Creativity Squared: On the Turing Test & Machines Thinking

Dear Creativity Squared Member,

A big part of Creativity Squared is to be a proactive voice in ensuring that the future we’re co-creating has tech centered around amplifying the best of human potential and envisioning what that future can be. This growing community is comprised of people all over the world subscribing to this newsletter and listening to the podcast, and I know so many who are hurting by the news of what’s happening in Israel and Palestine. It’s absolutely devastating. I did a longer post on my personal Instagram account, and just wanted to convey here that my heart is with all of you, and especially with those in our community, and beyond, who are touched closely by these unfolding events.

Episode 24’s guest, Ksenia Se, is the founder of the Turing Post newsletter which connects the dots to understand where A.I. comes from, its current impact on the world, and where it leads us. And, hopefully, where we are driving it. You can sign up for it here:

In today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the history of large language models, known as LLMs, in addition to the importance of Alan Turing, how the Turing Test is still relevant, and interesting questions Turing asked that we’re still exploring. Ksenia also shares how she uses A.I. in her own work, thoughts on the future of humans augmenting our abilities with technology, and why we shouldn’t anthropomorphize tech too much, but instead should expand beyond our human-like thinking to not limit ourselves and the possibilities of evolving with technology.

Do machines think? Find out in Episode 24!

Today I’ll be on stage moderating an all-women panel on A.I. at the Elevate! Together Digital National Conference. Stay tuned for takeaways from the great conversation that’ll take place.

I’ve moved the full round-up of Cincy events below and can’t wait for all that’s in store, especially Tuesday, October 24, which is A.I. Avatars & Aperitifs followed by The Avatar Experience on October 25 & 26. These are hosted by Creativity Squared and coincide with StartupCincy Week, and I’m super excited to bring these events and the cutting-edge tech that digitally cloned me to Cincinnati. 🙌

Scroll on to discover:

• 📆 Calendar of Events: Cincy

• 🎧 More on Episode 24

• 🤯 A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

• 🤝 CincyAI Meetup for Humans

• 🍸 A.I. Avatars & Aperitifs

• 👯‍♀️ Digitally Clone Yourself! The Avatar Experience

• 💎 Creativity Squared Premium Member Benefits

• 💝 Milestone Rewards

🤖 Our Creativity Squared Featured Blog Post is on how the film Ex Machina explores the Turing Test — check it out here:

We’re just getting started, and if you enjoy our content, I’d really appreciate it if you could share, review, like, subscribe, leave a comment, and help spread the word about Creativity Squared in whatever way you’re willing to. Your support is greatly appreciated, and the whole team looks forward to growing with your help. Thank you!

Here's to exponential possibilities!

Helen

Helen Todd (she/her)
Human behind Creativity Squared
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CreativitySquared.com
youtube / instagram / facebook / tiktok 
How creatives are collaborating with A.I.

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📆 CALENDAR OF A.I. EVENTS: CINCY

October is packed with a ton of A.I. events you won’t want to miss for those here in Cincinnati. 🥳

🤝 OCT 17 - Join me and others interested in all things A.I. at the CincyAI Meetup for Humans, cohosted by Creativity Squared, on Tuesday, October 17, at the UC Digital Futures building from 3-5pm ET. Sign up now! 

🙌 OCT 23 - 26 - StartupCincy Week will be taking over Cincinnati, and you won’t want to miss our avatar events coinciding with the conference: A.I. Avatars & Aperitifs followed by The Avatar Experience.

🍸 OCT 24 - Join A.I. Avatars & Aperitifs! Don’t miss this free happy hour and edu-taining event to learn about ethically created A.I. avatars and their creative and business use cases, including saving costs and streamlining video production for social media and email marketing, online courses, and customer service messaging. It’ll take place on Tuesday, October 24, from 5-6:30pm at ADC Fine Art Gallery located at 1013 York St. Cincinnati, OH 45214. RSVP required — Sign up here!

🙋‍♀️ OCT 25 & 26 - Want your own custom synthetic avatar? Creativity Squared is collaborating with our partner and sponsor, Render, to bring their avatar experience to Cincinnati, OH, on October 25 and 26, so anyone can digitally clone themselves. If you’re interested in this, sign up here.

