Home Care In Olin, IA

Machines that learn are reshaping lives and livelihoods. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most important change force in modern society, but it remains common for high school graduates to know nothing about how it works, the opportunities it creates and what we need guard against.

In May, the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) launched the AI for K-12 Working Group (AI4K12) to define for artificial intelligence what students should know and be able to do. The AI4K12 steering committee includes David Touretzky, Carnegie Mellon; Christina Gardner-McCune, University of Florida; Fred Martin, University of Massachusetts; and Deborah Seehorn, CSTA Curriculum Committee.

With lots of input, the steering committee drafted five big ideas that every student should know. A summary of the report (available here) they will present at the AAAI conference in January follows.

Big Idea #1: Computers perceive the world using sensors. The ability of computers to “see” and “hear” well enough to be practically useful is one of the most significant achievements of AI. Students should understand that machine perception of spoken language or visual imagery requires extensive domain knowledge. Graduates should be able to identify and demonstrate the limitations of machine perception systems and use open machine learning tools to train perceptual classifiers.

Big Idea #2: Agents maintain models/representations of the world and use them for reasoning. Representation is one of the fundamental problems of intelligence, both natural and artificial. Students should understand the concept of a representation--the way a map represents a territory, or a diagram represents a board game. Students should further understand that computers construct representations using data, and these representations can be manipulated by applying reasoning algorithms that derive new information from what is already known. High school students should be able to make use of elementary data structures to program simple inference algorithms.

Big Idea #3: Computers can learn from data. Machine learning algorithms allow computers to create their own representations using training data that is either supplied by people or acquired by the machine itself. High school students should be able to train a network and code simple applications using open tools.

Big Idea #4: Making agents interact naturally with humans is a substantial challenge for AI developers. Understanding people is one of the hardest problems faced by intelligent agents. Inferring a person’s future intentions by observing their actions is challenging even for humans. Robots will need to acquire some of this skill if they are to be welcome in our lives. High school students should be able to construct context-free grammars to parse simple languages and use open tools to construct a chatbot. They should also be able to use sentiment analysis tools to extract emotional tone from text.

Big Idea #5: AI applications can impact society in both positive and negative ways. Students should be able to identify ways that AI is contributing to their lives. The societal impacts of AI involve two kinds of questions: what applications should AI be used for and what ethical criteria should AI systems be required to meet?

Students should understand that the ethical construction of AI systems that make decisions affecting people’s lives requires attention to the issues of transparency and fairness. High school students should be able to evaluate new AI technologies and describe the ethical or societal impact questions raised by them. AI4K12 will be developing guidelines but not curriculum. They plan to curate online resources for educators.

On a recent video on Daniel Greene’s YouTube Channel, author Brandon Sanderson — the guy behind Mistborn, The Stormlight Archive and the final three Wheel of Time books — shared his “Doom and Gloom Predictions” for the publishing industry. That included his thoughts regarding the advent of generative AI.

Sanderson actually isn’t as worried by the advancement of AI as some other authors. “I think AI will, inevitably, get to the point where it can write books as good as or better than writers, but do we care about that?” he asked.

According to Sanderson, it’s not a question of whether computers and AI can actually write something as good as or better than humans; it’s a question of whether it matters. In some fields and industries, it obviously will and does matter. But in terms of novels, Sanderson thinks part of the appeal for consumers is connecting with the human authors of the work.

Sanderson gives two great examples. He talks about a trip to Hawaii where he bought a carved piece of art. He sought out the artist who carved the piece, although he didn’t know if it was that different than a machine-produced piece that you could find in any store. It mattered that it was made by a human because that inspired a “connection.”

I agree with that! To me, it’s more likely that art, including books and novels written by humans rather than AI, will become more coveted, not less. It’s the human touch that separates the art from the mass of “content” available.

