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The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer

  • Apprenticeship

“Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough anymore.” Saya Des Marais writes in “The Importance of Play for Adults” in PsychCentral, and the article continues, “Playing is just as important for adults as it is for children.”

Play driven by curiosity is one of the best tools that technologists have at their fingertips to expand their skill set, solve a problem, and explore the options available to them with technology. Making time for this type of playful discovery can be challenging, and it can be an easy space to have fun while improving hard skills. That’s why we believe so strongly in tech passion projects. 

We believe play, curiosity, and initiative are powerful motivators to learning, and MAXX Potential hosted an internal Hack-a-Thon this year to encourage Apprentices to follow their curiosity and explore tech areas that interest them. A number of Apprentices took part. Most of the projects demonstrated a certain level of playfulness, and we’re excited to highlight two passion projects.

Eureka: A Text-Based Adventure Game by Joelle Carbonell

Joelle Carbonell, MAXX Apprentice Level 3, created a game where adventurers have a mystery to solve. She wanted to explore text-based game creation. This project required Joelle to plan out her time, organize code, practice using Python, and problem solve when she ran into problems.

“Zork the Great Underground Empire was the inspiration, but also any other text based game.” Joelle explained her vision for the game. “Eureka is a text-based adventure game. You read the descriptions and prompts and then are able to type back into the game. It will interpret your instructions and give you feedback.”

Working on the Eureka passion project, Joelle had the opportunity to learn about using dictionaries, inheritance, debugging techniques and writing test cases. She shared that she found it challenging to get started on the project because she found so many different ways to organize the code. When she finally committed to a design with the help of ChatGPT, she shared, “Later, I did realize that some things were off; for example, the way I stored inventory, but it was not as difficult as I anticipated to fix that.”

Joelle noted that the project allowed her to get better at using Python and motivated her to keep learning. This larger but low stakes project helped her to manage her time. She had a specific timeline, and knew she wanted to play test so she created her own due date ahead of the deadline so she could playtest the game and work on issues. Joelle shared, “I also knew that if something was really getting me stuck, I could change as much as I wanted about the game to fit my limitations so that also made it a low stress way to learn.”

Passion projects are never really done, and so it’s exciting to find out what steps Joelle has in mind for the future of Eureka. She pointed out that she didn’t make a User Interface for the game, but that it’s something she’d like to have in the future. Joelle also specified that it would be helpful to include a button for players to save their progress, rather than requiring players play from start to finish in one sitting.

“Because I am a beginner, I was really focused on the technical parts of the game, but I really should have spent more time on the creative parts.” Joelle considers her overall experience. “In the beginning, it encouraged me to procrastinate because I would get stuck somewhere but not want to work on the story or which puzzles to include until I was sure what my coding limits were. However, working more on those parts first probably would have led to better design and could have driven the direction my technical challenges would have taken.”

“Starting is often the hardest part. Once I found the first little bug to solve and got it working, I was excited to keep going.” Joelle shared advice for those who are interested in diving into their own tech passion project. “I think it is also important to have skill appropriate challenges. If you start too big it is easy to be discouraged and give up.”

Tactics Game Prototype: a 2D Turn-Based Tactics Game by John Tarongoy

John Tarongoy, MAXX Apprentice, created a game that he would compare to Advance Wars or Fire Emblem, but look closer and you might notice a certain level of fantasy alongside the WW2-esque tanks and trucks. Players take turns, trying to complete objectives or destroy the opposing player’s units first.

A lot of John’s motivation for the artwork of the game comes from a bit of worldbuilding. He wanted fantastical elements, so he added dragons, magical fuel, and witches. His game ponders the idea of dragon knights alongside mass produced warfare, and he considered what these dragon knights might feel when they are “no longer the masters of the sky, instead hunted down by faster and more heavily armed fighter planes, similar to how WW1 shattered the idea of a ‘chivalrous war’ with the reality of industrial warfare.”

John shared the inspiration for this tech passion project. “I always loved video games and specifically tactics games like Advance Wars. I wanted to try my own take on the genre while also learning a new game engine and language.”

The project provided lots of opportunities for learning, and John rose to the occasion each time. He shared how he had a specific vision in mind for the game. While he could have followed the recommendations of the guide he found, John leaned into the option to research more about Godot’s in-built A-star pathing algorithm, and he was able to implement a new system that allowed for weighted pathfinding.

“I did a search on similar problems other developers had and studied solutions that they tried in order to see if I could implement it in my own project.” John shared one of the ways he sought to solve the challenge he faced. “One solution I implemented ended up having a massive performance dip when trying to calculate the potential movement of a unit with high mobility, but I was able to identify the issue and solve for it, which was to make sure the algorithm did not double back on tiles it already determined were passable.”

John found that the experience of planning, coding, and problem-solving his project gave him valuable perspective. Even the simplest tactics game can require a lot of coding. This project pushed him to set his goals and tasks, improving his understanding of time management. He explained about coding, “Learning the way Godot’s scenes and singletons work was an eye opening experience for someone who is more familiar with Java or C object-oriented programming. As the native Godot language, GDscript, is much like Python, it also helped me refresh my understanding of that family of languages.”

 

“Honestly as an artist, making the little unit sprites was the most fun part.” John knows that visual design plays an important role in a tactics game. In a limited pixel palette, every single pixel can completely change how the art looks, so deliberately using pixels can spark a lot of creativity. John emphasizes, “Recognizability is extremely important in a tactics game where you have to give the player all the information they need in order to make the best decisions for their strategy.”

When considering future iterations of this passion project, John pointed out that he’d want to further refine the internal logic of the unit statistics and figure out how to implement the opposing player and unit attacking. Another step might be to add AI for a computer opponent, create unit attack animations, and more. 

While a tutorial can be a starting place for a passion project, it’s important to not stay there. John points out that it’s good to, “…push for learning how the engine works and other key functions so you are able to make your own code instead of purely copying the tutorial verbatim. Little things like making your own game sprites and learning how to adjust properties to fit those are good starts. This helps you earn some independence in coding and learning how to properly search for and absorb knowledge is a valuable skill.”

At MAXX Potential, we are passionate about helping individuals launch or advance their tech career. If you are interested in becoming an Apprentice, please find more information about Career Lab here. 

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer

  • Apprenticeship

“Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough anymore.” Saya Des Marais writes in “The Importance of Play for Adults” in PsychCentral, and the article continues, “Playing is just as important for adults as it is for children.”

Play driven by curiosity is one of the best tools that technologists have at their fingertips to expand their skill set, solve a problem, and explore the options available to them with technology. Making time for this type of playful discovery can be challenging, and it can be an easy space to have fun while improving hard skills. That’s why we believe so strongly in tech passion projects. 

We believe play, curiosity, and initiative are powerful motivators to learning, and MAXX Potential hosted an internal Hack-a-Thon this year to encourage Apprentices to follow their curiosity and explore tech areas that interest them. A number of Apprentices took part. Most of the projects demonstrated a certain level of playfulness, and we’re excited to highlight two passion projects.

Eureka: A Text-Based Adventure Game by Joelle Carbonell

Joelle Carbonell, MAXX Apprentice Level 3, created a game where adventurers have a mystery to solve. She wanted to explore text-based game creation. This project required Joelle to plan out her time, organize code, practice using Python, and problem solve when she ran into problems.

“Zork the Great Underground Empire was the inspiration, but also any other text based game.” Joelle explained her vision for the game. “Eureka is a text-based adventure game. You read the descriptions and prompts and then are able to type back into the game. It will interpret your instructions and give you feedback.”

Working on the Eureka passion project, Joelle had the opportunity to learn about using dictionaries, inheritance, debugging techniques and writing test cases. She shared that she found it challenging to get started on the project because she found so many different ways to organize the code. When she finally committed to a design with the help of ChatGPT, she shared, “Later, I did realize that some things were off; for example, the way I stored inventory, but it was not as difficult as I anticipated to fix that.”

Joelle noted that the project allowed her to get better at using Python and motivated her to keep learning. This larger but low stakes project helped her to manage her time. She had a specific timeline, and knew she wanted to play test so she created her own due date ahead of the deadline so she could playtest the game and work on issues. Joelle shared, “I also knew that if something was really getting me stuck, I could change as much as I wanted about the game to fit my limitations so that also made it a low stress way to learn.”

Passion projects are never really done, and so it’s exciting to find out what steps Joelle has in mind for the future of Eureka. She pointed out that she didn’t make a User Interface for the game, but that it’s something she’d like to have in the future. Joelle also specified that it would be helpful to include a button for players to save their progress, rather than requiring players play from start to finish in one sitting.

“Because I am a beginner, I was really focused on the technical parts of the game, but I really should have spent more time on the creative parts.” Joelle considers her overall experience. “In the beginning, it encouraged me to procrastinate because I would get stuck somewhere but not want to work on the story or which puzzles to include until I was sure what my coding limits were. However, working more on those parts first probably would have led to better design and could have driven the direction my technical challenges would have taken.”

“Starting is often the hardest part. Once I found the first little bug to solve and got it working, I was excited to keep going.” Joelle shared advice for those who are interested in diving into their own tech passion project. “I think it is also important to have skill appropriate challenges. If you start too big it is easy to be discouraged and give up.”

Tactics Game Prototype: a 2D Turn-Based Tactics Game by John Tarongoy

John Tarongoy, MAXX Apprentice, created a game that he would compare to Advance Wars or Fire Emblem, but look closer and you might notice a certain level of fantasy alongside the WW2-esque tanks and trucks. Players take turns, trying to complete objectives or destroy the opposing player’s units first.

A lot of John’s motivation for the artwork of the game comes from a bit of worldbuilding. He wanted fantastical elements, so he added dragons, magical fuel, and witches. His game ponders the idea of dragon knights alongside mass produced warfare, and he considered what these dragon knights might feel when they are “no longer the masters of the sky, instead hunted down by faster and more heavily armed fighter planes, similar to how WW1 shattered the idea of a ‘chivalrous war’ with the reality of industrial warfare.”

John shared the inspiration for this tech passion project. “I always loved video games and specifically tactics games like Advance Wars. I wanted to try my own take on the genre while also learning a new game engine and language.”

