In October 2022, I worked alongside the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar family business.
“I am not sure we need to invest in AI,” he said. “We had two trials last year, and both failed.”
In January 2023, he called me again. “We are very committed now,” he declared. “Can you help?”
I didn’t need to ask what had happened in the meantime. The change of heart had a name: ChatGPT, an open-source AI revolution taking the world by storm.
In the following months, countless conference organisers and policymakers approached me to comment on GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) models, LLMs (Large Language Models), AI ‘hallucination’ and related topics. GPT-3 was launched in June 2020, although the underlying concepts and capabilities had been around for quite some time. Did COVID-19 prevent the world from spotting it? The rise of the most prominent AI democratization movement didn’t happen overnight. It was the culmination of six decades of mathematical research, bolstered by immense computational power and vast datasets from countless sources. With the entire World Wide Web as a learning resource, machines finally mastered the ability to naturally mimic human language.
In May 2023, I sat on a terrace, watching my cat Romy play with a little cushion. I felt he was deeply aware of me admiring his movements, the elegance of his paws, the movement of his swishing tail, his purring and his silky fur. I remembered how watching cat videos entertained me while I was working on my first AI book, ‘The AI Imperative’ in 2017. I pondered that we could benefit from something as appealing as a cute, furry rascal to keep our attention on something as complex and often untransparent as data technologies. I imagined that my darling cat would be interested in befriending someone capable of giving him breakfast and playing with him whenever he wanted. On that day, ‘Romy and Roby’ were born.
I intend to impart an education of AI and robotics to at least one million families in the next two years. I have launched a children’s book series exploring the world of AI, machine learning algorithms, hardware and software in an entertaining and fun format. I use Large Language Models to check synonyms and rhymes when I feel stalled in my creative process. Otherwise, I rely on four decades of human learning throughout multiple disciplines, such as music and linguistics, psychology and physics, computer science and finally, economics. Romeo – or Romy – serves as my muse and an excellent companion whenever I am lucky enough to write at home.
I don’t always write with a light heart.
I am sceptical about the general prospects of the European AI industry.
The economics of AI companies pose significant challenges. Typically, businesses allocate 25% percent of their revenue to cloud hardware and 15 percent to data preparation, on top of core engineering costs. These expenses arise before AI modelling even delivers the first implementable results. Meanwhile, European regulators are adding new requirements, complicating matters further. The next generation of AI faces several hurdles: the enormous energy demands of neural networks resulting in the push for more powerful chipsets, the need for explainable AI, and the challenge of managing data while respecting privacy and security. To address these issues and tackle global challenges like climate change and labour shortages, we must inspire young minds to pursue diverse fields such as neuroscience, linguistics, psychology, computer science and engineering. By nurturing the hunger for knowledge, we can ensure humanity has the tools to solve its most pressing problems.
I want more people to understand that AI ethics must have a foundation in mathematics.
I intend to spend the next few years integrating fiction and education. I hope to meet incredible partners and serve millions of families.
The first book, ‘Romy, Roby and the Secrets of Sleep,’ is now available to the public. Meanwhile, in my podcast, ‘AI Snacks with Romy and Roby’, I explore the science behind the stories. My fiction writing aims to engage parents, grandparents and children aged 8 to 15 in discussions about the current and future impact of AI technologies. On Romy and Roby’s Instagram and TikTok channels, I publish short videos explaining AI to teens and their parents, comment on AI and Robotics news, and share my up and down moments in developing “Romy &Roby” stories.
So far, five books have been planned. Roby and Romy will become entrepreneurs. They will go into space, compose music, and protect their family from defamation and mobbing on social media.
Every chapter of my books will include a ‘Science Behind’ section featuring explanations on new research findings and demonstrations of AI technologies. Every single mistake our robot character Roby makes reflects real challenges in AI development. Readers interested in learning more about robotic movements will find links to videos explaining how these technologies are created. Parents working in pharmaceutical companies might finally grasp the key differences between quantum computing approaches for drug discovery among tech giants IBM or Google. And when Roby believes La Tour Eiffel is actually in Rome, he only repeats what ChatGPT-3 mistakenly claimed to be true in December 2022. Thankfully, Roby got his furry friend Romy to help him!