Sanderson also mentions his college roommate Ken Jennings, Jeopardy champion and now co-host. He references when Jennings competed against and lost to computers at Jeopardy, but points out that Jeopardy still features humans as its contestants although computers know more. “I was watching when the computer beat him at Jeopardy, right?” Sanderson said. “We don’t put three computers to play Jeopardy, even though a computer can play Jeopardy better than Ken can. Because, you know, we’re looking to see what a human can achieve and that’s something we enjoy.”

That’s a fair point. To me, it also ties into the psychology of fandom. It’s part of the reason we watch Jeopardy, professional sports, TV and movies, and read books. We’re all interested in what humans can do. There’s a connection between storytellers and entertainers and their audience. Can that be replicated by AI? Will it ever be? Perhaps, but that seems rather far away given what we’re dealing with right now.

And that’s where Sanderson digs into the real problem with modern publishing, which isn’t necessarily related to AI. It’s more about the big companies involved with publishing and other creative industries only worried about filling time, satisfying subscriptions, expanding IP, and more. It’s less about the art, and more about what the art can do to drive interest and make money. Sanderson sees this meaning fewer royalties for authors and creators going forward. “A lot of the companies that are really powerful right now don’t value the individual author, voice, and don’t value the art of the story. They see the purpose of books as something else,” Sanderson said.

Sanderson references shows on Disney+, comparing Wandavision to The Book of Boba Fett. Wandavision had a clear direction and intent to tell the story in a specific way, while Boba Fett felt more like an attempt to cash in on a popular IP. That’s where my fears lie with most of the AI-related conversation. I don’t see at as a replacement to real art, but I do fear that it will become the gatekeeper of art. Things simply won’t get made, published, or produced because they don’t fall into the specific box that makes venture capitalists wealthy on the backend. It feels like that’s where we’re moving, although it’s clear we aren’t there yet.

Netflix is another good example. While the streamer still claims to have a human touch when it comes to renewals and cancellations, it’s clear that shows must clear an algorithmic viewership threshold to get renewed. I fear that lack of nuance will get even worse as AI and computers become more pivotal in the art-as-commerce space.

Sanderson also mentions the lack of collective bargaining for authors and novelists is different than it is for writers in Hollywood, another problem. “Maybe someone will be able to prove me wrong, and we’ll be able to figure out some way, but it’s just proving impossible,” he finished.

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With a warm front that slowly crept from southern Missouri yesterday morning to the Iowa/Missouri border this morning, a band of showers and storms developed offset to the north. This band has slowly migrated from south to north, starting in our southern counties mid-morning yesterday, to about Highway 18 by 7 AM this morning. The heaviest rain seemed to fall along Highway 30.

There was also some severe hail, up to ping pong ball size, reported in Johnson and Benton County.

Here is a full list of 24-hour rainfall reports from across the area, starting 7 AM, Wednesday 10/11 through 7 Am Thursday 10/12. There is still some rain ongoing in the north, but this will be captured in tomorrow's rainfall update.

Four Iowa Lakes students were selected to attend the exclusive Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute (OEI).

Every August, OEI brings 32 students from Buena Vista University, Iowa Lakes Community College, Iowa State University, University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa to participate in a week-long college credit course focused on entrepreneurship and teamwork. This year Iowa Lakes students Zoey Zeller of Ottosen, Dawson Hatch of Greenville, Ethan Marth and Olin Myhre of Estherville were selected for participation.

“The Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute sounded like an excellent opportunity to expand my learning and do it in a non-traditional way. I am a massive believer in non-traditional, outside of the classroom learning, and to me, that’s exactly what OEI is. During my time here, I want to increase my knowledge and passion for sales and marketing. I also want to dig into the other factions and degrees that go into business and entrepreneurship,” said Myhre, a sophomore majoring in Sales and Marketing.

The course consists of educational seminars, entrepreneurial venture computer simulations, networking with area entrepreneurs, pitch competitions, and fun on Iowa’s Great Lakes beaches.