Looking forward to meeting those who can make it in person and geeking out about all things A.I. and creativity!

Listen: E24. A.I., Don’t Mimic Us
Expand Beyond Our Human-Like Thinking for Limitless Possibilities with Turing Post Newsletter Founder Ksenia Se

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Do machines think?

Find out in today’s episode with Ksenia Se, the Founder of the Turing Post newsletter.

Over 20 years of her career, Ksenia has donned many hats: from New York Chief Editor of a global media platform to fintech executive to PR Director at Moscow's first Contemporary Art Center to Journalist, and even to a Llama Walker. Regardless of her role, her passion for technology has always remained.

In 2018, after a brief affair with blockchain, A.I. and machine learning caught her attention and became her fields of self-study. By 2019, she had started thinking about a media publication named Turing Post to feature digital avatars, articles written by robots, generative art, and more – but the technology wasn't there yet.

Then in 2020 during the pandemic, Ksenia and Jesus Rodriguez conceived an educational A.I. newsletter. Named TheSequence, it became her gateway to machine learning, where she currently spearheads partnerships. When the buzz around ChatGPT grew, she revived her first idea and launched Turing Post, now serving as her A.I. canvas. As an avid learner, Ksenia helps her readers understand A.I.'s roots, its current impact on society, and where it might take us in the future. Importantly, she discusses how we might steer its course.

In today’s episode, you’ll learn more about the history of large language models, known as LLMs, in addition to the importance of Alan Turing, how the Turing Test is still relevant, and interesting questions Turing asked that we’re still exploring. Ksenia also shares how she uses A.I. in her own work, thoughts on the future of humans augmenting our abilities with technology, and why we shouldn’t anthropomorphize tech too much, but instead should expand beyond our human-like thinking to not limit ourselves and the possibilities of evolving with technology.

Your A.I. + Creativity News Roundup

With all of the A.I. news flooding our feeds and screens, we’ve got you covered. News to check out includes:

• Adobe unveils new Firefly AI models for Illustrator and Express The Verge — Adobe followed up Canva’s A.I. releases with their own mic-drop on Tuesday by announcing three new generative A.I. models. The Firefly Image 2 model significantly upgrades Adobe’s existing image generator with more realistic human features and offers powerful new editing tools. Illustrator is getting its own vector image generative model, and the Firefly Design model will generate editable templates for print and digital layouts. Some features are available in a web broswer beta, others are “coming soon” to Creative Cloud.

• What Hollywood Writers Got: Key Deal Points From the WGA Agreement With the AMPTP The Wrap — Details reveal that writers managed to negotiate a deal valued at more than double the studios’ initial offer. The writers’ 140-day strike yielded them agreements for 26% higher residuals, minimum staffing levels, and labor protections from artificial intelligence. Wages will increase by 12.5% over three years and writers will get paid more for titles that perform better. WGA East President, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, said it’s now time for studios to make a deal with actors and get everyone back to work.

• Generative AI at the BBC BBC — At 101 years old, the United Kingdom’s behemoth news and broadcasting corporation says it’s fast at work to incorporate artificial intelligence. BBC’s Generative A.I. czar, Rhodri Talfan Davies, outlined three guiding principles for adopting and utilizing the technology: 1. Always acting in the public’s best interest to combat IP infringement and disinformation. 2. Prioritizing talent and creativity among staff and creators outside the organization. 3. Maintaining transparency around when and how A.I. is used to produce content.

• Generative AI’s Act Two  Sequoia Capital — This A.I. industry overview from one of Silicon Valley’s most prolific venture capital firms offers a retrospective of A.I.’s big year and hypotheses for ‘Act 2’. Takeaways: the supply of advanced GPU’s is the biggest bottleneck for developers, user retention and daily usage rates for LLM chatbots are low despite massive downloads (indicating users aren’t finding value), and competition among tech companies is quickly crowding out opportunity.

• Introducing Magic Studio: the power of AI, all in one place Canva — The all-in-one online design studio says their new A.I. features are “created for the 99% of the world without complex design skills.” The free A.I. tools will assist users with copywriting, video creation, image editing, and a unique solution that reformats any asset (digital ad to document header, etc.) for consistent branding without tedious edits.

