Welcome to episode 093 of the AI for Technical Writers podcast from Curt Robbins. This educational content, designed to give you a competitive edge, is targeted at IT professionals and technical writers. Subscribe today to never miss a single episode!Today's episode examines recent speeches and interviews with leading AI experts regarding the future of artificial intelligence and how it will affect jobs, the economy, and life as we know it. This episode discusses the imminent and profound impact of AI on society, careers, and the nature of human existence. It highlights concerns raised by people such as an ex-OpenAI scientist and Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, regarding the unprecedented speed of AI advancement.These experts predict that within a few years, AI will not only automate many current jobs but also achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), possessing capabilities equivalent to or exceeding the smartest humans, and eventually Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI). The sources emphasize that this rapid evolution, driven by recursive self-improvement and new technologies such as infinite context windows and agents, will fundamentally reshape all industries and human endeavors, presenting humanity with its greatest challenge and potential reward.Hosts Daphne and Fred share their spirited analysis of this YouTube video and help listeners understand the significance of this news and how it may affect their careers and jobs."It will not be AI that takes away the job of a technical writer, but rather another technical writer with deep AI skills," said Robbins.I am currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________________>> Watch the original video: https://tinyurl.com/3efdpms2>> Read the Curt Robbins article "Why Large Language Models are Changing the World": https://tinyurl.com/bdfv63ca>> Read the Robbins article "Understanding Anthropic: Rising Star in AI": https://tinyurl.com/46btw22z>> Read the Robbins article "Comparing ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, & Grok": https://tinyurl.com/3zwttxhk>> Read the Robbins article "AI Job Replacement Fears Are Good. Here's Why.": https://tinyurl.com/p5t27t7d>> Join the LinkedIn group Technical Writing Success: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the Technical Writing Success podcast: https://tinyurl.com/uu9hpyzt
-------- Â
12:28
--------
12:28
Microsoft Embraces Anthropic, Expanding Beyond OpenAI
Welcome to episode 092 of the AI for Technical Writers podcast from Curt Robbins. This educational content, designed to give you a competitive edge, is targeted at IT professionals and technical writers. Subscribe today to never miss a single episode!Today's episode explores the recent news that Microsoft is embracing Anthropic in addition to OpenAI for its AI services, particularly Copilot that is embedded in many Microsoft products and services. This episode unpacks a recent TechCrunch article that reports on Microsoft's strategic shift to diversify its AI partnerships by integrating Anthropic's AI into Office 365 applications, moving away from its sole reliance on OpenAI. This decision is influenced by a growing distance between Microsoft and OpenAI, as both companies independently pursue their own infrastructure projects and new ventures, such as OpenAI's foray into a LinkedIn competitor (LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft). Microsoft believes Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4 model offers superior performance in certain functions, including creating presentations. This move is not merely a negotiating tactic for an upcoming deal with OpenAI. Microsoft is actively developing its own in-house AI models and already offers other models like xAI's Grok and Anthropic's Claude through GitHub Copilot, illustrating a broader effort towards self-reliance and varied AI capabilities.Hosts Daphne and Fred share their spirited analysis of the Techcrunch article and help listeners understand the significance of this news and how it may affect their careers and jobs."It will not be AI that takes away the job of a technical writer, but rather another technical writer with deep AI skills," said Robbins.I am currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________________>> Read the original TechCrunch article: https://tinyurl.com/ynsrf67p>> Read the Curt Robbins article "Why Large Language Models are Changing the World": https://tinyurl.com/bdfv63ca>> Read the Robbins article "Understanding Anthropic: Rising Star in AI": https://tinyurl.com/46btw22z>> Read the Robbins article "Comparing ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, & Grok": https://tinyurl.com/3zwttxhk>> Read the Robbins article "AI Job Replacement Fears Are Good. Here's Why.": https://tinyurl.com/p5t27t7d>> Join the LinkedIn group Technical Writing Success: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the Technical Writing Success podcast: https://tinyurl.com/uu9hpyzt
-------- Â
12:17
--------
12:17
BONUS: Why AI Large Language Models Hallucinate
Welcome to episode 091 of the AI for Technical Writers podcast from Curt Robbins. This educational content, designed to give you a competitive edge, is targeted at IT professionals and technical writers. Subscribe today to never miss a single episode!The article reviews a research paper from OpenAI entitled "Why Language Models Hallucinate" that was published on September 4, 2025. The paper explores the phenomenon of "hallucinations" in large language models (LLMs), where they generate plausible—but incorrect—information. The authors attribute these errors to the training and evaluation processes, arguing that models are rewarded for guessing over admitting uncertainty. They establish a statistical connection between generative errors and binary classification misclassification rates during pretraining, showing that even with error-free data, certain errors are inevitable. Furthermore, the paper explains the persistence of hallucinations in post-training by critiquing current evaluation benchmarks, which predominantly use binary scoring that penalizes expressions of uncertainty, effectively incentivizing models to "bluff." Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this research paper with their typical spirited analysis and insightful summarization. They examine and analyze how the paper's authors propose a socio-technical solution, advocating for modifications to existing evaluations to explicitly incorporate confidence targets and reward appropriate displays of uncertainty, thereby steering the field toward more trustworthy AI systems."It will not be AI that takes away the job of a technical writer, but rather another technical writer with deep AI skills," said Robbins.I am currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________________>> Read the original research paper: https://tinyurl.com/3kzb368t>> Read the Curt Robbins article "Why Large Language Models are Changing the World": https://tinyurl.com/bdfv63ca>> Read the Robbins article "Understanding Anthropic: Rising Star in AI": https://tinyurl.com/46btw22z>> Read the Robbins article "Comparing ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, & Grok": https://tinyurl.com/3zwttxhk>> Read the Robbins article "AI Job Replacement Fears Are Good. Here's Why.": https://tinyurl.com/p5t27t7d>> Join the LinkedIn group Technical Writing Success: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the Technical Writing Success podcast: https://tinyurl.com/uu9hpyzt
-------- Â
12:34
--------
12:34
BONUS: John Nosta Article Review: LLMs and the Life-Long Learner
Welcome to episode 090 of the AI for Technical Writers podcast from Curt Robbins. This educational content, designed to give you a competitive edge, is targeted at IT professionals and technical writers. Subscribe today to never miss a single episode!The article reviews an article that was published in Psychology Today in February of 2024 by AI thought leader John Nosta. Nosta underscores the critical importance of continuous learning in a world shaped by rapid technological advancements and an evolving job market. It highlights Large Language Models (LLMs) as essential tools for facilitating this ongoing learning process. The piece explains how LLMs democratize access to information, stimulate curiosity, support iterative learning, and foster engagement, thereby empowering individuals to adapt and thrive. The article advocates for the integration of LLMs into educational and professional development to cultivate a pervasive culture of lifelong learning and prepare individuals for diverse, multi-career paths.Hosts Daphne and Fred unpack this article with their typical spirited analysis and insightful summarization. "It will not be AI that takes away the job of a technical writer, but rather another technical writer with deep AI skills," said Robbins.I am currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________________>> Read the original Nosta article: https://tinyurl.com/ke26w6zr>> Read the Curt Robbins article "Why Large Language Models are Changing the World": https://tinyurl.com/bdfv63ca>> Read the Robbins article "Understanding Anthropic: Rising Star in AI": https://tinyurl.com/46btw22z>> Read the Robbins article "Comparing ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, & Grok": https://tinyurl.com/3zwttxhk>> Read the Robbins article "AI Job Replacement Fears Are Good. Here's Why.": https://tinyurl.com/p5t27t7d>> Join the LinkedIn group Technical Writing Success: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the Technical Writing Success podcast: https://tinyurl.com/uu9hpyzt
-------- Â
10:19
--------
10:19
Ethan Mollick Article Review: GPT-5: AI That Just Does Stuff
Welcome to episode 089 of the AI for Technical Writers podcast from Curt Robbins. This educational content, designed to give you a competitive edge, is targeted at IT professionals and technical writers. Subscribe today to never miss a single episode!The article offers an early look at GPT-5, highlighting its advanced capabilities that automate many aspects of AI use. Mollick emphasizes that GPT-5 "just does stuff," demonstrating its ability to autonomously select optimal models for tasks, anticipate user needs by suggesting next steps, and even develop complex applications from vague prompts. This new iteration of AI significantly reduces the burden of prompt engineering, allowing users to achieve remarkable results with minimal and less precise input. However, Mollick also notes that human oversight remains crucial for checking errors and making decisions, despite the AI's increased proactivity. Hosts Daphne and Fred share their spirited analysis of the article, including an examination of the pros and cons of OpenAI's GPT-5."It will not be AI that takes away the job of a technical writer, but rather another technical writer with deep AI skills," said Robbins.I am currently taking on new clients. I enjoy helping companies with their documentation and communications strategy and implementation. Contact me to learn about my reasonable rates and fast turnaround. — Curt_________________________________>> Read the original Mollick article: https://tinyurl.com/ynhs3e95>> Read the Curt Robbins article "Why Large Language Models are Changing the World": https://tinyurl.com/bdfv63ca>> Read the Robbins article "Understanding Anthropic: Rising Star in AI": https://tinyurl.com/46btw22z>> Read the Robbins article "Comparing ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, & Grok": https://tinyurl.com/3zwttxhk>> Read the Robbins article "AI Job Replacement Fears Are Good. Here's Why.": https://tinyurl.com/p5t27t7d>> Join the LinkedIn group Technical Writing Success: https://tinyurl.com/mr28u7td>> Subscribe to the Technical Writing Success podcast: https://tinyurl.com/uu9hpyzt
AI for Technical Writers is a weekly podcast from senior technical writer Curt Robbins that explores the role of artificial intelligence in our jobs, careers, and personal lives. This podcast investigates many important topics related to AI, including job security, national defense, ethics and bias, consumer behavior, marketing and sales, entertainment, and healthcare.
The AI for Technical Writers podcast helps technical writers and IT professionals understand and embrace AI for a wide range of goals, including promotion and career advancement.
South Africa