The project provided lots of opportunities for learning, and John rose to the occasion each time. He shared how he had a specific vision in mind for the game. While he could have followed the recommendations of the guide he found, John leaned into the option to research more about Godot’s in-built A-star pathing algorithm, and he was able to implement a new system that allowed for weighted pathfinding.

“I did a search on similar problems other developers had and studied solutions that they tried in order to see if I could implement it in my own project.” John shared one of the ways he sought to solve the challenge he faced. “One solution I implemented ended up having a massive performance dip when trying to calculate the potential movement of a unit with high mobility, but I was able to identify the issue and solve for it, which was to make sure the algorithm did not double back on tiles it already determined were passable.”

John found that the experience of planning, coding, and problem-solving his project gave him valuable perspective. Even the simplest tactics game can require a lot of coding. This project pushed him to set his goals and tasks, improving his understanding of time management. He explained about coding, “Learning the way Godot’s scenes and singletons work was an eye opening experience for someone who is more familiar with Java or C object-oriented programming. As the native Godot language, GDscript, is much like Python, it also helped me refresh my understanding of that family of languages.”

 

“Honestly as an artist, making the little unit sprites was the most fun part.” John knows that visual design plays an important role in a tactics game. In a limited pixel palette, every single pixel can completely change how the art looks, so deliberately using pixels can spark a lot of creativity. John emphasizes, “Recognizability is extremely important in a tactics game where you have to give the player all the information they need in order to make the best decisions for their strategy.”

When considering future iterations of this passion project, John pointed out that he’d want to further refine the internal logic of the unit statistics and figure out how to implement the opposing player and unit attacking. Another step might be to add AI for a computer opponent, create unit attack animations, and more. 

While a tutorial can be a starting place for a passion project, it’s important to not stay there. John points out that it’s good to, “…push for learning how the engine works and other key functions so you are able to make your own code instead of purely copying the tutorial verbatim. Little things like making your own game sprites and learning how to adjust properties to fit those are good starts. This helps you earn some independence in coding and learning how to properly search for and absorb knowledge is a valuable skill.”

At MAXX Potential, we are passionate about helping individuals launch or advance their tech career. If you are interested in becoming an Apprentice, please find more information about Career Lab here. 

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

Customer Referrals

June 7, 2024 No Comments

Customer Referrals Know a company interested in IT project assistance? Know a company interested in IT project assistance? As you know, here at MAXX Potential,

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Customer Referrals

June 7, 2024 No Comments

Customer Referrals Know a company interested in IT project assistance? Know a company interested in IT project assistance? As you know, here at MAXX Potential,

Read More »

Preparing Students for Tech Careers

Durable Skills for an Automated Future

By MAXX Potential

  • Education

Artificial Intelligence and automation are becoming a big part of our world. If you’ve done an Internet search recently, then you’ve probably observed that the first answer to your query is an AI-generated response. The world as we know it is vaulting to the future, and it begs the question: how do we best prepare students for the future?

We believe the key is equipping students with the skills needed to thrive in an environment where AI and automation are prevalent and innovating. This comes from fostering adaptability, continuous learning, and interdisciplinary knowledge. We might not know what the future holds, but we do believe that the interdependence of tech and human skills will be foundational.

The Interdependence of Tech and Durable Skills

The approach of combining technical skills alongside professional skills ensures that students become proficient in using technology but also build resilience to work in an innovative field. We’ll explore how fostering adaptability, versatile problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and smart reasoning can help students stay ahead no matter what the future brings. 

Exploring AI for Adaptability and Lifelong Learning

The rapid pace at which these technologies advance means that the skills and knowledge required today might be obsolete tomorrow. That doesn’t mean that students should not work with this technology; in fact, students who can interact with the newest technologies will be more ready for continued advancements. Just as it’s been an art to learn the best way to search the internet, learning how to best prompt LLM models takes time with lots of trial and error. 

As students interact with AI systems, they’ll inevitably encounter challenges and complexities that will test their problem-solving skills. This is a critical part of the learning process. By facing these difficulties head-on, students can develop a growth mindset, understanding that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. This mindset will serve them well in a tech career where adaptability is key, and where they may need to pivot or learn new tools quickly.

By staying informed and following their curiosity about the latest trends and breakthroughs in AI and automation, students can discover, learn, and build on their skills that will likely be relevant and in demand. Moreover, by embracing a culture of continuous learning, students position themselves as valuable assets in any tech-driven workplace, ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

Merging STEM with Humanities for Innovative Learning

Interdisciplinary learning is foundational for the multifaceted challenges of the tech industry. By blending STEM education with arts and humanities, students can develop a more holistic understanding of the world around them. This fusion encourages versatile problem-solving skills, enabling students to come up with creative solutions that a purely technical approach might miss.

Understanding cultural nuances and human behaviors can lead to the development of more user-friendly and accessible technology. Moreover, subjects like philosophy and ethics can play a significant role in guiding future tech professionals to consider the broader implications of the technology they create, ensuring that it serves to enhance society rather than detract from it.

In real-world settings, tech professionals rarely work in isolation; they are often part of multidisciplinary teams where clear communication and understanding of different viewpoints are key to success. By gaining insights from arts and humanities, students can learn to articulate technical concepts to non-experts and appreciate the contributions of colleagues from different backgrounds. This interplay of knowledge and skills makes for a more adaptable and well-rounded individual, or in other words, a whole human ready to innovate in the tech world.

Coordinating Group Success with Emotional Intelligence and Communication

Emotional intelligence and leadership skills are often grown best within the context of group projects and experiential learning environments. Students interact with others who might work differently than they do,  and they dip into recognizing and managing emotions within a team. This collaborative atmosphere asks each student to step into leading roles, practice empathy and task management while preparing them for similar challenges they’ll face in the tech industry.

Communication skills are also refined through these hands-on projects. Students must articulate technical concepts clearly and work together to solve problems. Collaborating with diverse teams and explaining the specialty to people who don’t work with that area of expertise is vital for future work environments.

Navigating Technology with Good Ethics and Data Literacy

The rapid advancement of technology has caused a stir when it comes to data literacy and ethics, and that’s why it’s important to consider navigating technology from the lens of moral philosophy. What does it look like to encourage students to assess technology’s societal impact, explore the problems of data privacy, and recognize the pitfalls of algorithmic bias? Asking students to delve into these topics will help them as the tech continues to innovate.

A lot of today’s living happens online, and we still have lives in the physical world where people are deeply impacted by their digital interactions. Students know this. Every technological advancement comes with some level of social impact, and it’s a good exercise for students to consider the wider effects of their innovations alongside society and the environment. Developing reasoning skills alongside an awareness of technology’s societal role will enable students to forge solutions that are not only innovative but also socially conscious, preparing them to lead the charge in a tech-driven future that prioritizes the public good.

Creating a Learning Environment for AI and Technical Prompting

When it comes to technology, the best thing for students is to train them in durable skills and let them get hands-on with new Artificial Intelligence advancements. As a company devoted to learning, we understand the importance of allowing future technologists to experience the latest technologies, and we’ve developed a learning environment that gives MAXX Potential Apprentices access to a range of AI options within a controlled space that prioritizes data loss prevention and quality content. This customizable AI assistant that we call MAXX GPT can be built for your company or educational institution. Reach out to MAXX Potential to find out more about building a GPT for your needs.

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

Preparing Students for Tech Careers

Durable Skills for an Automated Future

By MAXX Potential

  • Education

Artificial Intelligence and automation are becoming a big part of our world. If you’ve done an Internet search recently, then you’ve probably observed that the first answer to your query is an AI-generated response. The world as we know it is vaulting to the future, and it begs the question: how do we best prepare students for the future?

We believe the key is equipping students with the skills needed to thrive in an environment where AI and automation are prevalent and innovating. This comes from fostering adaptability, continuous learning, and interdisciplinary knowledge. We might not know what the future holds, but we do believe that the interdependence of tech and human skills will be foundational.

The Interdependence of Tech and Durable Skills

The approach of combining technical skills alongside professional skills ensures that students become proficient in using technology but also build resilience to work in an innovative field. We’ll explore how fostering adaptability, versatile problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and smart reasoning can help students stay ahead no matter what the future brings. 

Exploring AI for Adaptability and Lifelong Learning

The rapid pace at which these technologies advance means that the skills and knowledge required today might be obsolete tomorrow. That doesn’t mean that students should not work with this technology; in fact, students who can interact with the newest technologies will be more ready for continued advancements. Just as it’s been an art to learn the best way to search the internet, learning how to best prompt LLM models takes time with lots of trial and error. 

As students interact with AI systems, they’ll inevitably encounter challenges and complexities that will test their problem-solving skills. This is a critical part of the learning process. By facing these difficulties head-on, students can develop a growth mindset, understanding that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. This mindset will serve them well in a tech career where adaptability is key, and where they may need to pivot or learn new tools quickly.

By staying informed and following their curiosity about the latest trends and breakthroughs in AI and automation, students can discover, learn, and build on their skills that will likely be relevant and in demand. Moreover, by embracing a culture of continuous learning, students position themselves as valuable assets in any tech-driven workplace, ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

Merging STEM with Humanities for Innovative Learning

Interdisciplinary learning is foundational for the multifaceted challenges of the tech industry. By blending STEM education with arts and humanities, students can develop a more holistic understanding of the world around them. This fusion encourages versatile problem-solving skills, enabling students to come up with creative solutions that a purely technical approach might miss.

Understanding cultural nuances and human behaviors can lead to the development of more user-friendly and accessible technology. Moreover, subjects like philosophy and ethics can play a significant role in guiding future tech professionals to consider the broader implications of the technology they create, ensuring that it serves to enhance society rather than detract from it.

In real-world settings, tech professionals rarely work in isolation; they are often part of multidisciplinary teams where clear communication and understanding of different viewpoints are key to success. By gaining insights from arts and humanities, students can learn to articulate technical concepts to non-experts and appreciate the contributions of colleagues from different backgrounds. This interplay of knowledge and skills makes for a more adaptable and well-rounded individual, or in other words, a whole human ready to innovate in the tech world.

Coordinating Group Success with Emotional Intelligence and Communication

Emotional intelligence and leadership skills are often grown best within the context of group projects and experiential learning environments. Students interact with others who might work differently than they do,  and they dip into recognizing and managing emotions within a team. This collaborative atmosphere asks each student to step into leading roles, practice empathy and task management while preparing them for similar challenges they’ll face in the tech industry.

