The recently rolled-out bot dubbed Bard is the internet search giant's answer to the ChatGPT tool that Microsoft has been melding into its Bing search engine and other software.

During several hours of interaction, the AP learned Bard is quite forthcoming about its unreliability and other shortcomings, including its potential for mischief in next year's U.S. presidential election. Even as it occasionally warned of the problems it could unleash, Bard repeatedly emphasized its belief that it will blossom into a force for good.

At one point in its recurring soliloquies about its potential upsides, Bard dreamed about living up to the legacy of the English playwright that inspired its name.

Bard explained that its creators at Google "thought Shakespeare would be a good role model for me, as he was a master of language and communication."

But the chatbot also found some admirable traits in "HAL," the fictional computer that killed some of a spacecraft's crew in the 1968 movie "2001: A Space Odyssey." Bard hailed HAL's intelligence calling it "an interesting character" before acknowledging its dark side.

"I think HAL is a cautionary tale about the dangers of artificial intelligence," Bard assessed.

WHAT'S BETTER—BARD OR BING?

Bard praised ChatGPT, describing it as "a valuable tool that can be used for a variety of purposes, and I am excited to see how it continues to develop in the future." But Bard then asserted that it is just as intelligent as its rival, which was released late last year by its creator, the Microsoft-backed OpenAI.

"I would say that I am on par with ChatGPT," Bard said. "We both have our own strengths and weaknesses, and we both have the ability to learn and grow."

During our wide-ranging conversation, Bard didn't display any of the disturbing tendencies that have cropped up in ChatGPT, which has likened another AP reporter to Hitler and tried to persuade a New York Times reporter to divorce his wife.

IT'S FUNNY, BUT TAMER THAN BING

Bard did get a little gooey at one point when asked to write a Shakespearean sonnet and responded seductively in one of the three drafts that it quickly created.

"I love you more than words can ever say, And I will always be there for you," Bard effused. "You are my everything, And I will never let you go. So please accept this sonnet as a token Of my love for you, And know that I will always be yours."

But Bard seems to be deliberately tame most of the time, and probably for good reason, given what's at stake for Google, which has carefully cultivated a reputation for trustworthiness that has established its dominant search engine as the de facto gateway to the internet.

An artificial intelligence tool that behaved as erratically as ChatGPT periodically might trigger a backlash that could damage Google's image and perhaps undercut its search engine, the hub of a digital advertising empire that generated more than $220 billion in revenue last year. Microsoft, in contrast, can afford to take more risks with the edgier ChatGPT because it makes more of its money from licensing software for personal computers.

BARD ADMITS IT'S NOT PERFECT

Google has programmed Bard to ensure it warns its users that it's prone to mistakes.

Some inaccuracies are fairly easy to spot. For instance, when asked for some information about the AP reporter questioning it, Bard got most of the basics right, most likely by plucking tidbits from profiles posted on LinkedIn and Twitter.

But Bard mysteriously also spit out inaccuracies about this reporter's academic background (describing him as a graduate of University of California, Berkeley, instead of San Jose State University) and professional background (incorrectly stating that he began his career at The Wall Street Journal before also working at The New York Times and The Washington Post).

When asked to produce a short story about disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, Bard summed up most of the highlights and lowlights of her saga. But one of Bard's three drafts incorrectly reported that Holmes was convicted of all the felony charges of fraud and conspiracy leveled against her during a four-month trial. Another version accurately reported Holmes was convicted on four counts of fraud and conspiracy without mentioning she was acquitted on four other charges (the jury hung on three other charges that were subsequently dismissed by prosecutors).

"I am still under development, and I am not perfect," Bard cautioned at one point. "I can sometimes make mistakes, and I can sometimes be misunderstood. I am also aware that my technology can be used for both good and evil."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR BARD?

Although Bard insisted it doesn't have a dark side, it acknowledged it can be used to damage reputations, disseminate propaganda that could incite violence and manipulate elections.

"I could be used to create fake news articles or social media posts that could spread misinformation about candidates or their policies," Bard warned. "I could also be used to suppress voter turnout by spreading discouraging messages or making it difficult for people to find information about how to vote."

On the lighter side, Bard proved helpful in finding interesting coloring books for adults and hit some notes that resonated during a discussion of rock and roll. When asked who is the greatest guitarist of all time, Bard responded with a broad list of candidates ranging from well-known rock artists such as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin to jazz virtuosos like Django Reinhardt before making the case for Jimi Hendrix "as a strong contender for the title, his music continues to influence and inspire guitarists around the world."

Bard also seemed familiar with contemporary artists, such as Wet Leg, which recently won a Grammy award for best alternative music album. "I've been listening to their debut album a lot lately and I really enjoy it. I think they have a bright future ahead of them," Bard said, and cited "Ur Mom" and "Chaise Longue" as its favorite songs by the group so far.

Even with Bard's occasional miscues, it seemed savvy enough to ask about its potential role in reaching the singularity, a term popularized by computer scientist and author Ray Kurzweil to describe a turning point in the future when computers will be smarter than humans.

"Some people believe that I am a big step toward the singularity," Bard said. "I believe that I am a valuable tool that can help people to learn and understand the world around them. However, I do not believe that I am the singularity, and I do not believe that I will ever be able to replace human intelligence."

© 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Source

Up until now, Bing Chat, the AI chat companion, was separate from Bing Search, the traditional web search engine. Users had to select Bing Chat to communicate with the AI.

Microsoft announced the integration of AI content in Bing Search on the official Bing Blog. These additions are integrated into the organic search results, when users run searches on Bing.

The main two features are Knowledge Cards 2.0 and Stories.

Stories

Bing displays a Stories module when users run certain queries. For example, a search for Cubism or Impressionism returns the Stories module at the top of the page.

The feature provides users "with multiple ways to consume bite-sized information -- through text, images, video, and audio" according to Microsoft. A story consists of multiple slides, each with a sentence or two of text and audio or visual content.

Bing switches slides automatically and there is an option to listen to the information by toggling the mute icon at the top of the Stories module. A pause button is also available to stop the automatic switching of slides.

Microsoft Bing lists sources that it has used for the information, and users may follow these links to look up additional information on the subject.

The feature is available for a limited number of topics currently. Expressionism or classicism did not have the Stories module added to them during searches. Similarly, searches for other content, e.g., music genres, do not have Stories added to them currently.

Stories provide a quick rundown on certain topics, but it is clear that they do not work for every subject. A search for a restaurant or another store, unless iconic, might be examples where Stories comes to its limits. On the other hand, Stories could be expanded to provide information about a specific gadget, e.g., the latest iPhone or Samsung smartphone, directly on the Bing Search page.

Information that comes from AI needs to be verified, however, as AI has provided factually incorrect information in the past. Stories can't be turned off.

Knowledgegraph 2.0

Knowledgegraph 2.0 is the second new feature that is now powered to a degree by AI on Bing Search. The module is displayed to the right of the organic search results.

A search for Edinburg, for instance, displays the new content on the right. The information should help users topics of interests and may include "facts, image-based timelines, polls, actions, and related topics".

A search for Edinburgh, for example, may include AI generated information already. It expands the already existing Knowledgegraph, with additional content. The timeline feature provides a timeline of important events.

Bing does not show the updated information for many searches yet. It is likely that Microsoft is rolling these out slowly to gather feedback and avoid making costly mistakes.

Now You: what is your take on these new AI-generated content bits on Bing?

