Thursday, August 01, 2024
Meeting Time: 7:00 pm
Online event (via Zoom): Please register on meetup.com to obtain the Zoom link.
Lecture
2023 was a pivotal year for AI, with ChatGPT capturing significant attention. Since then, almost every company has been developing their AI strategies to gain a competitive advantage. This lecture will cover the basics of AI, starting with the differences between Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Deep Learning (DL), and Generative AI (GenAI), and how they work. A basic neural network will be explained, including input, hidden, and output layers.
We will then delve into prompt engineering, beginning with the building blocks of a prompt, followed by more advanced techniques such as few-shot learning, chain of thought, personas, self-prompting, prompt chaining, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). Examples will be shared throughout, with an emphasis on using text-based modalities and use cases for productivity improvements.
We will also discuss pitfalls to avoid, including security, shadow prompting, bias, overfitting, technical debt, and ethics. The lecture will conclude with a discussion on trends and future developments in AI.
Speaker Bio:
Mike Verdecanna holds both a Bachelor and Master of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from NYIT Old Westbury, as well as a Master of Business Administration from LIU CW Post.
Since 1998, he has worked for Symbol Technologies / Motorola Solutions / Zebra Technologies in Holtsville, NY. He started as an electrical engineer and has designed numerous products. He currently holds the role of Head of Engineering for the Handheld Mobile Computing Division of Zebra Technologies.
Previously, Mike worked for a startup defense contractor designing simulators for submarines and also as a calibration technician for a test lab.
Mike is a Licensed Professional Engineer and an IEEE member for 28 years.
This is Mike’s first presentation to the LICN, and he is looking forward to giving back to this great group for all the insightful presentations he has attended over the years.
His personal interests include running, hiking, skiing, backcountry skiing, hockey, boating, fishing, automobiles, amateur radio, electronics, and travel.
Notes
There is no cost to attend this meeting, however, if you are a NYS Professional Engineer and would like to receive 2 Professional Development Hours (PDHs) of continuing education credit, then payment of a $15 fee is required. You will also have to properly fill out an Evaluation Form to prove that you attended this lecture. Click here to open the form. Simply fill it out and click on the “Submit” button.
We accept electronic payment via Zelle. Zelle is a bank-to-bank transfer mechanism supported by most banks, without a fee, as part of their normal online banking capabilities. There is also a Zelle app available for your smartphone.
When you use Zelle with your bank, it will ask for the following information: 1) the amount to send (enter $15.00), 2) what account you want to pull the money from (select whatever account you want to use), and 3) the phone number or email of the recipient (enter ieeelicn@gmail.com. Don’t worry if you see the name of our Treasurer, David Rost, pop up). If it asks for a memo field, we suggest entering "yymmdd LICN CEU” where yymmdd are the year, month and date of the lecture.
While we prefer that your payment and evaluation form are received by the day of the lecture, they must be received by the first Monday after the lecture.
If paying by Zelle is a problem for you, then please contact Ed Gellender at edgellender@gmail.com for an alternate payment method.
