Your go-to guides to AI

“It’s not information overload, it’s filter failure” – Clay Shirky

There is such rapid change in AI, from the tools and technologies available, to the individuals and companies changing the landscape, the ethical considerations and the different creative and practical ways AI is being used. It can feel impossible to know what to pay attention to, what’s important to be aware of and what’s merely hot air.

Of this list of the current best commentators, writers and information sources about AI, some focus on arts and culture, but most do not. Rather they examine the technology itself, and the use and implications of the technology. 

Ethan Mollick

Ethan Mollick’s One Useful Thing is a Substack newsletter and associated website about AI tools and news. He is an associate professor at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and the author of a bestselling book; Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI.

Mollick writes in detail about different AI models, important news, as well as offering some very practical advice such as when to use AI – and when not to. He also has advice on how to get started with prompting, from which the following good advice is taken:

“The single most useful thing you can do to understand AI is to use AI. There are lots of reasons people may decide to give up on using an AI quickly, from early hallucinations (the AI isn’t good enough) to existential discomfort (the AI is too good), but many of those initial reactions are tempered over time. Your goal is simple: spend 10 hours using AI on tasks that actually matter to you. After that, you’ll have a natural sense of how AI fits into your work and life.”

Rachel Coldicutt

A technology strategist and researcher, Rachel Coldicott writes about how technology impacts and changes societies. Her writing is nuanced and smart, and if you are interested in topics such as the ethical and environmental considerations of AI, and what a sensible AI strategy looks like for a non-technical organisation, you should subscribe to her newsletter.

A particularly good post, that attracted a lot of attention, was her FOMO is not a strategy piece which, if you’ve not already seen it, is definitely worth your time.

Gary Marcus

Gary Marcus is a scientist and author who writes a popular newsletter called Marcus on AI. He sends out a newsletter pretty much every day, sharing key updates about AI models alongside opinion pieces relating to AI and societal change. One recent piece is Elon Musk’s terrifying vision for AI.

Jocelyn Burnham

Many of you will be aware of Burnham’s work but if not, she is an independent consultant and trainer who specialises in helping the arts sector and creative industries navigate AI

She is involved in some key developments in the cultural sector, such as the Arts Marketing Association’s upcoming project Goose, an AI-driven knowledge exchange platform funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Benedict Evans

A researcher and technology commentator, Ben Evans writes an extremely popular newsletter with over 175,000 subscribers about technology more generally, rather than exclusively about AI. However his posts about AI models and the companies building them are always thought provoking, and insightful, such as his recent post about OpenAI’s new Deep Research tool.

Dr Joy Buolamwini

No list of this kind would be complete without including the power house Dr Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist, spoken word poet, author and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League. It’s a not-for-profit organisation which, in its own words is “leading a cultural movement towards equitable and accountable AI”.

It is also behind the excellent documentary Coded Bias which is a must watch for anyone interested in learning more about the risks of AI models that have in-built biases.

We hope you find this list useful and that it helps you navigate your own path through the AI jungle. If you have any favourite writers or information sources, please share them in the comments.

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