Vanderbilt Launches Future of Learning and Generative AI Advisory Board

Vanderbilt Launches Future of Learning and Generative AI Advisory Board

Jun 7, 2023, 10:01 AM

Vanderbilt University has created the Future of Learning and Generative AI Initiative and appointed members of an advisory board for the initiative. Both will center their efforts around scholarship and opportunities connected to the growing use of nascent artificial intelligence technologies. 

As generative AI grows and evolves, so do its uses and best practices. The purpose of the initiative is to take the opportunity to explore them and to train Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff to leverage the best of this cutting-edge technology. 

In addition, the initiative will capture and harness the leading scholarship and expertise of Vanderbilt’s data scientists to develop education for faculty and students, seed trans-institutional innovation and inform and engage the data science community. The initiative was commissioned by the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation.  

“The introduction of this initiative and advisory board presents a tremendous opportunity for us to contribute to both research and teaching in higher education, positioning us at the forefront of this rapidly emerging cutting-edge technology,” Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs C. Cybele Raver said.  

Jules White (Connor Bacon)

The initiative is being led by Jules White, associate dean for strategic learning programs and associate professor of computer science in the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering. 

Key faculty collaborators in the initiative are: 

Jesse Spencer-Smith, chief data scientist and interim director of the Data Science Institute 

Charreau Bell, assistant professor of the practice of computer science, senior data scientist at the DSI and faculty director of Vanderbilt’s undergraduate data science minor 

Douglas C. Schmidt, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering (computer science)  

Dana Zhang, assistant professor of the practice of computer science  

Vanderbilt scholars have been innovating with large language models, like Chat GPT, and are established leaders in the field of prompt engineering, a subspecialty within artificial intelligence.  

The article, “A Prompt Pattern Catalog to Enhance Prompt Engineering with ChatGPT,” co-authored by White, Spencer-Smith, Schmidt and other collaborators, is currently the second-highest ranked paper on prompt engineering in Google Scholar. 

“Prompt engineering is going to be an essential skill in the workforce and is going to be the foundation of working with AI in in the future,” White said. 

White will engage closely with the advisory board to foster interdisciplinary collaboration—supported through the Dare to Grow campaign—on generative AI and prompt engineering, identify university-wide needs in the area and highlight ongoing research and innovation across campus ....'

Alchemy.Codes for eCommerce Experience

Brought to my attention.  Via Procter & Gamble   Alchemy.codes  Much more at the link.  Note the mention of the Olay Skin Advisor, which I have written about here.  Recall P&G had previously tried startup style initiatives with Tremor, which utilizes consumer networks for brand engagement and efficient marketing.  Also relates to the Mr Clean and stain advisor work based on chatbot style AI systems.  All discussed here.

About Alchmy.codes:  (excerpts)

Our aim is to build disruptive technologies and business models that give our partners an unfair competitive advantage in the marketplace.

TRANSACTIONAL LEARNING EXPERIMENTS (TLES)

Thoughtful experimentation is in our DNA. We help you gauge new business opportunities through rapid prototyping and consumer feedback. Get to experimentation phase in days instead of months.

DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER 3.0 (DTC)
From strategy to execution, we provide everything that your brand needs to create a rich eCommerce experience. But we don’t stop at delivery - your Alchemy team will then obsess over growing your online business through constant experimentation, user testing and in-market iterations.

Our tried-and-tested approach enables us to provide strategic direction, data-informed designs, and thoughtful execution.

The voice of the consumer — ensures feature prioritization, roadmap management, and product success through critical KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).

Featured Work:    Olay Skin Advisor
Redesigned for excellence and rebuilt for performance, the new skin advisor has redefined the standard for brand engagement. We’re calling it, the gold standard.

Alchemy is reinventing the way that P&G brands connect with and deliver value to consumers.... "   

 i

Procter Olay Uses AI for Skin Advisor

Worked previously with a company seeking to determine physical age via AI classification methods.  Here another.   Note too the long history of P&G with advisory and conversational systems.

In Venturebeat:

AI gave Olay its biggest product launch in 10 years   By Jen Larsen

" ... The company partnered with Nara Logics, and Olay Skin Advisor was born in 2016. It’s a web-based tool, rather than an app, that reduces barriers to entry, Putman says. You take a selfie, and the AI-powered engine determines your skin age and then matches you with a raft of Olay products intended to fix your particular issues — from about 2 million unique regimens, all told.

