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Chinese Universities want to see more AI in the classroom, not less
Two years ago in China, teachers warned students to stay away from AI when completing their homework. To get around the national ban on ChatGPT at that time, students were required to purchase a copy of a mirror site from an online secondhand market. The use of ChatGPT was widespread, though it was often frowned upon. Professors now no longer discourage students from using AI. They’re now encouraged to use AI, as long as they adhere to best practices.
Chinese universities, like their counterparts in the West are undergoing a silent revolution. On campus, generative AI is now almost universally used. There is a major difference. Many educators in the West view AI as an enemy they must manage. However, Chinese schools are increasingly treating AI as a tool to master. Click here to read the complete story.
–Caiwei Chen
You can read more on how AI affects education at:
This is how companies in the edtech sector are pitching AI technology to teachers.
OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI-giants claim that their technology can be used to help educate students rather than cheat. However, real-world usage suggests the opposite. Continue reading to learn more.
This narrative about cheating is not the full story. Teachers who believe generative AI can improve learning. Continue reading the story.
+ With this AI system, human tutors can teach children better math. Tutor CoPilot is a demonstration of how AI can enhance rather than replace educators. Click here to read the complete story.
It’s hard to create a fair welfare AI
Many stories have been told about AI systems that caused damage when they were deployed in sensitive situations. In many cases, these systems weren’t developed with much regard for fairness or fair implementation.
Amsterdam spent a great deal of money and time to develop ethical AI. In fact, the city followed all the recommendations in the Responsible AI Playbook. When it was deployed in real life, however, the city of Amsterdam still could not remove biases. Why did Amsterdam fail then? What’s more important: can this be done correctly?
Our editor Amanda Silverman will be joined by investigative journalist Eileen Guo, and Gabriel Geiger from Lighthouse Reports for an exclusive Roundtables discussion at 1pm ET, Wednesday, July 30, to discuss if algorithms are ever fair. Click here to register!
Must-Reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
US tech exports to China have been frozen
Donald Trump has been trying to negotiate a deal that is favorable for Beijing. (FT $)
Microsoft’s cybersecurity early warning system could have alerted hackers
The company is investigating whether or not the software accidentally exposed vulnerabilities in SharePoint. (Bloomberg $)
+ How did hackers exploit these vulnerabilities? (The Register)
It may be the final time that humans will beat AI in math
How long can the brightest teens in the world continue to outwit AI models? (WSJ $)
+ What is next in AI and mathematics? (MIT Technology Review)
Google puts a vibe-coding app to the test
Opal, the new company from Opal Technologies Inc. is a response to Cursor or Lovable. (TechCrunch)
+ What exactly is vibration coding? (MIT Technology Review)
5 What the future of satellite-on-satellite warfare may look like
America has begun preparing to fight in low Earth orbit. (Economist $)
San Francisco has become a tech hub again
After the pandemic, finally the city has begun to recover. (WP $)
Seven women’s safety dating app databases have been exposed
4Chan has shared the data on women with 4Chan. (404 Media)
+ The breach resulted in more than 72,000 stolen images. (Reuters)
+ The app’s popularity has soared in the last week. (NYT $)
AI helps 8 optimists manifest their dreams
When your Pinterest board no longer works. (NYT $)
Aerogels could make it possible to drink saltwater
It works at a large scale, which is important, unlike other aerogels. (Ars Technica)
The impact of AI on video games
The experts are preparing for an industry-wide takeover. (NYT $)
+ What generative AI can do to reinvent the game. (MIT Technology Review)
Today’s Quote
“Let’s face it, you can’t have the Chinese have an app on 100 million American phones, that is just not okay.”
Reuters reported that US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick explained why he believes TikTok should be sold to a US owner.
Another thing
The digital dollar is dead.
Digital currencies were the hot topic in 2020. China is well on the way to launch its central bank digital currency (CBDC), and other countries, such as the US, have launched CBDC-related research projects.
What changes? Even though the digital dollar doesn’t actually exist, it has become a political hot potato, with some politicians calling it a dystopian surveillance tool. The Boston Fed stopped quietly working on the CBDC project late last year. Is the dream of a digital dollar now dead? Continue reading to learn more.
Mike Orcutt
You can have good things even if you’re not a fanatic
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