AI AI Oh!

 

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GIANT DISCLAIMER: I’m not an AI expert by any stretch. I know enough to be dangerous, and to protect myself.

GenAI IS NOT A SEARCH ENGINE!!!

This may seem like it’s targeted at businesses, but with the consumerization / commoditization / democratization (i.e., everyone with an internet connection and a cool idea for a picture of Mother Theresa having a swordfight with Tiny Tim while riding a unicycle & playing a sousaphone) of GenAI, there’s likely some nuggets in here that could apply to you personally.

This post is about generative artificial intelligence, which is the latest shiny new thing in AI, with ChatGPT being the (arguably) most headline grabbing example. There are other types of AI, some of which you probably come across everyday. Examples include things like Netflix recommendations (how they consistently fuck up their recommendations is pure magic) and automated call attendants (press 1 for English, press 2 to be put on hold until you give up - you should really be allowed to choose from a selection of music – the stuff they force on you blows chunks).

Chris, have you actually used GenAI?

Why, yes, dear reader, I have.

For work I’ve used GenAI to:

• Create synthetic (test) data about people. I had to write the prompts so that no real SINs (Social Insurance Numbers – Canadian equivalent to social security numbers) or phone numbers were created.
• Create draft user stories for data migration. If you understand AGILE you don’t need me to explain. If you don’t understand AGILE you don’t want me to explain.
• Draft performance review comments for myself and the people that reported to me.
• Created deepfakes for training. Don’t worry, the people being faked knew it was happening, and we did not use any publicly available models.

For fun I’ve:

• Created an image to be printed on a friend’s birthday cupcakes. They were really good and went well with the whisky we were drinking that night. Nine expressions from Laphroaig, if you’re curious.
• Summarized and extracted themes from a list of my career accomplishments. It did a decent job, but I did have to do some editing. I also made sure to scrub anything that could identify me, employers, or clients.
• Created generally silly images for shits & giggles.

As I’m currently in job search mode, if I had any faith that GenAI could do a brilliant job, I’d use the shit out of it to write cover letters and target my resume. What a pain!

GenAI has the potential to be a real benefit. In my opinion, one of its greatest potential benefits is to let people focus on tasks / activities that are valuable. What’s valuable is really context dependent, so I’m not gonna get into here.

Unfortunately, there are also some negative aspects to GenAI. However, if we work together and some people & organizations stop being dicks about it, we can mitigate the negative aspects. Those negative aspects include:

• Unintended bias – if the training data includes biases, those biases will be included in the output. Efforts need to be made to identify and remove bias. Not limited to GenAI, by the way.
• Hallucinations (no not the fun kind) – GenAI can on occasion spout garbage (white glue in pizza sauce anyone?). Fact-check the output.
• Resource consumption – GenAI consumes mind boggling amounts of power and water (for cooling). Yeah, I’m stumped on this one, but we need the tech vendors to step up and do something.
• Plagiarism, copyright infringement – if you’re using GenAI to produce something that could be mistaken for someone else’s work, stop it. If you’re doing it intentionally, you’re a dick.
• Deepfakes & NCII (non-consensual intimate images) – Yeah, this is just nasty and abhorrent and the people doing this shit need to be locked up.
• Misinformation / disinformation – If you’ve been paying attention lately, I don’t need to explain this.

I think the promise that GenAI holds is worth it, but we really need the vendors, regulators, and legislators to move their asses and impose responsible AI. We need consequences with real teeth for violators. I believe we’ll get there because I believe that we’re generally good, kind, and fair.

The GPT part of ChatGPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, by the way. For a comprehensive description of what GPT means, read this IBMarticle.

The generative pre-training bit refers to training a large-language model (LLM). If you want to know what an LLM is, go ask your favourite search engine. The basics of pre-training are:

• The model is pointed at a bunch of unlabelled data. This data could be everything on the internet, or it could be very specific corporate stuff.
• The model learns to detect patterns in the data.
• Based on what it has learned, the model applies the patterns to new data.

Easy, so far, no?

The transformer bit is more complicated. Again, some of the basics:

• A type of neural network
• Understands, interprets, generates human language
• Guesses (really good guesses) or predicts what the output should be, based on its pre-training.