Olay started out with a very limited pool of data, says Damon Frost, director of beauty and CIO at Procter & Gamble, but it continued to shore up that collection by turning Olay.com into a direct-to-consumer website. That way, Olay could see the direct impact of Skin Advisor, from the number of visitors to the basket size and conversion rate. ... " 

Microsoft and AI

During the last AI go around, we worked with Microsoft.  They were a natural partner, because they were also providing all the fundamental things to get work done.  And get it done more intelligently.   We were early experimenters with advisory systems like 'Paperclip', a form of Ambient computing.

Then they did seem to fade. And Apple, IBM, Google and even Amazon have taken over.    Is Microsoft coming back?  How and what parts should we pay attention to?   How should we use them? Integrate their methods with our own developments?   And use their data and communications integrations like Linkedin, Skype and Cortana?

Inside Microrosft's AI Comeback  Jessi Hempel in Wired:

" ... Yes, Microsoft. His bet is that the former kingdom of Windows alone has the capability to establish itself as AI’s third giant. It's a company that has the resources, the data, the talent, and—most critically—the vision and culture to not only realize the spoils of the science, but also push the field forward. In January, in a move noted throughout the industry, Bengio agreed to be a strategic advisor to the company. This gives Microsoft a direct line to one of AI’s top resources for ideas, talent, and direction. And it’s a strong sign that Microsoft actually has a shot at making the ruling AI duo into a trio. ... " 

Group Editing Photos as Collaboration Example

Nice idea ... Collaborative work is a kind of inteligence enhancement.  You could further see collaboration between multiple people and advisory machines.  Group collaboration of new kinds has power.  The most important thing I want when solving a tough problem is the collaboration of a domain expert.

Google is working on a new social app for small groups to edit photos together by Ingrid Lunden

While Google continues to add more features to its two social communication apps Allo and Duo, TechCrunch has learned that it has quietly been working on least one more social app. Google has been developing a new social app that lets small groups edit photos together and then organise them for future enjoyment: think Path meets Snapchat-style filters and edits meets Google’s imaging smarts.

Google confirmed the existence of the app after we asked about it, and told us that (for now) is an experiment, one of many it’s running.

But it sounds like Google may be downplaying this a bit.  According to our sources, one plan had been to launch the app during its I/O event in May — much as it did last year with Duo and Allo — although from what we understand right now there is no specific date set. ... " 

More on Samsung Bixby Assistants

With backstory, and an indication of Samsung's considerable investment into AI.   Plus integration into more devices.  Seems a competitive position as advisory and smart home leverage.  Worth following.

Galaxy S8 and beyond: Samsung bets big on Bixby's AI
The digital voice assistant will debut soon on Samsung's next flagship phone, and the company plans to quickly add it to more products.  ... " 

And more on Bixby capabilities.    

My List and survey of personal assistants.

Chatbot Concierge for your Hair

Not far different from some of our own attempts to provide a concierge style link that could help both the consumer and the brand.   An advisory

What a Chatbot Can Teach You -- and Unilever -- About Hair    By Jack Neff

 " .... THE IDEA
Enter the Hair Concierge, a chatbot launched on Facebook Messenger in November that uses artificial intelligence to answer women's questions about how to solve hair problems, and links them to Nexxus products they can buy direct online within the bot. The virtual Hair Concierge spawned more than 450,000 messages, around eight per conversation, during January alone, Ms. Grigoriou said. And that comes just from influencers, social sharing and word of mouth, before the brand has put any conventional paid media support behind the effort, which was led by new digital agency Cubocc.

 It's a new idea with roots deep in Nexxus' heritage. From Mr. Redding's day on, the brand was about using proteins found in nature to improve hair. Things like heat and ultraviolet radiation exposure deplete those proteins, leading to a range of hair problems, such as dullness, frizz and split ends. "We can actually map the DNA of the hair, identifying which ingredients can deliver the best results for each problem," she said. The Hair Concierge is part of a broader digital revamp for Nexxus, which aims to offer "mass customization" by matching existing products to women's stated needs. The effort also includes a redesign of Nexxus.com to align with how women search online and a series of 30-second-or-shorter, mobile-optimized videos matching Nexxus products to various hairstyles or problems.  ... " 

Press Release on Olay Skin Care Advisor

More on Olay Skin Advisor:

Olay Unveils Global Skin Analysis Platform Olay Skin Advisor – The First-Of-Its-Kind Application of Deep Learning in the Beauty Industry

Olay’s New Mobile Platform Utilizes AI to Help Women Better Understand Their Skin

"Shopping for skincare has never been more overwhelming, as women are faced with thousands of products and promises"

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, global skincare brand Olay celebrated its Mobile World Congress debut with the global launch of Olay Skin Advisor, a new platform designed to help women better understand their skin and find the products best-suited to their personal skincare needs. Rooted in a suite of artificial intelligence technologies, Olay Skin Advisor marks the first application of deep learning in the beauty industry, arming women with the knowledge they need to care for their skin and better navigate the often-confusing beauty aisle.

