Author: zppiot
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Introducing: The AI Hype Index There’s no denying that the AI industry moves fast. Each week brings a bold new announcement, product release, or lofty claim that pushes the bounds of what we previously thought was possible. Separating AI fact from hyped-up fiction isn’t always easy. That’s why we’ve created the AI Hype Index—a simple, at-a-glance summary of everything you need to know about the state of the industry. Take a look at what made the cut. The…
Figuring out why the model behaves as it does tells Wayve what kinds of scenarios require extra help. Using a hyper-detailed simulation tool called PRISM-1 that can reconstruct 3D street scenes from video footage, the company can generate bespoke scenarios and run the model through them over and over until it learns how to handle them. How much retraining might the model need? “I cannot tell you the amount. This is part of our secret sauce,” says Rus. “But it’s a small amount.” Wayve’s simulation tool, PRISM-1, can reconstruct virtual street scenes from real video footage. Wayve uses the tool…
Generative AI has the power to surprise in a way that few other technologies can. Sometimes that’s a very good thing; other times, not so good. In theory, as generative AI improves, this issue should become less important. However, in reality, as generative AI becomes more “human” it can begin to turn sinister and unsettling, plunging us into what robotics has long described as the “uncanny valley.” It might be tempting to overlook this experience as something that can be corrected by bigger data sets or better training. However, insofar as it speaks to a disturbance in our mental model…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday cautioned companies against using tools that monitor or evaluate employees without their knowledge or consent. The federal agency issued its warning in response to what it said is increasing use of new technology to track workers, including algorithmic scores or background reports compiled by outside parties, the CFPB said in a news release. The information could be used to anticipate worker resignations or union-organizing activities and potentially influence hiring or promotion decisions, the agency said.”Workers shouldn’t be subject to unchecked surveillance or have their careers determined by opaque third-party reports without basic protections,”…
Mission-critical digital transformation projects too often end with a whimper rather than a bang. An estimated three-quarters of corporate transformation efforts fail to deliver their intended return on investment. Given the rapidly evolving technology landscape, companies often struggle to deliver short-term results while simultaneously reinventing the organization and keeping the business running day-to-day. Post-implementation, some companies cannot even perform basic functions like processing orders efficiently or closing the books quickly at the end of a quarter. The problem: Leaders often fail to consider how to sustain value creation over time as programs scale from the pilot phase to wide-scale execution.…
London — There are almost 4,000 emojis to help people express themselves online, but a group of young design students in London says none of them feature Black or mixed-race hairstyles, and they’re determined to change that.”As a Black creative and someone who’s constantly changing their hair, this campaign is really personal to me,” said Olivia Mushigo, senior creative on the Rise.365 team.The London youth group is determined to break down beauty stereotypes with the first ever emojis featuring afros, braids, cornrows and locs. Designer Vanita Brown looks at the final version of one of the Afro hair emojis at…
Old-school flip phones are making a comeback as some look for simpler lifestyle – CBS News Watch CBS News Major phone companies say some Americans want to ditch their smartphones in favor of so-called dumb phones. Some cell phone makers have even come up with new models of the iconic flip and brick phones to help those who want a simpler lifestyle. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #Oldschool #flip #phones #making #comeback #simpler #lifestyle
“Mornings Memory”: How a Google search led to an unlikely friendship – CBS News Watch CBS News Have you ever heard of the term, “Googleganger?” It’s when you and a person you search on Google share the same name. A CBS report from 2007 shows how it one time led to an unlikely friendship. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #Mornings #Memory #Google #search #led #friendship
This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. As a climate reporter, I’m all too aware of the greenhouse-gas emissions that come from food production. And yet, I’m not a vegan, and I do enjoy a good cheeseburger (at least on occasion). It’s a real problem, from a climate perspective at least, that burgers taste good, and so do chicken sandwiches and cheese and just about anything that has butter in it. It can be hard to persuade people to change their eating habits, especially…
When Muyinatu A. Lediju Bell ’06 won the National Science Foundation’s Alan T. Waterman Award, the country’s top honor for early-career researchers, she sat on a panel with her two fellow awardees, surrounded by the academic luminaries on the National Science Board. The atmosphere was formal, even weighty, but when asked by a board member how she became interested in science, Bell didn’t hesitate: “Watching the scientists on Sesame Street mix colorful liquid in test tubes.” Decades later, her scientific interests range across many disciplines, yet Bell’s focus is singular: She wants to save millions of lives around the world…
But the dreadful European weather—overcast and stormy, particularly in the late fall, winter, and early spring months—rendered all that firepower virtually useless. By the end of 1943, with D-Day only months away, the Allies had averaged only seven completed bombing missions a month; 70% to 80% of the year’s planned missions had been scrubbed or recalled because of the weather. Even if the Norden bombsight was truly capable of dropping a bomb into a pickle barrel—George Valley, for one, didn’t think so—it was useless if the bombardier could not see the target through the cloud cover. The scientists In 1904,…
How to detect online image manipulation – CBS News Watch CBS News With so many online images looking authentic, it can be hard to tell what’s real. The CBS News Confirmed team, led by Executive Producer Melissa Mahtani and Producer Alex Clark, shares tips on how to verify online content and detect misinformation Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On #detect #online #image #manipulation
Apple and Goldman “illegally sidestepped” their obligations to Apple Card customers, federal regulators say. #Apple #Goldman #Sachs #ordered #pay #million #Apple #Card #failures
A metronome ticks. A record spins. And as a feel-good pop track plays, a giant compactor slowly crushes a Jenga tower of material creations. Paint cans burst. Chess pieces topple. Camera lenses shatter. An alarm clock shrills and then goes silent. A guitar neck snaps. Even a toy emoji is not spared, its eyes popping from their plastic sockets before the mechanical jaws close with a deafening thud. But wait! The jaunty tune starts up again, and the jaws open to reveal … an iPad. Watching Apple’s now-infamous “Crush!” ad, it’s hard not to feel uneasy about the ways in…
This issue is all about food, and more to the point, how we can use technology—high tech and low tech—to feed more people. Jonathan W. Rosen explores how some in Africa are tackling hunger by reviving nearly forgotten indigenous crops. These crops are often more resilient to climate change and better suited for the region than some of the more traditional ones embraced by agribusiness. Developing and promoting them could help combat food insecurity across the continent. But as is the case with many such initiatives, a lot hinges on sufficient investment and attention. At the high-tech end of the…
Beyond reducing time to market, modern plant engineering efforts have shifted from yield per plant—a hallmark of the Green Revolution—to yield per acre. Slotkin cites corn: “By removing what’s called shade avoidance and increasing the leaf angle, you can seed at a denser rate.” Today, nearly 95% of all corn and soybeans grown in the US are genetically engineered to improve yield per acre, chiefly through herbicide- and insect-tolerant traits. Plant scientists have also fortified staple crops with essential nutrients. Golden rice, for example, uses corn genes to produce beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Purple tomatoes have been genetically…