Sometimes the GPT model you’re using messes stuff up, which is how you find yourself adding white glue to your pizza sauce. ALWAYS VALIDATE THE OUTPUT!!! This cannot be stressed enough. If bad shit happens to you because you didn’t validate the output, that’s on you, not the AI.

Okay, that’s as far as I’m willing to go in explaining GenAI without resorting to using it. The articles I’ve linked are all from IBM for no reason other than my convenience.

At work, one of my primary jobs is to ask what business outcome is supposed to be achieved with some tool or technology. It’s no different with GenAI; what is your objective? Understanding the objective will answer two key questions:

1. Is GenAI suitable for my purposes?
2. If GenAI is suitable, which one should I use? They’re not all the same and I’m not going to document the differences.

NB: if you’re using a public model (e.g., ChatGPT) assume anything that you put in (prompts, sample data) will be used to further train the model. Make sure your inputs don’t include anything personal, private, or proprietary.

Muy importante: six principles of responsible AI:

1. Fairness
2. Reliability & safety
3. Privacy & security
4. Inclusiveness
5. Transparency
6. Accountability

If you’re curious about what the principles mean, a quick internet search will satisfy your curiosity.

This isn’t an attempt to dissuade anyone from using GenAI; just think about how & why you’re using it.

GenAI cannot produce art. Only humans can produce art because they’re, uh, human.

What are your thoughts about GenAI?

What’s your experience with GenAI?

Be great today, be better tomorrow.

Cheers!

Scotch Wonderful Scotch

 

The quote in the above image is from the book Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis, by Kingsley Amis. The guy in the pic is from some TV show I’ve never watched.

In the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, “I love Scotch! I love Scotch! Scotchy Scotch Scotch! Here it goes down. Down into my belly! Mmm, mmm, mmm!”

I love everything about Scotch; the taste, the aroma, the way it looks, how it feels in your mouth, and the sensuous way it slides down your glass. Scotch is magical, mystical, mysterious, mythical, and magnificent. Alliteration FTW!

I started drinking Scotch in early 2017. I couldn’t stand the stuff before that. Stars aligned and I went to a tasting dinner at a local BBQ place (Hayden Block in Calgary – check it out, it’s excellent) and I was hooked! I went out the next day an bought my first bottle (Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban).

I was also introduced to Ardbeg (an Islay distillery known for peated whiskies). Suffice it to say that peated whisky is an acquired taste that I hadn’t acquired at the time. Now? Love me some peated whisky!

Enjoying Scotch is about sharing & community, as much as it is about the whisky. I’ve made some dear friends through our shared love of Scotch. They are a kind, smart, caring, generous group of people. Volunteering time & donating money to worthwhile causes is the norm, not the exception. Supporting each other in crises is nothing unusual. Laughing our asses off is common, frequently at each other’s expense.

One of the clubs I belong to holds several tasting events each year. Our annual Christmas event is hugely popular and always sold out. That event is when we hold our silent auction. Members donate items to be auctioned off for charity. These aren’t cheap trinkets or junk from around the house. There is some significant money being spent on this stuff and much money is raised. After several samples of high ABV% whisky, the auction can get competitive and fiscal responsibility is a worry for after the hangover.

One of my favourite independent bottlers is the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. In addition to bottling some seriously good single cask whiskies, the Canadian branch, of which I’m a member, releases a charity bottle every calendar quarter; it’s their Giving Spirit bottle. A bottle and a charity are selected, all profits from sales of the selected bottle are donated to the selected charity (no time limit – as long as there are bottles available, the charity gets the money).

Get togethers at each others’ homes happen. Sometime there’s a reason (e.g., birthday, F1 race, Montreal Canadiens game). Sometimes there’s no reason, other times the whisky is the reason. Let me explain …

We have “heels” parties. This does not mean we show up in platforms or stilettos, though what goes on later behind closed doors is no concern of mine. No, “heel” in this case refers to a bottle that is not yet empty. The idea is that we gather at someone’s home, and we bring heels of whiskies that we think others will enjoy. This is not an opportunity to get rid of that half bottle of Johhny Walker Red (no offense intended) that’s been in your cupboard for years. This is s group of whisky connoisseurs that knows good whisky (if you like it, it’s good). There is something very gratifying about sharing a whisky you really enjoy with others who you think will also enjoy it. That last bit applies to pretty much anything you can eat, drink, listen to, watch, etc. I.e., sharing stuff you dig with others is a joy. Do it as often as you can!

