Boring, job-related, edition
Might be a good time for some AI skills
The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Friday and the mood in Davos at the World Economic Forum was optimistic as nearly everyone was excited about the possibilities of AI. However, the job layoffs from tech leaders like Google and Amazon now seem like a permanent fixture and a career in big tech is no longer the safe bet it once was. And while inflation is cooling, gas prices are falling, and the fed is poised to lower interest rates, Seattle has the fourth highest grocery prices in the nation and a lot of my recent grads are still looking for work. I know that everyone goes to Graphic Design school expecting a groovy job, but I’ve got some tips on how to get a boring one. Don’t worry, I’ve saved some fun stuff for the end of the newsletter.
So you want to work in AI but don't know where to start?
I’ve really enjoyed the previous articles from David Gewirtz of ZDnet, and in this one he lays out five actionable steps you can take if you’re ready to take the plunge and try to use those AI skills perspectives you’ve picked up from this newsletter. It’s not exactly rocket science and is more of a nudge to get you out the door, but since you’re curious, I’ll just pull out this quote: Check it out
Read voraciously about the AI industry. In fact, the very best way you can learn about a business you want to move into is to consume all the trade materials you possibly can. Read constantly. If you put in an hour of reading every day for six months, all of it centered on your desired target industry, you'll build a strong familiarity with that industry.
How to create an AI team and train your other workers
Maybe you’re already at a boring job and they’ve put you in charge of the next big AI initiative. Or perhaps your job is really exciting now that you’re in charge of building that next generation team. It’s not all about Midjourney and ChatGPT, you’re going to need to hire people who actually know what they’re doing. While you mileage may vary, here’s a rough suggestion for starters: Check it out
A data scientist who can simplify and navigate complex datasets and whose insights provide useful information as models are built.
An AI software engineer who often owns design, integration, and execution of machine-learning models into systems.
An AI officer or leader to provide leadership and guidance in implementing and leading AI initiatives to ensure alignment and execution.
Jakob Neilson: Form AI habits now!
If you’ve been one of my students in recent years, you’ll know that I can’t stop talking about Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s a series of principles I’m using to run my creative, professional, and athletic lives and I’m thrilled with the results it’s producing. Judging by the tone of his recent newsletter, Jakob Neilson has read it as well and he points out that everything in your career will be easier if you just “start small, start now”. If you make it a habit to use AI tools in consistent way, you’ll be much better prepared when the real revolutionary changes start. And while I only read this yesterday, I’ve been putting it into practice since June 1st of last year, the day I started this newsletter. Check it out
Forming an AI habit may be the second-most important advice for securing the future of your career in UX by becoming great at integrating AI into your UX workflow.
A UX and AI case study
If you already work in UX, a lot of this methodology will already make sense to you. Concepts like “set clear, focused goals”, and “foster collaborative stakeholder involvement” are already in your lexicon. However, if you’d like to read an elaborate and thoughtful account of what it takes to build an AI voice assistant and assess what skills you might need, check it out
Use of AI in the video game industry
Remember when all those gaming companies swore up and down that they would never use AI tools? Several people warned me not to let my students use Midjourney because the game companies would never hire them. If you were holding out on AI skills because you had also heard things like this, you might want to look at the results of this survey. While it is more about developers than artists, it’s clear that AI tools have taken root and are here to stay. Check it out
The survey also found that different studio departments showed different levels of willingness to embrace AI tools. Forty-four percent of employees in business and finance said they were using AI tools, for instance, compared to just 16 percent in visual arts and 13 percent in "narrative/writing."
Rosebud: A no-code AI game development platform
While I haven’t actually used this tool and building video game is out my league, if you’re interested in making games as a career path, you should probably check out this article. I’ve been reading this author’s articles for several months so I think it’s legit.
Arizona State partners with Open AI
OpenAI on Thursday announced its first partnership with a higher education institution. Starting in February, Arizona State University will have full access to ChatGPT Enterprise and plans to use it for coursework, tutoring, research and more. ASU hopes to use ChatGPT to create personalized tutors for students, not only for certain courses, but also for study topics. The reason I’m excited about this is that I’m currently working on a research grant proposal to do the same thing. I think we can revolutionize education by bringing AI into the classroom. Check it out
ASU recognizes that augmented and artificial intelligence systems are here to stay, and we are optimistic about their ability to become incredible tools that help students to learn, learn more quickly, and understand subjects more thoroughly.
Finally, the fun stuff!
Okay, I’m going to start blowing through the credits again. If this turns out to be as good as it looks, It’s going to be a huge advantage for RunwayML. My first result was a little janky, but I quickly figured out how to get great results. With Multi Motion Brush, you can animate 5 distinct regions of an image.
RunwayML introduces Multi Motion Brush, enhancing AI video generation by allowing users to animate up to five separate objects within one image, each with independent movements. This advanced tool builds on the existing Motion Brush, offering unparalleled creative control in video creation and editing, and is available for Runway’s Gen-2 video model, marking a significant leap in AI-driven video manipulation technology.
Pixverse is still free!
Remember that brief, sweet month when Pika Labs, the new one, was still free? And you went and made 100 videos, and you extended them to seven seconds, and then you upscaled them? And it was all free? Well, the party’s over, so head on over to Pixverse.ai if you want to keep experimenting.
Are you ready to get started in Recraft?
Check out my full length review over on Medium
That’s a wrap! Another exciting weekend in the world of AI news. I have a ton of resources bookmarked and I can barely get 10% of what I’m reading into the newsletter each week. If you have questions, suggestions, or hot tips, please send me a message. I’ve had another bunch of new subscribers, so if you’ve been sharing the news, thank you so much!