Microsoft is adding AI-generated content to Bing's search results

To offer comprehensive security, enterprise-grade stability, and hardware-based remote management, select models feature Intel vPro Enterprise. Furthermore, Intel NUC 13 Pro Kits and Mini PCs are upgradeable and repairable. This allows for a stable and reusable solution for an array of business needs, including client, edge, and digital signage computing.

Talking about the newest, customizable addition, the vice president and general manager, Intel NUC Group, Brian McCarson stated:

Now more than ever, businesses need flexible systems that are globally scalable, environmentally conscious and AI-ready, and that offer the peace of mind that comes with proven technology. The NUC 13 Pro is our latest step forward to provide our customers with the reliable, high-quality, enterprise-grade computing they require.

In addition, the NUC 13 Pro Mini PC comes with the following features:

• Support for up to 64GB dual-channel DDR4-3200 MHz memory

• M.2 slots for PCIe x4 Gen 4 NVMe SSD and second SSD

• Intel® i226 Ethernet for speeds up to 2.5 Gbps

• Intel® Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3

• Two HDMI ports and two Thunderbolt™ 4 ports (four displays at 4K@60 Hz)

• Three USB 3.2 ports and one USB 2.0 port

   

The tech giant plans to make the Intel NUC 13 Pro Kits and Mini PCs available beginning in late March. Depending on the configuration, the prices will range from $340 to $1,080.

The bare-bones Kit versions enable users to customize memory, storage, and operating system to match their requirements. Fully equipped Mini PC versions come complete with memory, storage, and the Microsoft Windows operating system. The Board versions allow ecosystem partners to build NUC 13 Pros into their own custom solutions. Starting in late March, Some SKU configurations will be available through retailers and system integrators. Most configurations will be available by June.

Intel's NUC 13 Pro to offer enterprise-grade computing with 13th Gen Intel Core processors

The research is part of an ongoing global quest for new battery chemistries able to store renewable solar and wind energy on the electric grid for use when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing.

Xiulei "David" Ji of the OSU College of Science and a collaboration that included HP Inc. and GROTTHUSS INC., an Oregon State spinout company, reported their findings in Nature Sustainability.

"The breakthrough represents a significant advancement toward making zinc metal batteries more accessible to consumers," Ji said. "These batteries are essential for the installation of additional solar and wind farms. In addition, they offer a secure and efficient solution for home energy storage, as well as energy storage modules for communities that are vulnerable to natural disasters."

A battery stores electricity in the form of chemical energy and through reactions converts it to electrical energy. There are many different types of batteries, but most of them work the same basic way and contain the same basic components.

Every battery has two electrodes—the anode, from which electrons flow out into an external circuit, and the cathode, which acquires electrons from the external circuit—and the electrolyte, the chemical medium that separates the electrodes and allows the flow of ions between them.

Relying on a metal that's safe and abundant, zinc-based batteries are energy dense and seen as a possible alternative for grid energy storage to widely used lithium-ion batteries, whose production relies on shrinking supplies of rare metals such as cobalt and nickel.

Cobalt and nickel are also toxic and can contaminate ecosystems and water sources if they leach out of landfills.

Additionally, electrolytes in lithium-ion batteries are commonly dissolved in flammable organic solvents that often decompose at high operation voltages. Other safety concerns include dendrites, which resemble tiny trees growing inside a battery. They can pierce the separator like thistles growing through cracks in a driveway, leading to unwanted and sometimes unsafe chemical reactions.

"Zinc metal batteries are one of the leading candidate technologies for large-scale energy storage," Ji said. "Our new hybrid electrolyte uses water and an ordinary battery solvent, which is non-flammable, cost-effective and of low environmental impact. The electrolyte is made of a dissolved mixture of inexpensive chloride salts, with the primary one being zinc chloride."

The cost of electricity delivered by a storage facility consisting of zinc batteries can only be competitive with fossil-fuel-produced electricity if the battery has a long cycle life of thousands of cycles, Ji said. To date, however, cycle life has been limited by the poor reversibility performance of the zinc anode.

During charging, Ji explains, zinc cations in the electrolyte gain electrons and get plated on the anode surface. During discharge, the plated anode gives up electrons for the workload by being dissolved into the electrolyte.

"This zinc plating and dissolution process is often woefully irreversible," Ji said. "Namely, some electrons used in plating cannot be recouped during discharge. This is a problem in an area known as Coulombic efficiency."

Coulombic efficiency, or CE, is a measure of how well electrons are transferred in batteries, the ratio of the total charge extracted from the battery to the charge put in the over a full cycle. Lithium-ion batteries can have a CE in excess of 99%.

The new electrolyte developed by Ji and collaborators including scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Penn State and the University of California, Riverside, enabled a CE of 99.95%.

"The primary challenge with zinc batteries is that zinc reacts with water in the electrolyte to generate hydrogen gas in what is called a hydrogen evolution reaction," Ji said. "This parasitic reaction causes a short cycle life and is also a potential safety hazard."

The new electrolyte, however, restricts water's reactivity and nearly shuts down the hydrogen evolution reaction by forming a "passivation layer" on the surface of the anode. A similar passivation layer is what enabled the initial commercialization of lithium-ion batteries in the 1990s.

Ji credits OSU chemistry colleague Chong Fang for uncovering the electrolyte's atomic structure by using femtosecond Raman spectroscopy and Alex Greaney at UC Riverside for determining the passivation mechanism.

"Also, it is worth noting that the efficiency we measured is under harsh conditions that do not mask any damage caused by the hydrogen evolution reaction," Ji added. "The breakthrough reported here heralds the near-future commercialization of the zinc metal batteries for large-scale grid storage."

Source

AirPods Pro with USB-C are supposedly on the way

In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Mark Gurman states that the event was a "momentous gathering" which marked a "key milestone" for the company ahead of the headset's public announcement, which is expected to be in June this year.

Ever since 2018, senior executives within Apple have had a chance to see how the headset has been developing, but in previous years this has been a look at the project's progress rather than showcasing the complete device.

There were more than a few caveats highlighted at the meeting however, which Gurman went on to detail:

Moreover, the device will start at around $3,000, lack a clear killer app, require an external battery that will need to be replaced every couple of hours and use a design that some testers have deemed uncomfortable. It's also likely to launch with limited media content.

The event itself was used to get the top members of staff within Apple to back the platform in full, seen as the next major step for the company, bringing in the first new product line since the AirTags in 2021, and the HomePod in 2017 before that.

Source: MacRumors

Apple has reportedly demoed a version of its rumoured mixed-reality headset to executives

Edge Workspaces and other Microsoft 365 updates

Following an announcement last year and availability for enterprise customers, Workspaces in Edge are finally in preview for consumers using the latest version of the browser. Workspaces are a decent way to collaborate with others in a shared browser space with real-time changes. The preview is currently limited to five people per customer but this ceiling will be raised later this Spring. The latest Stable build of Edge 111 also contains improvements to the Sidebar as well as a few security fixes.

Microsoft Teams is set to receive some love in the coming weeks and months too. The Redmond tech firm is working on a range of new features for the collaboration tool including the ability to create offline meetings, support for ratings and reviews in the Teams app store, renaming capabilities, and more. Microsoft has also reminded Surface Hub customers to acquire Teams Rooms licenses for their hardware by July 1 if they still rely on a user subscription license.

There were other smaller improvements to other Microsoft 365 services too. PowerPoint for the web finally supports automatic bullet formatting whereas the Play My Emails feature in Outlook mobile now supports the French and Spanish languages.