Even nasty whisky can be a source of bonding and amusement. One of the nastiest whiskies I’ve ever tasted was an independently bottled 17yr old Islay (pronounced eye-lah, a whisky region in Scotland) single cask whisky. The bottler and the distillery are both highly regarded, but sometimes things go awry. Horribly awry.

Imagine something that tastes like tar, freshly squeezed pickled herring, used wooden matches, and industrial disinfectant. This whisky tasted worse. If that description upsets you, too bad; you didn’t have to taste it, I did.

The response to the whisky was immediate, violent, and almost universal. By violent I mean gagging & retching sounds from almost all participants. For all the wrong reasons, it was memorable. We talk & laugh about that whisky even today, though we tasted it more than three years ago. The kindest comment about the whisky was, “It wasn’t that bad.” Uh, yeah, it fucking was.

The, arguably, most important aspect of whisky is how it tastes. I’m not just referring to peated vs unpeated or smoky vs not smoky. Sweet, salty, bitter (no bueno), sour, and your Mommy, uh, umami, are all easy to pick out, even for whisky novices. With practice (drinking lots of whisky) most people can pick out actual flavours such as chocolate, vanilla, caramel, apple, bacon, ... etc. The variety of flavours & aromas to be found in Scotch is remarkable.

Even someone with a fairly average palate (me) can pick out a surprising number of flavours, provided you’ve tasted the thing previously. If you’ve never had Ovaltine you’re not going to go all “Hey! This tastes like Ovaltine.” Ovaltine is gross. I’m pretty sure my grandmother made me drink it as a punishment for some imagined childhood transgression.

Scotch is mysterious and magical. Sure, there’s all the science-y stuff that goes into its production. There’s all the blending of barrels to make sure that every batch of 10yr old Glen Whatever looks, smells, and tastes the same (not inherently a bad thing). But that’s not what I love about Scotch. I love the magic and mystery of why new make (the raw spirit, freshly distilled) can be chucked into two different but similar barrels, stored in the same warehouse for the same amount of time, and still smell & taste so different. That’s the beauty of single cask whiskies; they’re left to magically, mysteriously, magnificently develop without having the mystique scienced out of them. There’s also the experience of having been able to enjoy & share something rare and unique.

Single cask whiskies are, by definition, rare. A cask can only fill a limited number of bottles. Once they’re gone, that’s it, that’s all. FOMO! Don’t worry, there will always be more single cask whiskies to try. Being able to sample single cask whiskies and share them with people you care about? Love it. I’ll never give it up.

This could turn into a long-ass piece if I’m not careful, so I’m gonna wrap up.

• What’s a “good” whisky? – if you enjoy it, it’s good. If you enjoy it with people you care about, it’s better.
• What’s the right way to drink whisky? – It’s your whisky; drink it how you like it.
• If you’re trying a new whisky, try at least one sip neat. Add ice, water, whatever if you don’t like it neat.
• There’s a whisky for everyone. – No, there isn’t. Some people will never like it and that’s fine. In fact, some people don’t drink any alcohol. That’s fine too.
• “Smooth” is not a flavour.
• Whisky made from barley that was smoked over dried sheepshit is not as bad as it sounds.
• If there are craft distilleries near you, go check ‘em out. Some are producing really cool stuff here in Alberta. There’s also some panther piss, as my Mum would call it in her Austrian accent, being produced. Avoid it.
• “Whisky” or “Whiskey”? – nobody really gives a shit.
• Don’t drink and drive!
• I should have been drinking whisky as I wrote this.

Be great today, be better tomorrow!

Cheers! Or should I say Slàinte mhath!

You can connect with me on Bluesky: @chriswalker1964.bsky.social

You can’t say that! That’s a bad word!

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“You can’t say that! That’s a bad word!”

I’ve heard that from my youngest more than once, usually while driving and forgetting he was in the car with me. He learned some colourful language that his mother (my former spouse) would not be too happy about.

