AI Insights for April 17

This message was originally shared to subscribers April 17, 2025.

University faculty and staff (especially AI Insights readers like you!) are invited to join Information Technology Services on April 24 at 1 p.m. for the next installment in our series about leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) at work. This session will address the possibilities created by the University’s partnership with ibl.ai, which allows users to create custom chatbots. Speakers from the ITS Online Learning Services and Data and Artificial Intelligence teams will discuss possible applications for ibl.ai at Syracuse University.

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Trends

From Selfie to Shelfie: The Action Figure Effect

Turn yourself into a custom action figure using ChatGPT and image generators. Upload a a photo (full-body works best), then describe your dream figure—pose, outfit, facial expression, accessories, even packaging colors.

The Simpsonization Phenomenon

Want to see yourself as a Simpsons character? The free Simpsons Character Creator by Media.io lets you upload a photo and get cartoonified instantly—no prompts or design skills needed. It’s fast, fun, and a great example of how AI art is going mainstream.

News

Access to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post is available to all students, faculty and staff with a valid Syracuse University NetID. Learn more.

Government

  • U.S. Copyright Office Issues Highly Anticipated Report on Copyrightability of AI-Generated Works (Reuters)
  • AI Regulations: House GOP, Democrats Clash on AI Oversight (PYMNTS)
  • A Look at Stakeholder Input for the White House AI Action Plan (IAPP)
  • EU to Invest $1.4 Billion in Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Digital Skills (Reuters)
  • Five Takeaways from Trump’s Plan to Rescue Coal (The New York Times)

Higher Education

Industry News

  • Large Language Models Pass the Turing Test (arXiv)
  • OpenAI’s New GPT-4.1 AI Models Focus on Coding (TechCrunch)
  • When Is 4.1 Greater Than 4.5? When It’s OpenAI’s Newest Model (Ars Technica)
  • Copilot’s New Personalization Upgrades (Microsoft)
  • AI Index Report 2025: The Great Model Convergence (IEEE Spectrum)
  • Sam Altman: OpenAI Has Reached Roughly 800 Million Users (PYMNTS)
  • Demis Hassabis Interview: DeepMind’s Road to AGI (Time)
  • DeepMind Has Detailed All the Ways AGI Could Wreck the World (Ars Technica)
  • OpenAI Is Rethinking Its Open-Weights Strategy (Tech Brew)
  • Alphabet CEO Reaffirms $75 Billion Capital Spending in 2025 (Reuters)
  • Apple’s Siri Update Expected Fall 2025 (The Verge)
  • Nvidia Faces $5.5 Billion Hit from Trump Clampdown on AI Chips (The Times)
  • Use of AI Increases Accuracy of ECB Predictions, DIW Says (Reuters)
  • Gen Z Is Still Anxiously Using AI: Poll (Axios)

Workforce

  • How Generative AI Affects Teamwork at Companies (PYMNTS)
  • Will AI Eventually Replace Human Workers or Augment Them? (PYMNTS)
  • Why It’s So Hard to Measure AI’s Effects on Productivity (Bloomberg)
  • You Won’t Get GenAI Right If You Get Human Oversight Wrong (BCG)
  • By 2028, Globally 1 in 4 Job Candidates Will Be Fake (CNBC)

This Issue’s Tip: Use AI as a Thinking Partner, Not Just a Shortcut

Generative AI isn’t just for quick answers — it shines when you use it to think through complex problems.

Next time you’re planning a lesson, designing a workshop, or writing a report, ask your AI assistant:

“Can you give me three different angles to approach this topic for [audience]?”
or
“What are the potential risks or blind spots in this plan?”

This mindset transforms AI from a task-doer into a collaborative thinking tool, helping you explore perspectives you may not have considered. It supports deeper critical thinking — a must in higher education.

This Issue’s Prompt: Design Your Ideal Morning Routine

A prompt is how you ask generative AI tools to do something for you (e.g., creating, summarizing, editing or transforming). Treat it like a conversation, using clear language and enough context to get the result you have in mind.

To get more practice, use the generative AI tool of your choice (for example, Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI ChatGPT or Anthropic Claude) to execute the following prompt:

“Act as a productivity coach. Based on science-backed habits, help me design a personalized morning routine that aligns with my goals (health, focus, creativity, or stress reduction). Include timing, activities and tips to stay consistent.”

Tweak it by adding your wake-up time, whether you work from home or commute and adding specific goals like “more energy” or “less screen time before noon”.

This prompt shows that AI can be more than just a tool for work — it can act as a life assistant, helping people structure their time, build better habits and make small changes that lead to big improvements.

Helpful Resources

Thank you for reading. Go Orange!