“Shopping for skincare has never been more overwhelming, as women are faced with thousands of products and promises,” said Dr. Frauke Neuser, Principal Scientist for Olay. “Olay’s research shows that browsing the shelf is the #1 purchase influencer for women, yet 1/3 of women do not find what they are looking for. We saw an opportunity to help women understand their skin better than ever, before they even step foot in the store. Our solution is Olay Skin Advisor, which uses artificial intelligence to deliver a smart skin analysis and personalized product recommendation, taking the mystery out of shopping for skincare products.”

- See more at: http://news.pg.com/press-release/pg-corporate-announcements/olay-unveils-global-skin-analysis-platform-olay-skin-adviso#sthash.qQRASriP.dpuf

Alexa Links to Yamaha Multiroom Audio Ecosystem

Continued integration with voice control.    The number speed of such integrations is remarkable.  Getting difficult to keep track of.  Now lets see more examples beyond audio and entertainment.

Yamaha Adding Amazon Alexa Voice Control To MusicCast Multiroom Audio Ecosystem
Firmware update coming this fall

Yamaha is bringing Amazon's Alexa voice control to its MusicCast wireless multiroom audio products beginning this fall with more than 40 A/V products.

The existing components will get a firmware update enabling control using spoken commands through Alexa-enabled devices. An Alexa skill that adds support for the MusicCast commands will simultaneously be made available for Alexa-enabled devices, including the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Tap and Amazon's Fire TV. .... " 

Selfie Skin Analysis by Olay

An interesting advisor approach done by my former employer using advanced deep learning machine learning techniques.

" ... Procter & Gamble Co. today revealed the launch of a global web platform called the Olay Skin Advisor, which enables a woman to have a selfie analyzed via smartphone to determine the P&G products best suited to care for her face.

The Cincinnati-based consumer goods company (NYSE: PG) said the new Olay Skin Advisor platform, which has been piloted in the United States in beta form, is powered by artificial intelligence technologies.

The Skin Advisor provides a woman with precise, personalized skin education and product recommendations on any smartphone or tablet based on the photo submitted.

The goal is to help women better navigate what P&G described as the often-confusing beauty aisle at groceries or other stores. Buying decisions can be complicated because there are so many products from which to choose.  ... " 

We called this general idea 'virtual beauty'.  See tag below for previous work on that.

And more technical technical AI detail in this piece.

Site of Olay Skin Advisor.

More work on the concept of virtual beauty.

An Advisory Hub for Health Care

An idea that we discussed in some detail,  regarding advisory systems in health care.   Using popular advisory systems?  I like very much the idea of leveraging and especially sharing data among participants.  Regulatory issues abound.   Very worth following.

IBM's wearables hub could get you out of the hospital faster
The prototype device links to a host of wearables to gather health data for doctors  By Martyn Williams  

Researchers at IBM have developed a hub for wearables that can gather information from multiple wearable devices and share it with a doctor, potentially cutting down on the time patients need to spend in a hospital.

The gadget, which IBM has dubbed a 'cognitive hypervisor,' funnels data from devices such as smart watches and fitness bands into the IBM Cloud. There, it's analyzed and the results are shared with the user and their doctor.

The idea is that patients can be monitored reliably through the device so they can be sent home to recover from illnesses a day or two earlier than they might otherwise have been allowed. It also means that should a problem develop, a doctor can be alerted immediately and an ambulance dispatched if it's serious enough.

IBM demonstrated a prototype of the device in San Francisco on Tuesday.

"I am Chiyo, your new companion. During this time, please touch me to start," it said after powering up. "Every time you touch me, I will tell you about your status." ... " 

Knowledge Explosion in Medicine

Good detailed piece.  Many industries and companies are dealing with explosions of information and data that need to be understood and integrated into current process.  Mentions such efforts as Watson in medicine.  Also how will current human expertise be integrated with incoming learning?   Big challenges all around to make these approaches sustainable though maintenance and curation.

How Physicians Can Keep Up with the Knowledge Explosion in Medicine
by Lynda Chin and Greg Satell

" .... However, such reliance on manual curation creates not only a scale problem but also quality and consistency challenges. With the arrival of more advanced analytics such as IBM Watson, we can imagine more intelligent system such as MD Anderson’s Oncology Expert Advisor that one of us (Lynda) previously developed. It combines human expertise with machine learning to synthesize a large knowledge base in cancer and suggests treatment options tailored to a specific patient in real time. This will help doctors make better decisions based on up-to-date knowledge in a time efficient manner. .... " 

Implications of Pervasive, Connected Computing

I am starting a conversation tomorrow that will address this in part, as we become more connected,   will we get more efficient at work, and less at home?   Machines will give us advice, but how much decision authority will they have?   Article is a good thought starter:

In Technology Review:  
Humans and Computers are Getting Even More Connected

The implications of pervasive or ubiquitous computing are still only beginning to be apparent.