Communication skills are also refined through these hands-on projects. Students must articulate technical concepts clearly and work together to solve problems. Collaborating with diverse teams and explaining the specialty to people who don’t work with that area of expertise is vital for future work environments.

Navigating Technology with Good Ethics and Data Literacy

The rapid advancement of technology has caused a stir when it comes to data literacy and ethics, and that’s why it’s important to consider navigating technology from the lens of moral philosophy. What does it look like to encourage students to assess technology’s societal impact, explore the problems of data privacy, and recognize the pitfalls of algorithmic bias? Asking students to delve into these topics will help them as the tech continues to innovate.

A lot of today’s living happens online, and we still have lives in the physical world where people are deeply impacted by their digital interactions. Students know this. Every technological advancement comes with some level of social impact, and it’s a good exercise for students to consider the wider effects of their innovations alongside society and the environment. Developing reasoning skills alongside an awareness of technology’s societal role will enable students to forge solutions that are not only innovative but also socially conscious, preparing them to lead the charge in a tech-driven future that prioritizes the public good.

Creating a Learning Environment for AI and Technical Prompting

When it comes to technology, the best thing for students is to train them in durable skills and let them get hands-on with new Artificial Intelligence advancements. As a company devoted to learning, we understand the importance of allowing future technologists to experience the latest technologies, and we’ve developed a learning environment that gives MAXX Potential Apprentices access to a range of AI options within a controlled space that prioritizes data loss prevention and quality content. This customizable AI assistant that we call MAXX GPT can be built for your company or educational institution. Reach out to MAXX Potential to find out more about building a GPT for your needs.

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

New Tech Pathways and the Expanding Role of Intermediaries | ASU+GSV Summit 2024

ASU+GSV Summit 2024 Key Takeaways

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship, Education

Kim Mahan, Founder and CEO of MAXX Potential, joined an amazing panel of individuals at the ASU+GSV Summit to discuss “New Tech Pathways and the Expanding Role of Intermediaries” and the future of work. 

Moderator Shawnee Caruthers, Vice President of Advocacy at Getting Smart, opened the event with the question, “What do you feel is your role as an intermediary?”

Lynn Moody, Vice President of Innovation at SparkNC; Danny Martin, Co-Founder and CEO at ESPOSURE INC.; and Kim Mahan shared their vision and solutions. The three professionals played off of each other, sharing their different perspectives and insights to paving the way for students and young professionals to be successful in the technology industry. 

“When we created our program, our heart and our mind were on students who were disengaged with the learning process.” Lynn Moody of SparkNC shared, “I think of children who are in poverty. They have a lack of access to information, how to figure things out, and they have lack of access to networks…we wanted to give that to all students. We want students to see themselves in these careers.”

They each demonstrated a lot of heart for new tech pathways and expanding their support of people via their different companies and initiatives. Across the board, there was a lot of agreement about creating a space where students and adults can safely fail, explore, and learn.

Kim Mahan shared what sets MAXX Potential apart as a intermediary into technology, “Our environment is different because we’re trying to create a safe place for people to fail and fail again and fail again because I feel like that’s what it takes to be successful in the industry is one the ability to teach yourself because it is going to keep changing every day. You have to love that. If you don’t love that, it’s probably not a good choice.”

All eyes are on how technology continues to evolve with automation and artificial intelligence, and there continues to be opportunities to challenge learners to explore and follow their interests.

“We can expose these actual students to opportunities that they can do right now and create portfolios.” Danny Martin of ESPOSURE said, “The students that want to be successful but they didn’t quite have the actual people that knew the actual things that they wanted to be good at, but now they have someone they can be able to speak to them in their language and now we can teach educators how to do the exact same thing.”

A resounding moment from moderator Shawnee Caruthers was when she said, “The world of work continues to evolve, and we have to ensure that our students are ready for it, that they have universal access to get to it, that they understand who they need to know in order to truly achieve it. There are so many levels. And it’s our role, not just in the schools but in the workforce and industry as well, to make sure, how do we make these dreams a reality?”

Watch the full video to listen to the conversation, and if you’re interested in partnering with MAXX Potential, reach out to tell us about your project.

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

New Tech Pathways and the Expanding Role of Intermediaries | ASU+GSV Summit 2024

ASU+GSV Summit 2024 Key Takeaways

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship, Education

Kim Mahan, Founder and CEO of MAXX Potential, joined an amazing panel of individuals at the ASU+GSV Summit to discuss “New Tech Pathways and the Expanding Role of Intermediaries” and the future of work. 

Moderator Shawnee Caruthers, Vice President of Advocacy at Getting Smart, opened the event with the question, “What do you feel is your role as an intermediary?”

Lynn Moody, Vice President of Innovation at SparkNC; Danny Martin, Co-Founder and CEO at ESPOSURE INC.; and Kim Mahan shared their vision and solutions. The three professionals played off of each other, sharing their different perspectives and insights to paving the way for students and young professionals to be successful in the technology industry. 

“When we created our program, our heart and our mind were on students who were disengaged with the learning process.” Lynn Moody of SparkNC shared, “I think of children who are in poverty. They have a lack of access to information, how to figure things out, and they have lack of access to networks…we wanted to give that to all students. We want students to see themselves in these careers.”

They each demonstrated a lot of heart for new tech pathways and expanding their support of people via their different companies and initiatives. Across the board, there was a lot of agreement about creating a space where students and adults can safely fail, explore, and learn.

Kim Mahan shared what sets MAXX Potential apart as a intermediary into technology, “Our environment is different because we’re trying to create a safe place for people to fail and fail again and fail again because I feel like that’s what it takes to be successful in the industry is one the ability to teach yourself because it is going to keep changing every day. You have to love that. If you don’t love that, it’s probably not a good choice.”

All eyes are on how technology continues to evolve with automation and artificial intelligence, and there continues to be opportunities to challenge learners to explore and follow their interests.

“We can expose these actual students to opportunities that they can do right now and create portfolios.” Danny Martin of ESPOSURE said, “The students that want to be successful but they didn’t quite have the actual people that knew the actual things that they wanted to be good at, but now they have someone they can be able to speak to them in their language and now we can teach educators how to do the exact same thing.”

A resounding moment from moderator Shawnee Caruthers was when she said, “The world of work continues to evolve, and we have to ensure that our students are ready for it, that they have universal access to get to it, that they understand who they need to know in order to truly achieve it. There are so many levels. And it’s our role, not just in the schools but in the workforce and industry as well, to make sure, how do we make these dreams a reality?”

Watch the full video to listen to the conversation, and if you’re interested in partnering with MAXX Potential, reach out to tell us about your project.

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

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Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

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Who Owns My AI-Generated Clone?

A Professional's Look at AI Ethics

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology

  • Businesses

AI-generated video clones, once a thing of the future, are now here. For the past few months, I’ve been exploring the possibilities of AI-generated clones. I’ve learned how to help my clone have a wider spectrum of emotion and pronounce words correctly. It’s been an adventure.

When I helped my Mother-in-Law clone herself, I ran into security measures with my chosen AI video content creator, HeyGen (Affiliate link). It prompted a question: who owns my AI-generated clone?

I want to say that I own my AI-generated clone, but let’s talk about tech advancements, ethical implications, legal landscape, and the current industry perspective.

Advancements of AI

AI is reshaping the landscape of technology as we know it. We’ve watched the rapid evolution of machine learning algorithms, enabling systems to process vast datasets and learn patterns. This deep learning has empowered AI models to simulate human-like neural networks. They comprehend complex data structures. It’s insane.

The tech advancements we’re seeing in AI includes Natural Language Processing (NLP), which helps machines to understand and generate human language; AI robotics, which means intelligent automation in several industries; and AI-powered recommendation systems, which provides image recognition and smart suggestions.

AI can generate a virtually indistinguishable likenesses of a human from a photograph for AI videos, and this means that it’s easier than ever before to impersonate famous individuals. Advancements in AI means that we need our ethics, legal landscape, and industry perspective to keep up.

What are the Ethical Implications of AI Video Clones?

Copyright misinformation, privacy, misuse – there are a lot of ethical issues to consider. Any innovative technology is going to raise concerns. It’s part of the process. 

Now what are the downstream effects? For some areas, like copyright and intellectual property concerns, there’s this conversation about originality and ownership. When AI systems are generating video clones that mimic a person, or are inspired by a person, who holds the copyright to that AI-generated creation? What if an AI-generative clone company went off the wire and started using me as a widely available clone?

On a personal level, who owns the HeyGen clone of me that I made?

HeyGen is clear, stating, “In any case where we find out an individual’s image, likeness or voice is used without their permission, we will take down the relevant content and take appropriate action against the user that engaged in the unauthorized use.”

I like to think that my likeness is mine. I don’t want to see myself saying stuff that I haven’t approved, especially when it’s hard to tell if it’s actually me or not. HeyGen assures users that, “We only use our user’s data to improve our models with the user’s consent and user videos are private by default.” There is also a licensing fee to be able to use the model they built using my video, which can feel weird at first, like “I pay them to use myself in videos?” However, I recognize it is an advanced model that requires resources to run, generate, store, and don’t get too hung up over the cost.

Bigger picture, always check the terms and conditions with the platform you choose to use for AI-generated content, videos, audio, clones. The ownership rights generally may be retained by the user, especially if the AI tool is used for personal purposes.

What about Copyright and AI-Generated Content?

The higher level viewpoint of copyright concerns is these natural language processing models were trained on datasets. They may reproduce copyrighted material without attribution. If AI-generated content uses copyrighted material without citing the source, that’s a lawsuit. 

When ChatGPT was originally rolled out, it was much freer in its responses, and as the platform existed longer and started picking up a larger user count, the early adopters noticed changes in how the AI would respond to certain questions.

AI continues to evolve, and we’re starting to see a new content licensing approach. Part of designing a large language model includes deciding what corpus or body of text to use to train the model. Licensing allows these models to utilize content in that corpus, but it also introduces complexities around ownership and copyright of the output. When an AI generates content, such as text, images, or music, it often does so based on the vast amounts of data it was trained on. This raises questions about who holds the copyright to the generated content: the developers of the AI, the owners of the original data used for training, or the users who prompted the AI to generate the content.

