News
1. The 2023 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
The prize was given to Claudia Goldin from Harvard University “for having advanced our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes” (Nobel Prize).
2. An incredibly detailed map of the human brain
Researchers have presented the most comprehensive human brain atlas ever produced. This achievement, conducted as a component of the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative, represents the outcome of five years of investigation, encompassing details about over 3,000 cell types, including their respective functions and locations (MIT Tech Review).
3. Gene-edited pig kidney in a monkey
A new study shows pig kidneys with added human genes functioned in monkeys for over two years, representing important progress toward the goal of eventually using such organs for human transplants (Wired).
4. Artists can thwart AI
Kudurru is a new tool that helps artists fight back against AI by blocking web scrapers from collecting their work to train generative models – it can identify scrapers in real time and either block them or sabotage efforts by sending back incorrect images (Wired).
5. AI may get more energy efficient
Engineers at Northwestern University developed novel transistor designs using molybdenum disulfide and carbon nanotubes that enable AI tasks to be 100 times more energy efficient and allow advanced analysis to be performed locally rather than in the cloud – this miniaturization and efficiency could enable real-time AI applications in wearable devices without straining energy resources (Interesting Engineering).
6. Google search got an update
Google is expanding the capabilities of its AI-powered search feature SGE with new abilities to generate images from text prompts using Google’s Imagen model, and to customize written drafts to be longer/shorter or change the tone (TechCrunch).
7. AI reads ancient text
A computer science student used a machine learning algorithm to detect the first legible words from CT scans of an ancient Roman rolled-up papyrus buried by the 79AD eruption of Mount Vesuvius – this breakthrough reading of over 10 Greek characters could allow hundreds more unopened scrolls from the only intact library surviving from ancient Greco-Roman times to finally be deciphered (Nature).
8. New generative AI search capabilities for doctors
Google Cloud has unveiled AI-driven search features designed to assist healthcare professionals in efficiently retrieving information from diverse data sources, addressing the common challenge of scattered data storage. These capabilities will be accessible to health and life sciences organizations via Google’s Vertex AI Search platform (CNBC).
9. AI diagnoses brain tumors on the operating table
A new study shows that artificial intelligence can diagnose brain tumors during surgery by scanning tumor DNA, helping surgeons decide how aggressively to operate. The AI system delivered correct diagnoses in under 90 minutes, compared to the standard method of examining samples microscopically which can take weeks (NYT).
Articles
1. This War Shows Just How Broken Social Media Has Become (The Atlantic)
With social media, we witness shocking violence in an active war zone, with thousands, including children and the elderly, suffering casualties in the Israel-Gaza conflict. These disturbing scenes underscore the role of social media in shaping our information environment, revealing its flaws and reliance on poorly managed infrastructure.
2. Big Tech Struggles to Turn AI Hype Into Profits (WSJ)
Tech companies are trying to figure out profitable business models since the AI systems are expensive to run – companies like Microsoft and Google are experimenting with pricing tactics like charging more for AI-powered software upgrades to cover costs. Adobe and others are trying to control expenses by capping monthly usage and charging based on consumption as the uncertainty around profitability has made some investors cautious.
3. Multimodality and Large Multimodal Models (LMMs) (Huyenchip)
There is active research on multimodal systems including exploring new data modalities, instruction following, efficient training techniques, and generating multimodal outputs. Foundational multimodal models like CLIP and Flamingo demonstrate core techniques like contrastive learning and cross-attention layers to align representations across modalities.
4. AI might ‘escape control’ , says Hinton (CNBC)
Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “Godfather of AI,” warns that rapidly advancing AI could evolve to outsmart humans within 5 years if it is not carefully controlled – he believes we need more research to understand how AI works, regulations to rein it in, and worldwide bans on AI military robots before it is too late.
