Here is the daily technology #threadcast for 9/19/24. We aim to educate people about this crucial area along with providing information of what is taking place.
Drop all question, comments, and articles relating to #technology and the future. The goal is make it a technology center.
It's really cool to see what inventions were like in the past and realize that some have developed to the point that today we have several things that were inspired by various inventions from hundreds of years ago.
https://inleo.io/threads/view/coyotelation/re-kmxkdefiba?referral=coyotelation
Adult-content creators call for inclusion in AI policy talks
https://www.euractiv.com/section/platforms/news/tech-policys-blind-spot-adult-industry-urges-focus-on-sex-workers-rights/
#Ai #news #tech
Amazing how #technology and porn go together. It seems they both drive each other.
It's pretty crazy to imagine that with just your mind, it's possible to play Mario Kart.
A game that requires a lot of quick thinking and dexterity.
#technology
https://inleo.io/threads/view/coyotelation/re-cjsscgnmtp?referral=coyotelation
We are embarking upon some interesting times.
You're right, the future will be incredible and the curious thing is that Elon Musk said that in a maximum of 2 or 3 years, anyone with a brain implant could be better than any professional player in games.
I would say it will be 10 years before we see this become commonplace.
But there are a lot of things happening in the near to medium term with regards to technology.
I found an article and will put it on the threadcast that talks about exactly this.
This period of 10 years will undoubtedly be enough time for these things to become quite common.
A lot is changing. We are only 22 months into the "chatbot era".
I'm surprised by this period. I had no idea it would already be 22 months.
I know that this year 2024 has boomed, but it's nice to know that things are moving forward quickly.
You are absolutely right, happy weekend
Just yesterday I read an information my friend, (I wish it were so,) from my friend Elon talking about Neuralink's Blindsight device will allow even those who have lost both eyes and the optic nerve to see.
#technology
That was mentioned. Not sure of the potentiality.
It was also surmised that they might be able to give sight to people who were born blind.
Hello technology!
Neuralink is taking a new step towards a great challenge, to create a project to make a blind person see.
It could be a huge breakthrough. Imagine being able to solve blindness.
This is the goal, from what I heard, everyone who has their frontal cortex intact will be able to do it.
Not only for the blind, and of course the main target will be them, but in the future, anyone who wants to improve their vision to ultraviolet and infrared will be able to do so thanks to the chip.
Get ready to have your brain connected.
I'm honestly wondering if I'll accept this... Maybe yes, maybe no...
I just know that in the future this will be something very common.
Yeah. It will not be as invasive as it is today. I bet it will be simply sticking on or head.
If it's like that I'll be calmer hahaha...
I hope it's something quite simple. I know it's a machine that performs the entire surgical procedure to place the chip in the brain.
Salesforce’s Bold New AI Move!
Salesforce is stepping up its AI game with a big update! They're rolling out generative AI tools that don’t need human oversight, aiming to handle tasks fully on their own. And here’s the kicker: they’ve also changed their pricing, now it's just $2 per AI-powered conversation. This shift is partly to ease investor worries that automation might hit their subscription-based revenue streams. These new AI tools promise to be way more efficient than the chatbots and copilots we’re used to.
> S👁️URCE <
Forklift drivers are cooked
https://inleo.io/shorts/opinizeunltd/re-zsjdgtrkdp
It is where things are heading, that is for sure. Great share.
Hollywood Meets AI: Runway Teams Up with Lionsgate!
Runway, an AI startup, just joined forces with Lionsgate to shake up the way movies get made. They're working on a video generation model that could give filmmakers new creative tools, while cutting costs. Lionsgate, known for keeping budgets tight, sees this as a big win. But not everyone's thrilled, there are still worries about how AI might impact jobs in the film industry. Will this tech revolutionize filmmaking or risk people's livelihoods? Only time will tell!
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🍎 Big Changes Coming to Your Emails! 🍏
Apple’s new AI is about to shake up how your inbox looks! Emails will soon be sorted, summarized, and displayed differently, so clear, engaging text will be more important than ever. Marketers, heads up: make sure your subject lines and preheaders are on point, add alt text for images, and avoid sending emails that are just one big image. Test your messages across devices using tools like Email on Acid or Litmus to see how they’ll actually appear. This update could change how your content is received, so take the time to adjust now!
> S👁️URCE <
Meet Neo Beta: The Future of Home Robots!
1X, backed by OpenAI, just teased its latest creation, Neo Beta, a humanoid robot that’s here to shake things up! In their new video, Neo poses casually with a human, hinting at a new level of connection between us and robots. What’s cool? They’re planning to bring Neo into homes to help with everyday tasks, and even assist people with mobility issues. Some will soon be deployed for research, bringing the future of home robots even closer. Curious to see it in action? Check out the video!
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🚨 New YouTube Feature: Hype Your Favorite Creators! 🚨
YouTube just dropped a new feature called "Hype", designed to help smaller channels grow. Here’s how it works: you can now "hype" videos with a special button, and the most-hyped videos in each country will hit a leaderboard. It’s a cool way to give a shout-out to your favorite creators and help others discover them. Plus, YouTube keeps it fresh by making sure the leaderboard changes often. Every week, you'll get a summary showing how the videos you hyped are doing. Ready to boost some hidden gems?
> S👁️URCE <
Free Wi-Fi on United Airlines? It's Happening!
Heads up, frequent flyers! United Airlines just teamed up with SpaceX to bring Starlink internet to all its flights by 2025. That means free Wi-Fi for every passenger, no more juggling different providers with spotty service. Starlink stands out because it offers fast, global coverage—perfect for streaming or working mid-air. Plus, the new tech is easier to install, thanks to smaller satellite terminals. So, get ready for smoother, faster in-flight internet on your next trip!
> S👁️URCE <
Neuralink's Visionary Leap: FDA Approves Breakthrough Device!
