as perpetuating a new form of colonialism, offering parallels between AI and historical colonialism. The article explores the implications of this comparison and provides counterarguments, emphasizing that proper regulation is needed to minimize the potential harm and risks caused by AI development.
Meta’s New Video Generator – Movie Gen
Meta announced its latest generative AI innovation, Movie Gen, a model capable of producing video content based on simple prompts. The tool aims to enhance creative workflows and democratize video production, offering new possibilities in media and entertainment.
Anthropic Introduces Message Batches API
Anthropic has unveiled its new Message Batches API which allows developers to send large volumes of queries in batches that can be processed asynchronously. This change enhances throughput and reduces costs by half, making it practical for large-scale data processing.
Apple’s Depth Pro: Enhancing Depth Perception
A research team from Apple has published a paper on the performance of their new Depth Pro model for zero-shot metric monocular depth estimation, in which the model can quickly produce metric depth estimates with high accuracy from a single image, without requiring prior information. This advancement has potential applications in various fields such as advanced image editing, augmented reality, and autonomous systems.
Cohere Enhances Command R Model
Cohere has updated its Command R 08-2024 model, enhancing fine-tuning capabilities for better control and increased flexibility. The update includes a “bring your own fine-tune” option, support for longer context length and Low-Rank Adaptation fine-tuning, and integration with Weights & Biases Models for improved tracking and model performance insights.
UBC GenAI Session: Implications of GenAI and Opportunities for Policy, Pedagogy and Practice within the Mathematical Sciences – October 16, 2024
The University of British Columbia is hosting a session exploring the implications of generative AI in education, particularly in the mathematical sciences. The session will be centered on the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI into pedagogy and policy.
ChatGPT Canvas: A New Tool for Collaborative Creativity
OpenAI has introduced “canvas”, a new interface integrated into ChatGPT, designed to allow users to collaborate with ChatGPT on writing and coding tasks. Currently in beta, this tool is available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users, and will be available to Enterprise and Edu users next week. OpenAI plans to make the tool available to ChatGPT Free users once it comes out of beta.
Tool of the Week
Tool of the Week: ChatGPT Canvas
What is ChatGPT Canvas?
OpenAI’s “canvas” is a new interactive tool integrated into ChatGPT, designed for seamless collaboration on writing and coding projects. It provides features such as in-line suggestions, real-time edits, and shortcuts for adjusting text length, readability, and debugging code. The tool is ideal for refining drafts, reviewing code, and making precise revisions in an organized, visual workspace.
How is it used?
Canvas can automatically trigger in scenarios requiring detailed work, such as drafting blog posts or coding. Users can also open a blank canvas to work on existing projects by pasting text or code. With canvas, users can highlight specific sections for feedback, adjust document complexity, or receive code optimizations—all in real time.
What is it used for?
Canvas is tailored for both writers and developers, enhancing productivity by streamlining edits and revisions. Writers can polish their drafts, adjust reading levels, or add final touches, while developers can debug, review, and translate code more efficiently. This tool is particularly useful for teams working on collaborative projects where iteration and feedback are key.
For more details, explore canvas in ChatGPT.
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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