Marcel Salathé
@marcelsalathe.bsky.social
EPFL Professor, Co-Director EPFL AI Center, digital epidemiologist, CH++
I'm not posting a lot here, but if you're interested in my weekly update on AI, I have a low-volume newsletter:
engineeringprompts.substack.com
engineeringprompts.substack.com
February 7, 2025 at 4:44 PM
I'm not posting a lot here, but if you're interested in my weekly update on AI, I have a low-volume newsletter:
engineeringprompts.substack.com
engineeringprompts.substack.com
US #AI restrictions - excellent SemiAnalysis deep dive. Worth repeating: limits are on COMPUTE, not chip numbers. Want a more powerful chip? Your allocation goes DOWN.
The geopolitical aftershocks of this regulation will be massive. Absolute bunkers.
semianalysis.com/2025/01/15/2...
The geopolitical aftershocks of this regulation will be massive. Absolute bunkers.
semianalysis.com/2025/01/15/2...
January 20, 2025 at 4:09 PM
US #AI restrictions - excellent SemiAnalysis deep dive. Worth repeating: limits are on COMPUTE, not chip numbers. Want a more powerful chip? Your allocation goes DOWN.
The geopolitical aftershocks of this regulation will be massive. Absolute bunkers.
semianalysis.com/2025/01/15/2...
The geopolitical aftershocks of this regulation will be massive. Absolute bunkers.
semianalysis.com/2025/01/15/2...
I had a chance to sit down & discuss with JP Fricker, EPFL alumnus and cofounder of AI chip unicorn Cerebras Systems - the company behind the world's largest AI chip.
It's the first episode of the new @epfl-ai-center.bsky.social podcast, "Inside AI". Many more to come!
Link to pod in comment
It's the first episode of the new @epfl-ai-center.bsky.social podcast, "Inside AI". Many more to come!
Link to pod in comment
January 18, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I had a chance to sit down & discuss with JP Fricker, EPFL alumnus and cofounder of AI chip unicorn Cerebras Systems - the company behind the world's largest AI chip.
It's the first episode of the new @epfl-ai-center.bsky.social podcast, "Inside AI". Many more to come!
Link to pod in comment
It's the first episode of the new @epfl-ai-center.bsky.social podcast, "Inside AI". Many more to come!
Link to pod in comment
🐍 Important AI breakthrough: Using deep learning to design proteins that neutralize deadly snake venom toxins, protecting animals even after exposure. Combined with rapid snake ID via smartphones, this could save thousands of lives from snakebites each year! 🧬📱
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
January 16, 2025 at 8:40 PM
🐍 Important AI breakthrough: Using deep learning to design proteins that neutralize deadly snake venom toxins, protecting animals even after exposure. Combined with rapid snake ID via smartphones, this could save thousands of lives from snakebites each year! 🧬📱
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Submit your caption
December 21, 2024 at 8:57 AM
Submit your caption
This may be the most remarkable paragraph I’ve read about AI this year. It shows a level of self-awareness (in the technical sense) that’s just mind boggling.
December 19, 2024 at 6:48 AM
This may be the most remarkable paragraph I’ve read about AI this year. It shows a level of self-awareness (in the technical sense) that’s just mind boggling.
Academic writing is getting harder to read - the humanities most of all
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/12/18/academic-writing-is-getting-harder-to-read-the-humanities-most-of-all
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/12/18/academic-writing-is-getting-harder-to-read-the-humanities-most-of-all
December 19, 2024 at 6:10 AM
Academic writing is getting harder to read - the humanities most of all
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/12/18/academic-writing-is-getting-harder-to-read-the-humanities-most-of-all
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/12/18/academic-writing-is-getting-harder-to-read-the-humanities-most-of-all
Context windows in #AI models are increasing massively, but this study suggests anything beyond 10,000 tokens and you're asking for trouble.
arxiv.org/abs/2406.10149
arxiv.org/abs/2406.10149
December 18, 2024 at 7:27 PM
Context windows in #AI models are increasing massively, but this study suggests anything beyond 10,000 tokens and you're asking for trouble.
arxiv.org/abs/2406.10149
arxiv.org/abs/2406.10149
Confidently wrong: No model so far was able to answer this correctly. Not o1 pro, not Gemini advanced, not Claude Opus. The "better" the model, the more confident it was in its wrong answer.
At least Mistral and Claude Sonnet were able to say they didn't know.
At least Mistral and Claude Sonnet were able to say they didn't know.
December 14, 2024 at 4:18 PM
Confidently wrong: No model so far was able to answer this correctly. Not o1 pro, not Gemini advanced, not Claude Opus. The "better" the model, the more confident it was in its wrong answer.
At least Mistral and Claude Sonnet were able to say they didn't know.
At least Mistral and Claude Sonnet were able to say they didn't know.
