Key Points
- Transformative Potential of Generative AI: Jules White emphasizes that generative AI represents a revolutionary leap beyond traditional AI. Its capabilities allow users to perform tasks that were once deemed impossible, like creating a recipe from an image or generating complex solutions based on a simple prompt. This advancement is set to reshape countless fields, making it essential for professionals across industries to adopt and utilize these tools.
- Generative AI in Military Transition: Jules explains how veterans can use AI for resume building, interview preparation, and skills translation to better position themselves in the job market.
- Nashville as a Hub for AI Innovation: Jules identifies Nashville, particularly Vanderbilt University, as a leader in generative AI. He describes a vibrant ecosystem of innovation in Nashville’s healthcare, cybersecurity, and engineering sectors, positioning the city and surrounding Tennessee region as key players in the future of generative AI applications.
Transcript
Emily Bose: Welcome to another episode of Landing Zone Nashville. I am Emily Bose, Managing Director here at Transition Overwatch, and I’m so excited to be joined by Jules White. Jules is the Senior Advisor to the Chancellor on Generative AI and Professor of Computer Science at Vanderbilt. I know we’re going to have a really exciting discussion today. So Jules, thanks so much for being with me.
Jules White: Yeah, thank you for having me. Excited to be on.
Emily Bose: Absolutely. I know before we jumped in you were telling me that AI is gonna, you know, dramatically change the way that we function, especially in relation to our phones, our computers, the way we work. And I’d love to just hear a little bit more about that. You’re obviously on the forefront of that, and you mentioned something before we jumped on about the difference between generative AI and, I guess, regular AI for the non-AI experts among us. Can you explain the difference and just tell us a little bit about what some of those changes might look like?
Jules White: Yeah. Well, maybe I’ll start with a specific example and then unpack this example and the significance of it. One simple thing that you can do with a tool like ChatGPT, but also Anthropic Cloud—these are all generally called generative AI tools. We’re familiar with ChatGPT; there are lots of other competitors like Anthropic Cloud. And you go in and you can send them messages. It looks kind of like text messaging. So one thing you can do with those models like Cloud or ChatGPT is you can go and take a picture of some sushi in your fridge, some leftover sushi, and you can ask it, “Give me a step-by-step recipe to make this along with a complete list of ingredients.” And it can look at that picture of the sushi and tell you a recipe to make it. It’ll identify, “Oh, that’s a roll that’s got salmon and cream cheese,” and give you all the instructions to make it.
Then if you gathered all the ingredients in the same conversation and you made mistakes in gathering the ingredients, it can tell you. If I told you to get these things and you messed up and got yellow rice instead of sushi rice, it would catch that mistake. And this sounds funny and kind of cute—oh, that’s useful, I could go cook dinner tonight. But if you go back to before the release of ChatGPT, even with access to hundreds of PhDs and supercomputing, this was not a solvable problem. They could not build a system that could look at a picture of an arbitrary dish and generate a recipe.
Emily Bose: That’s incredible!
Jules White: And now the ability to do that is in your hands. That’s like one example of an infinite number of things you can get it to do simply by changing your language and what you’re asking it to do. And people don’t realize how transformative this is because it gives you the ability to do something totally new.
One of the first times I realized how wide the impact was going to be was when a Vandy alum, who’s head of investment banking experience at a major investment bank, said, “Where we want to go with this is to put our deal documents into the system and ask it to act as a skeptic, identify our assumptions, and challenge us.” We didn’t have technology that could do that before. That’s transformative across any domain—help me find gaps in my reasoning or planning. It’s going to reshape everything we do.
Emily Bose: That’s so interesting. I have so many different thoughts and follow-up questions. I know one thing because I’ve spent a lot of time in the hiring space and recruiting, and people will say, “Oh, throw your resume in ChatGPT and have it give you feedback or change or summarize things.” And I have some level of concern around privacy. If I’m just going to ChatGPT.com and putting very personal information in there, is that something that should be a concern? I’m assuming an investment bank is using a private version of it. What do you think about privacy concerns?