The legal landscape for copyright law is still adapting to these challenges. As everyone navigates this new territory, I think it’s crucial for anyone involved in the creation or use of AI generated content to stay informed about the latest legal developments.

What’s the Legal Landscape for AI-Generated Clones?

We’ve already discussed the issues of consent and privacy, and it’s important that we keep talking about the problem of replicating someone’s image or voice without permission. Two main thoughts seem to be in play: regulate AI-generated content with explicit consent or reconsider intellectual property laws. Intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark considerations, help shape legal frameworks. 

As technology advances, let’s keep considering the liability for malicious use or unintended consequences. It’s important that the laws don’t fall behind tech advancements, and yet, it is possible that they will. On a company level, the best thing to do is to establish clear guidelines that balance innovation with the protection of individual rights. 

I think this can happen if legal experts, industry stakeholders, and policymakers collaborate on a legal framework that ensures responsible development and use of AI-generated video clone technology, while balancing the interests of content creators, AI developers, and end users.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re using AI-generated video clones:

  • Respect Intellectual Property Rights
  • Obtain explicit permission to use someone’s likeness
  • Pay attention to ongoing legal regulations for AI
  • Use best practices when it comes to AI ethics

As the Director of Emerging Technology at MAXX Potential, I’m interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of AI, and we build automated workflows to help your team get more work done. Reach out about your project.

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

Who Owns My AI-Generated Clone?

A Professional's Look at AI Ethics

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology

  • Businesses

AI-generated video clones, once a thing of the future, are now here. For the past few months, I’ve been exploring the possibilities of AI-generated clones. I’ve learned how to help my clone have a wider spectrum of emotion and pronounce words correctly. It’s been an adventure.

When I helped my Mother-in-Law clone herself, I ran into security measures with my chosen AI video content creator, HeyGen (Affiliate link). It prompted a question: who owns my AI-generated clone?

I want to say that I own my AI-generated clone, but let’s talk about tech advancements, ethical implications, legal landscape, and the current industry perspective.

Advancements of AI

AI is reshaping the landscape of technology as we know it. We’ve watched the rapid evolution of machine learning algorithms, enabling systems to process vast datasets and learn patterns. This deep learning has empowered AI models to simulate human-like neural networks. They comprehend complex data structures. It’s insane.

The tech advancements we’re seeing in AI includes Natural Language Processing (NLP), which helps machines to understand and generate human language; AI robotics, which means intelligent automation in several industries; and AI-powered recommendation systems, which provides image recognition and smart suggestions.

AI can generate a virtually indistinguishable likenesses of a human from a photograph for AI videos, and this means that it’s easier than ever before to impersonate famous individuals. Advancements in AI means that we need our ethics, legal landscape, and industry perspective to keep up.

What are the Ethical Implications of AI Video Clones?

Copyright misinformation, privacy, misuse – there are a lot of ethical issues to consider. Any innovative technology is going to raise concerns. It’s part of the process. 

Now what are the downstream effects? For some areas, like copyright and intellectual property concerns, there’s this conversation about originality and ownership. When AI systems are generating video clones that mimic a person, or are inspired by a person, who holds the copyright to that AI-generated creation? What if an AI-generative clone company went off the wire and started using me as a widely available clone?

On a personal level, who owns the HeyGen clone of me that I made?

HeyGen is clear, stating, “In any case where we find out an individual’s image, likeness or voice is used without their permission, we will take down the relevant content and take appropriate action against the user that engaged in the unauthorized use.”

I like to think that my likeness is mine. I don’t want to see myself saying stuff that I haven’t approved, especially when it’s hard to tell if it’s actually me or not. HeyGen assures users that, “We only use our user’s data to improve our models with the user’s consent and user videos are private by default.” There is also a licensing fee to be able to use the model they built using my video, which can feel weird at first, like “I pay them to use myself in videos?” However, I recognize it is an advanced model that requires resources to run, generate, store, and don’t get too hung up over the cost.

Bigger picture, always check the terms and conditions with the platform you choose to use for AI-generated content, videos, audio, clones. The ownership rights generally may be retained by the user, especially if the AI tool is used for personal purposes.

What about Copyright and AI-Generated Content?

The higher level viewpoint of copyright concerns is these natural language processing models were trained on datasets. They may reproduce copyrighted material without attribution. If AI-generated content uses copyrighted material without citing the source, that’s a lawsuit. 

When ChatGPT was originally rolled out, it was much freer in its responses, and as the platform existed longer and started picking up a larger user count, the early adopters noticed changes in how the AI would respond to certain questions.

AI continues to evolve, and we’re starting to see a new content licensing approach. Part of designing a large language model includes deciding what corpus or body of text to use to train the model. Licensing allows these models to utilize content in that corpus, but it also introduces complexities around ownership and copyright of the output. When an AI generates content, such as text, images, or music, it often does so based on the vast amounts of data it was trained on. This raises questions about who holds the copyright to the generated content: the developers of the AI, the owners of the original data used for training, or the users who prompted the AI to generate the content.

The legal landscape for copyright law is still adapting to these challenges. As everyone navigates this new territory, I think it’s crucial for anyone involved in the creation or use of AI generated content to stay informed about the latest legal developments.

What’s the Legal Landscape for AI-Generated Clones?

We’ve already discussed the issues of consent and privacy, and it’s important that we keep talking about the problem of replicating someone’s image or voice without permission. Two main thoughts seem to be in play: regulate AI-generated content with explicit consent or reconsider intellectual property laws. Intellectual property rights, including copyright and trademark considerations, help shape legal frameworks. 

As technology advances, let’s keep considering the liability for malicious use or unintended consequences. It’s important that the laws don’t fall behind tech advancements, and yet, it is possible that they will. On a company level, the best thing to do is to establish clear guidelines that balance innovation with the protection of individual rights. 

I think this can happen if legal experts, industry stakeholders, and policymakers collaborate on a legal framework that ensures responsible development and use of AI-generated video clone technology, while balancing the interests of content creators, AI developers, and end users.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you’re using AI-generated video clones:

  • Respect Intellectual Property Rights
  • Obtain explicit permission to use someone’s likeness
  • Pay attention to ongoing legal regulations for AI
  • Use best practices when it comes to AI ethics

As the Director of Emerging Technology at MAXX Potential, I’m interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of AI, and we build automated workflows to help your team get more work done. Reach out about your project.

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

I Taught My Mother-In-Law How to Clone Herself

A Professional’s Tools for AI-Generated Videos

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses

AI is more user-friendly than ever before.

If AI makes it possible for anyone to write up an article or create a video, it stands to reason that we’re about to see so much more content online. A report from Europol stresses the need to prepare for an increase in synthetic media and the rise of disinformation possibilities.

With that said, these tools can be used for good. AI tools are user friendly and intuitive, enabling people who are not tech-savvy to use them, which brings me to how I taught my mother-in-law to use an AI tool to clone herself.

Cloning My Mother-in-Law

In a recent conversation with my mother-in-law, we were discussing AI and my latest blog post “What are the Biggest Concerns and Best Benefits about Deepfake Technology?” came up. Her immediate reaction, “Oh my gosh, you have to clone me!” 

The plan was that I would take her video and voice recordings, set up her account, and start creating webinars for her. It was a good plan. I’ve been working with HeyGen (affiliate link) AI-generated videos for a while, and I’d be able to get her up and running pretty quickly, with plenty of time before her upcoming meetings.

I set up her account and completed most of the steps. And then I hit a problem I didn’t foresee, but I can’t even be mad about it.

One of the steps for cloning via HeyGen requires the person to upload a video with a consent script that contains a secure token. I didn’t think it would be a problem to use FaceTime. I was wrong. It didn’t work, and I couldn’t just go to her house because I was sick.

So there I am, training my mother-in-law to do technology over a phone call because she has to be the one to make the video, read the script, and upload it immediately to HeyGen.

Sure, I was frustrated that I couldn’t just do what I had intended, without an elevated account tier. I had her permission, but HeyGen made sure of it. They demonstrated that they’re keeping consent and privacy at the forefront of their product development.

That’s just one reason why I like HeyGen.

The HeyGen tool is user-friendly, and it’s been cool to explore. Use our affiliate link to sign up for a HeyGen account.

Training the Audio of My Mother-in-Law’s Clone

I encouraged my mother-in-law to read her script with a wide range of emotions. As with most Generative AI tools, higher quality input will produce higher quality results. If you train a voice clone with a very natural, no excitement voice tone, it’s not going to be able to express a wide range of emotions. Any clone will speak just like the provided sample, and adding cues like “said excitedly” or “said emphatically,” will flex as far as your sample did. 

We experimented with ElevenLabs, which is focused on Multilingual Voice AI such as Text to Speech or Speech to Speech. In general, Voice AI is getting better at lifelike speech, being able to clone human voice samples with less data and produce quality results. In fact, utilizing some of these tools, emotions, pauses, and pronunciation guidance can be incorporated in a text transcript, and the effects will come through in the audio.

Another tip I shared with my mother-in-law was to consider keeping her voice sample relevant to the material she intended to produce, using any industry specific terms that may come up often in her webinar script. Doing so will help the AI better replicate how you pronounce specific words or phrases, although there are methods to fix those errors later using the in transcript prompting. For example, I know without a doubt whenever I’m typing “MAXX Potential” to be spoken by AI, I should use “m a x” instead of “m a x x” to avoid issues. 

Choosing the AI Clone Video

When my mother-in-law and I were hatching the idea of developing her AI clone for her webinars, we had a choice for her AI video: the video clone avatar and photo avatar.

For video clone avatars, these are created using video footage and then can lip-sync the audio text whereas photo avatars will animate a still image with lip syncing to the audio text. We opted to use a Fine-Tuned video clone avatar, as the results are typically much more realistic. That said, being able to animate a person’s picture into a video is beyond useful and a much faster solution. 

In the end, we created an AI video for my mother-in-law that had her in it sharing the information that her audience wanted, and it was without needing my mother-in-law to spend hours in a filming studio. 

Tucker’s Top Key Takeaways for AI

  • Understand AI capabilities, and you can make yourself more efficient.
  • AI is the most user-friendly that it’s ever been.
  • Responsible use of AI means protecting privacy.
  • Garbage in; garbage out AKA Learn better AI prompting.

