Generative AI

Explained by Common Craft
With simple text commands, we can ask Artificial intelligence to create original media in the form of text, images, music, code, videos, and more. This is called generative AI and it's becoming a major part of our online world. This video explains how it works and what’s possible.
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Video Transcript:

It’s easy to imagine artificial intelligence as a powerful computer that can answer questions, analyze data, and sound human. Today, AI can also be creative. AI can create original stories, music, images, computer code, and videos that never existed before. This is called GenerativeAI and it’s becoming a part of our online world.

Think about it this way…What if you could remember every image, song, and bit of text on the internet and access it all in seconds? If you need to create an image of a bee wearing Chuck Taylor shoes, the information is on hand. Unfortunately, we humans can’t consume everything on the internet, or remember it all. But Artificial intelligence can.

It remembers everything it encounters online. It’s seen thousands of images of bees and Chuck Taylors. It can assemble the data to combine the ideas in a new image, just for you. It works because massive computers connect to the internet and take a snapshot of billions of words, images, songs, videos, and more. The computers then analyze the data and look for patterns that may not be obvious to humans. When new information becomes available, the AI can learn and adjust what it generates. These data and patterns are then used to generate completely new works based on our requests.

To use Generative AI, you send chat messages, just like chatting with a friend online. These text commands are called “prompts” and AI is good at analyzing what you want and generating a human-sounding response. With a simple text prompt, tools like ChatGPT can generate the blog post in seconds. You can specify format, word count, tone, style and more. And ChatGPT will create a new version. You can even paste your words into the tool and ask AI to rewrite it.

This is possible because generative AI is built on Large Language Models or LLMs that can accurately assemble words that should appear together in the response. If your blog post needs an image, Generative AI can whip up a few options in whatever style you choose. Or, you can upload your own drawings or photos and have AI create versions in different styles.

Perhaps a video needs background music. You can tell Generative AI what you need, and it will generate new original music. In some cases, generative AI is built into existing tools and platforms.

For example, If you want to remove a person from a photo, or add a dog with a bowtie, it used to take time. Now you can just ask AI. Generative AI can be a powerful tool. However, it generates new works based on an imperfect source: the internet.

Like the internet, what it provides can be biased, incorrect, or misleading. Further, Generative AI may use sources like photos, paintings, songs, code and texts that are protected by copyright. Many artists and copyright owners feel that Generative AI uses their work without permission and represents a risk to their professions.

Used responsibly, Generative AI can open a world of productivity, creativity, and fun.

 

What it teaches:

Generative AI is one of the most exciting developments in technology because it is both powerful and easy to use. Any person with an internet connection can use AI to create original media that is often high quality. But how does it work? What’s possible? This video teaches:

    •    How humans and AI are different when it comes to consuming online media
    •    How AI gathers the data it needs to generate responses
    •    The role of data and patterns in helping generative AI provide accurate responses
    •    How prompts and Large Language Models help generative AI
    •    What’s possible with generative AI
    •    Why people should be cautious in using media that generative AI creates
    •    Concerns about generative AI’s use of copyrighted materials

 

Video Info:

  • Duration:  03m 35s
  • Captions Available:  YES
  • Lesson Plan:  YES
  • Category:  Technology
  • ISTE Standard:  Empowered Learner, Indicator 1d

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