• There's a new AI image king in town The Prompt Warrior — OpenAI’s text-to-image A.I. generator is now available for public use through Microsoft Bing. Reviews show that DALL-E 3 holds its own against Midjourney but doesn’t excel at every prompt. DALL-E 3’s advantages include free pricing and Bing’s user-friendly interface.

• How to fight for internet freedom MIT Technology Review — The human rights advocacy group, Freedom House, released a report saying that political actors in at least 16 countries have used A.I. to restrict internet usage in their borders. The trend is expected to continue, especially going into a year with major elections in at least 50 countries.

• Meet The Women Detoxifying The World Of AI Elle — Take a deep breath and calm your A.I. anxieties with this feature of some of the women working to make sure A.I. doesn’t make your life worse. Leaders like Partnership on AI’s CEO, Rebecca Finlay, Google DeepMind’s COO, Lila Ibrahim, and Cambridge University Researcher, Verity Harding, discuss their efforts to combat real-time A.I. issues such as hiring bias, judicial bias, and social media disinformation.

CincyAI Meetup for Humans
Hot Off the Press with Our First Event

🤝 Join Creativity Squared at the first CincyAI Meetup where we share the amazing things people are doing in A.I. in our community and collaborate with others.

📅 October 17
3-5 pm
UC Digital Futures Building, Room 140
Free. Seating is limited.

🙋‍♀️ Sign up now!

🌟 Who Should Attend?
A.I. Enthusiasts
A.I. Leaders
A.I. Engineers
A.I. Artists
Anyone A.I.-Cuious!

🚀 This isn't just an event; it's the start of a vibrant, supportive community. At CincyAI, we believe in the power of collective wisdom to drive the A.I. revolution forward. Don't miss your chance to be a part of this dynamic community where the whole is not just greater, but exponential in its impact.

🙌 This is cohosted by Kendra Ramirez (KR Digital Agency) and Helen Todd (CreativitySquared.com), and sponsored by MAX Technical Training.

Can’t make it in October? Sign up for our next one, taking place Tuesday, November 14, from 3-5 pm at Digital Futures Building.

You’re Invited:
A.I. Avatars & Aperitifs

🍸 Join this free happy hour and edu-taining event to learn about ethically created A.I. avatars and their creative and business use cases, including saving costs and streamlining video production for social media and email marketing, online courses, and customer service messaging.

It’ll take place on Tuesday, October 24, from 5-6:30pm at ADC Fine Art Gallery located at 1013 York St. Cincinnati, OH 45214. RSVP required — Sign up here!

Digitally Clone Yourself!
The Avatar Experience Cincinnati

👯‍♀️ Ready to be digitally cloned? Get your own custom synthetic avatar! Creativity Squared is collaborating with our partner and sponsor, Render, to bring The Avatar Experience to Cincinnati, OH, on October 25 and 26 at ADC Fine Art Gallery (1013 York St. Cincinnati, OH 45214). Digitally clone yourself to unlock streamlined and dynamic video content — Book your cloning appointment today!

There are less than a thousand known hyper-realistic custom synthetic avatars in existence, so participants will be at the forefront of this groundbreaking A.I. technology. Custom synthetic avatars are part of a massive and growing digital avatar market and is projected to be $270B by 2030.

Custom synthetic avatars can be used for creating:

• Dynamic online course instruction

• Streamlined SEO video production of blog or audio-only content

• Turnkey social media and email marketing video content

• Engaging customer service messaging

• And more!

👯‍♀️ In case you missed the announcement, I’ve digitally cloned myself! Learn all about mine in episode E14. Not Deepfaked! I Cloned Myself. You’ll meet Helen 2.ODD, my digital double, and discover why and how I made my A.I.-created custom synthetic avatar.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Thank You to Render

Creativity Squared is supported by Render which provides Digital Likeness solutions for personal brand businesses, thought leaders, influencers, and business leaders who want to leverage their synthetic, A.I.-powered Likeness to communicate more effectively online and create audio and video content from anywhere without going on camera. Learn more by visiting: https://rendermedia.ai.

Interested in partnering with Creativity Squared? Reach out!

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