“I applied to go to OEI because it sounded like an amazing experience where I would make some great connections and learn how to further my business that I already have begun. I hope to learn some new skills about how to build my business, and I hope to make some long-time connections with people to who I can ask business questions too even after OEI is over,” explained Zeller.

Zeller, a sophomore pursuing a Sales and Marketing degree, has already started her first business called Rural Creations, which focuses on longarm quilting for custom orders and sells baby quilts and wood signs. Zeller will be attending the Algona craft fair this year in October with her quality handmade products.

Hatch, a Junior pursuing Business Economics, applied for OEI because his business teacher Lecia Berven, an Iowa Lakes Instructor who recently retired, recommended the program.

“It looks like an excellent opportunity to gain a lot of great information. One of my friends’ brothers went to OEI and had a great experience. I hope to learn more about business and what it took for the host families to be successful. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and creating contacts,” shared Hatch.

Marth, a recent Iowa Lakes graduate with an Associate of Arts, focused on taking courses geared towards music, business, and entrepreneurship while attending Iowa Lakes and plans to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Cinematography in the future.

Marth explained, “OEI came highly recommended by a couple of my professors at Iowa Lakes, and after looking into it and hearing nothing but good things about it both online and from past class members, I decided to apply. With the potential to learn quite a bit more in the business realm, it came as one of the best entrepreneurial opportunities in northwest Iowa. As a student interested in business and entrepreneurship – and especially in the small business and start-up arenas – I hope to gain as much insight and hands-on personal experience and skills through the simulation and lecture opportunities that OEI presents. I then hope to apply these skills to my future business ventures. I also hope to get to know some of the other entrepreneurs from around the area and hear their stories and firsthand knowledge gained through successes and failures.”

The Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute is a cooperative effort of the State Board of Regents, the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa, as well as the Iowa Lakes Corridor Development Corporation.

OLIN -- In all likelihood, Olin High School's athletics existence will cease in late May, at the state track meet.

"My coach (Rich Ginn) and I have talked about that," said Jordan Cress, defending Class 1A state champion in the high jump.

"We've talked about ending it with an exclamation point."

Declining enrollment -- the high school consists of about 40 students and is one of the five smallest in the state -- is forcing Olin to surrender its athletics programs after the spring. Olin students will enter a whole-grade athletics sharing agreement with Anamosa in the summer.

Assuming Cress returns to the state meet next month, his appearance probably will be the Lions' last hurrah.

Chances are good that he'll send the school out with a bang. He's that good, despite the fact that his school doesn't have a track, and that the indoor pit is inadequate.

"Our pit in the gym is just 12 feet by 6 feet, and he never jumps without me standing right there to watch," Ginn said.

Cress' sports career could have ended abruptly two years ago, when he broke his collarbone so bad that doctors advised against competing in sports again.

But after a major surgery, the collarbone was rebuilt and Cress was back at it. He even resumed playing football last fall.

Cress is four-sporter. In addition to football, he plays basketball -- "We had our first winning season (last winter) in who knows how long," he said -- and baseball.

But track is where the senior really shines. He has long jumped more than 20 feet and runs in sprint relays.

Outside of the non-classed Drake Relays and big indoor meets, Cress is undefeated in the high jump the last two years. He cleared 6 feet 7 inches to win the 1A title last year, and has gone 6-8 on several occasions this year.

He uses the lower heights as practice, making up for the lack of jumping opportunities on quality surfaces. He doesn't measure out his steps, relying more on hunch, then letting talent do the rest.

"If I can get him to 6-8, just imagine what they can do for him in college," Ginn said.

Cress will walk on at Iowa State University, where he'll major in computer science.

"The coaches there seem to think I have 7-foot potential," Cress said.

Like most high-jumpers, Cress is tall. He stands 6-4, but he's not overly leggy.

"He is longer through the torso, and he's extremely flexible," Ginn said.

"He's a heck of an athlete, and he's a good kid who keeps his nose clean. He wants to be good. He wants to be remembered."