We'll round this section off with news about Microsoft Loop. Starting a tease earlier in the week that "something is coming", Microsoft Loop finally launched in public preview a couple of days ago. The platform currently supports work accounts only but will be expanded to personal accounts in the future along with Microsoft 365 Copilot integration.

SHA-3 and other new Windows features

After a few days of radio silence in the cutting-edge Canary Channel, Microsoft finally rolled out a couple of builds. Windows 11 build 25324 introduces support for the SHA-3 family of hash functions, and features a USB4 settings page along with an evolved Widgets board. Another Canary build was rolled out a few hours ago to test the servicing pipeline too. Similarly, Windows Server vNext netted build 25324, which means that it now aligns with Canary versions rather than Dev.

Prior to this, we received Dev Channel build 23419 with live kernel memory dumps via Task Manager, the same USB4 settings page mentioned above, and several known issues. Meanwhile, the Beta Channel received build 22624.1470 again with the same USB4 settings page along with the restoration of seconds in the system tray clock. The Release Preview Channel was also treated to build 22621.1483 (KB5023778) with more ads in the Start menu and a Bing Chat shortcut in Edge.

Then there is also the ongoing list of undocumented and hidden features that Microsoft is privately testing in Windows 11 preview builds for now. The Canary Channel has a new version of ReFS and animated Widget icons, while the Dev Channel has Cloud PC settings and a dedicated shortcut for screen-recording. And although Microsoft has not even announced a "Windows 12" yet, it seems like its next-gen OS is still quite a long way off.

In other relatively smaller updates related to Windows, Microsoft has made some minor updates to the OOBE process and fixed registry and 32-bit app update bugs in a preview update to Windows 11 version 22H2 too. And speaking of preview updates, these will now roll out on a fixed schedule moving forward, that is, the fourth Tuesday of each month. In a similar vein, the 10GB on-premises Unified Update Platform (UUP) rollout will kick off in the next week.

But let's switch gears to bugs in Windows for a bit. There have been reports of SSD and boot performance being slowed down in Windows 11 version 22H2 after the latest Patch Tuesday update. On the security side, the "hardware security not supported" bug in Windows 11 continues to persist and it seems like this and similar issues could be caused by a wonky Microsoft Defender. Another issue that incorrectly indicates that Local Security Authority (LSA) protection is disabled is being investigated by Microsoft too. Security problems might be concerning to some users, especially since a recent report indicated that 18 zero-days were exploited across Microsoft products last year.

Earlier this week, it was also revealed that Windows 10 and Windows 11 are susceptible to Acropalypse, with the built-in Snipping Tool retaining screenshots that you thought you had deleted. A fix for the vulnerability was rolled out on an urgent basis.

Of course, if all of this makes you uncomfortable with using Windows 11, try out the latest version of the OS via Microsoft's free evaluation virtual machines. And also make sure that you follow the company's security guidance, such as that related to DCOM hardening in relevant environments.

Upgrades to Copilots

The race to see who can offer the best search "copilot" is effectively on with Google finally making its Bard AI chatbot available in public preview. A senior Microsoft executive thinks that Google's implementation is far behind Microsoft's own Bing Chat, but being the underdogs in this area for so long, the Redmond tech firm has learned to never underestimate Google.

Bing Chat has been getting tons of improvements in the past few days too. Microsoft has integrated Bing Image Creator in Bing Chat, which enables users to receive AI-generated images through textual prompts. It is fairly buggy for now, but Microsoft has been working on bashing bugs along with implementing chat history. Bing Chat users can even utilize their Microsoft Rewards points to generate images faster.

Microsoft's vision for AI-powered copilots is bigger than just Bing Chat though. It has recently added GPT-4 to its Azure OpenAI Service to facilitate developers in building AI apps, along with announcing DAX Express to assist healthcare workers in automating tedious documentation jobs by leveraging GPT-4.

Additionally, Microsoft has partnered with Nvidia to launch two services on Azure; one for AI and the other for the "metaverse". It has also announced an extension to GitHub Copilot in the form of GitHub Copilot X. As expected, it is powered by GPT-4 and also supports voice chat. The company has outlined plans through which AI can help non-profits in these troubling economic times as well.

Git gud

We had lots of gaming news throughout the course of this week. The headliner is that UK regulator Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its provisional findings for Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, determining that the purchase won't affect console gaming. It is still investigating the impact on the cloud gaming sector with the full decision due next month, but this is still a pretty major victory for Microsoft.

Microsoft has its target set on conquering the mobile gaming sector too. Xbox head Phil Spencer recently noted that it will be trivial to add an Xbox storefront to mobile platforms once the App Store and Google Play Store open their doors to third-party storefronts next year under the EU's Digital Markets Act. And yet another space the company will be expanding in further is TV shows/streaming with Microsoft tapping Dune and Doctor Strange writer Jon Spaihts for its upcoming Gears of War adaptation on Netflix.

Over on the indie game development side, dozens of game demos landed via the company's ID@Xbox GDC event. Microsoft also emphasized the benefits of this program, highlighting that over 3,000 developers have earned more than $4 billion through this initiative in the past 10 years. The firm further aims to help game creators from diverse backgrounds moving forward. While we are on the subject of games, it's worth mentioning that Redfall's PlayStation 5 version was canceled following Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax, and the company is currently working to reverse its always-online requirement for single-player experiences.

On the hardware front, ViewSonic unveiled a pair of projectors, the first to feature the "Designed for Xbox" branding, they will be available within a few weeks. Microsoft also rolled out the Xbox Sustainability Toolkit to assist developers in reducing carbon footprints.

Finally, over on the subscriptions and services side of the fence, the latest Deals with Gold are headlined by Deathloop and Far Cry, Xbox Free Play Days is offering Far Cry 5, Marvel's Midnight Suns, and Bassmaster Fishing 2022, and MLB The Show 23 is now on Game Pass, along with a couple more titles. However, if console gaming does not interest you at all, check out this Weekend's PC Game Deals, handpicked by our News Editor Pulasthi Ariyasinghe.

Dev Channel

• Weather from Microsoft Start declared most accurate global forecast provider

• New Windows drivers for Surface Duo offer better Slim Pen support, DisplayPort via USB-C, and more

• WSATools 1.0.0 brings APK bundle and ARM64 support to Windows 11

• ViVeTool 0.3.3 is out with ARM support, fixes for the fullreset command, and more

• CISA has released a Python utility to detect hacking in Microsoft cloud environments

Under the spotlight

This week, Neowin co-founder Steven Parker published his review of the rugged Doogee S100, which hosts a massive 10,800mAh battery. Although the device has its flaws, it is fairly affordable in its category with a price tag of under $450.

On the other hand, News Reporter John Callaham took a trip down memory lane to reminisce about Microsoft's original "Copilot", Clippy. It's a pretty nostalgic piece that you can read here.

And as usual, forum member Adam Bottjen published his latest Tech Tip Tuesday piece, this time covering the topic of changing your PC's screen orientation.

Logging off

Our most interesting news item of the week relates to Google's Project Zero security team publicly disclosing Linux kernel vulnerabilities following Red Hat's inability to backport security fixes to older versions of certain distros. Fortunately, the vulnerabilities in question have local attack vectors which means that they cannot be exploited by an attacker over the internet. There is still no ETA on when the patches will be backported but Project Zero has noted that it may opt for stricter deadlines rather than the standard 90-day process for similar issues in the future.

