Episode #8: Would LLM 2.0 Save Us from this ZETTABYTE Era?

Is AI preordained? Is LLM revolution a necessity for the survival of humanity?

As a species, we are inundated by the amount of information we accumulated, on top of the complexity in science, in society, and in civilization itself. With the growing sheer size of the population and the desire to connect with other civilizations in the vastness, we do need some higher-level tools to assist our journeys moving forward, don’t we?

From zero to one, thanks to the Chinese ancestors who invented paper around the First Century AD, mankind started the journey of recording and exchanging information via paper. The printed books came along from around AD 600 to AD 900. At this moment how many books do we have in total on planet Earth? It’s roughly at around 156 million. There are about 4 million new books published every year. With the assistance of LLMs(Large Language Models), this number will increase dramatically in the days to come. 

Assuming we all live to 100 years old, how many books can we read for a lifetime if we all start reading at the age of 3 or 5?

I love visiting libraries wherever I go. Walking through the aisles between the bookshelves has always amazed and frightened me. I went through a period of my life reading through hundreds of great books in a short intense moment. Having every single room in my home shelved with books. Still, looking at the sheer volume of books in every library is daunting for me: “How should our future generations absorb all of this human critical thinking efficiently in the days to come?”

Now we would probably say “AI is reading all of them for us already.” 

What is left for humans if AI is going to absorb all of the creativity and critical thinking?

Are we supposed to become more creative with higher levels of critical thinking based on what AI or LLM has already digested for us? The answer should be a big YES!

How about the paperless world? 

On August 4th, Eric Schmidt pointed it out at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe “Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until  2003… That’s something like five exabytes of data.” 

FYI: 1 exabyte = 1,000 petabytes = 1,000,000 terabytes = one quintillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000) bytes

According to Melvin M. Vopson’s May 4th article “Each day on Earth we generate 500 million tweets, 294 billion emails, 4 million gigabytes of Facebook data, 65 billion WhatsApp messages and 720,000 hours of new content added daily on YouTube.

In 2018, the total amount of data created, captured, copied and consumed in the world was 33 zettabytes (ZB) – the equivalent of 33 trillion gigabytes. This grew to 59ZB in 2020 and is predicted to reach a mind-boggling 175ZB by 2025. One zettabyte is 8,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bits.”

Since 2012 (or 2016), we have officially entered the ZettaByte Era when the 1st ZettaByte was achieved. As residents of the ZettaByte era, living a life devoid of Machine Learning (ML) or LLMs to handle this ever-expanding wealth of information is beyond our means. 

Currently, LLMs are undergoing rapid and unparalleled evolution, making inroads across all sectors and industries worldwide. Each day greets us with novel tools and advancements, and all sorts of updates emerge from various corners of the internet. In light of this intricate and dynamic landscape, how can we effectively chart a course to innovate and craft something even more exceptional and influential?

In order to aid my comprehension, I create a visual roadmap that serves as a foundational guide to grasp upcoming technological advancements. This roadmap, along with key highlighted elements, was presented to the audience during my speech at SF AI DAY III, an event orchestrated by Aiify.io.

I've termed it LLM 2.0, marked by distinctive novel LLM models and innovative applications, in contrast to LLM 1.0, which revolved around ChatGPT and the exploration of Transformer-based models.

• LLM models are evolving from large to small, and becoming much more customized and energy efficient.
• Multimodality is a norm in every major platform.
• The applicable Upload Volume for analysis has increased dramatically: Claude 2.0 can take on the entire “One Hundred Years of Solitude” 
• The Vocal Volume has increased as well: Air AI can take on 10-40 minute long phone calls that sound like a REAL human, with infinite memory and perfect recall.
• Photorealism/3D/Text or Image to Video has been achieved.
• Generative Multilingual Voice/MusicGen/AudioGen are available now.
• Many platforms are moving from web to mobile.
• Open Source continues to grow: Meta has surprisingly joined the crowd. 
• AutoGPT and WebAgent are coming along.
• Senseily can generate an entire course with a course title!
• Nowadays can plan and finish the entire event planning process with one prompt!
• Domain-specific GPTs and sector-specific applications are growing.
• Generative AI Drugs are coming strong. Health Scribe might penetrate every hospital soon. 
• Personalized Precision Education will be a household norm soon. 
• GenAI Personal Assistant is coming to cover every aspect of life.
• Super intelligent AI with Multi-stage Reasoning is already here!

Can we imagine what’s coming next? How LLM 3.0 will look like? 

Before we conclude this episode, I want to again express my gratitude to Malinda Coler, the visionary CEO of Conversa AI. Her gracious invitation led me to participate in the panel discussion hosted by Aiify.io on July 11th. Subsequently, Aiify extended another invitation, granting me the opportunity to deliver this presentation on August 5th. Thank you, Malinda! I urge all of you to explore Conversa AI, a provider of remarkable 24/7 conversational AI solutions tailored for both individuals and corporations. Let’s hear what Conversa AI says: “Ever wish AI could interview all 500 applicants, then tell you the top 5 to actually speak with? Now you can! www.conversa.careers” 

Additionally, I'd like to highlight Joris Jeelof, the dedicated CEO of RoadEO.io. Over the past four years, he has generously and unconditionally dedicated countless hours to advising young startups without any reservations. We find ourselves truly fortunate to have secured a spot in his busy schedule, starting this summer. Beyond RoadEO, Joris is also the driving force behind several other enterprises that actively contribute to the advancement of humanity. A heartfelt appreciation to GSD Super Scaler for the generous introduction!

In life, genuine angels exist... When you encounter them, remember not to take their presence for granted.

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