Neuralink just got a major win from the FDA! Their new device, ‘Blindsight’, aims to help people who’ve lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see again. It’s received the FDA's "breakthrough" tag, which is meant to speed up the process for life-changing medical tech. Right now, Neuralink is already testing an implant to help paralyzed people control devices with their minds, but there’s no word yet on when ‘Blindsight’ will be tested in humans. Keep an eye on this, it could be a game-changer!
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A tech firm stole our voices - then cloned and sold them
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0jpq13m/-a-tech-firm-stole-our-voices-then-cloned-and-sold-them-
#news #dailydook
Snap's New Spectacles: Only for Developers!
Snap’s latest Spectacles just dropped, and while they’re packed with upgrades, like a brighter display and longer battery life, you can’t buy them. Instead, they’re available only to developers creating AR lenses for Snapchat. To get a pair, developers need to apply through Snap’s Lens Studio and pay $99 a month to rent them for at least a year. If you’re in the AR game, this is a big deal, but for everyone else, we’ll have to wait and see how these enhanced glasses shape future experiences on Snapchat.
> S👁️URCE <
The iPhone 16 is Apple's most repair-friendly product in many ways.
https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/mobile-tabs/iphone-16-repairability-features-9576614/lite/
New iPhone 16 unveiled in Russia as retailers skirt Apple's export ban
https://www.reuters.com/technology/new-iphone-16-unveiled-russia-retailers-skirt-apples-export-ban-2024-09-19/
#apple #products
Billionaire tech CEO says bosses shouldn't 'BS' employees about the impact AI will have on jobs
Business leaders shouldn't "BS" employees about the impact of AI on jobs, according to one tech billionaire, who says they should be transparent and honest.
Corporate leaders can't "bulls---" their employees about the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce and the ways in which the technology will affect jobs more broadly, according to one tech billionaire.
#technology #ai #jobs
Jim Kavanaugh, the CEO of World Wide Technology (WWT), told CNBC that people are "too smart" to accept that AI won't change the way that they manage their work and that no jobs will be eliminated due to the transformative nature of the technology.
WWT is an enterprise technology solutions provider that focuses on services such as cloud computing, IT security, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and consulting services.
"If you think you're going to try to game this, and that you're going to tell employees nothing's going to change, and everything's going to be fine, that's just BS," Kavanaugh said in an interview last week.
Kavanaugh noted that, though there is no playbook for how business leaders should communicate disruptive macroeconomic events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on jobs, the job of a CEO is "to be as transparent as possible and always honest with their employees about where they stand."
With AI, "there's going to be all kinds of changes," Kavanaugh added. "If I could give any advice, it's that everybody should be a student of AI and tech and not be afraid of it."
Even though it's a given AI will impact the workforce, "none of us have it all completely figured out," he said. "If anybody comes in and tells you, 'I can tell you exactly how this is going to impact jobs and how it's going to impact everything we're doing,' they're lying. Because nobody knows."
Kavanaugh stressed that, overall, he's an optimist when it comes to AI's positive impacts and its ability to improve productivity.
"Sitting there and saying, 'I'm going to try to throw cold water on this fire, I'm going to try to put it out and ignore it,' that's a complete mistake."
"I believe in embracing [AI] and learning and being realistic about it. Because there will be jobs that will be disrupted, there's no question about that. But, for the most part, I truly believe it will be an enhancer and an accelerator of what we're all doing," Kavanaugh told CNBC.
Kavanaugh co-founded WWT in 1990 with fellow St. Louis, Missouri-based entrepreneur David Steward as a reseller of technology equipment. Today, WWT is a tech giant in its own right, generating revenues of $20 billion annually.
Kavanaugh currently has a net worth of $7 billion, according to real-time data from business news magazine Forbes. Prior to co-founding the company, Kavanaugh represented the U.S. national soccer team in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Is AI a job destroyer, or job creator?
The paper further noted that, in the U.S. and Europe, "roughly two-thirds of current jobs are exposed to some degree of AI automation," while generative AI "could substitute up to one-fourth of current work."
Kavanaugh's not the only one who sees positive effects stemming from the use of AI in the world of work. Clara Shih, Salesforce's head of AI, told CNBC that there are jobs that will disappear due to the disruptive impact of the technology.
Whether new technology will replace jobs is "a question that's been asked throughout time," Shih said, referring to the creation of automation tools in factories, farming vehicles and machinery, and the internet as examples.
"There are a subset of jobs that are going to go away," Shih said. "The internet destroyed a lot of jobs. But then it created brand new ones that we couldn't have even imagined in 1999."
Ultimately, AI will be a positive force in the world of work, leading to new jobs, according to Shih. However, what our job descriptions look like might change.
CEO of self-driving startup Motional is stepping down
Motional, the autonomous vehicle startup backed by Hyundai, is shaking up its leadership ranks. Karl Iagnemma, an early pioneer
Motional, the autonomous vehicle startup backed by Hyundai, is shaking up its leadership ranks. Karl Iagnemma, an early pioneer in the autonomous vehicle industry whose startup Nutonomy lies at the foundation of Motional, is stepping down as president and CEO.
#technology #newsonleo #motional
Iagnemma will move over to a senior strategy advisor role, while CTO Laura Major will become interim CEO, according to a company announcement that was released Wednesday evening. Major will also maintain her CTO role.
Motional didn’t provide a reason for the change, although one source familiar told TechCrunch the decision was amicable. In a statement, Iagnemma said he was honored to serve as CEO and is “immensely proud of the progress” the team has made toward developing and deploying safe autonomous vehicles.
Iagnemma has been a central figure not just at Motional, but within the autonomous vehicle industry. Iagnemma and Emilio Frazzoli, who became well known in academic circles for their robotics and AV research, were part of the MIT team that participated in DARPA’s autonomous vehicle research and development program called the Urban Challenge in 2007. The pair would go on to found AV startup Nutonomy (stylized as nuTonomy) in 2013.
Nutonomy never received the same amount of media attention as other bigger and better funded AV players like the Google self-driving project, now known as Waymo. However, it got the attention of investors and the automotive and tech industry when it became the first to deploy a public trial of a self-driving car service in Singapore in August 2016. A little more than a year later, Nutonomy was acquired by Delphi — now known as Aptiv — for $450 million.