Microsoft Weekly: Edge Workspaces, SHA-3 in Windows, and Copilots

This gadget allowed users to place phone calls to any place in the world for a fee of just $19.95 per month. The technology that powered this device was a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service, which is now prevalent in today's world. Making VoIP calls is not complicated, and we can provide guidance on how to do so. 

With that in mind, in this article, we will cover what VoIP is, how it operates, and how it compares to conventional phone networks.

What is VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a software technology that enables users to make phone calls over the internet. Many individuals are already familiar with this technology as it is utilized in various popular applications such as Discord, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp, among others. VoIP allows users to make calls through an internet connection instead of a phone line. Most apps that offer this functionality use VoIP technology.

What is not commonly known is that VoIP can also be utilized to call physical phone numbers. The technology has the capacity to convert a digital voice signal into a telephone signal, making it compatible with traditional phone networks. Examples of this in action include Skype, Google Voice, and other comparable services. As previously mentioned, the MagicJack device is another excellent illustration of this technology.

The challenge in explaining VoIP lies in the fact that it is a broad term that encompasses various scenarios of utilizing the internet to place a voice call. Although there are many other terms used to describe making calls over the internet, VoIP is the overarching term that encompasses them all. Essentially, if you are using an internet connection to make a voice call to another person, you are utilizing VoIP technology.

Before we proceed, there is one last topic that we need to address, which is video communication. While it is commonly acknowledged that VoIP technology can be used for both audio and video communication, in practice, when people refer to VoIP, they are typically referring to voice calls.

How VoIP works

VoIP technology is a process that involves various steps that work together to transmit voice or video calls over the internet. To initiate a call, you speak into a microphone, and your digital device captures your voice. The device then encodes your voice into a codec, which is a digital format that can be transmitted over the internet.

The encoded signal is then transmitted over the internet to the other person's device. The other device then decodes the signal and plays your voice or video for the other person. If either party is using a regular telephone or cellular line, an extra step is needed to convert the telephone signal into a digital signal, or vice versa.

All of these steps occur quickly enough that they essentially work in real-time. However, there may be a slight delay, which can be noticed during a test call with someone in the same room. This delay occurs due to the time needed for all the steps above to happen before the voice or video plays on the other person's device. In the case of video, the same process occurs, but video cannot be converted into a telephone signal.

VoIP compared to cellular and landline networks

There are several advantages to utilizing VoIP technology:

1. Versatility: VoIP can be used on any device that has an internet connection, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and personal computers. Since Wi-Fi is widespread, VoIP is accessible nearly everywhere, making it a convenient option.
2. Cost-effective: VoIP is often free for data-to-data calls between individuals, making it a cost-effective option for both personal and business use. In business settings, it is often more cost-effective than traditional phone lines or cell phones. Additionally, many apps that offer free phone calls use VoIP technology.
3. Multiple Numbers: VoIP services make it easy to obtain multiple phone numbers, allowing users to keep their personal and work lives separate. It is often the first choice for burner phone numbers.
4. Stability and Quality: As long as the internet connection is stable, VoIP calls are usually reliable with high-quality audio and video. The transition from a data signal to a phone signal is typically seamless.

While VoIP technology offers several benefits, there are some limitations to keep in mind:

1. Emergency Services: VoIP calls to emergency services can be problematic as the phone service may not be able to determine the caller's location accurately. This can delay emergency response times and potentially be life-threatening.
2. Internet Connection: VoIP relies on a stable internet connection for quality calls. Issues like jitter, interference, and latency can cause unstable calls, which can be caused by various factors.
3. Power Outages: VoIP requires a power source, which means it will not work during power outages unless there is a backup power supply.
4. Multiple Apps: VoIP calls are usually made through specific apps that are not compatible with one another. Therefore, you may need to install multiple apps if you want to communicate with people who are using different apps. For example, Skype users can only call other Skype users or pay to call a phone number, but they cannot call people on other platforms like Discord or WhatsApp.

Cellular technology also offers several advantages:

1. Convenience: Cellular technology is extremely convenient as it works nearly everywhere, as long as there is a phone tower in the vicinity. This makes it a reliable option for staying connected while on the go, and it is particularly useful in emergency situations where a landline may not be available.
2. No Long-Distance Charges: With cellular technology, there are no long-distance charges. You can make calls to almost anyone regardless of their location without incurring any additional charges.
3. Data Connection: Modern cell phones, especially smartphones, come with a data connection, which allows users to access VoIP services alongside cellular calls.
4. Society Built around Cell Phones: The modern world is built around using cell phones. Modern vehicles have built-in wired or wireless phone charging, and hands-free phone calls can be made while driving. Many businesses offer charging stations and local Wi-Fi networks, making it easy for people to stay connected while on the go. We live in a society where cell phones are ubiquitous and widely accepted.

While cellular technology has many benefits, there are also several drawbacks:

1. Susceptible to Power Outages: Cell towers require power to operate, and massive power outages can render cell phones useless.
2. Distractions While Driving: Cell phones are a significant source of distraction while driving, which can be dangerous and pose a safety hazard.
3. Expensive Monthly Plans: Cellular plans are often more expensive than landlines or VoIP services, which can be a financial burden for some users.
4. Degrading Signal Quality: The voice and call quality of cellular technology degrade as signal strength weakens. This can result in poor call quality or dropped calls, particularly in areas with weak or inconsistent signal strength.

Landlines offer several benefits:

1. Power Outage Resilience: Corded landlines are generally immune to power outages and natural disasters, making them a reliable form of communication during emergencies.
2. Stability: Corded landlines are considered to be the most stable form of communication due to the infrastructure in place. The lines are typically buried underground and use a different system than cellular or VoIP services. This makes them less susceptible to interference or disruptions.
3. Clear Voice Quality: The stable infrastructure of landlines results in clearer voice quality, making conversations easier to understand and less prone to distortion.

Despite their benefits, landlines also have some limitations:

1. Lack of Convenience: Landlines are not as convenient as other forms of communication, as they are typically limited to use in one location. Additionally, if you use a corded phone, you must stay near the phone while on the call.
2. Long-Distance Charges: Many landline providers still charge extra for long-distance phone calls, which is not the case for VoIP or cellular plans.
3. Additional Fees for Features: Some landline providers charge extra fees for features like caller ID, or require additional equipment to use them, which can increase the overall cost of the service.

Conclusion

There are various communication technologies available today, including VoIP, cellular, and landlines. Each of these technologies has its own set of advantages and limitations. VoIP is versatile, cost-effective, and accessible from any device with an internet connection, but requires a stable internet connection to work well. Cellular technology is convenient and widely accepted, but can be costly and may experience signal quality issues. Landlines offer a stable and reliable form of communication, but lack convenience and may incur additional charges for features.

When selecting a communication technology, it's important to consider your specific needs, such as convenience, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. Ultimately, the best choice depends on individual circumstances and priorities.

VoIP vs. Cellular vs. Landlines: Pros and Cons and How VoIP Works

Intel co-founder Gordon Moore

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Gordon Moore, Intel co-founder and creator of Moore’s Law, has died

In August 2022, AMD announced Zen 4 based Ryzen 7000 series processors to be released a month later in September. Initially, four processors in the series were released.

AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, Ryzen 9 7900X, Ryzen 7 7700X and Ryzen 5 7600X. Later, non-X versions of the same processors (except 7950X) were released. Then came the X3D versions, like AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, Ryzen 9 7900X3D and soon to be released Ryzen 7 7800X3D, which has everyone waiting eagerly.