Explore AI Clone Capabilities

AI has dominated the conversation in the tech industry for the last year, and it’s here to stay. This tech revolution means that each of us can have an AI sidekick to get tasks done, bring virtual personalities to life, and solve problems. If you’re not exploring the AI capabilities for your business, it’s time to start.

As the Director of Emerging Technology at MAXX Potential, I’m interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of AI, and we build automated workflows to help your team get more work done. Reach out about your project.

Resources

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

I Taught My Mother-In-Law How to Clone Herself

A Professional’s Tools for AI-Generated Videos

By Tucker Mahan, Director of Emerging Technology

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses

AI is more user-friendly than ever before.

If AI makes it possible for anyone to write up an article or create a video, it stands to reason that we’re about to see so much more content online. A report from Europol stresses the need to prepare for an increase in synthetic media and the rise of disinformation possibilities.

With that said, these tools can be used for good. AI tools are user friendly and intuitive, enabling people who are not tech-savvy to use them, which brings me to how I taught my mother-in-law to use an AI tool to clone herself.

Cloning My Mother-in-Law

In a recent conversation with my mother-in-law, we were discussing AI and my latest blog post “What are the Biggest Concerns and Best Benefits about Deepfake Technology?” came up. Her immediate reaction, “Oh my gosh, you have to clone me!” 

The plan was that I would take her video and voice recordings, set up her account, and start creating webinars for her. It was a good plan. I’ve been working with HeyGen (affiliate link) AI-generated videos for a while, and I’d be able to get her up and running pretty quickly, with plenty of time before her upcoming meetings.

I set up her account and completed most of the steps. And then I hit a problem I didn’t foresee, but I can’t even be mad about it.

One of the steps for cloning via HeyGen requires the person to upload a video with a consent script that contains a secure token. I didn’t think it would be a problem to use FaceTime. I was wrong. It didn’t work, and I couldn’t just go to her house because I was sick.

So there I am, training my mother-in-law to do technology over a phone call because she has to be the one to make the video, read the script, and upload it immediately to HeyGen.

Sure, I was frustrated that I couldn’t just do what I had intended, without an elevated account tier. I had her permission, but HeyGen made sure of it. They demonstrated that they’re keeping consent and privacy at the forefront of their product development.

That’s just one reason why I like HeyGen.

The HeyGen tool is user-friendly, and it’s been cool to explore. Use our affiliate link to sign up for a HeyGen account.

Training the Audio of My Mother-in-Law’s Clone

I encouraged my mother-in-law to read her script with a wide range of emotions. As with most Generative AI tools, higher quality input will produce higher quality results. If you train a voice clone with a very natural, no excitement voice tone, it’s not going to be able to express a wide range of emotions. Any clone will speak just like the provided sample, and adding cues like “said excitedly” or “said emphatically,” will flex as far as your sample did. 

We experimented with ElevenLabs, which is focused on Multilingual Voice AI such as Text to Speech or Speech to Speech. In general, Voice AI is getting better at lifelike speech, being able to clone human voice samples with less data and produce quality results. In fact, utilizing some of these tools, emotions, pauses, and pronunciation guidance can be incorporated in a text transcript, and the effects will come through in the audio.

Another tip I shared with my mother-in-law was to consider keeping her voice sample relevant to the material she intended to produce, using any industry specific terms that may come up often in her webinar script. Doing so will help the AI better replicate how you pronounce specific words or phrases, although there are methods to fix those errors later using the in transcript prompting. For example, I know without a doubt whenever I’m typing “MAXX Potential” to be spoken by AI, I should use “m a x” instead of “m a x x” to avoid issues. 

Choosing the AI Clone Video

When my mother-in-law and I were hatching the idea of developing her AI clone for her webinars, we had a choice for her AI video: the video clone avatar and photo avatar.

For video clone avatars, these are created using video footage and then can lip-sync the audio text whereas photo avatars will animate a still image with lip syncing to the audio text. We opted to use a Fine-Tuned video clone avatar, as the results are typically much more realistic. That said, being able to animate a person’s picture into a video is beyond useful and a much faster solution. 

In the end, we created an AI video for my mother-in-law that had her in it sharing the information that her audience wanted, and it was without needing my mother-in-law to spend hours in a filming studio. 

Tucker’s Top Key Takeaways for AI

  • Understand AI capabilities, and you can make yourself more efficient.
  • AI is the most user-friendly that it’s ever been.
  • Responsible use of AI means protecting privacy.
  • Garbage in; garbage out AKA Learn better AI prompting.

Explore AI Clone Capabilities

AI has dominated the conversation in the tech industry for the last year, and it’s here to stay. This tech revolution means that each of us can have an AI sidekick to get tasks done, bring virtual personalities to life, and solve problems. If you’re not exploring the AI capabilities for your business, it’s time to start.

As the Director of Emerging Technology at MAXX Potential, I’m interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of AI, and we build automated workflows to help your team get more work done. Reach out about your project.

Resources

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

Spence Weiss

Junior BI Developer, Swedish Match

By MAXX Potential

  • Success Stories

Spence Weiss worked as an Apprentice for over a year, attaining Level 2 Apprentice status and gaining valuable on-the-job tech experience before he exited MAXX Potential to work at Swedish Match as a Junior BI Developer.

What were you doing before MAXX Potential? What drew you to pursue a career in technology?

I graduated with a degree in business but struggled with finding a job that didn’t involve sales.  Eventually, I started getting into SQL due to many jobs having it as a required skill, but I still struggled to find anything with my lack of experience in the field. MAXX Potential came to my attention through a friend of mine who had success with them, and I decided to apply — best decision I ever made.

Can you talk about what you’re currently working on? What are some of your job responsibilities?

I am a BI Developer, and my job mainly revolves around creating, improving, and maintaining Power BI reports for our production and sales teams. These include the standard dashboard-type reports. I also try to create automated solutions with Power Automate or SQL stored procedures whenever possible, and recently, I have also been involved in our organization’s shift from on-prem to cloud-based data servers. SQL is really the common thread behind our data organization and what my team does on a daily basis.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your current role?

The elation that comes with successfully solving a meaningful problem is second to none, be it the creation of a desired report, the fixing of bugs, or the creation of an automated solution to a time-consuming task. It really gives me a sense of meaning when I can create something that helps the business in a visible way.

How do you keep your skills up to date? What’s the best way to learn new concepts, technologies, programming languages, etc.?

Having to use my skills every day gives me plenty of practice! Also, from time to time, I like to take online courses to bring my skills up to the next level, and conferences/seminars can also do the same while also exposing you to different perspectives. Luckily, my organization encourages both. Honestly, the best way to learn new technological skills is to find a learning format that most interests you. For example, I love to view it as a problem-solving exercise, either one I created myself or one I found elsewhere. For me at least, solving problems is much more fun than reading textbooks!

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone early in their IT career or looking to get their start?

Find something that you enjoy doing, get good at it, and network with groups/organizations that involve that thing. Really it’s that last part that is the most important, and it’s also the thing we, as IT professionals, tend to neglect the most, unfortunately. MAXX Potential is a fantastic environment to do both, so if you want a career in IT and are reading this, apply!

Interested in becoming or working with a MAXX Apprentice? Attend Career Lab or explore MAXX Business Solutions!

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

Spence Weiss

Junior BI Developer, Swedish Match

By MAXX Potential

  • Success Stories

Spence Weiss worked as an Apprentice for over a year, attaining Level 2 Apprentice status and gaining valuable on-the-job tech experience before he exited MAXX Potential to work at Swedish Match as a Junior BI Developer.

What were you doing before MAXX Potential? What drew you to pursue a career in technology?

I graduated with a degree in business but struggled with finding a job that didn’t involve sales.  Eventually, I started getting into SQL due to many jobs having it as a required skill, but I still struggled to find anything with my lack of experience in the field. MAXX Potential came to my attention through a friend of mine who had success with them, and I decided to apply — best decision I ever made.

Can you talk about what you’re currently working on? What are some of your job responsibilities?

I am a BI Developer, and my job mainly revolves around creating, improving, and maintaining Power BI reports for our production and sales teams. These include the standard dashboard-type reports. I also try to create automated solutions with Power Automate or SQL stored procedures whenever possible, and recently, I have also been involved in our organization’s shift from on-prem to cloud-based data servers. SQL is really the common thread behind our data organization and what my team does on a daily basis.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your current role?

The elation that comes with successfully solving a meaningful problem is second to none, be it the creation of a desired report, the fixing of bugs, or the creation of an automated solution to a time-consuming task. It really gives me a sense of meaning when I can create something that helps the business in a visible way.

How do you keep your skills up to date? What’s the best way to learn new concepts, technologies, programming languages, etc.?

Having to use my skills every day gives me plenty of practice! Also, from time to time, I like to take online courses to bring my skills up to the next level, and conferences/seminars can also do the same while also exposing you to different perspectives. Luckily, my organization encourages both. Honestly, the best way to learn new technological skills is to find a learning format that most interests you. For example, I love to view it as a problem-solving exercise, either one I created myself or one I found elsewhere. For me at least, solving problems is much more fun than reading textbooks!

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone early in their IT career or looking to get their start?

Find something that you enjoy doing, get good at it, and network with groups/organizations that involve that thing. Really it’s that last part that is the most important, and it’s also the thing we, as IT professionals, tend to neglect the most, unfortunately. MAXX Potential is a fantastic environment to do both, so if you want a career in IT and are reading this, apply!

Interested in becoming or working with a MAXX Apprentice? Attend Career Lab or explore MAXX Business Solutions!

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

Kevin Zhou

Full Stack Software Engineer, Fuel Digital

By MAXX Potential

  • Success Stories

Kevin worked as an Apprentice for less than a year, attaining Level 3 Apprentice status while gaining valuable on-the-job tech experience. He exited MAXX Potential to work at Fuel Digital as a Full Stack Software Engineer.

What were you doing before MAXX Potential? What drew you to pursue a career in technology?

I studied Economics and Statistics in college before I joined MAXX.

I’ve always been fascinated by the ability to bring ideas to life through code. Software engineering offers a unique blend of creativity and logic that constantly challenges and excites me.

Can you talk about what you’re currently working on? What are some of your job responsibilities?

Building custom software and integration for our client. One major part of my job is to integrate Filevine, a case management tool, into our client’s custom system.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your current role?

