Tech Beat by Namecheap – 16 June 2023

As AI writing tools gain popularity, copywriters, content marketers, and freelance writers fear their jobs may be at risk. In response, some have embraced a new role as “prompt engineers,” a term coined in the age of advanced language models like ChatGPT. Prompt engineering involves designing and optimizing text inputs to elicit desired outputs from AI systems. With job postings and salaries reaching up to $375,000, prompt engineering offers a potentially lucrative career path. However, experts debate whether this is a sustainable profession or just a passing trend riding the wave of AI excitement. As we wrote this week, prompt engineers must adapt and collaborate to meet the evolving demands of AI technology. 

In other news

• The United States is hoarding personal data about its citizens. A newly declassified report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence reveals that the US government has been secretly collecting a “large amount” of “sensitive and intimate information” on its own citizens. According to Wired, the report highlights the government’s effort to accumulate data revealing minute details of Americans’ lives, constituting a nightmare scenario for privacy defenders. The government has been flouting the law and purchasing information about Americans that Congress and the Supreme Court have made clear the government should not have. The legal system’s cracks have allowed a surveillance state to grow, and little deference is paid by prosecutors to the purpose or intent behind limits traditionally imposed on domestic surveillance activities. 

• AI-led church service brings out the masses in Germany. Hundreds of German Protestants attended a church service in Bavaria that was almost entirely generated by artificial intelligence. A chatbot led over 300 people through the service, including prayers, music, sermons, and blessings. As reported by The Journal, this service was created by ChatGPT and Jonas Simmerlein, a theologian and philosopher from the University of Vienna. The AI church service was one of hundreds of events at the convention of Protestants in the Bavarian towns of Nuremberg and the neighboring Fuerth. 

• Delayed asteroid trip will launch this October. NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission, which was originally scheduled to launch in August 2022, is now set to launch in October 2023, after the project faced significant delays due to issues with the guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) flight software. The Register states that an independent review board found that the project was inadequately staffed and suffered from burnout and major communication failures. However, JPL has taken action to turn the project around by recruiting more staff and encouraging employees to work together onsite. 

• Some parts of Reddit remain dark. On Monday, in response to Reddit’s decision to increase API pricing that threatens the viability of third-party apps like Apollo, Reddit is Fun, Narwhal, and BaconReader, thousands of subreddits went dark for 48 hours. The blackout, involving around 9,000 communities with a combined reach of hundreds of millions of users, was a protest against the new policy. The Verge reports that CEO Steve Huffman promises the situation will be resolved, and the blackout has had no significant revenue impact. However, over 300 communities, including major ones like r/aww, r/music, r/videos, and r/futurology, announced their intent to remain inaccessible indefinitely. The volunteers that run these subreddits are calling for Reddit to address their concerns with the API model, including the API technical issues, ensuring accessibility for the visually impaired, and parity in access to NSFW content. (And if you want to download your data before Reddit becomes more restrictive, Wired has a guide for you.)

• Just call AI the fifth Beatle. The BBC revealed that Sir Paul McCartney and sound engineers used artificial intelligence to create what they are calling the “final Beatles record.” AI technology was used to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo to complete a song, believed to be the 1978 Lennon composition “Now And Then.” The track was initially considered for the Beatles’ 1995 Anthology series but was rejected due to technical issues and poor sound quality. Engineers used the same AI process as in Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary to separate John Lennon’s voice from the background noise, allowing Sir Paul McCartney to “duet” with Lennon and create the final Beatles record. Despite the successful application of AI in this instance, McCartney remains a bit wary about AI use in music generally, saying, “It’s kind of scary but exciting, because it’s the future. We’ll just have to see where that leads.”

• Boss fight ahead for Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reportedly nearing an injunction to halt Microsoft’s $68.7 billion merger with Activision Blizzard. As Gizmodo reported, the injunction would pause the process while the FTC addresses its own legal complaints against the deal. The leaders of Activision Blizzard and Microsoft don’t appear to be troubled by the FTC’s action, with Microsoft’s Brad Smith saying they welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court. Meanwhile, the deal was approved by the European Union but rejected by the UK’s regulatory body due to competition issues in the cloud gaming market. The companies are appealing that decision​.

Previously in Tech Beat: AI gets into the music biz

Google’s AI music generator, MusicLM, utilizes a deep learning algorithm to create music based on text inputs, offering producers and songwriters a potential tool to explore new sounds and styles. However, MusicLM faces significant challenges from potential copyright infringements in its training data as well as its related inability to produce wholly original works. While it’s not publicly available yet due to these concerns, related tools like SingSong, which generates music following input vocals’ pitch and rhythm, show promise. Despite concerns about job displacement for musicians and composers, the rise of generative AI suggests music may be the next frontier. Learn more in our article, Is Google’s music AI generating the sounds of the future?

Tip of the week:  Improve your work-life balance

Maintaining a work-life balance is crucial for preventing physical and mental health issues resulting from chronic stress, pressure, and overwork. Jack Kelly, a senior contributor for Forbes, recently wrote that burnout can negatively impact job satisfaction, motivation, and overall quality of life, leading to depression and anxiety related to your job. 

To prevent burnout, it’s essential to take time away from work and engage in personal activities, rest, and relaxation. A balanced approach to work and life enhances productivity and performance, nurturing and strengthening relationships with family, friends. Establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life by defining specific working hours, prioritizing essential tasks, and scheduling work and personal commitments in advance can help achieve a well-rounded life that includes both work and personal time. The importance of getting enough rest cannot be underestimated. Self-care activities such as getting sufficient sleep, exercising regularly, eating nutritious meals, taking short breaks throughout the workday, socializing with family and friends, and engaging in activities outside of work can help rejuvenate your mind and enhance life satisfaction. Communicating your work-life balance needs to your employer or colleagues can help you discover options for flexible working hours or other arrangements that can better accommodate your personal responsibilities.