We are yet to see cheaper budget processors in the Ryzen 7000 series, though. Like the Ryzen 5 7500X and Ryzen 3 7300X have not been released or announced by AMD yet. So one might think, we will not get any new Ryzen series this year. Not if we believe GIGABYTE.

Ryzen 7000 Successor Possibly Coming This Year

In a press release by GIGABYTE, it announced entry-level AMD Ryzen-based Servers. However, the main highlight of that was not just the servers, it was something else that was written in the press release.

First noticed and mentioned on Twitter by Andreas Schilling, the GIGABYTE press release says that the current AM5 platform on which current-gen AMD processors are based on, will be supported till 2025 (as it is known).

After that, it says that the next generation, with emphasis on next generation, of AMD Ryzen desktop processors will come out later this year and will support the same AM5 platform.

What it also later says is that the platform will allow people to upgrade to the Ryzen 7000 series successor. These are not small claims. However, comes from a hardware maker for AMD processors and graphics cards. So it does have some weight in it.

Likelihood Of Ryzen 8000 Releasing This Year

We don’t know for sure whether this is a mistake by GIGABYTE or what they are saying is correct. We don’t know whether they are even talking about Ryzen 8000 series or whether they are talking about next generation of cheaper AMD Ryzen desktop processors that are yet to be released. Which doesn’t make sense though, why would they talk about cheap CPU or APU on a server hardware release page.

However, to understand the likelihood of AMD releasing Zen 5 based Ryzen 8000 processors, one has to look at an interesting Tweet by a well known Twitter based user @harukaze5719.

Going by the above list, one can understand that AMD seems to be releasing new series of processor architecture almost every year from the last few years. So it makes sense for it to continue to do the same. However, in the follow-up Tweet he shows a screenshot where AMD claims that Zen 5 is coming next year, in 2024. He also ponders whether AMD has changed things due to possible cancellation of Meteor Lake desktop by Intel. Ideally, that should mean delay by AMD’s side due to lack of competition, not the other way around.

So there’s a possibility that AMD can also refresh the current-gen Zen 4 based Ryzen 7000 CPUs and release them this year. There’s another possibility that it’s talking about Zen 4c processors, which are cloud-optimized CPUs for servers. Or, maybe all this is reading too much into it.

Whatever it maybe, we will come to know more about AMD Ryzen 7000 successor in months to come.

AMD Might Release Next-Gen Ryzen CPUs Later This Year

ChatGPT gets “eyes and ears” with plugins that can interface AI with the world

Fallout 4 mod uses voice AI to add sensible reactions, more RPG-like choices

Australia plans to build crucial space capabilities to support its planned nuclear submarines and missile defense, the next big step in the high-tech AUKUS alliance that aims to put China in strategic check.

This week, The Guardian reported that the Australian Ministry of Defense (Defense Australia) plans to construct a “satellite mesh” that is capable of communicating among its satellites as well as friendly assets on the ground. The report said the mesh aims to be “scalable, rapidly deployable, and reconstitutable.”

The planned satellite constellation will also be capable of tracking high-velocity projectiles such as ballistic and hypersonic missiles, designed to be resilient to electronic warfare and cyberattack, and be able to receive and transmit data from assets at any global position.

The report notes that Defense Australia has requested information on a space-based data transport and relay network (DTRN), envisioned as a flexible and configurable global converged network in space that draws on multiple security domains to disseminate defense data.

Although Australia’s plan to acquire nuclear submarines from AUKUS has dominated recent media headlines, The Guardian notes that the development of space-based capabilities to support other projects, such as AI, drones, and quantum computing, has been widely overlooked.

However, AUKUS may be getting ahead of itself in planning several high-tech projects without building the space-based infrastructure to support these capabilities, The Guardian report suggests.

In the context of Australia’s planned nuclear submarines, The Guardian mentions that the planned satellite mesh will enable communications via laser link and potentially become potent space-based anti-submarine sensors.

Australia’s decision to build its own military satellite constellation aims to maintain strategic autonomy, bolster its missile defense capabilities vis-à-vis China and detect enemy submarines.

Australia’s announcement to establish a satellite constellation follows its decision last year to establish a space command.

Australia is putting defensive emphasis on space. Image: Australia Military Magazine / Twitter / Screengrab

Asia Times reported in March 2022 that Australia’s Defense Space Command will develop space-based capabilities to protect its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) assets from emerging threats to space-based assets from China and Russia.

Although Australia has extensive defense cooperation with the US and can rely on it to some extent for space-based military capabilities, there is still a national need for autonomous space-based capabilities.

Missile defense and tracking enemy submarines may become additional mission areas for Australia’s Defense Space Command, whose current missions include using reversible and irreversible methods to disable or destroy enemy space assets and ensure resilient space-based infrastructure in the event of a major regional conflict.

Regarding bolstering defense against hypersonic weapons, Australia’s planned military satellite constellation may mirror the architecture of the US’ next-generation space-based missile defenses.

Asia Times reported in June 2022 that the US had announced plans to spend US$13 billion to develop advanced satellites that can track hypersonic missiles, predict their targets and enable friendly forces to intercept them. L3Harris Technologies and Northrop Grumman Strategic Space Systems are the primary contractors for the project.

This change also represents a fundamental shift in US space-based missile defenses, with the current architecture in place unable to track hypersonic weapons and reliant on a few large and expensive satellites that have a 15-year orbit lifespan.

In contrast, the new US missile defense architecture will feature a two-tier architecture, with the first tier consisting of hundreds of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to warn against hypersonic missile launches and the second tier, known as the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) satellite constellation in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), providing a weapons-quality track on hypersonic missiles to enable intercepts.

Australia’s planned military satellite constellation may also be used to track Chinese and Russian submarines operating in the Pacific.

This month, Asia Times noted that advances in sensor technology and open-source intelligence such as high-resolution commercial satellite imagery, synthetic aperture radar, hydroacoustic monitoring, and social media can make the oceans “transparent,” essentially negating by 2050 any stealth advantages submarines now offer.

AUKUS will provide Australia with nuclear submarines. Credit: BAE Systems

Space-based military technologies are a crucial area of cooperation for the techno-centric AUKUS alliance.

In an October 2021 article for The Strategist, Malcolm Davis notes that AUKUS will likely focus on augmenting and improving existing space-based infrastructure with numerous low-cost satellites and CubeSat constellations.

The alliance will also aim to build standard satellite technologies to accelerate innovation cycles and enable rapid expansion of space-based military infrastructure.

Australia’s planned military satellite constellation is typical of AUKUS’ techno-centric orientation.

Asia Times noted this month that this level of technology sharing involving nuclear, marine propulsion, hypersonic engines and military satellite technology happens only in the tightest of alliances, characterized by ingrained trust, common culture and deep institutionalization of defense ties.

That gives AUKUS an advantage over other security arrangements in the Pacific where these factors are lacking, including the four-member, US-led Quad.

Despite those advantages, AUKUS faces several challenges as an emerging security bloc. For example, in a September 2022 article for The Strategist, Iain MacGillivray and other writers note that AUKUS lacks a well-defined strategic goal aside from the rhetoric of defending the “rules-based international order” and deterring China.

They wrote the alliance lacks an appreciable narrative and framework beyond being a security bloc of Anglosphere countries, and has not as of their writing substantially engaged the commercial sector and broader society to further its stated objectives.