Being able to work with a client directly and work with talented and friendly co-workers on new challenges.

How do you keep your skills up to date? What’s the best way to learn new concepts, technologies, programming languages, etc.?

I keep my skills up to date by building projects that interest me, and I subscribe to the freecodecamp newsletter. They publish video tutorials on trending tech stacks.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone early in their IT career or looking to get their start?

Hone your problem solving skills. This is the universal skill you will need no matter what.

Interested in becoming or working with a MAXX Apprentice? Attend Career Lab or explore MAXX Business Solutions!

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The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

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Kevin Zhou

Full Stack Software Engineer, Fuel Digital

By MAXX Potential

  • Success Stories

Kevin worked as an Apprentice for less than a year, attaining Level 3 Apprentice status while gaining valuable on-the-job tech experience. He exited MAXX Potential to work at Fuel Digital as a Full Stack Software Engineer.

What were you doing before MAXX Potential? What drew you to pursue a career in technology?

I studied Economics and Statistics in college before I joined MAXX.

I’ve always been fascinated by the ability to bring ideas to life through code. Software engineering offers a unique blend of creativity and logic that constantly challenges and excites me.

Can you talk about what you’re currently working on? What are some of your job responsibilities?

Building custom software and integration for our client. One major part of my job is to integrate Filevine, a case management tool, into our client’s custom system.

What’s the most rewarding thing about your current role?

Being able to work with a client directly and work with talented and friendly co-workers on new challenges.

How do you keep your skills up to date? What’s the best way to learn new concepts, technologies, programming languages, etc.?

I keep my skills up to date by building projects that interest me, and I subscribe to the freecodecamp newsletter. They publish video tutorials on trending tech stacks.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone early in their IT career or looking to get their start?

Hone your problem solving skills. This is the universal skill you will need no matter what.

Interested in becoming or working with a MAXX Apprentice? Attend Career Lab or explore MAXX Business Solutions!

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

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Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

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Demystifying Spooky AI Technology Fears

How AI Technology Benefits Employees and Companies

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses

From science fiction to reality, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology evokes many emotions in humans, whether it is fear or intrigue. AI technology has become a part of our daily lives from the in-home speakers that answer our questions to chatGPT and other LLMs that have revolutionized software’s generative capabilities. It’s exciting and terrifying.

Tech professionals guess at what these advancements will mean for humans, and some people experience so much fear about what AI could mean for our world. We wanted to talk about some of those spooky AI technology fears and do our best to demystify them.

Body Snatching: AI will replace human jobs

As language learning models, automation, and machine learning advances, it’s no surprise that workers fear for their jobs. Common questions circulate: Will machines replace humans? How can I protect my job? What can I do to work with AI now?

Some version of automation has been in use since the 1700s to handle repetitive tasks, and yet, the skill of automation now can be seen as scary. Automation and machines should replace workers who may face dangerous scenarios every day where a machine would be better equipped and safer to handle the work. 

“While I do believe that years later AI will take away some jobs I do believe that it will open many other types of job opportunities that could be more technical or something that we never would have thought of before.” Says James Stanley, MAXX Apprentice, in “From Hobby to Innovation: Exploring AI Passion Projects.”

The truth is that AI technology is inspiring workers to reimagine job roles.  AI allows humans to focus on higher-level responsibilities that use skills like critical thinking, creativity, and empathy. AI can enable workers to be more productive, take on more fulfilling responsibilities, and create entirely new types of jobs. With thoughtful implementation, AI can be harnessed to create positive economic and workforce impacts.

Poltergeist Prejudice: Perpetuated Bias, Ethical Concerns, and Irresponsibility

AI technology speeds up tasks like sorting through resumes for a job opening or tracking data. With that said, AI systems can inherit and amplify existing societal biases. This raises a number of concerns as more and more organizations turn to AI technologies for the automation capabilities. 

A National Institute of Standards and Technology report shared a study of 189 facial recognition algorithms and how most of them demonstrated bias. The researchers reported that the technology falsely identified Black and Asian faces 10 to 100 times more often than they did white faces. Women were also more often falsely identified.

Governments seek to determine best ways to regulate AI with New York City being the first to pass a law in 2021 with rules enforced this July. Thoughtful design and smart governance frameworks are required to ensure that AI doesn’t perpetuate societal problems. Companies and governments deploying AI must audit for biases, ensure transparency, evaluate use cases carefully, and institute human oversight measures.

In a “New Regulatory Approach to Facial Recognition,” Jason Schultz, a professor at the New York University School of Law, believes that facial recognition companies must consider new, consent-based approaches to their image gathering as right-of-publicity claims gain momentum. As technology advances so too must the guiding principles and frameworks to protect privacy, avoid bias, and disrupt irresponsibility.

AI Data Voodoo: Protecting User Data While Leveraging AI

Data breaches are scary, and bad actors are discovering new ways to use AI technologies to access user information, such as the AI-controlled botnet data breach with TaskRabbit in 2018 or the more recent and accidental Microsoft AI researchers data leak. Protecting private information alongside the use of AI is important.

Three possible solutions to protecting user data include federated learning, differential privacy, and encrypted data. Federated learning trains AI models with decentralized data stored on user devices while differential privacy anonymizes data by adding controlled noise. End-to-end encryption also helps keep information secure. 

Let’s not forget that AI and automation are powerful tools in cybersecurity, and they have demonstrated accelerated data breach identification and containment, saving companies as much as USD 1.8 million in data breach costs according to the Cost of a Data Breach 2023 global survey.

With deliberate effort, companies can find ways to benefit from AI while also earning user trust through robust privacy protections. Establishing oversight groups and following frameworks like the EU’s GDPR can guide policies that give users more control over their data. Being transparent, providing opt-out options, and restricting data usage are key principles.

Bewitching: AI Dependence vs. AI Assistance

Artificial Intelligence can be scary because some view it as a complete replacement of humans across the board; however, that skips the fact that humans have a unique ability to make decisions based on data as well as external factors. AI technologies can be a great tool, but they work best with a human manager. The goal of AI should be to augment, not replace, human intelligence.

One article observes that “the fear of AI often boils down to the fear of loss – loss of control, loss of privacy, and loss of human value.”

Some solutions for preventing overreliance include having humans remain “in the loop” for consequential decisions rather than fully automating them. Companies and governments deploying AI should also conduct impact assessments to anticipate risks. Additionally, requiring transparency and explanation from AI systems can build understanding and trust in their capabilities.

AI can be viewed as a powerful collaborative tool rather than a decision-making authority. While AI dependence is a valid concern, keeping humans ultimately in control can allow society to reap the benefits of AI assistance without surrendering our agency or discernment. The ideal future combines the strengths of human and artificial intelligence.

The key is shaping policies, education, incentives, and labor models to focus AI on enhancing humans rather than replacing them. With forethought, humans and AI can positively co-evolve. Truth is that AI is not even ready or able to completely replace humans.

 

Interested in learning about how AI can cut business costs and boost company productivity? Reach out to MAXXpotential.com about your interest in optimizing your back office capabilities.

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The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

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Demystifying Spooky AI Technology Fears

How AI Technology Benefits Employees and Companies

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship, Businesses

From science fiction to reality, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology evokes many emotions in humans, whether it is fear or intrigue. AI technology has become a part of our daily lives from the in-home speakers that answer our questions to chatGPT and other LLMs that have revolutionized software’s generative capabilities. It’s exciting and terrifying.

Tech professionals guess at what these advancements will mean for humans, and some people experience so much fear about what AI could mean for our world. We wanted to talk about some of those spooky AI technology fears and do our best to demystify them.

Body Snatching: AI will replace human jobs

As language learning models, automation, and machine learning advances, it’s no surprise that workers fear for their jobs. Common questions circulate: Will machines replace humans? How can I protect my job? What can I do to work with AI now?

Some version of automation has been in use since the 1700s to handle repetitive tasks, and yet, the skill of automation now can be seen as scary. Automation and machines should replace workers who may face dangerous scenarios every day where a machine would be better equipped and safer to handle the work. 

“While I do believe that years later AI will take away some jobs I do believe that it will open many other types of job opportunities that could be more technical or something that we never would have thought of before.” Says James Stanley, MAXX Apprentice, in “From Hobby to Innovation: Exploring AI Passion Projects.”

The truth is that AI technology is inspiring workers to reimagine job roles.  AI allows humans to focus on higher-level responsibilities that use skills like critical thinking, creativity, and empathy. AI can enable workers to be more productive, take on more fulfilling responsibilities, and create entirely new types of jobs. With thoughtful implementation, AI can be harnessed to create positive economic and workforce impacts.

Poltergeist Prejudice: Perpetuated Bias, Ethical Concerns, and Irresponsibility

AI technology speeds up tasks like sorting through resumes for a job opening or tracking data. With that said, AI systems can inherit and amplify existing societal biases. This raises a number of concerns as more and more organizations turn to AI technologies for the automation capabilities. 

A National Institute of Standards and Technology report shared a study of 189 facial recognition algorithms and how most of them demonstrated bias. The researchers reported that the technology falsely identified Black and Asian faces 10 to 100 times more often than they did white faces. Women were also more often falsely identified.

Governments seek to determine best ways to regulate AI with New York City being the first to pass a law in 2021 with rules enforced this July. Thoughtful design and smart governance frameworks are required to ensure that AI doesn’t perpetuate societal problems. Companies and governments deploying AI must audit for biases, ensure transparency, evaluate use cases carefully, and institute human oversight measures.

In a “New Regulatory Approach to Facial Recognition,” Jason Schultz, a professor at the New York University School of Law, believes that facial recognition companies must consider new, consent-based approaches to their image gathering as right-of-publicity claims gain momentum. As technology advances so too must the guiding principles and frameworks to protect privacy, avoid bias, and disrupt irresponsibility.

AI Data Voodoo: Protecting User Data While Leveraging AI

Data breaches are scary, and bad actors are discovering new ways to use AI technologies to access user information, such as the AI-controlled botnet data breach with TaskRabbit in 2018 or the more recent and accidental Microsoft AI researchers data leak. Protecting private information alongside the use of AI is important.

Three possible solutions to protecting user data include federated learning, differential privacy, and encrypted data. Federated learning trains AI models with decentralized data stored on user devices while differential privacy anonymizes data by adding controlled noise. End-to-end encryption also helps keep information secure. 

