Miguel Helft

This week on Decoder I sat down with Anthropic's new chief product officer Mike Krieger to discuss his journey from cofounding Instagram and Artifact to now working for one of the hottest AI companies in the industry. Anthropic has billions in funding from some of the biggest names in tech, primarily Amazon, to develop Claude, the name of both its industry-leading AI model and a chatbot that competes with ChatGPT. At the same time, Anthropic has an intense safety culture that’s distinct among the big AI firms of today. The company is notable for employing some people who legitimately worry AI might destroy mankind, and I wanted to know all about how that tension plays out in product design. I was a big fan of Artifact, too, so I wanted to know more about Mike's decision to shut it down as well as the decision to sell the underlying tech to Yahoo. Then I wanted to know why he decided to join Anthropic and work in AI, an industry with a lot of investment but very few consumer products to justify it. What’s this all for? What products does Mike see in the future that make all the AI turmoil worth it, and how is he thinking about building them? Check out a clip from the conversation below that's all about where Anthropic sources training data, a contentious topic in the AI industry, and read and listen to the full interview on The Verge: https://lnkd.in/eiJBr7se

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Join our experts as they dive into PR Newswire's groundbreaking AI innovations. We'll explore: ✨ How AI is revolutionizing #PR & comms ✨ Our unique solution that leverages historical data to offer press release insights ✨ Findings from our State of the Press Release Report on how PR pros are embracing #AI Save your spot now and join us as we drive the AI conversation forward!

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For this podcast, the Confident Retirement, there's a twist: I was the one interviewed, not the one asking the questions. (I like it better the other way - but that was fun - thanks for inviting me on, Kristopher Flammang CRPC®AIF®BFA®) Oh - and I'm not retiring :) Some of the things we talked about: * My early journalism career change to being a juvenile probation office for three years; • Why and how the Business Observer has made a transtions to #digitalfirst — and why we keep the focus on that; and • The lessons I've learned from interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs ands business owners Take a listen!

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Good article on the value of original quality content and risks of GenAI’s generics & distortions today when AI volume is everywhere online. The image simulation is cool example!

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🚀 𝗘𝗹𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗸, 𝗗𝗢𝗚𝗘 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 – 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁? 🚀 If you thought 𝑬𝒍𝒐𝒏’𝒔 ventures couldn’t get any bolder, think again. This week’s edition of Musk Did What? unpacks his latest headline-grabbing moves: 💼 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗢𝗚𝗘 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Musk teams up with 𝑻𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒑 and 𝑽𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒌 𝑹𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒘𝒂𝒎𝒚 on the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Is this the ultimate government makeover, or just another Musk experiment? #GovernmentEfficiency #TechDisruption #DOGE 🚗 𝗖𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸’𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 – From recalls to wrap damage, the “indestructible” truck faces a rough rollout. Will it stand the test of time? #Cybertruck #TeslaTroubles #Automotive 📈 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗮'𝘀 $𝟳𝟬 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲 – How Musk’s net worth skyrocketed, thanks to post-election market boosts. #TeslaStock #ElonEconomics #WealthWatch 🌐 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗫 – Musk’s social media platform is seeing massive engagement spikes. Are we witnessing the next big social revolution? #SocialMediaTrends #XPlatform #MuskEffect This edition is packed with insights, satire, and some surprises for #Musk fans and skeptics alike. Curious? 🔍 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/geF-YqH4 ⚡️ 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌? Is Elon pioneering the future of government, or just enjoying the hype? Let’s discuss! #MuskDidWhat #Innovation #Disruption #FutureOfTech

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I spent some time this weekend experimenting with Anthropic's newly released Claude 3.5 sonnet, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. To be honest, I've been considering giving up my Claude subscription in recent weeks, and I'm glad I didn't. Here are a few things I liked: ☑ EXCELLENT writing skills, probably the best out there for an LLM, based on my experience ☑ Finally, Claude has 'vision' capabilities (it can see and transcribe text even from low-quality images) ☑ Exceptional reasoning, skills, and what seems to be a very solid knowledge base ☑ It is lightning-fast, and its responses seem to show an excellent grasp of language nuances, along with a bit of personality and a sense of humour! ☑VERY good at processing complex multi-step prompts 'Mid' but with potential: Anthropic also introduced Artifacts, which lets you see what's being generated in a window beside your prompt. Unfortunately, it's still limited for a few things I was trying out, but I love the concept of a collaborative work environment, and it will get better and more user-friendly soon. Highly encourage you to give this latest version a try - the best way to learn how to use AI tools and what they are good at is to spend some time! https://lnkd.in/gvuVZPPK #Anthropic #AI #Claude #Sonnet

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Very interesting discussion of code switching here and using that term re: Vance's identity, something I'd considered, but not seen in previous stories

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My early takeaway from PRSA Oregon #CommCon2024 is that the public is facing a real trust issue when it comes to innovations like AI and other emerging tech (and in general). Which raises the question: how do we address the trust crisis in a way that is both authentic and effective? #communications #publicrelations

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If we thought 2024 was the year of AI...buckle up. Because 2025 is already shaping up to outpace it in innovation, experimentation, and application. Take, for instance, OpenAI's announcement they sneaked in just before everyone tuned out for the holidays: ChatGPT is now accessible via landline. That's right -- just call in, ask a question, and get an answer. They've also made it available via texting in WhatsApp. This arguably opens up accessibility for some. Though, I'm curious if the majority of people who call will use it for something productive or if it'll turn into a gag. Evolution and time will tell. What applications and new uses are AI are you most looking forward to becoming a reality in 2025? You can read more in TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/gBYKg6ev