Jules White: First off, privacy and security should always be a concern, and we should always pay attention. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing; you should always have that as a concern. I think that what people worry about in this space probably comes from misunderstanding the technology and what the companies actually do. If you pay for ChatGPT or Anthropic Cloud and read their privacy policies, you’d feel pretty secure in that. It’s no different, in my perspective, than using online email, which often has fewer privacy guarantees. But read the privacy policies thoroughly and decide if you’re comfortable.
You can also go into ChatGPT, for example, and say, “I want to do a temporary chat,” and they won’t train on that. Individuals can absolutely get private access.
Emily Bose: That’s good to know. So, if you are concerned about privacy, read the agreements and maybe pay for a version that ensures privacy, or do a temporary chat.
Jules White: Right. And, you know, my personal opinion is if you think about it, the moment that my personal information shows up in somebody else’s chat, I’d freak out. Companies are very conscious of that risk. It’s important to know, but it doesn’t keep me up at night.
Emily Bose: I know you’re a guru of prompting. In the military community, we’ve been helping people connect the dots between their experience and how to find their way in the civilian space. Are there ways people could utilize generative AI in that type of vein?
Jules White: When using this technology, it’s about changing your approach to solve problems. I teach classes on generative AI and prompt engineering, and I have over five hundred thousand students in my classes. Instead of looking for specific prompts, focus on rethinking how you approach the problems. For instance, if you want to live in Nashville, you might start by giving it rich information about your background and goals, then ask it to help you think about the industries in Nashville, major employers, and how you might be marketable to them.
One way to get more out of it is to have it ask you questions to gather information until it has enough to give you a meaningful solution. You could upload a job description, ask it to help prepare a cover letter, or even have it guide you through a mock interview. And if you think about it, that couldn’t be done before.
Emily Bose: That’s a great point. Last week, I spoke with Charlie Upagian, a data science professor at Belmont, and we discussed veterans being encouraged to get cybersecurity certifications. The assumption is that these certs guarantee a job, which isn’t always true. Do you think learning AI prompting and problem-solving is a more actionable skill?
Jules White: My father once said, “Your security comes from your capabilities.” Developing your own skills gives you real security. Certifications are helpful, but prompt engineering is essential because it’s like an exoskeleton for the mind. It amplifies creativity and problem-solving. So, when you go into an interview prepared with generative AI skills, you’ll stand out because you’ll be able to do things others can’t.
My colleague, Doug Schmidt, Director of Operational Test and Evaluation for the Department of Defense, observed that generative AI is a field where, with about a year and a half of experience, you can be a world expert. Most disciplines take decades, but in generative AI, you can set yourself apart very quickly. It’s a tremendous growth area.
Emily Bose: That’s so interesting. So, in your view, should someone coming out of the military pursue an AI-focused degree? Or is there a path into this for those who can’t go to school right now?
Jules White: Start by saying, you don’t need a degree to get into this. There are affordable courses on Coursera. Don’t think of it as, “I’m learning prompt engineering to get a specific role.” Every company will expect prompt engineering skills in the future, so it will become a differentiator in every role. But if you want a degree, ensure it’s generative AI-focused, not just general AI. Generative AI was a quantum leap, and you want a degree that’s forward-looking.
Emily Bose: Would it be beneficial for someone to get a business degree in healthcare operations and then add generative AI skills?
Jules White: Absolutely. The goal is to give yourself a competitive advantage in your field. For example, in nursing, Vanderbilt’s School of Nursing is using generative AI in simulations. In cybersecurity, generative AI can simulate adversary behavior, which helps teams practice defense in realistic scenarios. It’s about applying generative AI to different disciplines.
Emily Bose: That’s so helpful. Thank you, Jules. I want to be mindful of your time. Could you share your thoughts on why Nashville is an exciting place for someone interested in AI?
Jules White: Nashville, and specifically Vanderbilt, is leading in generative AI. Vanderbilt provides generative AI infrastructure to every faculty, staff, and student, and every school is innovating with it. Healthcare is a big sector here, and we have leaders applying generative AI in healthcare and other areas. You also have companies like FortyAU and Barge Design that are embracing it. I believe Nashville has an ecosystem poised to compete and lead in this space.
Emily Bose: That’s incredible. It sounds like there’s a lot of opportunity here. And we love giving veterans unfair competitive advantages, as they deserve that support. Thank you for your insights, Jules. We’re so grateful for your time and wisdom today.
Jules White: Thank you so much for having me.
