4 ms·

If you click the domain on this submission, you'll see loads of articles from a16z on the topic of generative AI. Click back a couple years and you'll find thi

• BobbyJo 3y ago
  TBF, the roll of a VC isn't to be on the cutting edge of science, but rather business, and generative AI is very new business, even if it isn't very new science.
  • whimsicalism 3y ago
    > if it isn't very new science it's pretty new "science." at least last 8 years or so
    • pvarangot 3y ago
      https://archive.org/details/matrix_201703 https://archive.org/details/matrix_201703
    • totetsu 3y ago
      I'm pretty sure I remember it being talked about on the tv show 'beyond 2000' in the 90s
      • deleted 3y ago
        [deleted]
      • whimsicalism 3y ago
        generative AI?
        • junofan 3y ago
          It’s at least 40 years old. Think Gibbs sampling was invented the 1980s
          • whimsicalism 3y ago
            Gibbs sampling is not generative AI. Really, generative AI is not at all a well defined term. It is, unfortunately, not the same thing as a generative model.
            • junofan 3y ago
              What’s generative AI?
              • whimsicalism 3y ago
                A buzzword - generally I would say it refers to using unsupervised training of some neural network model and then generating new data in the domain from the model. I believe it originally grew out of the phrase "generative model" (which models the joint data probability distribution) but most of the prominent 'generative AI' models (like GPT) are not actually generative models but discriminators. Regardless, outside of simple things like matrix multiplication, the theory of backpropagation (although not the implementations), language modeling as a concept, etc. - almost all of these techniques are within the last decade and a half or so.
    • dadoomer 3y ago
      Let us not forget history. Generative AI (informally defined as "algorithmic generation of stuff" for the sake of argument) has been around for more than 40 years. For example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithmic_art?wprov=sfla1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithmic_art?wprov=sfla1 And of course, other forms of generative AI exist.
      • whimsicalism 3y ago
        Sure, if we define "Generative AI" as "algorithmic generation of stuff" then it has been around for a long time. I disagree that this is what people are really referring to when they use the phrase generative AI and basically none of the techniques being used can really be said to be 40 years old.
• rchaud 3y ago
  Lest we forget, here is their piece de resistance, dripping with VC gravitas, about the role of tech in the midst of the covid crisis: "It's Time To Build" [0] What did they end up investing in? NFTs and shitcoins. [0] https://a16z.com/2020/04/18/its-time-to-build/ https://a16z.com/2020/04/18/its-time-to-build/
  • the-grump 3y ago
    Another twist: Billionaire Marc ‘It's Time to Build’ Andreesen Is a NIMBY Link: https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7bbd9/billionaire-marc-its-time-to-build-andreesen-is-a-nimby https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7bbd9/billionaire-marc-its-...
    • rchaud 3y ago
      Par for the course for the super-rich.
    • cdme 3y ago
      Steph Curry is as well despite his progressive public image (he's also got FTX entanglements)
      • fhub 3y ago
        I think his objections were valid “taller fencing and landscaping to block sight lines onto our family’s property.” I would hate to be a celebrity and have people recording me all the time, especially at home.
        • cdme 3y ago
          Fair, but it's inconsistent with his image — and he didn't propose much meaningful accommodation in return.
      • constGard 3y ago
        I haven't read too closely, but no one is building meaningfully affordable housing in Atherton. Each unit in the development would easily sell for millions. CA/the bay area should focus on packing high density housing closer to transit lines, not lifting apartments in areas that are an hour+ walk from transit to score political points.
• nightski 3y ago
  Honestly the links in the article are really good whether you hate a16z or not.