Let’s not forget that AI and automation are powerful tools in cybersecurity, and they have demonstrated accelerated data breach identification and containment, saving companies as much as USD 1.8 million in data breach costs according to the Cost of a Data Breach 2023 global survey.

With deliberate effort, companies can find ways to benefit from AI while also earning user trust through robust privacy protections. Establishing oversight groups and following frameworks like the EU’s GDPR can guide policies that give users more control over their data. Being transparent, providing opt-out options, and restricting data usage are key principles.

Bewitching: AI Dependence vs. AI Assistance

Artificial Intelligence can be scary because some view it as a complete replacement of humans across the board; however, that skips the fact that humans have a unique ability to make decisions based on data as well as external factors. AI technologies can be a great tool, but they work best with a human manager. The goal of AI should be to augment, not replace, human intelligence.

One article observes that “the fear of AI often boils down to the fear of loss – loss of control, loss of privacy, and loss of human value.”

Some solutions for preventing overreliance include having humans remain “in the loop” for consequential decisions rather than fully automating them. Companies and governments deploying AI should also conduct impact assessments to anticipate risks. Additionally, requiring transparency and explanation from AI systems can build understanding and trust in their capabilities.

AI can be viewed as a powerful collaborative tool rather than a decision-making authority. While AI dependence is a valid concern, keeping humans ultimately in control can allow society to reap the benefits of AI assistance without surrendering our agency or discernment. The ideal future combines the strengths of human and artificial intelligence.

The key is shaping policies, education, incentives, and labor models to focus AI on enhancing humans rather than replacing them. With forethought, humans and AI can positively co-evolve. Truth is that AI is not even ready or able to completely replace humans.

 

Interested in learning about how AI can cut business costs and boost company productivity? Reach out to MAXXpotential.com about your interest in optimizing your back office capabilities.

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The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

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Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

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Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

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From Hobby to Innovation: Exploring AI Passion Projects

Building AI Tech Skills with Projects

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship

“I think we’re all eager to see how AI will shape technology in the coming years,” says Peter Ahn, MAXX Apprentice. “It’s exciting because it has so many use cases we’ve yet to discover.”

Back in March when OpenAI released the API for the GPT-3.5-Turbo, technologists across the world raced to explore the capabilities of this new technology, including our very own Talent Director Tucker Mahan in “The First 48 Hours of OpenAI’s API.” Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation have been widely used in a number of capacities for years, but this was the smartest large language model (LLM) we had yet to see. 

It’s been six months since the GPT-3.5-Turbo released, and AI has continued to advance and be explored by curious technologists. We wanted to take a moment to chat with AI-interested MAXX Apprentices, Peter Ahn and James Stanley.

How Curiosity Inspires Innovation and Learning

“I found myself wanting curated outlines for my coding projects to keep track of my progress. Too often, I write code without a clear plan in mind.” Peter Ahn shares. Faced with this problem, he wondered if he could create something that would track this for him.

Peter’s interest in tech and interactive chatbots started at a young age, and he recalls, “When I was little, my sisters helped me create an AIM account so I could try chatting with ‘smarterchild’. It was an early chatbot that could engage in somewhat intelligent conversations… And it was mind blowing. ChatGPT definitely renewed that feeling of amazement in me.”

As Peter explored the OpenAI API capabilities, he recognized that playing with the technology could be fun and informative. He wanted to see where his exploration would lead.

“After learning about the OpenAI API, I saw an opportunity to build a reusable web template with the API methods, which are more customizable compared to ChatGPT.” Peter points out. “For example, I can adjust the temperature, which affects the “randomness” in GPT’s responses. A higher temperature encourages unique and imaginative responses, while a lower temperature promotes greater consistency.”

Peter developed a basic tech stack with options where he can select coding languages he wants to use when he’s gearing up to brainstorm project ideas.

With the help of ChatGPT, a few project ideas are generated.

Once an idea is selected, an outline for the project populates in a rough format of the Software Development Lifecycle. This can help direct the next steps of your project development.

“The outlines aren’t super useful or aesthetically pleasing yet, but thankfully that’s probably my fault and not GPT’s!” Peter shares.

AI Integration Helps Clone Your Superhero

“After finding out that I could integrate ChatGPT into python I was excited to see what else I could do with it.” James Stanley, MAXX Apprentice, shares. 

As he dove into the possibilities, he scoped out what other people were doing. YouTube offered a number of tutorials demonstrating how to create your own bot who sounded like Jarvis from Iron Man, Elon Musk, Albert Einstein, and Eminem.

“Since I am also learning how to code, I am constantly practicing to get better at python and recently javascript,” says James. “I thought it would be cool to make a tutor with your choice of celebrities that would then help you with code or anything else you needed help with. Using ChatGPT and machine learning to build this.”

For James, this technology is exciting because it’s existed in Sci-fi novels and movies for years. Suddenly the premises of movies like Iron Man, The Terminator, and I Robot seem more realistic and, for some, scary.

“I can already see glimpses of self-driving cars, human looking robots that function properly, and an AI that can eventually think for itself.” James shares.

The possibilities seem endless in light of AI advancements and technologists’ discoveries. Seeing the rapid changes in automation, AI, and LLMs spurs innovation and more. 

“When I started learning python I was already interested in machine learning, where data and algorithms can imitate the way humans learn by giving it a set of data to learn from.” James points out. “I am interested to see how far AI will go, will I ever see a terminator version of AI in my lifetime or Jarvis from Ironman.”

AI is Here to Stay

Artificial intelligence, automation, and language learning models are here to stay, and our world is in the process of being changed wholly by these advancements. Concerns and AI innovations occur simultaneously.

Some view AI as a new tool for productivity while others raise objections. It’s true that with great power comes great responsibility.

“I think their fears are valid but not for the same reasons that they may believe,” says James. “While I do believe that years later AI will take away some jobs I do believe that it will open many other types of job opportunities that could be more technical or something that we never would have thought of before.” 

In light of the fear of being replaced by AI, Peter observes, “Innovation is great, but not at the expense of everyone else. We should stay informed on this topic since it could drastically change the way we live.”

One way to learn about AI is to dive into using it yourself. 

“Try asking ChatGPT or Google Bard how they work!” Peter encourages. “You can learn a lot about their features and limitations. I wouldn’t say the information is completely up-to-date, but they’re great as stepping stones into deeper research.”

Interested in learning about how AI can cut business costs and boost company productivity? Reach out to MAXXpotential.com about your interest in optimizing your back office capabilities.

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

From Hobby to Innovation: Exploring AI Passion Projects

Building AI Tech Skills with Projects

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship

“I think we’re all eager to see how AI will shape technology in the coming years,” says Peter Ahn, MAXX Apprentice. “It’s exciting because it has so many use cases we’ve yet to discover.”

Back in March when OpenAI released the API for the GPT-3.5-Turbo, technologists across the world raced to explore the capabilities of this new technology, including our very own Talent Director Tucker Mahan in “The First 48 Hours of OpenAI’s API.” Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation have been widely used in a number of capacities for years, but this was the smartest large language model (LLM) we had yet to see. 

It’s been six months since the GPT-3.5-Turbo released, and AI has continued to advance and be explored by curious technologists. We wanted to take a moment to chat with AI-interested MAXX Apprentices, Peter Ahn and James Stanley.

How Curiosity Inspires Innovation and Learning

“I found myself wanting curated outlines for my coding projects to keep track of my progress. Too often, I write code without a clear plan in mind.” Peter Ahn shares. Faced with this problem, he wondered if he could create something that would track this for him.

Peter’s interest in tech and interactive chatbots started at a young age, and he recalls, “When I was little, my sisters helped me create an AIM account so I could try chatting with ‘smarterchild’. It was an early chatbot that could engage in somewhat intelligent conversations… And it was mind blowing. ChatGPT definitely renewed that feeling of amazement in me.”

As Peter explored the OpenAI API capabilities, he recognized that playing with the technology could be fun and informative. He wanted to see where his exploration would lead.

“After learning about the OpenAI API, I saw an opportunity to build a reusable web template with the API methods, which are more customizable compared to ChatGPT.” Peter points out. “For example, I can adjust the temperature, which affects the “randomness” in GPT’s responses. A higher temperature encourages unique and imaginative responses, while a lower temperature promotes greater consistency.”

Peter developed a basic tech stack with options where he can select coding languages he wants to use when he’s gearing up to brainstorm project ideas.

With the help of ChatGPT, a few project ideas are generated.

Once an idea is selected, an outline for the project populates in a rough format of the Software Development Lifecycle. This can help direct the next steps of your project development.

“The outlines aren’t super useful or aesthetically pleasing yet, but thankfully that’s probably my fault and not GPT’s!” Peter shares.

AI Integration Helps Clone Your Superhero

“After finding out that I could integrate ChatGPT into python I was excited to see what else I could do with it.” James Stanley, MAXX Apprentice, shares. 

As he dove into the possibilities, he scoped out what other people were doing. YouTube offered a number of tutorials demonstrating how to create your own bot who sounded like Jarvis from Iron Man, Elon Musk, Albert Einstein, and Eminem.

“Since I am also learning how to code, I am constantly practicing to get better at python and recently javascript,” says James. “I thought it would be cool to make a tutor with your choice of celebrities that would then help you with code or anything else you needed help with. Using ChatGPT and machine learning to build this.”

For James, this technology is exciting because it’s existed in Sci-fi novels and movies for years. Suddenly the premises of movies like Iron Man, The Terminator, and I Robot seem more realistic and, for some, scary.

“I can already see glimpses of self-driving cars, human looking robots that function properly, and an AI that can eventually think for itself.” James shares.

The possibilities seem endless in light of AI advancements and technologists’ discoveries. Seeing the rapid changes in automation, AI, and LLMs spurs innovation and more. 

“When I started learning python I was already interested in machine learning, where data and algorithms can imitate the way humans learn by giving it a set of data to learn from.” James points out. “I am interested to see how far AI will go, will I ever see a terminator version of AI in my lifetime or Jarvis from Ironman.”

AI is Here to Stay

Artificial intelligence, automation, and language learning models are here to stay, and our world is in the process of being changed wholly by these advancements. Concerns and AI innovations occur simultaneously.