Look, the fact is that I really can’t think of too many words that are inherently bad. Those that I can think of have to do with race, sexuality, gender identity, and developmental abilities. To be honest, I can’t think of a single way to use one of those words in a positive way.

With certain exceptions, words aren’t bad; intentions are. I can express joy, love, sympathy, empathy, kindness, and happiness using all sorts of expletives. You probably can too. I can also express all kinds of nastiness and negativity without a single curse word.

That’s the lesson I’ve taught the boy, and he’s absorbed it. He swears when he stays with me. Not as much as I do, but it’s not not-at-all. I do have one rule, though; if he doesn’t know the meaning of the word, he’s not allowed to use it. He follows the rule. And no, I do not teach him new swear words. I will correct his usage, if necessary, usually after I stop laughing. There are certain swear words that even if he knew what they meant I would not let him use, mostly because they’re a bit too advanced for him.

As far as I know he doesn’t swear in front of his mother, and that’s a good thing. He can get that stuff out of his system when he’s with me.

I have way more important things to worry about with him than language, and that’s what I focus my energy on. I want him to learn about kindness, acceptance, and forgiveness way more than whether or not he lets the occasional curse word slip.

He’s kinda funny. With most expletives he says the whole word. With the f-word he leaves the “ck” bit off. It’s not from anything I said to him. He did use one of the off-limit words while playing a video game the last time he was here. We had a conversation about why the word was bad, and I haven’t heard him use it since.

What do you think? What words are inherently bad to you? Does swearing bother you if it’s kids launching the expletives? Do you allow it, with limits?

Be great today, be better tomorrow!

Cheers!

You can connect with me on Bluesky: @chriswalker1964.bsky.social

My how times have changed; the importance of soft skills

 

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During the summer of 1973 I was 8yrs old. My favourite sport was baseball. I wasn’t very good. My coach, a retired US Navy guy, decided to teach me how to catch fly balls & line drives with two hands. I was trying to catch one-handed and dropped almost everything. Off I run to centre field, with no glove.

Coach starts whacking fly balls at me, and I try to catch them one-handed. It hurt! And yeah, I dropped them all. Then he tells me to come in a little closer to 2^nd base, and he starts drilling line drives at me. That hurt even more. There was also the added bonus of potentially getting a line drive in the face. That would have been fun!

The last season that I coached was in 2008 or so. If I used that approach with my players (~12yrs old) I’m certain a visit from the authorities would have ensued. I had to change how I coached, even from what I was doing in the 1980’s.

And this relates to the workplace how?

Well, back in the day things were all about, effectively, being ordered to get stuff done. “Smithers!!! Have this on my desk by 4pm or I’ll murder your cat and eat your ice cream!” That kind of nonsense. And we liked it. More truthfully, we didn’t know any better. Can someone please try that now and let the rest of know how it turns out?

You can’t do that anymore. Today’s workplace requires us to be collaborative, nurturing, and caring. Deadlines and budget constraints haven’t disappeared, but the way we communicate them to our teams has certainly changed. Now there’s a lot of “what do you need from me to get your stuff done?” kinds of conversations happening. We even ask our teams [insert incredulous gasp here] how they’re feeling emotionally & psychologically.

Look, I’m fairly old-school; so old it was a one-room frickin’ schoolhouse. You went to work, knew what was expected, did your job, then buggered off. If you needed work related help you asked for it. If you had personal issues, you asked someone outside of work. I had no problem with that, but I’m glad things have changed.

I truly believe that having a kinder, more nurturing approach in the workplace makes for a healthier, happier, more effective workplace. People that feel cared for are likely to stay around longer. If they feel supported, they’ll simply do better, however you define that. Being proactive as a People Leader by regularly asking the “soft” questions makes you a better leader. If someone on your team is struggling (for whatever reason), you’ll know sooner and be able to help them through it.

There are days that it seems kindness is sorely lacking in the world. Let’s do our part and at least bring as much of it as we can to work.

How has the evolution to a kinder workplace impacted you? What do you think about it?

How did those fielding lessons turn out? I became a pretty good ballplayer, with a great glove. Our team went on to win the league championship. I was named to the Hong Kong all-star team in 1974.

Be great today, be better tomorrow!

Cheers!

Connect with me on Bluesky: @chriswalker1964.bsky.social