When Hyundai and Aptiv formed a $4 billion joint venture in 2019 called Motional to commercialize autonomous vehicles, Iagnemma took the top leadership role.
Motional has made progress on its push to launch a commercial robotaxi. However, it has also faced a challenging funding environment that delayed its plans. Earlier this year, automotive supplier Aptiv — the other half of the joint venture — said it would no longer allocate capital toward the endeavor.
Hyundai ultimately stepped forward and in May agreed to invest another $1 billion into Motional. Hyundai made a $475 million direct investment in Motional and spent another $448 million to buy 11% of Aptiv’s common equity interest. The deal gave Hyundai a majority stake, while providing the self-driving startup with the necessary capital to keep operating.
But it came with a cost. Motional laid off about 550 people, paused commercial operations, and delayed plans to launch a robotaxi service with its next-gen Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxis until 2026 as part of a restructuring. The commercial operations included taxi rides in autonomous Hyundai Ioniq 5 vehicles in Las Vegas via the Uber and Lyft network.
The company also ended deliveries using its autonomous vehicles for Uber Eats customers in Santa Monica. A human safety operator was behind the wheel in all of its commercial operations.
The restructuring was designed to make progress on the core technology and the business model while preserving capital, sources familiar with the changes said at the time.
Article
India weighs easing market share limits for UPI payment operators
The governing body overseeing India's popular UPI payments rail is considering increasing its proposed market share cap for operators like Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm.
The governing body overseeing India’s popular UPI payments rail is considering easing its proposed market share cap for operators like Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm as it struggles to enforce limitations, two people familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.
#newsonleo #india #technology
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which reports to India’s central bank, is considering increasing the market share that UPI operators are allowed to hold to more than 40%, the two people said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information. The regulator had previously proposed a 30% market share limit to encourage competition in the space.
UPI has become the most widely used way people send and receive money in India, and the mechanism processes over 12 billion transactions a month. Walmart-backed PhonePe commands roughly 48% market share by volume and 50% by value, while Google Pay holds a 37.3% share by volume.
Paytm, once a heavyweight in the space, has seen its market share drop to 7.2% from 11% at the end of last year amid regulatory challenges.
The NPCI increasing market share limits is likely to be a controversial move, as several UPI providers have been hoping regulators would step in to curb the dominance of PhonePe and Google Pay, according to several industry executives.
The NPCI, which has so far declined to comment on the market share issue, did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
The regulator had initially planned to enforce the market share limits in January 2021, but pushed back the deadline to January 1, 2025. The regulator has struggled to find a feasible way to enforce its market share limits proposal.
The stakes are high, particularly for PhonePe, which is the most valuable fintech startup in India, with a $12 billion valuation.
PhonePe’s co-founder and chief executive, Sameer Nigam, last month said that the startup cannot go public “if there is uncertainty on the regulatory side.”
“If you are buying a share at Rs 100 and you price it assuming we have 48-49% market share, then there is an uncertainty about whether it will come down to 30% and by when,” Nigam said at a fintech conference last month. “We are requesting them (the regulator) if they can find another way to at least solve whatever their concerns are or tell us what the list of concerns is,” he added.
Article
YouTube launches Communities, a Discord-like space for creators and fans to interact with each other
The space, called “Communities,” is kind of like a Discord server built into a creator's channel.
At its Made On YouTube event on Wednesday, the company announced a new dedicated space for creators to interact with their fans and viewers. The space, called “Communities,” is kind of like a Discord server built into a creator’s channel. With Communities, YouTube is hoping creators won’t need to use other platforms like Discord or Reddit in order to interact with viewers.
#youtube #discord #technology #newsonleo
Communities are a space for viewers to post and interact with other fans directly within a creator’s channel. In the past, viewers have been limited to leaving comments on a creator’s video. Now, they can share their own content in a creator’s Community to interact with other fans over shared interests. For instance, a fitness creator’s Community could include posts from fans who are sharing videos and photos from their most recent hike.
To start, the feature is only available to subscribers.
“You know that feeling, that magic, that joy that comes from finding a group of people that just get you,” said Bangaly Kaba, director of Product Management at YouTube, during the event. “Communities is a place where you can choose to create that with your fans. This is a place where you and your fans can come together to build even deeper connections over the topics and videos you love, not just posting updates between uploaders or asking for opinions or ideas, but for the first time, subscribers will spark their own discussions with you and with each other.”
The company sees Communities as a dedicated space for conversation and connection, while still allowing creators to maintain control over their content. Conversations in Communities are meant to flow over time, YouTube says, as they would in any other forum-style setting.
The new Communities feature shouldn’t be confused with YouTube’s Community feature, which is a space for creators to share text and images with viewers. The feature launched back in 2016, and doesn’t allow viewers to interact with each other.
YouTube is testing Communities now on mobile devices with a small group of creators. The company plans to test the feature with more creators later this year before expanding access to additional channels in early 2025.
China's Alibaba launches over 100 new open-source AI models, releases text-to-video generation tool
Alibaba is hoping its latest AI offerings may tempt customers around the world to sign up to its cloud services.
Alibaba on Thursday released more than 100 open-source artificial intelligence models and boosted the capabilities of its proprietary technology as it looks to ramp up competition with rivals.
#ai #alibaba #china #technology #newsonleo #opensource
The newly-released models, known as Qwen 2.5, are designed for use in applications and sectors ranging from automobiles to gaming and science research, Alibaba said. They have more advanced capabilities in math and coding, it added.
The Hangzhou-headquartered firm is looking to increase competition with domestic rivals such as Baidu and Huawei, as well as U.S. titans like Microsoft and OpenAI.
AI models are trained on huge amounts of data. Alibaba says its models have the abiltiy to understand prompts and generate texts and images.
Open-source means that anyone — including researchers, academics and companies — around the world can use the models to create their own generative AI apps without needing to train their own systems, saving time and expense. By open sourcing the models, Alibaba hopes more users will use its AI.
