In the evolving landscape of software development, there’s a growing movement towards creating more personalized, community-driven, and locally controlled applications. This movement, often described as “home-cooked software,” is championed by what Maggie Appleton terms “barefoot developers” — individuals focused on crafting software solutions that address local needs and contexts. The Rise of Barefoot Developers Inspired...
Category: AI
Power-hungry AI is driving a surge in tech giant carbon emissions. Nobody knows what to do about it
Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, the world has seen an incredible surge in investment, development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) applications. According to one estimate, the amount of computational power used for AI is doubling roughly every 100 days. The social and economic impacts of this boom have provoked reactions around...
What 70 years of AI on film can tell us about the human relationship with artificial intelligence
In 2024, AI is making headlines daily. We may be aware of the science, but how do we imagine AI and our relationship to it both now and in the future? Fortunately, film may provide us with some insights. Probably the best-known AI in film is HAL 9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey...
AI and the Future of Software Development
Imagine standing on a podium, baton in hand, ready to conduct a symphony of code. This is the future of software development, where developers act more like orchestra conductors than solitary coders. As someone working with LLMs, I’ve witnessed firsthand the rapid advancements that have transformed our capabilities. These changes bring excitement and anxiety, hope...
Custom GPTs vs Assistants
In today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape, AI-driven solutions are becoming integral to enhancing user experiences and automating tasks. Among these solutions, OpenAI offers two powerful tools: Custom GPTs and Assistants. Both cater to different needs and skill levels, making it essential to understand their distinctions and applications. In this blog post, we will compare the...
Klarna: Cutting Costs and Boosting Campaigns with AI
Klarna, the AI-powered global payments network and shopping assistant, is not just good at making your shopping easier – it's also a wizard at cutting marketing costs. In Q1 2024, Klarna managed to chop its sales and marketing spend by 11% while running more campaigns and keeping their marketing fresh and funky. And guess what?...
Generative AI – The unknown Unknown
Generative AI – it’s the tech equivalent of Marmite: you either love it, fear it, or don’t know what it is. From creating art to generating news articles, this AI-powered sorcery is reshaping industries and stirring up a pot of public opinion. In a recent study by the brainiacs at Oxford University, they dissected how...
Microsoft’s New “Recall” Feature: A Double-Edged Sword?
At the recent Build conference, Microsoft unveiled an ambitious new feature for Windows 11 called "Recall," integrated into the new Copilot+ PCs. This AI-powered tool aims to revolutionize how users search and retrieve past activities on their PCs. However, while innovative, Recall raises significant privacy and security concerns that cannot be ignored. How Recall Works...
Scarlett Johansson’s row with OpenAI reminds us identity is a slippery yet important subject. AI leaves everyone’s at risk
OpenAI will be removing access to one of its ChatGPT voices, following objections by actor Scarlett Johansson that it sounds “eerily similar” to her own. Earlier this week, the company said it was “working to pause” the voice of Sky, which is one of a few options users can choose when conversing with the app....
Why Software Engineers Should Embrace Philosophy
In the world of software engineering, where lines of code and caffeine reign supreme, there’s an unlikely ally waiting in the wings: philosophy. Yes, you read that right. The ancient art of pondering existence, ethics, and the meaning of life can turbocharge your coding skills. Here’s why software engineers should dive into the realm of...
