President Mary Parr opened the meeting by leading in the Pledge of Allegiance and the invocation.
PROGRAM: Member Chris Shulby presented this morning's program, “The Real History of AI - Software and the Voices We Talk To”. He has worked in the field of AI for 20 years in speech engineering. Included in that was working on Bixby in 5 European languages and being a part of developing Kid Tech and Fire Tablet. They worked in a 9-person team including 6 developers.
AI is a system that performs tasks once done by humans and is a type of software. It is used for proofing, searching for problem resolution, planning and gaining background information or answers to questions. It is not meant to replace humans but to enhance what humans can do and often the speed with which they can accomplish their tasks.
Chris listed a five-part history of AI. First was a simple idea and then public skepticism of whether it would work or not. The decision of whether it would work or not depended on the input that humans gave to the idea. Next came the Gaming Graphics Cards which often had fancy lights and sound. During this time speech recognition came about as a possibility. Third was the building of a model and then the explanation of that model. The construction occupied only about 15% of the time involved while the explanation process was 85%. Evidence was here that people and not just computers are important to the process. The input is important and when things break they still need people to make adjustments or repairs. When people worry about robots taking over jobs, they probably will not, but will make things easier.
Fourth, when voices became a significant part of AI, voices needed to sound real and also the similarity of words and differences in meaning of the same words needed to be addressed. We have so many homonyms in the the English language, and that brought a set of challenges for AI as tools like Bixby and Siri were developed. And finally there are constant changes for developers. Testing needs to continually happen so that the correct tools are built and do not lead to errors. Chris said that in the long run, as we learn more and more about how to use AI, it will give people more time. If you have further questions or want to have a discussion about this, Chris is very knowledgeable.
BUSINESS MEETING:
Mary thanked Steve Dunton and Dave Renninger for getting us checked in this morning.
CELEBRATIONS:
Rotary Anniversaries: John Long is celebrating 37 years as a Rotarian while Tom Loepp has 30 years. Bob Oborn has 17 years this week and Mary Dula, 8 years. Wow, that is 92 years of service altogether!
Wedding Anniversaries: Jeff Film and his wife, Jennifer will celebrate 34 years of marriage this Saturday.
Birthday: We sang to Nancy Binzel this morning to wish her happy birthday.
Drawing: Leslee Salhany had a great chance to win the pot today but drew the 8 of hearts, so the pot will continue to grow.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Speaker Request: Mary reminded us that this year we are no longer asking the Program Host to provide a joke. Instead, they are to tell us the best thing that happened in the past week and what their hope is for a good thing in the coming week.
Foodbank: Steve Dunton reminded us that our next time to serve will be Wednesday, September 9 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Foodbank. All hands are needed!
Board Meeting: Our next Board Meeting will be Friday, September 11 at 7:15 a.m. at City Hall.
Summer Sunset Blast: We will not be participating in Summer Sunset Blast this year due to a lack of people signing up to help.
District Membership Event:Bob Oborn stressed information from the District Membership Committee of a September 17th event. He told us that in the first three years of membership we lose 70% of new members. So, in the hope of building connections, an event is being held on at Lions Park in Cuyahoga Falls at 6:00 p.m. Then at 7:00 the group will move to the Hi Ho Brewery for fellowship. Newer members are encouraged to attend but members who have been around longer also need to be there. Sponsors…can you invite those whom you brought in? Contact Bob Oborn for further information at 330-801-0159.
Reverse Raffle: Gale Stawiery, Chairperson stressed that things are moving along very well. Committees are at work on their projects, Almost all of the tickets are sold and people just need to return their money and stubsto Dick Hall. Annette Oborn stressed that donated bottles of wine are needed for the wine pull. Lindsey Malin asked that we donate $10 and $15 gift cards to her. Of course, Silent Auction baskets or money to purchase basket items are still needed. Andy Denton explained that seating can begin to be worked on by she ahd Karen Monbeck as soon as the list is available. If you have a group that wishes to be seated together, please make sure that the tickets are paid for and that everyone agrees that they wish to be at that table. Then, please give the written list to Andy, even if it is only a group of four. Tables will basically be in groups of 8 but 10 is possible. Volunteer Meeting: The next meeting of the Reverse Raffle volunteers will be on Monday evening September 21 at the FOP Lodge. Look for more information from Gale soon.
Citizens for Non-Partisan Politics in Stow Nancy Binzel announced that this year's candidate night will be on Wednesday, September 23 at The Center. Doors open at 6:00 with the meeting beginning at 6:30. Candidates have been invited from Ohio Congress District13, Ohio House District 34, Summit County Council at Large and judges from Common Pleas, Juvenile, Domestic Relations, Probate and 9th District Court of Appeals. This event is free and open to the public.
Adopt a Spot: Marty Tass said that although our spot is looking good, we need one more person to volunteer. Thanks, John Long for helping out!
Emergency Response for Seniors: Bob Oborn revisited the idea of our club being involved in responding to emergencies, such as a power outage for senior citizens. This project was born out of the district with cooperation of the City of Stow, with us becoming a pilot project for the plan This was brought before the club about a year ago but has taken this time to go through the legal and insurance requirements. We will basically be assisting first responders during times of extended power outages in responding to the needs of seniors. Those desiring the service will be able to sign up at an emergency response session on Friday September 25. They would agree to be called with the understanding that if they did not respond to the call, they could receive a visit to their home to check on them. Participants would know that they are visited by Rotarians because they would wear bright yellow vests labeled Rotary. Post cards were mailed to 14,000 people in the city and since registration was filled in 2 days, a second date will be set. 4-6 Rotarians are needed on Friday, September 25 from 9:00 until noon to register individuals. For those Rotarians who agree to be part of the response team, there will be special training. Contact Bob Oborn at 330-801-0159 for further information.
President Mary closed the meeting by leading us in the Rotary Four-Way Test.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Saturday September 6 and Sunday September 7 Summer Sunset Blast, but we will not be having a booth this year.
Wednesday, September 9, 7:30 a.m. regular morning meeting at The Center when Bryan Mauk will be our speaker on “End It For Good”.
Wednesday, September 9, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Volunteer time at the Akron Canton Foodbank
Friday, September 11, 7:15 a.m. Board Meeting at City Hall.
Thursday, September 17, at Lions Park in Cuyahoga Falls, Membership event
Monday, September 21 in the evening, Reverse Raffle Volunteer Meeting at the FOP Lodge.
Wednesday, September 23, 6:30p.m. Citizens for Non-Partisan Politics in Stow at The Center
Friday, September 25, 9:00-noon at the Senior Center: Emergency Response for Seniors
Wednesday, September 30, Fifth Wednesday, so no morning meeting.
Wednesday, October 14 in the evening Reverse Raffle/Silent Auction, No morning meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Denton