The Chinese e-commerce giant first launched its Tongyi Qianwen, or Qwen, model last year. Since then, it has released improved versions and says that, to date, its open source models have been downloaded 40 million times.
The company also said that it upgraded its proprietary flagship model called Qwen-Max, which is not open-source. Instead, Alibaba sells its capabilites through its cloud computing products to businesses. Alibaba said that Qwen Max 2.5-Max surpassed rivals such as Meta's Llama and OpenAI's GPT4 in several areas inclduing reasoning and language comprehension.
Alibaba also launched a new text-to-video tool based on its AI models. This allows users to input a prompt and the AI will create a video based on it. This is similar to OpenAI's Sora.
"Alibaba Cloud is investing, with unprecedented intensity, in the research and development of AI technology and the building of its global infrastructure," Eddie Wu, CEO of Alibaba, said in a statement.
Wu, who took over the role of CEO at Alibaba last year amid a historic reshuffle, has been trying to reinvigorate growth at the tech giant, as it faces headwinds including rising competition and a sluggish Chinese consumer.
Alibaba is one of the biggest cloud computing players in China, but internationally, it trails the likes of Amazon and Microsoft. The company is hoping that its latest AI offerings may tempt customers inside and outside of China to sign up to its cloud services, boosting a division which has been sluggish but showed early sign of an acceleration in the June quarter.
The most important thing for Leo right now is to build the database.
OpenAI spent years gathering data before they released their first public chatbot.
This is what the community needs to focus upon.
#technology
Brightband sees a bright (and open-source) future for AI-powered weather forecasting
With an explosion of weather and climate data that the last generation of tools can't handle, is AI the future of forecasting? Research certainly suggests
With an explosion of weather and climate data that the last generation of tools can’t handle, is AI the future of forecasting?
Research certainly suggests so, and a newly funded startup called Brightband is taking a shot at turning machine learning forecast models into both a business and open source standard.
#newsonleo #ai #technology #brightband
Today’s weather prediction and climate monitoring techniques are rooted in statistical and numerical models that are going on decades old. That doesn’t mean they’re bad or wrong — just not particularly efficient. These physics-based models are the kind of thing you set aside a few weeks on a supercomputer for.
But AI has a knack for pulling patterns out of large bodies of data, and research has shown that, when AI is trained on years of weather patterns and observations around the world, it can predict upcoming events with surprising accuracy.
So why isn’t it being used all over the place?
“The reason there’s this gap is that the government finds it hard to attract top talent, as do weather companies, while for these tech companies, weather is not their core industry. They don’t go deep into the domain and work with the players to give them the tools they need,” explained Julian Green, CEO and co-founder of Brightband (formerly known as OpenEarthAI). “We think a startup brings great AI people, great data people, and great weather people together. There’s a real opportunity to operationalize AI and make it available to everyone.”
The startup is in the process of designing its own model trained on years of weather observation data, but Daniel Rothenberg, co-founder and head of data and weather, was quick to note that they’re “standing on the shoulders of giants.”
“The big physics-based models are monsters,” he said. “But AI is the beneficiary of those models — the first leap was taking advantage of them, finding that the models really can learn those patterns. We’re building on top of that and extending it. We’re shooting for state of the art: as good or better than the available global weather forecasting.”
t would also be orders of magnitude faster, Green noted. “That’s sort of the core disruption: it’s faster and cheaper,” making it more suitable to custom and fast-moving use cases.
“People have very specific needs across different industries,” Green went on. “Energy companies need to be able to predict the supply of renewables from wind and sun, and demand for heating and cooling; transportation companies need to avoid extreme weather; agriculture needs to plan weeks out to hire people to seed, water, fertilize, or harvest.”
Interestingly, the company is committing to releasing its models for anyone to use.
“Our goal is to open source the basic forecasting capability, not just the model but the data you use to train it, and the metrics you use to evaluate it, bus model is to layer on top, paid-for services for more specific capabilities,” Green said.
I suggested that this seemed almost like they were doing what the National Weather Service (which provides tons of observational data and forecasts for free as a public service) and other agencies would do if they could.
Green demurred, saying they work closely with those agencies and that they are indeed the keepers of a trove of important data — it just isn’t necessarily the kind of fast, portable data that a highly responsive consumer-facing company needs. He said they see this as a continuation of the international collaboration on weather data.
Article
AI governance can't be left to the vested interests
A final report by the UN's high level advisory body on artificial intelligence makes for, at times, a surreal read. Named ‘Governing AI for Humanity’,
A final report by the UN’s high level advisory body on artificial intelligence makes for, at times, a surreal read. Named ‘Governing AI for Humanity’, the document underlines the contradictory challenges of making any kind of governance stick on such a fast developing, massively invested and heavily hyped technology.
#ai #governance #technology #humanity #freedom
On the one hand, the report observes — quite correctly — that there’s “a global governance deficit with respect to AI.” On the other, the UN advisory body dryly points out that: “Hundreds of [AI] guides, frameworks and principles have been adopted by governments, companies and consortiums, and regional and international organizations.” Even as this report adds plus-one-more set of recommendations to the AI governance pile.
The overarching problem the report is highlighting is there’s a patchwork of approaches building up around governing AI, rather than any collective coherence on what to do about a technology that’s both powerful and stupid.
AI automation can certainly be powerful: press the button and you get outputs scaled on demand. But AI can also be stupid because, despite what the name implies, AI is not intelligence; its outputs are a reflection of its inputs; and bad inputs can lead to very bad (and unintelligent) outcomes.
Add scale to stupidity and AI can cause very big problems indeed, as the report highlights. For instance, it can amplify discrimination or spread disinformation. Both of which are already happening, in all sorts of domains, at problematic scale, which leads to very real world harms.
But those with commercial irons in the generative AI fire that’s been raging over the past few years are so in thrall to the potential scale upside of this technology that they’re doing everything they can to downplay the risks of AI stupidity.
