ChatGPT is here - a few technical and non-technical explainers

I follow Civic Tech Toronto and they have excellent guest speakers. The sessions are recorded and available. In this post I am embedding a number of interesting sessions they've recently run focused on ChatGPT and Large Language AI Models.

If you're not connected to the Civic Tech community, it might be useful for you to know if a network exists in or near your city.

Civic Tech folks are generally interested in better understanding and finding solutions to civic challenges through technology, design or other means. They meet monthly in person and online. They usually host guest speakers and then break into groups to talk about and work on specific projects of interest.

A non-technical dive into ChatGPT and large language models

Alex Olson explains how ChatGPT works in a way that is accessible to anyone, and explores some of the benefits and caveats that this new field presents.

The Large Language Model Next Door: Living with Intelligent Agents

Understanding how large language models like ChatGPT work is one thing. Understanding how they’ll be used in our day-to-day lives, and their impact on society is another. In this talk, Jen Schellinck brings a cognitive science lens to the discussion, and consider how intelligent agents, and their underlying technologies, will impact our lives and institutions.

TaxGPT: Advising Canadians about tax filing

TaxGPT is a AI-lite friendly chatbot that gives Canadians advice on how to file their taxes for free. Taxes are complex, and one of the main use cases of AI is condensing longform text into easily understood summaries — sounds like a win-win! Well, almost. Paul Craig covers the herky-jerky development of a ChatGPT-backed chatbot: what it's good at, and what to watch out for.