What do we want from the smart machines pervading our world—and what do they want from us?

That question framed this morning’s opening of the EmTech conference at MIT, and it’s a useful way to think about where computing is heading. ... " 

Thinking an Architecture of Advice

Working thoughts:  There should be a compendium of 'Questions to ask first'!   For all sorts of contexts.  Is it the same as an FAQ?   Not exactly.  But is it enough different?  In the enterprise when we did AI, we developed a one page list of questions that an expert would send to some one with a problem, this was a kind of entry ticket to see the expert.  Sometimes the expert might just respond with 'the answer is 42'.   Or feed the answers to a bot to answer it,  ....  but lastly pick up the phone to talk to the person or see them.   This worked, mostly but had its own issues. Makes me think further about the problem.

MedRespond Simulating Dialog

Simulation of dialog is interesting ....

" .... We combine artificial intelligence, search and streaming media to create communication programs that simulate personal and relevant dialogue between patient/customer and health care professionals.

Health care instructions are complicated and difficult to follow. Website FAQ’s rarely hit the mark. And let’s not get started on the maze of 800-number options that make getting information frustrating – if not impossible.

MedRespond believes that relevant, timely information – delivered in a personal, interactive and cost-effective manner – is a priority for those health care enterprises seeking to optimize patient and consumer care. That’s why health care enterprises – ranging from pharmaceutical companies to managed care organizations to retailers – use MedRespond products to manage communication while optimizing patient care and satisfaction. ... " 

More Amazon Dash

Is Amazon Dash a part of the IOT?  Just one small connection between ordering people and the system.   A sensor to determine lack of a product.  But consider also the data being connected.

Gaming and Coaching Discussed

From conversation:
https://www.linkedin.com/grp/post/6729452-6036912494289698817?trk=groups-post-b-title

Jim Spohrer:
Franz, and from some earlier threads let's not forget about "crowd sourcing" and "gamification" as a trajectory for the development of cognitive assistants for all occupations. In fact, coaching players of games could be a very nice development vector - see IBM Watson's Fantasy Football coaching announcement here from Wired ....
Franz Dill:
Jim, Yes good to remind me of that, just starting to look at that example, got a query from the former enterprise on its application to previous gamification experiments. I like the idea of Gaming+Coaching. Gaming is by its nature a simulation, or observation of captured real world experiments. The experiments (games) act as a kind of crowd sourcing of outcomes. Coaching is an 'advisory' intervention in a progress of games. Some real value there, even outside of sports. This is different from typical gamification. Some of my investigations lightly touch on this, see:
http://eponymouspickle.blogspot.com/search?q=gamification

Facebook and M

In Wired:    M is a response to Siri and Cortana.  Combines human and machine intelligence.   Superpowered?   Remains to be seen.

" ... Companies from Google to Taskrabbit are engineering products to act as superpowered personal assistants. Some, like Apple’s Siri, Google Now, or Microsoft’s Cortana, rely entirely on technology, and though they can be used by a lot of people, their range of tasks remains limited. Others, like startups Magic and Operator or gig-economy companies like TaskRabbit, employ people to respond to text-based requests. These services can get nearly anything done—for a much smaller number of folks. M is a hybrid. It’s a virtual assistant powered by artificial intelligence as well as a band of Facebook employees, dubbed M trainers, who will make sure that every request is answered. ..... "

Good piece, with more detail.

Rise of the Digital Assistant

Facebook's Moneypenny, Apple Siri, Google Now, Microsoft Cortana, etc.  
Jim Spohrer

Here are   interesting reads about human-powered personal assistant services versus digital-power intelligent personal assistants - both types are continuing to evolve rapidly and will likely merge, combine interesting ways ....  "

And discussion in Linkedin Group.

Facebook's Moneypenny to Provide Help

I was sent a query about Moneypenny last week, suggesting it was Facebook's entry into the virtual assistant fray, but it seems it will be more of a system to direct you to the right expert. A concierge of sorts. Another idea we experimented with in our advisory systems.

Its not a bad idea that relates to creating jobs from tasks. You assign experts to tasks that are subsets of expertise, and then automate them with Cogs as becomes possible. Until that is done you get the equivalent of call: XXX-XXXX for help, but hopefully having gathered sufficient data to improve the interaction. Of course classifying the expertise needed in context is also not trivial.

More about MoneyPenny See in Forbes.  and in Engadget.