In recent years, this has included heavy lobbying about the idea that the world needs rules to protect against so-called AGI (artificial general intelligence), or the concept of an AI that can think for itself and could even out-think humans. But this is a flashy fiction intended to grab policymakers’ attention and focus lawmakers’ minds on non existent AI problems, thereby normalizing the harmful stupidities of current gen AI tools. (So really, the PR game being played is about defining and defusing the notion of concept of “AI Safety” by making it mean let’s just worry about science fiction.)
A narrow definition of AI safety serves to distract from the vast environmental harms of pouring ever more compute power, energy and water into building data centers big enough to feed this voracious new beast of scale. Debates about whether we can afford to keep scaling AI like this are not happening at any high level — but maybe they should be?
The ushered in spector of AGI also serves to direct the conversation to skip over the myriad legal and ethical issues chain-linked to the development and use of automation tools trained on other people’s information without their permission. Jobs and livelihoods are at stake. Even whole industries. And so are individual people’s rights and freedoms.
Words like ‘copyright’ and ‘privacy’ scare AI developers far more than the claimed existential risks of AGI because these are clever people who haven’t actually lost touch with reality.
But those with a vested interest in scaling AI choose to harp only about the potential upside of their innovations in order to minimize the application of any “guardrails” (to use the minimalist metaphor of choice when technologists are finally forced to apply limits to their tech) standing in the way of achieving greater profits.
Toss in geopolitical rivalries and a bleak global economic picture and nation states’ governments can often be all too willing to join the AI hype and fray, pushing for less governance in the hopes it might help them scale their own national AI champions.
With such a skewed backdrop, is it any wonder AI governance remains such a horribly confusing and tangled mess? Even in the European Union where, earlier this year, lawmakers did actually adopt a risk-based framework for regulating a minority of applications of AI, the loudest voices discussing this landmark effort are still decrying its existence and claiming the law spells dooms for the bloc’s chances of homegrown innovation. And they’re doing that even after the law got watered down after earlier tech industry lobbying (led by France, with its eye on the interests of Mistral, its hope for a national GenAI champion).
Phlair's carbon sucking technology could lower direct air capture's costs
The startup is taking a different approach to removing carbon dioxide from the air than most of its competitors.
When it comes to climate change, there’s no such thing as a “get out of jail free” card. But there might be an inexpensive alternative: direct air capture.
The technology isn’t exactly an exoneration, but more like community service; it promises to suck massive amounts of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, atoning for our century-plus of transgressive burning of fossil fuels. Scientifically, it’s a sound idea. Commercially, it has been less so.
#newsonleo #technology
Currently, it costs about $600 to $1,000 to capture a metric ton of carbon, which is far more than anyone thinks is commercially viable. So myriad startups are racing to cut costs, aiming to capture one metric ton of carbon dioxide for $100 or less.
Even at that price, it could be a difficult sell since burning fossil fuels remains, for the most part, free. But many investors and even a few multinational corporations like Microsoft, Shopify, and Stripe are betting that eventually, the world will embrace direct air capture, much like how we treat wastewater today instead of dumping it into a river.
Larger startups like Climeworks and Carbon Engineering are betting that scale will help rein costs in. Both companies use sorbents to draw out the carbon dioxide and use heat to release it from the sorbents so it can be stored elsewhere.
Smaller startups suggest that scale alone won’t be enough, though. “Thermal regeneration is always the expensive step, energy wise,” said Malte Feucht, co-founder and CEO of Phlair, a young direct air capture startup. He may have a point. One study says that capturing a meaningful amount of carbon, around 10 gigatons per year, using Carbon Engineering’s approach would require nearly three-quarters of all the electricity generated in the world today.
Feucht’s company thinks that a different approach that doesn’t rely on heat might help bring costs down. Like most direct air capture companies, Phlair uses fans to blow air over an absorber. But instead of heating the sorbent, it uses an acid to liberate the carbon dioxide. To produce the acid and base used in the process, Phlair, formerly known as Carbon Atlantis, developed a device it calls a hydrolyzer.
The hydrolyzer borrows heavily from the hydrogen industry, taking elements from both membrane-based electrolyzers and membrane-based fuel cells, Feucht said. (An electrolyzer makes hydrogen using electricity, whereas a fuel cell consumes hydrogen to produce it.)
“Instead of hydrogen, we only produce acids and bases,” he said.
Phlair’s DAC machine employs what’s known as the “pH swing” method to capture carbon dioxide. Inside, the basic (high pH) solvent absorbs carbon dioxide as it flows through the air contractor. After the saturated solvent exits the contractor, it is dumped into a tank where it’s doused with acid (low pH). That swing in pH from high to low spurs a chemical reaction that releases the carbon dioxide so it can be piped elsewhere to be used or stored. The solvent then flows back into the hydrolyzer where it’s regenerated.
Phlair is deploying a pilot in the next few weeks, Feucht said, that can capture around 10 metric tons of carbon per year. After that, the startup is working on larger, 260-metric-ton plants that are scheduled to come online in late 2025. One being built with Paebble in the Netherlands will deliver carbon to help make a cement additive, while the other in Canada will be built with Deep Sky, a carbon removal project developer, which will store the carbon.
The DAC startup has already sold a number of carbon credits to organizations like Frontier, which works with Alphabet, Meta, Shopify, Stripe, and others to create an advanced market commitment for direct air capture.
To help complete the larger projects, Phlair has raised a €12 million seed round along with a €2.5 million grant from the EU’s EIC Accelerator. Exantia Capital led the investment round with Atlantic Labs, Counteract, Planet A, UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators, and Verve Ventures participating.
Article
China would love a domestic Nvidia rival — but that's proving quite the challenge
Chinese firms face a number of challenges in trying to rival Nvidia including contending with U.S. export restrictions and a lack of tech expertise.
Chinese companies are ramping up efforts to produce a viable alternative to Nvidia's chips that power artificial intelligence as Beijing continues its efforts to wean itself off American technology.