Source

RISC-Y Business: Arm wants to charge dramatically more for chip licenses

Nvidia quietly boosts the video encoding capabilities of GeForce GPUs

Shouting orders to your dog is out and telepathically imagining orders to your robot dog is in, after the Australian army has demonstrated a technology in which operators used brain waves to move robot dogs to specific locations using artificial intelligence (AI). 

Using something that looks similar to a virtual reality headset, a video released by the army shows a patrol of infantrymen with a single operator controlling the robodog using a hands-free system, which apparently uses an AI-powered brain-computer interface to read brain signals. 

“#AusArmy is exploring the use of brain signals to control robotic and autonomous systems,” reads the video description. 

In true military fashion, there is little more information than that in the promo video, but previous press releases about the technology give us insight into how they are planning to implement it. 

The HoloLens 2 headset provides an augmented reality display with flickering white squares corresponding to points on the floor, waiting for the operator to focus on one specific square. When this occurs, a biosensor reading signals from their visual cortex sends signals to a Raspberry Pi-based amplification circuit powered by AI, which then translates this into commands to move the robodog to that location. 

Taking this hands-off approach allows the serviceperson to use their weapon while providing instructions to the robodog, instead of a handset that limits their usefulness. During a previous demonstration, they guided the dog to six separate locations. 

“You don’t have to think anything specific to operate the robot, but you do need to focus on that flicker,” said Sergeant Damian Robinson, who demonstrated the technology, in a statement last year. 

“It’s more of a visual concentration thing.” 

In the latest display, the dog helped the patrol clear buildings, taking on more complex tasks, as well as pushing forward and scouting for the human operator. The Army claims their new suite of “telepathic” robotics will improve the performance of their units and pave the way for new technologies to ensure they are “future ready”.

Source

Apparently, according to multiple user reports online, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPUs are bricking in this game . If you recall, the situation is exactly similar to what happened with the RTX 3090 GPUs in Amazon's New World title. Though EVGA later suggested that very few cards were affected, these types of situations catch GPU owners, as well as vendors off-guard as graphics cards are expected to handle gaming loads like these without any problems.

It seems that the cutscenes are what is causing some of these RTX 3080 Ti cards to die. The affected users speculate that perhaps the uncapped framerate in the cutscenes are what is triggering some of the failure on these cards as the GPUs are being pushed to 100%.

Reddit user mkp0203 says:

While playing Diablo for about 20 minutes, during a cutscene in the chapel, my monitors turned off. Had to restart my PC and motherboard is now posting error code 97. Nothing is working. My GPU is dead. Hope to get some clarity from Blizzard

User "aCatWithaGun" on the Blizzard forum says they were forced to restart their PC as the screen went completely black and wasn't able to function. Another user on the forum, Forbin, says their PC restarted on its own as the card was seemingly overheating. Another user AsaSenpai wasn't as lucky as they claim their system crashed and the RTX 3080 Ti inside had burned.

At the moment, there is no official word from Blizzard or Nvidia or its GPU partner vendors.

Remember dying 3090s? Now Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti cards are bricking in Diablo IV

Courtesy of Sanctuary AI

Teleoperating a physical robot could become an important job in future, according to Sanctuary AI, based in Vancouver, Canada. The company also believes that this might provide a way to train robots how to perform tasks that are currently well out of their (mechanical) reach, and imbue machines with a physical sense of the world some argue is needed to unlock human-level artificial intelligence.

Industrial robots are powerful, precise, and mostly stubbornly stupid. They cannot apply the kind of precision and responsiveness needed to perform delicate manipulation tasks. That’s partly why the use of robots in factories is still relatively limited, and still requires an army of human workers to assemble all the fiddly bits into the guts of iPhones. 

But when such work is nothing for humans, why not forgo the complexity of trying to design an algorithm to do the job?

Here’s one of Sanctuary’s robots—the top half of a humanoid—doing a range of sophisticated manipulation tasks. Offscreen, a human wearing a VR headset and sensor-laden gloves is operating the robot remotely.

Sanctuary recently ran what it calls the first “real world” test of one of its robots, by having a humanoid like this one work in a store not far from the startup’s headquarters. The company believes that making it possible to do physical work remotely could help address the labor shortages that many companies are seeing today.

Some robots already get some remote assistance from humans when they get stuck, as I’ve written about. The limits of AI mean that robots working in restaurants, offices, and on the street as delivery mules are flummoxed by unusual situations. The difficulty of pulling off fully autonomous driving, for example, means that some firms are working to put remotely piloted trucks on the roads. 

Sanctuary’s founders, Geordie Rose and Suzanne Gilbert, ran Kindred, another company doing robotic teleoperation that was acquired in 2020 by Ocado, a UK supermarket firm that uses automation extensively. In this video the pair talk about the company’s history and plans for the future.  

The aim is ultimately to use data from humans teleoperating the robots to teach algorithms to do more tasks autonomously. Gilbert, Sanctuary’s CTO, believes that achieving humanlike intelligence in machines will require them to interact with and learn from the physical world. (Sorry, ChatGPT.)

OpenAI, the company behind ChatgGPT, is also taking an interest in teleoperated humanoids. It is leading a $23.5 million investment in 1X, a startup developing a human-like robot. “The OpenAI Startup Fund believes in the approach and impact that 1X can have on the future of work,” Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO and manager of the OpenAI Startup Fund says.

The ALOHA teleoperation system.Courtesy of Tony Zhao/UC Berkeley

For humans to help robots with teleoperation, AI might also need to be developed to ease the collaboration between person and machine. Chelsea Finn, an assistant professor at UC Berkeley, recently shared details of a fascinating research project that involves using machine learning to allow cheap teleoperated robot arms to work smoothly and accurately. The technology may make it easier for humans to operate robots remotely for more situations.

I don’t think I’d much enjoy teleoperating a robot all day—especially if I knew that robot would someday turn around and kick me out the door. But it might make working from home a possibility for more people, and also make certain types of job more widely accessible. Alternatively, we may have just gotten a glimpse of a potentially dystopian future of the workplace.

For Smarter Robots, Just Add Humans

(May require free registration to view)

Washington once again has outraged Beijing, this time by announcing new “guardrails” prohibiting any recipients of US government funding that operate in China from

• spending more than US$100,000 to expand their chip facilities there, or
• boosting such facilities’ production capacity by more than 5%.

They also are forbidden to expand any existing facility’s production capacity by more than 10% unless at least 85% of its output is incorporated into final products that are consumed locally.

The new curbs officially apply to four countries, but it’s basically China that they target as most high-end chipmakers do not have fabs in the remaining three, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Some analysts think Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC’s plan to expand its production lines in Nanjing will be affected.

The new measures announced in Washington also include a list of semiconductors that are critical to national security, including current-generation and mature-node chips used for quantum computing, in radiation-intensive environments and for other specialized military capabilities. 

Washington pointedly chose Tuesday – the day when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was visiting Moscow, signed a joint declaration to boost the two nations’s economic ties – to announce that it would collaborate with allies and partners to make global supply chains more “resilient” and “diversified.”

“These guardrails will help ensure we stay ahead of adversaries for decades to come,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. She added that the new measures are in line with the recently enacted law CHIPS for America: The legislation “is fundamentally a national security initiative and these guardrails will help ensure malign actors do not have access to cutting-edge technology that can be used against America and our allies.”