What do people use AI models for? These are the top 10 use cases on Claude.ai
Source: https://www.anthropic.com/research/clio
Source: https://www.anthropic.com/research/clio
December 13, 2024 at 6:34 AM
What do people use AI models for? These are the top 10 use cases on Claude.ai
Source: https://www.anthropic.com/research/clio
Source: https://www.anthropic.com/research/clio
Science is amazing 🤩 - an HIV vaccine is slowly but surely becoming a reality. www.science.org/content/arti...
December 12, 2024 at 8:44 PM
Science is amazing 🤩 - an HIV vaccine is slowly but surely becoming a reality. www.science.org/content/arti...
Not good: 1/5 of adults in OECD are at primary school level in math & reading.
The top performers earn 75% more, and are happier & healthier.
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/12/10/are-adults-forgetting-how-to-read
The top performers earn 75% more, and are happier & healthier.
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/12/10/are-adults-forgetting-how-to-read
December 11, 2024 at 6:19 AM
Not good: 1/5 of adults in OECD are at primary school level in math & reading.
The top performers earn 75% more, and are happier & healthier.
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/12/10/are-adults-forgetting-how-to-read
The top performers earn 75% more, and are happier & healthier.
“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”
https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/12/10/are-adults-forgetting-how-to-read
It's really fascinating how much in quantum computing is still quite voodoo - love this section from the original Google Willow paper 👇
December 10, 2024 at 6:00 AM
It's really fascinating how much in quantum computing is still quite voodoo - love this section from the original Google Willow paper 👇
I wonder how much economic value the Gartner hype cycle has prevented from being created.
Imagine managers in August 2023, looking at the chart and thinking, Generative AI? Nope, clearly a hype - we’re not investing.
Imagine managers in August 2023, looking at the chart and thinking, Generative AI? Nope, clearly a hype - we’re not investing.
December 9, 2024 at 6:10 AM
I wonder how much economic value the Gartner hype cycle has prevented from being created.
Imagine managers in August 2023, looking at the chart and thinking, Generative AI? Nope, clearly a hype - we’re not investing.
Imagine managers in August 2023, looking at the chart and thinking, Generative AI? Nope, clearly a hype - we’re not investing.
December 9, 2024 at 5:40 AM
Tonight, after winning the Patrick Denantes Memorial Prize, he showed how his work has informed the development of Gemini 1.5 - and gave a shoutout to EPFL as a perfect place to do such work.
Truly inspiring! And he's on the faculty job market this season - catch him if you can 🏃♂️➡️
Truly inspiring! And he's on the faculty job market this season - catch him if you can 🏃♂️➡️
December 6, 2024 at 7:02 AM
Tonight, after winning the Patrick Denantes Memorial Prize, he showed how his work has informed the development of Gemini 1.5 - and gave a shoutout to EPFL as a perfect place to do such work.
Truly inspiring! And he's on the faculty job market this season - catch him if you can 🏃♂️➡️
Truly inspiring! And he's on the faculty job market this season - catch him if you can 🏃♂️➡️
December 1, 2024 at 7:03 PM
I think about this graph almost every day.
November 29, 2024 at 6:50 AM
I think about this graph almost every day.
Hard to not have empathy when they respond like that 😅
November 24, 2024 at 8:50 PM
Hard to not have empathy when they respond like that 😅
Currently loving “The Diplomat” on Netflix. Fast-paced, sharp, and a brilliant cast.
Watching it, I find myself hoping that, given today’s politics, there are capable people behind the scenes preventing disaster.
Watching it, I find myself hoping that, given today’s politics, there are capable people behind the scenes preventing disaster.
November 24, 2024 at 8:16 AM
Currently loving “The Diplomat” on Netflix. Fast-paced, sharp, and a brilliant cast.
Watching it, I find myself hoping that, given today’s politics, there are capable people behind the scenes preventing disaster.
Watching it, I find myself hoping that, given today’s politics, there are capable people behind the scenes preventing disaster.
November 21, 2024 at 4:39 PM
Is a Master's degree worth it (UK/US only): "But women with higher qualifications do better than women without them because they also tend to work longer hours, particularly when they become parents and are more likely to resist pressure to go part time or stop working"
Source in comments
Source in comments
November 20, 2024 at 5:32 PM
Is a Master's degree worth it (UK/US only): "But women with higher qualifications do better than women without them because they also tend to work longer hours, particularly when they become parents and are more likely to resist pressure to go part time or stop working"
Source in comments
Source in comments
Bravo Canton Zug! Top VC destination per capita in Q3 2024 for 🇨🇭. Vaud, home of EPFL, is at 2 (though at 1 in absolute numbers).
Source: www.startup.ch and ChatGPT for population size.
Source: www.startup.ch and ChatGPT for population size.
November 20, 2024 at 5:31 PM
Bravo Canton Zug! Top VC destination per capita in Q3 2024 for 🇨🇭. Vaud, home of EPFL, is at 2 (though at 1 in absolute numbers).
Source: www.startup.ch and ChatGPT for population size.
Source: www.startup.ch and ChatGPT for population size.
Starter packs... That's how they get you hooked
November 19, 2024 at 11:59 AM
Starter packs... That's how they get you hooked