Overview of Generative AI Session

Aug 7, 2024

Notes from Introduction to Generative AI Session

Welcome and Introduction

  • Host: Live session at the Reactor, organized by the London Business Analytics Group.
  • Speaker: Corey, involved with Microsoft’s generative AI curriculum.
  • Code of Conduct: Respectful engagement and participation encouraged.

Speaker Introduction

  • Mark introduces Corey and mentions upcoming in-person events.
  • Events in June and July:
    • Power BI talk by Prakash Jain (June)
    • Excel talk by Alan Murray (July)

Overview of Generative AI

  • Corey’s Brand: Apologizes for potential video lag and background noise.
  • Audience Engagement: Check-in on audience experience with generative AI using emojis:
    • Starry-eyed (excited)
    • Confused
    • Sad (feeling behind)
  • Generative AI Definition: Aims to cater to varying levels of experience in the audience.

Generative AI Reactions

  1. Starry-eyed: Excited and engaged.
  2. Confused: Uncertainty about where to start.
  3. Sad: Feeling behind in knowledge.

Importance of Generative AI

  • Current Trends: Rapid advancements mainly due to technologies like ChatGPT.
  • Three Key Areas to Learn About Generative AI:
    1. Ubiquity: Generative AI is prevalent in various applications.
    2. Multi-modality: Integration with different data types (text, images, audio).
    3. Autonomy: Maintaining user autonomy while utilizing generative AI tools.

Applications of Generative AI

  • Practical Uses in Business:
    • Content Generation: Enhanced customer service responses, blog posts, and more.
    • Code Generation: Tools like GitHub Copilot facilitating code creation for developers and non-developers.
    • Semantic Search: Efficient retrieval of information from both structured and unstructured data.
    • Summarization: Quick insights from reports, logs, and meeting notes.

Intelligent Applications

  • Definition: Applications enhanced with generative AI capabilities for better user interaction and data processing.
  • User Interaction: Natural language queries leading to personalized experiences.

Getting Started with Generative AI

  • Value vs. Complexity Chart:
    • Summarization and Q&A are easy to implement and provide high value.
    • Automation offers high value but comes with increased complexity.

Tools and Technologies

  • Overview of tools available for developers:
    • Microsoft Fabric, Power Platform for fast application development.
    • Orchestration tools (e.g., Prompt Flow, Semantic Kernel) for managing model interactions.
    • Importance of model selection based on use cases and performance.

Prompt Engineering

  • Importance: Crafting effective prompts is essential for successful interactions with generative AI models.
  • Key Techniques:
    • Context: Providing roles and specific goals.
    • Constraints: Formatting, length, and prioritization in responses.

Responsible AI Usage

  • Human-Centric Approach: Prioritizing user interests in application development.
  • Impact Monitoring: Continuous evaluation of model behavior and user interactions.
  • Addressing Potential Harms: Awareness of issues like hallucinations, bias, and harmful content.

Security Considerations

  • Challenges: Prompt injection, supply chain vulnerabilities, and over-reliance on AI outputs.
  • Mitigation Strategies: User education, input validation, and monitoring user interactions.

Search Applications: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

  • Concept: Enhancing model responses with relevant and dynamic data sources.
  • Benefits: Provides personalized responses based on current data rather than outdated training data.

AI Agents

  • Emerging Concept: AI models executing tasks autonomously rather than just providing information.
  • Applications: Scheduling meetings, executing actions based on user requests.

Community Engagement and Resources

  • Encouragement to join the AI community Discord for ongoing learning and support.
  • Mention of a GitHub repository with a generative AI for beginners course and lessons available for users and developers.

Conclusion

  • Corey’s Contact: Available on social media and Discord for questions.
  • Mark’s Closing Remarks: Thanked Corey and the audience for participation.
  • Future Talks: Information about more events in the pipeline.

Note: For further details, refer to the GitHub repo mentioned during the session.