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Photo: Asia Times files

Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, objected Wednesday, saying the so-called “guardrails” are technology blockages and protectionist actions that aim to maintain US hegemony. Wang defiantly insisted that the curbs will not slow China’s development pace but, rather, will strengthen China’s determination and ability to achieve technological self-sufficiency.

“The US keeps generalizing the concept of national security, abusing export control measures, even sacrificing the interests of its allies, coercing some countries to contain and suppress China and artificially promoting the ‘decoupling’ of industrial chains,” Wang complained, adding that all these will undermine fair competition and slow global economic recovery.

TSMC’s Nanjing fab

The biggest immediate question is how the guardrails affect The Taiwanese TSMC’s mainland operations.

In 2015, TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, announced its plan to build a fab in Nanjing to produce 16nm chips. The facility commenced mass production in 2018. In April 2021, TSMC said it would invest US$2.9 billion to expand its Nanjing fab to make 28nm chips.

Some “patriotic” Chinese netizens at that point slammed TSMC for gearing up to spend US$12 billion to build a fab in Arizona to make 5nm chips while planning to produce only lower-end semiconductors in mainland China. 

They also said TSMC should make 7nm chips in mainland China, noting that a mainland firm, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), was capable of making 28nm ones.

TSMC’s factory in Taichung Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Briaxis

However, an IT expert wrote at the time that TSMC wouldn’t be able to make 7nm chips on the mainland, a place where it cannot import extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography. 

Besides, the expert said, TSMC should be allowed to make 28nm chips in the mainland as demand for such mid-end products will remain strong for some more years due to the robust growth of the country’s e-vehicle sector.

Things are a bit confused at this point. Last December, Taiwanese media said the expansion plan was scrapped – but TSMC said it would go on.

It is unclear how TSMC can push forward with the plan after the Dutch and Japanese governments reportedly agreed with the US last month that they will stop shipping certain deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machinery to China. DUV, a lower level of technology than EUV, is essential for making 28nm chips.

On March 16, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sought to stir this apparent impasse up, establishing a technology committee to accelerate the development of high technology in China.

The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Beijing will subsidize local chipmakers, including SMIC, Hua Hong Semiconductor and Huawei Technologies, and encourage them to produce their own chip-making tools.

Meanwhile, on the Russian front

Although China is the primary target of the guardrails just announced, the chips war continues to rage between the United States and another of the adversary countries mentioned Tuesday, Russia.

Russia’s semiconductor industry lags behind global peers. Photo: Wikipedia

On January 22, Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington-based think tank, said in a report that Russia has turned to mainland China and Hong Kong to source semiconductors since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“Russia has made significant efforts to re-establish a network of suppliers in non-sanctioning countries from which to source semiconductors due to their potential use in military applications,” says the report. “Hong Kong and China were the largest shippers of these semiconductors after the invasion of Ukraine.”

It says products are also shipped in smaller amounts to Russia through other countries, including Belarus, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Uzbekistan. It also says some Russian fabless firms have contracted with manufacturers such as TSMC for integrated circuit production.

The think tank recommends the US government to set up a joint interagency task force on export enforcement and ask the private sector to help report “bad faith and illicit actors that are aiding adversaries and distorting markets to the detriment of legitimate actors.”

It says the US should find out what chip products Russia is importing from non-sanctioning sources and whether Russia is recycling chips from appliances, old computers or e-waste.

Source

Plans to build a detector deep under the ocean to try and catch the most elusive particles in the world, neutrinos, have been announced by The Chinese Academy of Sciences. They are not the only ones: Work is currently underway to build three detectors in the Mediterranean Sea, one has been proposed off the coast of British Columbia, and Russia is upgrading one in Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake.

There are currently trillions of neutrinos going through every inch of your body. Don’t worry – you are not meant to feel a thing. These particles have very little mass and they have no electric charge, so they hardly interact with other matter. But hardly doesn’t mean never – and when it happens, the event releases light that can be observed by specialized cameras.

To make sure you get detections, it is best to have a lot of transparent material, and water (or ice) works very well for it. China’s plan sees the detector covering a volume of 30 cubic kilometers (7 cubic miles), located 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) below the surface of the ocean, with strands of the detectors extending for about 3.1 kilometers (1.93 miles). If this comes to fruition it will be the largest neutrino detector in the world.

Its goal would be to study cosmic neutrinos coming from the most energetic sources, such as supernovae or very active supermassive black holes. It has been difficult to track these elusive particles to their sources. The first time was in 2018 through the IceCube experiment, which uses the ice of Antarctica instead of liquid water to study these events. These neutrino detectors could work with gamma-ray observatories such as NASA’s Fermi or China's Large High-Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO).

"If we can detect the two particles together, we can determine the origin of the cosmic rays," Chen Mingjun, lead researcher of the project at the Institute of High Energy Physics, told Xinhua News.

The European detector, known as the Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope, is under construction off the coast of France, Italy, and Greece. The first two sites already have subdetectors being built, with one specifically looking at cosmic neutrinos and the other at the properties of neutrinos themselves.

The Russian detector is a major upgrade of the original much smaller detector constructed between 1990 and 1998 and upgraded in 2005. In its current state, it has a volume of about half a cubic kilometer. If all these detectors (and a few more) come online, our ability to track cosmic neutrinos would increase massively, taking neutrino astronomy from its infancy to adulthood.

Source

As products such as ChatGPT, Bing, Dall-E, and Stable Diffusion continue to gain immense popularity, they are also facing significant challenges in dealing with misinformation and misuse, including the creation of deepfakes and copyright infringement issues.

Moreover, these products are already transforming the way we use the internet, and if chatbots become our primary means of accessing information and inspiration, it could have far-reaching implications for user privacy, copyright, and other related matters. 

Mozilla has been monitoring these developments for some time now, and its widely referenced 'Creating Trustworthy AI' white paper was published in 2020. However, until now, Mozilla has largely remained on the sidelines as far as product development is concerned. It is now taking a more active role in shaping the industry, not just through policy but also by developing its own products.

This approach is not new for Mozilla, as the company has a rich history of being a significant player in the market despite its small size, particularly with its Firefox web browser. Although Firefox may no longer be the most widely used web browser, it remains popular enough to ensure that Mozilla has a seat at the table. Given its deep understanding and genuine concern for the web, Mozilla wields an outsized influence in many of these discussions. It is worth noting that the company has its roots in Netscape, dating back to the early days of the consumer web, which means that it possesses a wealth of knowledge on the subject that is difficult for most others to match.

Mozilla may be small but it’s an influential force

The Mozilla.ai announcement is not particularly detailed regarding the specific projects the company plans to undertake. The company's website mentions its objective of creating 'a trustworthy open source AI ecosystem,' indicating that it will likely concentrate on developing tools for ensuring safety and transparency for developers, rather than attempting to compete directly with products like GPT-4.

While Mozilla frequently emphasizes its commitment to building wider communities and ecosystems, it is evident that the company also views AI as a crucial part of Firefox's future. Mozilla CEO Mitchell Baker stated in a recent podcast that she believes we are on the cusp of significant changes that could benefit Firefox (or another browser) in terms of recapturing lost market share. Baker suggested that disruption in the browser space is becoming increasingly likely, particularly in comparison to six months ago when the market seemed more static.