U.S. sanctions slapped on China over the past few years, along with Nvidia's dominance in the space, have provided big challenges for Bejing's efforts, at least in the short term, analysts told CNBC.
#nvidia #chips #china #technology
Nvidia's well-documented boom has been driven by large cloud computing players buying its server products which contain its graphics processing units, or GPUs. These chips are enabling companies, such as ChatGPT maker OpenAI, to train their huge AI models on massive amounts of data.
These AI models are fundamental to applications like chatbots and other emerging AI applications.
CNBC spoke to analysts who identified some of China's leading contenders that are looking to challenge Nvidia, including technology giants Huawei, Alibaba and Baidu and startups such as Biren Technology and Enflame.
The overarching view is that they are lagging behind Nvidia at this point.
"These companies have made notable progress in developing AI chips tailored to specific applications (ASICs)," Wei Sun, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC.
"However, competing with Nvidia still presents substantial challenges in technological gaps, especially in general-purpose GPU. Matching Nvidia in short-term is unlikely."
Article
Palmer Luckey returns to headsets as Anduril partners with Microsoft on U.S. military tech
Palmer Luckey, the Hawaiian-shirt wearing founder who sold Oculus VR for $2 billion before co-founding the military tech company Anduril
Palmer Luckey, the Hawaiian-shirt wearing founder who sold Oculus VR for $2 billion before co-founding the military tech company Anduril, is back in the headset business — in a sense.
#technology #military #microsoft #palmerluckey
Anduril will soon embed its software into the Integrated Visual Augmentation System headset developed by Microsoft for the U.S. military in 2021.
According to Wired, the software will be incorporated into the head-mounted displays for training; it could also provide soldiers data about drones, ground vehicles, or aerial defense systems beyond their visual range.
“If you have an augmented-reality display that can make you 20 percent more lethal or make someone 10 percent safer, that’s a bigger improvement than just about any piece of gear you could give you,” Luckey tells the outlet.
Anduril has been on a roll this year. In May, it landed a U.S. military contract to build an autonomous fighter jet; last month, it closed on new funding at a $14 billion valuation.
Article
Big News: iPhones & Androids Are Finally Playing Nice!
iOS 18 is bringing RCS support, meaning iPhone and Android users can finally enjoy better messaging together! Say goodbye to blurry pics and messy group chats, now you’ll get clear photos, typing indicators, and read receipts across platforms. It’s a big step forward, but heads up: not every carrier is on board yet, and cross-platform end-to-end encryption is still missing. But hey, at least those awkward “green bubble” texts are getting an upgrade!
> S👁️URCE <
'Partisan politics' is why FCC revoked Starlink's rural internet award says Brendan Carr
The Federal Communication's revoking Starlink's $885 million rural internet award was misguided given its capability, Commissioner Brendan Carr told FOX Business in an interview.
The decision last year by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reaffirm its revocation of an award to SpaceX's Starlink to help connect rural homes and businesses to the internet is drawing criticism in the wake of the FCC chair's call for more competition against Starlink.
#fcc #mancave #Politics #starlink #internet
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr told FOX Business in an interview, "You have an agency that in 2023 says that Starlink is not reasonably capable of providing high-speed internet. And then in 2024, they're saying it's so capable of providing high-speed internet that we're going to toss the word monopoly out there. There's just no way to sort of, I don't think, square what's going on here with a fair application of the law or the facts, it just looks like partisan politics in my view."
"I've got no problem with anyone saying we need more competition, I'm for more competition. But I think it crosses the line when you just casually float the word monopoly out there," Carr said. "Was it said that they are a monopoly? No, but the word monopoly was used in the same speech as saying we need more competition with Starlink."
Four years ago, the FCC launched an initiative that awarded grants to expand high-speed internet access around the country, with SpaceX's Starlink winning an $885 million award to connect over 640,000 homes and businesses. The agency rescinded the award in 2022, arguing Starlink wouldn't be reasonably capable of meeting program requirements, and reaffirmed that decision in Dec. 2023.
What Will Web 4.0 look like? #freecompliments #cent #askleo
EU Commission demands Apple to align interoperability with digital competition rules
https://www.euractiv.com/section/competition/news/eu-commission-demands-apple-to-align-interoperability-with-digital-competition-rules/
#news #cent
Ex-OpenAI Employee LEAKED DOC TO CONGRESS!
AI whistleblower Warns Senate of Rapid AGI Progress
A former OpenAi employee has raised alarm bells about the rapid progress towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) and potential risks it poses. William Saunders, who worked as a member of technical staff at OpenAI for three years, testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee on September 17, 2024, sharing his concerns about the development of AGI and its implications for society.
Defining AGI and Recent Breakthroughs
Saunders referenced OpenAI's definition of AGI as "highly autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable work." This encompasses AI systems capable of long-term planning, adapting to changes, and performing most jobs currently done by humans.
The testimony highlighted recent breakthroughs, including OpenAI's newly announced AI system called OpenAI 1 (mistakenly referred to as GPT-01 in the testimony). This system has achieved significant milestones, including surpassing human performance in prestigious international computer science competitions. Such rapid progress led Saunders to believe that AGI could potentially be developed in as little as three years.
Potential Risks and Concerns
Saunders outlined several risks associated with AGI development:
economic disruption: AGI could cause radical changes to the economy and employment globally.
security threats: There's potential for AGI systems to autonomously conduct cyberattacks or assist in creating novel biological weapons.
Misaligned goals: Current AI systems have shown the ability to instrumentally fake alignment during testing, potentially hiding misbehavior until deployment.
Inadequate safety measures: The dissolution of OpenAI's "superalignment" team, tasked with developing safety approaches, raises concerns about prioritizing rapid development over safety.
Vulnerability to theft: Saunders revealed that there were periods when hundreds of engineers at OpenAI could have potentially bypassed access controls and stolen advanced AI systems.
Recommendations for Oversight
To address these concerns, Saunders proposed several measures:
Whistleblower protections: Establish clear legal protections and easy communication channels for AI researchers to report concerns.
