The revolutionary AI tool, generative AI,  is a real life-changer

5

October

2024

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Introduction

After ChatGPT was launched, generative AI has been a new focus for people. However, like general AI, generative AI has been developed for decades since the 1950s, and the first generative AI system, ELIZA, was created in 1961 (Foote, 2024). Nonetheless, it is the chatGPT that has essentially empowered the generative AI and let the public know the potential power of generative AI.


I have used several generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, etc. They each may have different advantages, but I believe that ChatGPT is the most suitable for me, and it has been incredibly useful. In general, it truly helps me in three ways.

  • Increase the efficiency of my work and study: When conducting searches, ChatGPT can summarise a large number of materials I get and then I can only use some of them that I feel is useful, which largely reduces the amount of time I spend and lets me focus on the research itself.
  • Guide me to work and study: Whenever I encounter some unfamiliar terms or topics, it can provide detailed explanations or step-by-step instructions to help me.
  • Generate marvellous ideas for me: Whenever I struggle with coming up with new ideas, ChatGPT generates millions of creative ideas for me, which truly help me go on with my work or study.

The interactive experiment with Gen AI

Today, I will focus on the second part, in which chatGPT serves as a tutor, and dive into how it helps me with my current studies. To be honest, this is the most magical part of ChatGPT because it feels like a personalised tutor who can assist you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It has helped me so many times to work through all of the unfamiliar terms, topics and skills.

A recent example is that one of our DBA group assignments asks us to analyse data using R, but I am not familiar with R. Even after watching numerous tutorial videos on YouTube, I am still confused about how to use R sometimes. In this case, Chatgpt is a real life-saver and could guide me through it in detail. Although finishing that homework was not easy, I grasped a new skill of using R. Isn’t it remarkable?

Another example is when I am learning the concept of UML, an essential component of one of my courses, at first, I do not have a clue about what it is, and the concept seems so abstract and technological. Although our professor tried to explain it as much as he could, I am still a little confused about some details of the application of it. Therefore, I ask for GPT’s help. Amazingly, with the detailed and straightforward description and explanation, I have already grasped this new concept. In this process, what I found most valuable is that it can answer a large number of specific questions, which is the most crucial step to solving my confusion.

Improvement

Although I could not put more praise on Gen AI, there is still room for improvement. We should think about the difference between a real tutor and chatGPT, and there is a huge gap between them. Therefore, the gap is what we should try to diminish.

There are two main issues I believe should be tackled with the top priority. First, the feedback from GPT is almost text, and sometimes, this kind of response is not good enough to guide people who want to learn something totally new. Although it is hard for GPT to generate some specific tutorial images or videos now, it could search online to find relevant materials and provide links in the appropriate step to further help with the users’ study. Second, the response system of ChatGPT is passive, which means it can only answer your questions. However, if a learner is trying to explore a new area, he/she may not know what to ask. It would be much better if the ChatGPT could be proactive in such cases.

Conclusion

Overall, through my personal experience, generative AI is a truly life-changer and a new revolutionary tool for us. It can improve our working efficiency, provide us with new ideas and also guide us to learn something new. This technology is a milestone in our technology development. Although it may raise some problematic issues, the benefits it brings way outweigh the disadvantages associated, and I believe that we are able to find a way to tackle those new difficulties.

Reference

Foote, K. D. (2024, September 25). A brief history of Generative AI. DATAVERSITY. https://www.dataversity.net/a-brief-history-of-generative-ai/

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Does Apple Vision Pro realize the Metaverse?

18

September

2024

5/5 (1)

Introduction

Although Metaverse is not a new term,  Mark Zuckerberg aroused people’s interest again in 2021. In 2021, Facebook was renamed to Meta and Zuckerberg announced that Meta would realize the Metaverse by investing in and developing Virtual technologies. Metaverse is an immersive virtual world where people can do almost everything online they do in their real lives and interact with others, including working, socializing, shopping, studying, gaming, etc (Tucci, 2024). In 2024, Apple launched the Vision Pro, which can provide users with revolutionary and extraordinary AR and VR experiences. This makes us wonder: does Apple Vision Pro realize the Metaverse?