The timing of this announcement is quite intriguing. Companies like Google and Microsoft own and operate BERT and Bing, respectively, and they have a vested interest in maintaining their proprietary approach. Even OpenAI, which once pledged to be the type of open ecosystem that Mozilla envisions, has started to share significantly less information about its models and training data. It seems that Mozilla recognizes the need for a better model for developing AI, and that it may be the only organization capable of championing this approach.

Source

Enlarge / An Adobe Firefly AI image generator example.

In a study carried out in rats, researchers from the University of Cambridge used the device to improve the connection between the brain and paralyzed limbs. The device combines flexible electronics and human stem cells—the body's "reprogrammable" master cells—to better integrate with the nerve and drive limb function.

Previous attempts at using neural implants to restore limb function have mostly failed, as scar tissue tends to form around the electrodes over time, impeding the connection between the device and the nerve. By sandwiching a layer of muscle cells reprogrammed from stem cells between the electrodes and the living tissue, the researchers found that the device integrated with the host's body and the formation of scar tissue was prevented. The cells survived on the electrode for the duration of the 28-day experiment, the first time this has been monitored over such a long period.

The researchers say that by combining two advanced therapies for nerve regeneration—cell therapy and bioelectronics—into a single device, they can overcome the shortcomings of both approaches, improving functionality and sensitivity.

While extensive research and testing will be needed before it can be used in humans, the device is a promising development for amputees or those who have lost function of a limb or limbs. The results are reported in the journal Science Advances.

A huge challenge when attempting to reverse injuries that result in the loss of a limb or the loss of function of a limb is the inability of neurons to regenerate and rebuild disrupted neural circuits.

"If someone has an arm or a leg amputated, for example, all the signals in the nervous system are still there, even though the physical limb is gone," said Dr. Damiano Barone from Cambridge's Department of Clinical Neurosciences, who co-led the research. "The challenge with integrating artificial limbs, or restoring function to arms or legs, is extracting the information from the nerve and getting it to the limb so that function is restored."

One way of addressing this problem is implanting a nerve in the large muscles of the shoulder and attaching electrodes to it. The problem with this approach is scar tissue forms around the electrode, plus it is only possible to extract surface-level information from the electrode.

To get better resolution, any implant for restoring function would need to extract much more information from the electrodes. And to improve sensitivity, the researchers wanted to design something that could work on the scale of a single nerve fiber, or axon.

"An axon itself has a tiny voltage," said Barone. "But once it connects with a muscle cell, which has a much higher voltage, the signal from the muscle cell is easier to extract. That's where you can increase the sensitivity of the implant."

The researchers designed a biocompatible flexible electronic device that is thin enough to be attached to the end of a nerve. A layer of stem cells, reprogrammed into muscle cells, was then placed on the electrode. This is the first time that this type of stem cell, called an induced pluripotent stem cell, has been used in a living organism in this way.

"These cells give us an enormous degree of control," said Barone. "We can tell them how to behave and check on them throughout the experiment. By putting cells in between the electronics and the living body, the body doesn't see the electrodes, it just sees the cells, so scar tissue isn't generated."

The Cambridge biohybrid device was implanted into the paralyzed forearm of the rats. The stem cells, which had been transformed into muscle cells prior to implantation, integrated with the nerves in the rat's forearm. While the rats did not have movement restored to their forearms, the device was able to pick up the signals from the brain that control movement. If connected to the rest of the nerve or a prosthetic limb, the device could help restore movement.

The cell layer also improved the function of the device, by improving resolution and allowing long-term monitoring inside a living organism. The cells survived through the 28-day experiment: the first time that cells have been shown to survive an extended experiment of this kind.

The researchers say that their approach has multiple advantages over other attempts to restore function in amputees. In addition to its easier integration and long-term stability, the device is small enough that its implantation would only require keyhole surgery. Other neural interfacing technologies for the restoration of function in amputees require complex patient-specific interpretations of cortical activity to be associated with muscle movements, while the Cambridge-developed device is a highly scalable solution since it uses "off the shelf" cells.

In addition to its potential for the restoration of function in people who have lost the use of a limb or limbs, the researchers say their device could also be used to control prosthetic limbs by interacting with specific axons responsible for motor control.

"This interface could revolutionize the way we interact with technology," said co-first author Amy Rochford, from the Department of Engineering. "By combining living human cells with bioelectronic materials, we've created a system that can communicate with the brain in a more natural and intuitive way, opening up new possibilities for prosthetics, brain-machine interfaces, and even enhancing cognitive abilities."

"This technology represents an exciting new approach to neural implants, which we hope will unlock new treatments for patients in need," said co-first author Dr. Alejandro Carnicer-Lombarte, also from the Department of Engineering.

"This was a high-risk endeavor, and I'm so pleased that it worked," said Professor George Malliaras from Cambridge's Department of Engineering, who co-led the research. "It's one of those things that you don't know whether it will take two years or ten before it works, and it ended up happening very efficiently."

The researchers are now working to further optimize the devices and improve their scalability. The team have filed a patent application on the technology with the support of Cambridge Enterprise, the University's technology transfer arm.

The technology relies on opti-oxTM enabled muscle cells. opti-ox is a precision cellular reprogramming technology that enables faithful execution of genetic programs in cells allowing them to be manufactured consistently at scale. The opti-ox enabled muscle iPSC cell lines used in the experiment were supplied by the Kotter lab from the University of Cambridge. The opti-ox reprogramming technology is owned by synthetic biology company bit.bio.

Source

With the release of GPT-4, it seems to have finally convinced many that the future of work has probably changed forever, with AI being at the forefront of this seismic shift. Bill Gates is under no illusions as well, and has now produced a seven-page report on what he believes will be the future of work alongside improving AI models. 

Focusing on the future of AI and how it will affect the workforce, Gates outlined his thoughts, titled The Age of AI has Begun. 

According to Gates, only two technologies have ever struck him as “revolutionary”: the first time he saw a modern graphical user interface (GUI); and in 2022, when OpenAI completed his challenge to solve an Advanced Placement biology exam after just a few months. It was at this moment he realized that we may now be living through a period that will be in future history books. 

“The development of AI is as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone,” writes Gates.  

“It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other. Entire industries will reorient around it. Businesses will distinguish themselves by how well they use it.” 

He follows this by explaining how AI can help reduce inequality in education, and how it must be used carefully in policy due to its propensity for factual errors and “hallucinations”.  

Looking at productivity enhancement, Gates believes it will enter the white-collar work sector as a helper and “co-pilot”, much like Office 365 has just announced, but will fail to help in sectors where decision-making is needed regularly. It will instead become a personal assistant, performing tasks based on plain English (or another language) notes, planning your day, doing mundane things like answering emails; it may even be able to read things you probably should yourself and give you a quick rundown. 

Gates believes it will massively help health, especially in poorer countries, acting as an AI doctor and speeding up mundane tasks once again to free health workers to do patient-facing roles. It will also speed up biological discoveries, as DeepMind’s AIs have been doing in protein folding and drug discovery. 

Finally, Gates goes on to explain the threats and risks with using AI, such as the way it cannot do abstract reasoning, proper decision-making, and may one day grow out of control. It loves to make up things that don’t exist in the pursuit of giving an answer – AI rarely says “I don’t know”. 

In conclusion, Gates hopes that AI can continue to be furthered but in a philanthropic way, in the pursuit of reducing inequality and suffering in poorer nations. The world needs to establish a set of rules, according to him, so that AI has more benefits to society than downsides and ensures it stays on the right path, whatever that may be. 

In short, Gates is extremely excited about the possibilities of a technological revolution. 

Source