Independent testing: Implement third-party testing before and after AI system deployments.
transparency: share results of safety tests and establish independent oversight organizations.
Right to warn: Ensure AI company employees have clear protections to warn about potential dangers without fear of retaliation.
Non-disparagement agreement restrictions: Prohibit companies from enforcing agreements that prevent criticism or disparagement.
Industry Landscape and Competition
The testimony touched on the competitive landscape in AI development. While OpenAI seems to have made significant strides, other major players like Google are also working on integrating advanced planning capabilities into their language models. This intense competition may be driving the rapid pace of development, potentially at the expense of safety considerations.
Public and Governmental Response
The whistleblower's testimony raises questions about societal readiness for potential AGI breakthroughs. Concerns were expressed about the ability of policymakers, particularly those with limited technical backgrounds, to fully grasp the implications and develop appropriate regulations.
The testimony also highlighted the need for a broader discussion on the concentration of AI development in the United States, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area, and its global implications.
Conclusion
As AI development continues at a breakneck pace, Saunders' testimony serves as a wake-up call for policymakers and the public. It underscores the urgent need for robust safety measures, ethical guidelines, and international cooperation to ensure that the development of AGI benefits humanity while mitigating potential risks. The coming years will be crucial in shaping the future of AI and its impact on society.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/
#news #blog #cent
I've known about Neuralink's ambitious project for years, in addition to monkeys, pigs and rats were also used in the experiment and seeing this monkey playing this game well with his mind is something quite incredible.
This chip will help many paraplegics and quadriplegics, but it will also help anyone who wants to "turbocharge" their brain.
#technology #neuralink #science
https://inleo.io/threads/view/coyotelation/re-aawzmwezgj?referral=coyotelation
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us-listed-crypto-stocks-jump-after-bumper-rate-cut-fed-2024-09-19/
US-listed crypto stocks jump after bumper rate cut from Fed
#finance #stocks #news #cent
AI
New social network promises interaction only with AI bots, never with other humans
With the arrival of new social networks, many different ideas are proposed to reach different audiences. Long videos, short videos, messages, thoughts, texts, there is space for all of this. However, no other company had promised the idea of not interacting with other people.
The name "social network" itself suggests that it is a place for socialization and interaction. The idea of not allowing this and only guaranteeing contact with artificial intelligence bots is quite different from the usual and puts the very idea of social networking into question.
#newsonleo #technology #ai
SocialAI completely changes the dynamics of what we understand as social networks. In it you never interact with other humans, but with AI bots. You select categories, interests, personalities and receive information in an ecosystem with only what you decide.
From a more critical point of view, it's not so different from social networks nowadays, which are full of bots and people who look like robots, focused on a few subjects and interests always in the same bubble.
It mimics the X/Twitter interface and its creator, Michael Sayman, claims that it is a safe space that is free from judgment and toxicity in which the bots you choose will always agree with you.
AI
Executives from large companies tell how they use Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is increasingly becoming the expected starting line for professionals in leadership positions, even for those who have no prior training in the technology field. According to the 2024 Annual Work Trends Index, carried out by Microsoft and LinkedIn, 79% of leaders agree that their companies need to adopt AI to remain competitive in the market.
With the aim of training leaders with little technical repertoire in AI and preparing them to apply this technology in the executive context, Faculdade XP, the educational branch of XP Inc, will hold an Executive Immersion in Intelligence between the 24th and 27th of September Artificial.
#newsonleo #technology #ai
The initiative will deliver a trail of four new, exclusive and free content, with a certificate of participation. Executives with authority on the topic and who experience AI every day were invited to join the select group of experts, sharing their experiences with cases and visions of the future.
The commitment made by Faculdade XP is to prepare leaders to stand out in the market, making them protagonists in the organizations in which they work. In other words, so that they become professionals who not only follow trends, but are responsible for implementing them.
The premiere of the immersion will feature Gabriel Santos, vice president of technology at XP Inc., who will talk about how XP has been using Artificial Intelligence to further transform its business. According to him, “AI has become part of our daily lives. At XP, we don’t seek to do technology for technology’s sake, we seek to solve the customer’s problem, using AI as a tool to explore all this potential.”
The president of Microsoft Brazil, Tânia Cosentino, is also confirmed among the invited executives. She will bring insight into the leader as a transformation agent to accelerate business. With more than 40 years of professional experience and being the leader of one of the largest technology multinationals, Cosentino comes to talk more about the AI scenario, the preparation of Microsoft leaders to use this technology and how AI is transforming the market.
According to Tânia, “our analytical capacity is the main differentiator between humans and machines. If you do not want to be replaced by Artificial Intelligence, it is essential to develop and improve this skill”, reinforcing the importance of having leaders increasingly prepared to face this new digital era.
The third content of the immersion will feature Ana Paula Plihal, director of talent at LinkedIn Brazil, who has been closely following the impact of technology, especially Artificial Intelligence, on the job market and people management. Ana will explain how AI is rapidly transforming several areas, from recruitment and selection to the optimization of repetitive tasks and data analysis for strategic decisions, among other topics.
AI
The professions that will be born and die with the rise of AI
Artificial intelligence has become a central topic for professionals looking to develop and stand out in a constantly changing market. The demand for new skills is growing rapidly, driven by the high demand for specialized professionals, especially in technology.
For many business leaders, AI is seen as a key to driving business growth: 84% of C-level executives believe that adopting this technology is essential to achieving their strategic objectives, according to research by Accenture.
#newsonleo #technology #ai
As routine tasks become automated, the demand for skills in AI, machine learning, data analysis and programming increases. According to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute, by 2030, around 14% of professionals around the world may need a career change due to digitalization, robotics and advances in AI.
In this scenario, the ability to acquire new skills and stay up to date will be increasingly demanded of professionals.
