Newsletter Archives

• The Casio question

  Posted on February 22, 2025 at 03:00 CST by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  I want to write a letter to Casio in the US. I knew neither who the CEO is or where the US headquarters are. So, I decided to ask Copilot via Bing.com:

  “Who is the president of Casio US, and what is the US headquarters’ mailing address?”

  I then verified the answers from alternate sources. The mailing address Copilot returned was correct. The CEO was wrong. Copilot gave me Makoto Ori, who did assume that position in 2021. But in 2023, a new CEO was named, Tomoo Kato, a fact I established using ordinary search and reading further. Copilot’s source was a news article from 2021.

  Having found the new name, I just typed it to Copilot. It responded by stating that Kato-san was the current CEO.

  Copilot knew both names but gave me the wrong one when I asked. What are we to make of this?

  AI Bing, Bing AI, Copilot

• Another AI you didn’t ask for: Windows Copilot

  Posted on July 24, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Josh Hendrickson • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.30 • 2023-07-24

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Josh Hendrickson

  Microsoft’s new AI for Windows has me asking the same question over and over: Who is this even for?

  I’ll get to why in a moment, but it’s not a good first impression for Copilot, the new AI Microsoft intends to build into Windows. It’s out in preview right now for anyone on the Windows Insider DEV build, and naturally I had to give it a go.

  First impressions are everything, and Copilot starts off … well, strange.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.30.0, 2023-07-24).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Windows 11 AI, Bing AI, ChatGPT, Copilot, Newsletters, Windows

• All in on AI

  Posted on May 15, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.20 • 2023-05-15

  MICROSOFT NEWS

  

  By Will Fastie

  On May 4, Microsoft announced the “next wave of AI innovation.”

  Well, we’ll see about that.

  There was no parade, nor any hoopla associated with this announcement. The entirety of the presentation was in a single blog post, which might have gone unnoticed had I not received an email from a Microsoft spokesperson telling me about it. That was unusual.

  But that’s not the news.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.20.0, 2023-05-15).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Microsoft News AI, Bing, Bing AI, Copilot, Microsoft Edge, Newsletters

• The Three Laws of Robotics

  Posted on April 10, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.15 • 2023-04-10

  COMMENTARY

  

  By Will Fastie

  Along with its recent announcement of Copilot, Microsoft made a point of mentioning “responsible AI.”

  Undoubtedly, part of the reason for bringing the matter up was the almost instant controversy surrounding Bing AI, Microsoft’s integration of its AI engine into Bing and Edge, especially its apparently threatening behavior toward a reporter.

  What does “responsible AI” mean?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.15.0, 2023-04-10).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Commentary AI, Artificial Intelligence, Bing AI, Copilot, Newsletters, Robotics

• How to get the most out of Google Bard and Bing Chat

  Posted on April 3, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Whether you like it or not, generative artificial intelligence — gen AI — is making its way into Google’s search engine, Gmail, and Docs. Its Redmond competitor is building OpenAI’s GPT-4 into Microsoft 365, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

  Other tech companies don’t want to go down the tubes like buggy whips, slide rules, and Silicon Valley Bank. So they’re all racing against the two software giants to bolt gen AI into their apps and gadgets. Who knows, you might get AI-driven responses from holographic humanoids in Facebook’s failed virtual metaverse.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.14.0, 2023-04-03).

  Public Defender Artificial Intelligence, Bing AI, ChatGPT, Generative AI, Google Bard, Microsoft 365, Newsletters, OpenAI

• You’re fired if you don’t know how to use GPT-4

  Posted on March 27, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.13 • 2023-03-27

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Mainstream media outlets are ablaze with news about GPT-4, OpenAI’s enormously powerful artificial-intelligence engine that will soon be shoehorned into every nook and cranny of Microsoft 365. Suddenly, knowing how to “prompt” (program) a generative AI app has become an essential requirement for your job or your life. God help us.

  We’ve all been instantly transported into the 25th-century world of Star Trek’s Jean-Luc Picard. You may think we’re still in the year 2023. But now — by entering just a few words — you can propel your personal starship through the galaxy at Warp 9. Or you can remain stuck in place and be assimilated by the Borg. Resistance is futile.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.13.0, 2023-03-27).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Public Defender Artificial Intelligence, Bing AI, ChatGPT, Generative AI, Newsletters

• Microsoft 365 Copilot announced

  Posted on March 27, 2023 at 02:44 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT NEWS

  

  By Will Fastie

  Another shoe has dropped in Microsoft’s quest to build generative AI into just about everything.

  On March 16, Microsoft announced a new feature named Copilot, which will be provided with Microsoft 365 accounts. Copilot uses generative artificial intelligence, a large language model (LLM), and the Microsoft Graph to provide services based on natural language prompts. Examples of such prompting are evident in the controversial BingAI, but Microsoft emphasized its commitment to “responsible AI” for Copilot.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.13.0, 2023-03-27).

  Microsoft News Artificial Intelligence, Bing AI, Copilot, Generative AI, Large language model, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Graph, Newsletters

• How to jailbreak ChatGPT and Bing AI — to see their evil twins

  Posted on February 27, 2023 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  The world has gone gaga for chatbots: text-based artificial intelligence apps like Open AI’s ChatGPT — which Microsoft is using for its new, gabby Bing AI.

  The power of these bots, which converse in a frighteningly human-like way, may be the greatest technology breakthrough since Gutenberg invented movable type, eliminating the tedious hand-copying of manuscripts.

  However, that’s like saying the invention of the electric chair was a great advance for criminal justice over the older guillotine technology.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.09.0, 2023-02-27).

  Public Defender Artificial Intelligence, Bing AI, ChatGPT, Newsletters, OpenAI