Some view AI as a new tool for productivity while others raise objections. It’s true that with great power comes great responsibility.

“I think their fears are valid but not for the same reasons that they may believe,” says James. “While I do believe that years later AI will take away some jobs I do believe that it will open many other types of job opportunities that could be more technical or something that we never would have thought of before.” 

In light of the fear of being replaced by AI, Peter observes, “Innovation is great, but not at the expense of everyone else. We should stay informed on this topic since it could drastically change the way we live.”

One way to learn about AI is to dive into using it yourself. 

“Try asking ChatGPT or Google Bard how they work!” Peter encourages. “You can learn a lot about their features and limitations. I wouldn’t say the information is completely up-to-date, but they’re great as stepping stones into deeper research.”

Interested in learning about how AI can cut business costs and boost company productivity? Reach out to MAXXpotential.com about your interest in optimizing your back office capabilities.

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

Choosing Your Tech Career Future

Exploring Diverse Career Options in the Tech Field

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship
Professional black man sitting in front of two computer screens with code

“I want to be a full-stack developer.” An aspiring technologist declares, and in the same breath, they share they have no idea of where to begin to get that tech job. In a sea of resources, where do you start? How do you turn your tech career dream into reality? 

The tech industry provides a number of early career paths such as the following:

  • Information Security Analyst
  • Network Administrator
  • System Administrator
  • Security Incident Response Specialist
  • Quality Assurance Specialist
  • Data Governance Specialist
  • Business Intel Analyst
  • Junior Software Developer

Knowing which is the right fit for you is hard. At MAXX Potential, we do our best to allow tech-interested folks the opportunity to explore the diverse career options in the tech field so you can make a more informed decision about your tech career trajectory.

So, if you want to discover the best tech jobs without a degree, and explore fun jobs that pay well, keep reading!

Exploring Diverse Career Options in the Tech Field

When it comes to deciding on a tech career path, it’s important to consider your interests and passions: do you enjoy precision and organization? Do you love problem solving? Do you like being behind the scenes or interfacing with people?

The tech industry opens up a world of possibilities because there are plenty of career options for individuals with and without a degree. You don’t necessarily need a formal education to pursue the best tech jobs. This means that even if you don’t have a degree, you can still find fulfilling and well-paying roles that suit your interests.

Information Security Analyst

Information Security Analysts play a crucial role in safeguarding data and preventing unauthorized access or breaches of a company’s computer ecosystem. They also develop and implement security policies and protocols to ensure compliance with industry regulations. If this seems like something you’d be interested in, it’s important to explore opportunities to learn more about information security.

Network Administrator

As a Network Administrator, your day-to-day tasks look like monitoring network performance, troubleshooting network issues, implementing security measures, and managing network configurations. If you like equal parts administrative work as well as technical sleuthing, this might be a role to explore.

System Administrator

System Administrators are the gatekeeper of company systems, often providing employee access as needed. They ensure the smooth operation of servers, networks, and databases. You will be in charge of tasks such as installing and configuring software and hardware, troubleshooting technical issues, and monitoring system performance. This role requires strong problem-solving and analytical skills, as well as a deep understanding of various operating systems and network protocols.

Security Incident Response Specialist

As a Security Incident Response Specialist, you will be responsible for detecting and analyzing security breaches, implementing incident response measures, and developing and improving cybersecurity protocols. This role is crucial for protecting sensitive information and maintaining the smooth operation of network systems. MAXX Apprentices have the opportunity to explore roles like this one with hands-on learning and mentorship.

Quality Assurance Specialist

As a Quality Assurance Specialist, you test and evaluate software applications or IT systems to identify any defects or issues. You will be responsible for executing testing methodologies, documenting test plans and procedures, and collaborating with developers to resolve any identified issues. This role requires strong attention to detail, analytical skills, and the ability to think critically.

Data Governance Specialist

A Data Governance Specialist develops and implements data strategies, policies, and procedures. You will collaborate with various teams to define data standards, establish data quality controls, and manage data access and security protocols. Your strong analytical skills and good communication skills will be crucial in identifying data issues and recommending solutions.

Business Intel Analyst

As a Business Intel Analyst, you will gather, analyze, and interpret vast amounts of data to help businesses make informed decisions and identify trends and patterns. By utilizing various tools and techniques, you will transform raw data into actionable insights that drive growth and efficiency. Your ability to think critically, attention to detail, and strong problem-solving skills will be paramount in this role.

Junior Software Developer

A Junior Software Developer is an integral part of a dynamic tech team, contributing to the creation and enhancement of cutting-edge software solutions. You’ll collaborate closely with senior developers to design and implement code, troubleshoot issues, and optimize application performance. Your passion for problem-solving, quick learning, and effective teamwork will play a pivotal role in crafting innovative solutions that drive a company’s technological advancement.

Emerging Tech Careers

The future is bright with technological advancements and emerging tech career opportunities. As technology advances, you can be on the forefront by using the resources at your fingertips on the internet to learn through passion projects or programs. Some emerging tech careers include Virtual Reality (VR) Developer, Cybersecurity Analyst, and AI Specialist. 

At MAXX Potential, we provide a pathway for aspiring technologists to explore dream tech jobs with hands-on experience, mentorship, and more resources. We help you step into the tech industry and determine the career trajectory that best fits your passions, interests, and skills.

If you’re interested in choosing a career in tech, contact MAXX Potential to learn more about the MAXX Apprenticeship. 

MORE POSTS

The Passionate Programmer: Unveiling Tech Side Projects that Inspire

By Barbara Brutt, MAXX Potential Content Marketer “Research shows that play is critical for adults’ well-being too — but many of us don’t play enough

READ MORE

Is Your Workforce Ready for Generative AI Adversaries?

Defending Against the Deep

READ MORE

Alumni Success Story: Douglas Quinn

Data Scientist, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

READ MORE

Choosing Your Tech Career Future

Exploring Diverse Career Options in the Tech Field

By MAXX Potential

  • Apprenticeship
Professional black man sitting in front of two computer screens with code

“I want to be a full-stack developer.” An aspiring technologist declares, and in the same breath, they share they have no idea of where to begin to get that tech job. In a sea of resources, where do you start? How do you turn your tech career dream into reality? 

The tech industry provides a number of early career paths such as the following:

  • Information Security Analyst
  • Network Administrator
  • System Administrator
  • Security Incident Response Specialist
  • Quality Assurance Specialist
  • Data Governance Specialist
  • Business Intel Analyst
  • Junior Software Developer

Knowing which is the right fit for you is hard. At MAXX Potential, we do our best to allow tech-interested folks the opportunity to explore the diverse career options in the tech field so you can make a more informed decision about your tech career trajectory.

So, if you want to discover the best tech jobs without a degree, and explore fun jobs that pay well, keep reading!

Exploring Diverse Career Options in the Tech Field

When it comes to deciding on a tech career path, it’s important to consider your interests and passions: do you enjoy precision and organization? Do you love problem solving? Do you like being behind the scenes or interfacing with people?

The tech industry opens up a world of possibilities because there are plenty of career options for individuals with and without a degree. You don’t necessarily need a formal education to pursue the best tech jobs. This means that even if you don’t have a degree, you can still find fulfilling and well-paying roles that suit your interests.

Information Security Analyst

Information Security Analysts play a crucial role in safeguarding data and preventing unauthorized access or breaches of a company’s computer ecosystem. They also develop and implement security policies and protocols to ensure compliance with industry regulations. If this seems like something you’d be interested in, it’s important to explore opportunities to learn more about information security.

Network Administrator

As a Network Administrator, your day-to-day tasks look like monitoring network performance, troubleshooting network issues, implementing security measures, and managing network configurations. If you like equal parts administrative work as well as technical sleuthing, this might be a role to explore.

System Administrator

System Administrators are the gatekeeper of company systems, often providing employee access as needed. They ensure the smooth operation of servers, networks, and databases. You will be in charge of tasks such as installing and configuring software and hardware, troubleshooting technical issues, and monitoring system performance. This role requires strong problem-solving and analytical skills, as well as a deep understanding of various operating systems and network protocols.

Security Incident Response Specialist

As a Security Incident Response Specialist, you will be responsible for detecting and analyzing security breaches, implementing incident response measures, and developing and improving cybersecurity protocols. This role is crucial for protecting sensitive information and maintaining the smooth operation of network systems. MAXX Apprentices have the opportunity to explore roles like this one with hands-on learning and mentorship.

Quality Assurance Specialist

As a Quality Assurance Specialist, you test and evaluate software applications or IT systems to identify any defects or issues. You will be responsible for executing testing methodologies, documenting test plans and procedures, and collaborating with developers to resolve any identified issues. This role requires strong attention to detail, analytical skills, and the ability to think critically.

Data Governance Specialist

A Data Governance Specialist develops and implements data strategies, policies, and procedures. You will collaborate with various teams to define data standards, establish data quality controls, and manage data access and security protocols. Your strong analytical skills and good communication skills will be crucial in identifying data issues and recommending solutions.

Business Intel Analyst

As a Business Intel Analyst, you will gather, analyze, and interpret vast amounts of data to help businesses make informed decisions and identify trends and patterns. By utilizing various tools and techniques, you will transform raw data into actionable insights that drive growth and efficiency. Your ability to think critically, attention to detail, and strong problem-solving skills will be paramount in this role.

Junior Software Developer

A Junior Software Developer is an integral part of a dynamic tech team, contributing to the creation and enhancement of cutting-edge software solutions. You’ll collaborate closely with senior developers to design and implement code, troubleshoot issues, and optimize application performance. Your passion for problem-solving, quick learning, and effective teamwork will play a pivotal role in crafting innovative solutions that drive a company’s technological advancement.

Emerging Tech Careers

The future is bright with technological advancements and emerging tech career opportunities. As technology advances, you can be on the forefront by using the resources at your fingertips on the internet to learn through passion projects or programs. Some emerging tech careers include Virtual Reality (VR) Developer, Cybersecurity Analyst, and AI Specialist. 

At MAXX Potential, we provide a pathway for aspiring technologists to explore dream tech jobs with hands-on experience, mentorship, and more resources. We help you step into the tech industry and determine the career trajectory that best fits your passions, interests, and skills.

If you’re interested in choosing a career in tech, contact MAXX Potential to learn more about the MAXX Apprenticeship. 

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