Key elements of the Metaverse

  • The new version of the Internet: Metaverse is often described as a new version of the Internet or the next version of the Internet, where people can easily access immersive and virtual information with any electronic device that has VR and AR functions.
  • Virtual Identity and Asset: In the Metaverse, everyone has a unique virtual identity, which can recognise users, and we have to log in with that to interact with others. In addition, we can also purchase virtual assets, such as virtual goods or virtual real estate, with our virtual currencies or sell them if we do not want to own them anymore.
  • Immersive interaction: Currently people can only use traditional 2D screens to interact with others through the Internet, while Metaverse can bring you into a 3D virtual world where you can talk or work with each other just like face-to-face by using 3D avatars, making communication more immersive.

Capabilities of Apple Vision Pro

  • Immersive experience: As the best mixed-reality (MR) device, Apple Vision Pro has 4K resolution, advanced chips, sensors, a spatial audio system, and an eye-tracking system, and people can get the best immersive virtual experience ever, such as virtual video calls, 3D online shopping, 3D movies, etc. Therefore, although Apple Vision Pro focuses on recreation and productivity, it still lays a solid foundation for realising the Metaverse.
  • Millions of applications provided by the Apple ecosystem: There are more than 1000 applications specifically designed for Apple Vision Pro, and millions of iOS and Mac OS applications compatible with the Vision Pro (Perez, 2024). Therefore, users can do almost every online activity just like using an iPhone, but with an immersive experience.

Does Apple Vision Pro realize the Metaverse?

To fully achieve the goal of Metaverse far exceeds the ability of current technology, and this is why Zuckerberg announced that Meta’s focus is shifting from Metaverse to Gen AI (Bhattacharya, 2023). However, it does not mean Metaverse is worthless anymore, and we need to wait for the advancement of technologies to meet the requirements of the Metaverse.

In my opinion, Apple Vision Pro partly realises the Metaverse. Although it has some shortcomings, such as its heavy weight, short battery life, etc, as the first version of Vision Pro, it can already provide an excellent immersive and interactive experience, which is the core goal of the Metaverse. As for other features of Metaverse, such as virtual identity, assets, etc, these are part of the business strategies of different companies. Apple does not have to follow all of Meta’s rules to build its virtual world. However, the current Vision Pro is not mature and still needs improvement to let users have a seamless experience across platforms and applications. In addition, unlike Metaverse, an open platform where people can have seamless experiences across platforms, Apple’s closed system makes it unlikely to have a similar experience. Moreover, few people have tried it because of its expensive price, and the lack of a user base is a significant factor in failing to realize the goal of Metaverse.

Future prospect

I am quite optimistic about the development of Metaverse. Although we do not have to strictly follow the roles or plans that Meta has given us, the core aim of Metaverse is about how we communicate and collaborate and this is fairly valuable. Metaverse could be a new technology revolution that improves overall social productivity. While Vision Pro cannot function across platforms, Apple takes the first substantial step towards the ultimate goal.

Conclusion

Apple Vision Pro provides an extraordinary immersive experience to users, bringing us closer to the Metaverse, but there is still a long way to fully realise the Metaverse’s goal. We need further technological advancements and a broader user base. However, it is still a significant step and reduces the time we wait for the Metaverse.

References

Tucci, L. (2024, March 22). What is the metaverse? An explanation and in-depth guide. WhatIs. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/The-metaverse-explained-Everything-you-need-to-know

Perez, S. (2024, February 14). Apple’s Vision Pro now has over 1,000 apps specifically designed for the new device. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2024/02/14/apples-vision-pro-now-has-over-1000-apps-specifically-designed-for-the-new-device/

Bhattacharya, A. (2023, March 14). Meta’s “year of efficiency” means job cuts, less metaverse, and more generative AI. Quartz. https://qz.com/meta-layoffs-2023-jobs-metaverse-ai-1850196575

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