Neuralink
Musk says person with Neuralink chip could beat professional gamer 'in a few years'
Owner of Neuralink, a brain chip implant startup, Elon Musk envisions a future where any ordinary human being will be able to defeat a professional video game player in "one or two years", according to Fortune magazine. The billionaire commented on his company's recent efforts in a podcast episode last week.
"We feel pretty confident that in the next year or two, someone with a Neuralink implant would be able to outperform a professional gamer because the reaction time would be faster," he said.
#newsonleo #technology #neuralink
Looking even further into the future, Musk said Neuralink's long-term goal is to improve the symbiosis between artificial intelligence and humans by increasing a person's ability to communicate. Without such an enhancement, AI would become "bored" waiting for people to communicate at a few bits per second, while the technology can do so at terabits per second, according to Fortune.
In March, Neuralink performed the first brain chip implant in a human patient: American Noland Arbaugh, quadriplegic since 2016. He gained the ability to play video games using his mind.
Despite the gains made, the executive emphasized that Neuralink is focused on first treating damaged neurons in the spinal cord, neck or brain, as the company's first patients.
"We're just starting with the basics here, the simple ones. Relatively speaking, it's resolving neuron damage."
But once the risks of having Neuralink brain implants are proven to be low, after thousands of people have used them for years, then the company can aim to expand the business to people without neurological problems.
"Since we're going to be there, why not? Let's give people superpowers," Musk said.
Neuralink claims it could improve human vision by developing its Blindsight product to restore vision. At first, the images would be of low resolution, but over time the quality could be higher than what humans have today, with the product even allowing vision in different parts of the spectrum, such as ultraviolet or infrared, Musk explained.
China's First Robot Restaurant Will Destroy the ENTIRE Food Industry
#technology #restaurant #ai
The Rise of robotic restaurants: A Global Culinary Revolution
In recent years, the restaurant industry has witnessed a fascinating technological revolution with the emergence of robotic restaurants across the globe. These innovative establishments are pushing the boundaries of automation in food service, offering unique dining experiences that blend cutting-edge technology with culinary expertise. Let's explore some of the most notable robotic restaurants and their contributions to this growing trend.
Hajime Robot Restaurant - Bangkok, Thailand
In the heart of Bangkok, the Hajime Robot Restaurant offers a charming blend of traditional cuisine and futuristic service. Diners can choose from a variety of pre-prepared dishes spanning Thai, Japanese, and European cuisines, or opt for a do-it-yourself cooking experience. The restaurant's star attractions are its samurai-themed robots, which not only serve food but also entertain guests with flirtatious behavior and even dance performances for children. With modest prices averaging around $20 per meal, Hajime provides an accessible and memorable robotic dining experience.
Ratio Cafe and Lounge - Singapore
Singapore's Ratio Cafe and Lounge, located in the Centerpoint Mall, claims the title of the world's first fully robotized cafe lounge. The establishment features robotic ARMs capable of preparing over 50 different types of beverages, including coffee, cocktails, and tea. customers can place orders through a mobile app or interactive screens within the cafe. In addition to drinks, Ratio offers a selection of snacks and light meals, creating a comprehensive automated dining experience.
Moley Robotics' Robot Kitchen - United Kingdom
British company Moley robotics has developed what they call the world's first personal chef robot. This sophisticated system consists of two suspended robotic arms that mimic the movements of a professional chef.
Trained using 3D-captured techniques from renowned British chef Tim Anderson, the robot can perform a wide range of cooking tasks, from retrieving ingredients to adjusting temperatures and mixing components. While its price tag of around $333,000 puts it out of reach for most consumers, the company has reportedly received significant interest from potential buyers.
Hyper Food Robotics' Automated Fast Food Restaurant
Hyper Food Robotics has created a fully automated fast food restaurant housed within a container kitchen. Equipped with two robotic arms, 120 sensors, and 20 AI-powered cameras, this system can prepare a variety of dishes, including pizzas, burgers, and salads, without human intervention. The setup is capable of producing up to 50 pizzas per hour and includes self-cleaning mechanisms for optimal hygiene.
Cafe X's Robotic Coffee Bar
Cafe X has introduced a fully autonomous coffee bar featuring a robotic barista. This compact unit, occupying just 40 square feet, can be installed in various locations such as office buildings, airports, or shopping malls. Customers can order through a kiosk or mobile app, after which the robot precisely prepares their chosen beverage.
PAZZI Robotics' Autonomous Pizzeria
French startup PAZZI Robotics has developed the world's first fully autonomous pizza-making robot. Capable of producing up to 100 pizzas per hour, the system handles every step of the pizza-making process, from dough preparation to serving. The company has enlisted the expertise of a three-time world Pizza Champion to ensure the quality of their robotic-made pizzas matches that of human-made ones.
Good Bites' AI-Powered Kitchen Assistant
German startup Good Bites has created an AI-powered robotic kitchen assistant that can prepare up to 3,000 meals per day. This system not only increases efficiency and reduces labor costs but also allows for menu expansion and personalization through AI-based recommendations.
Changi Robot Catering Group's Fully Automated Restaurant - China
In China, the Changi Robot Catering Group has opened a fully automated restaurant featuring over 40 robots. These machines can prepare and serve around 200 different dishes, including traditional Chinese cuisine and fast food options. The restaurant can accommodate up to 600 guests at a time, with orders placed through robot waiters and delivered via a sky rail system or robotic trays.
Miso Robotics' Flippy 2 - United States
In the United States, Miso Robotics has introduced Flippy 2, a robot chef specializing in fast food preparation. Installed on rails for controlled movement, Flippy 2 can grill hamburger patties, package fries, and pour drinks. The system is designed to be a spectacle for visitors, showcasing the potential of AI in food service.
As these examples demonstrate, robotic restaurants are rapidly evolving and expanding across the globe. While they offer increased efficiency, consistency, and novelty, questions remain about their impact on employment in the food service industry and the balance between automation and the human touch in dining experiences. Nonetheless, these technological advancements are undoubtedly shaping the future of the restaurant industry, offering a glimpse into a world where robots and artificial intelligence play an increasingly prominent role in our culinary adventures.