Musings on speech recognition, conversational AI, audio signal processing, natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and managing teams that build those technologies
So you’ve received a job offer from an early-stage startup, and they’re offering you a 1% equity stake. As you read that number, you might think, “1% of Microsoft’s market cap is over $19 BILLION!” While that sounds exciting, it’s important to set realistic expectations. The odds of achieving that kind of return are incredibly …
Read more “Secrets of Startup Equity: How to Make Sure You Get Your Fair Share”
Have you been walking around the office, puzzled by all the chatter about ratty dish towels? Don’t worry; I’m here to clear things up! No, it’s not a new obsession with rags; people are fascinated by RAG, or Retrieval-Augmented Generation. So, what exactly is retrieval-augmented generation? Let’s dive in. What is Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)? RAG …
Read more “The Secrets of RAG: An Informative Introduction for Executives”
Picture it, Redmond, 2008. A young, naive program manager at Microsoft builds a prototype of one of the world’s first far-field, open-microphone, conversational AI assistants. Excited by his invention, he invites his engineering manager to witness the masterpiece in action. He confidently says, “Hey Xbox, channel up,” and the Xbox responds, “Got it. I’ve changed …
I wasn’t looking for anything special when I first picked up a copy of The Boys in the Boat. I was in an airport, probably more concerned about finding a decent cup of coffee than a life-changing read. But what started as a random grab for entertainment turned into a transformative experience that solidified my …
If you’ve followed my previous posts, you might be under the impression that I’m against large language models (LLMs). However, in the words of my mother, “I’m just kvetching!” The truth is, I’ve been a devoted fan of LLMs for quite some time and have successfully integrated them into multiple customer-facing products. So, why the …
Read more “How to Use Nondeterministic LLMs for Building Robust Deterministic Applications”
We’ve all been there. You gather your team for a meeting, you make a bunch of decisions that lead to a series of follow-up action items. Then a week goes by, you meet again and nobody remembers what on earth you decided and none of the action items have been closed out. And right there …
Read more “The Astonishing Reasons Why Your LLM is a Bad Notetaker”
The term “conversational AI” has been around for some time. There are dozens of definitions all over the internet. But let me refresh your memory with a definition from NVIDIA’s website. Conversational AI is the application of machine learning to develop language-based apps that allow humans to interact naturally with devices, machines, and computers using …
Read more “Introducing Task-Oriented Multiparty Conversational AI: Inviting AI to the Party”
So, you might be wondering, “What makes this guy fit to pen an article about generative AI and copyright infringement?” I mean, I’m no copyright lawyer, nor do I moonlight as one on television. But I do bring a unique viewpoint to the table. After all, I’ve dabbled in the music industry and have been …
© Jason Flaks -Initially generated by DALL-E and edited by Jason Flaks Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately you likely think we’re entering some sort of AI-pocalypse. The sky is falling and the bots have come calling. There are endless reports of ChatGPT acing college-level exams, becoming self-aware, and even trying to break …
Read more “Your Large Language Model – it’s as Dumb as a Rock”
What does a machine learning model trained via supervised learning and a lion raised in captivity have in common? … They’re both likely to die in the wild! Now that might sound like a joke aimed at getting PETA to boycott my blog, but this is no laughing matter. Captive bred lions are more likely …
Read more “The Annotators Dilemma: When Humans Teach Machines to Fail”