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Beyond all the “thought leadership,” “conversions,” and other serious objectives that come with writing for business, sometimes the projects that stick in the memory do so for the smallest, most unserious reasons. Before I started at Tech in Asia, everything I’d put out was predominantly text-based. Sure, there were pictures, but it never went very far beyond stock images or pictures I (amateurishly) took myself. But we also do infographics. This sounded daunting at first, especially since I don’t have any design skills of my own. Thankfully, I quickly learned that for such projects, I’d be working with a graphic designer colleague. One of the first infographic assignments I received was for a client that fights online fraud, so I thought it’d be fun to pitch a short timeline on the history of fraud. Apparently, the first recorded case of fraud took place in 300 BC. A Greek merchant named Hegestratos took out a loan on his ship and cargo and was required to repay the money - with interest - after selling his cargo, which was made up of corn. If he failed to repay the loan, the lender would gain possession of the ship and its cargo. To get out of the agreement, Hegestratos planned to sink the (empty) boat, keep the loaned money, and sell the corn. But he was caught in the act and drowned while trying to escape. My graphic designer colleague - Susi Susanti Wu - and I decided to depict Hegestratos going down with his ship, and her first draft showed him fighting the waves along his leaking boat, grasping an ear of corn in his hand. I was laughing as I typed to her on Slack, “more corn on the boat pls lol 🌽” It still remains one of the sillier pieces of feedback I’ve ever given anyone, and I still remember it, over five years after the fact. Sometimes, the reason why you like a thing you created doesn’t have to be sophisticated or because it Drove Business Results™. #writing #infographics #fun #corn

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Grace Chng's piece on Techgoondu on the AI trends to look out for in 2025, as the technology moves beyond the hype.

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News curated and distributed by technology giants looking for clicks and monetizing content isn't a replacement for real journalism. Trouble is, people seem less and less capable or interested in understanding the difference. Not surprisingly, it just gets harder and harder to keep serious, committed journalism alive and relevant. If what I've said isn't making sense to you, here's a practical example of what happens when serious, relevant journalism gets brushed aside by non-journalists who control massive aggregation and distribution platforms and have other, non-journalistic and primarily commercial interests and criteria when deciding what you get to see. Tech companies are not the best gatekeepers for the news...

Looking for a great read that explains the interconnections between emerging technologies? Sick of lazy tech writers who ask which technologies will "win" without understanding that they're all connected? Want deep dives into the future of work and VR; how to think like an AI native; and the future of experiences and mobility, among many other topics? Check out the Fast Future Blur, a collection of collaborative essays written by the faculty of the The Fast Future Executive! Available now wherever books are sold. https://lnkd.in/e2YsEa2T

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The disinformation swirling about the LA fires (see a summary @truth_incommon on Instagram) should be enough to convince us that the polluting of our information ecosystem is a massive issue. But now we have the world's most powerful people discrediting professional fact-checking and displaying unbridled partisanship. It's unethical behavior for any leader, but especially so for people who run communications channels that are themselves all-powerful and almost ubiquitous globally. Regular people want to be able to do what fact-checkers are trained to do: Separate fact from fiction. That job just got significantly harder.

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BOULT is diversifying and we are happy about it. The CruiseCam X1 is a great example. The dashcam is extremely utilitarian and is fairly easy to use. A 1080p resolution, 2MP sensor, 170 degrees FOV, app support and a 1-year warranty. It's a handy tool that adds a lot of value to day-to-day life. Full review on the BW Businessworld website. #tech #techreview #review #Boult #consumertech #bwbusinessworld

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𝗣𝘆𝗿𝗲𝘅 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝘀. 𝗔𝗜 𝗙𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿 I’ll admit, my sister-in-law is 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 with Pyrex. She has a collection worth thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of dollars. Who knew a casserole dish could be such a hot commodity? And look, I get it—Pyrex is 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭. But is it 𝘈𝘐-𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 cool? Ehh, not quite. Now, what I do think is cool—scratch that, 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥-𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨—is Corning’s transformation from kitchen staple to AI powerhouse. You see, thanks to William Patalon III’s latest article, I found out that the company behind your grandma's favorite dishware is now positioning itself to ride the AI wave like a pro surfer. Yup, Corning has gone from 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸 to 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, and the market hasn't even caught on yet. Turns out Corning’s been flexing its muscles in the optical fiber and display tech game for years. And with their new AI-driven 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱, they’re looking to add $3 billion in annual sales by 2026. That’s right—Corning is gearing up to power AI data centers and the Internet of Things, leaving casserole dishes in the dust. So while my sister-in-law is on the hunt for her next vintage Pyrex gem, I’ll be keeping an eye on Corning’s next-gen innovations—and maybe picking up some shares along the way. Catch William Patalon’s full breakdown of Corning’s AI game plan here: https://lnkd.in/gvCvny7h. #AIRevolution #TechStocks #Innovation #ArtificialIntelligence #Investing

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In the 2000s, anti-copyright activists were punching up by taking on the record and film industries. But now they’ve thrown their lot in with major tech companies (and the MPA) to try to stop artists from using copyright law to rein in generative AI. #techindustry #generativeai #ai #artificialintelligence #copyright

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