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Characters, data, stable power may give China the edge over US in AI stakes
By Xin Zhou , Ben Armour | May 23, 2024
China and the US are locked head-to-head in a struggle for primacy in global AI. Many factors will come to bear in deciding the outcome, but China’s intrinsic advantages in data, energy, and the nature of the Chinese language itself may prove decisive, two The Yuan editors argue.
AI might seem like HR’s savior, but it can also be a saboteur
Companies increasingly rely on AI to recruit and hire new talent, and the tech might soon be used to decide which employees to fire too. At first glance, this seems good because it reduces workloads for HR employees, but it is also controversial, writes Prof Koen Dewettinck.
Tim O’Reilly on AI development, regulation, copyright lawsuits, and more
Tech entrepreneur, professor, and author Tim O’Reilly - a major influencer in the world of AI and the driving force behind open source and Web 2.0 - recently sat down with The Yuan to give his thoughts regarding the most pressing tech-related issues facing the world today.
Creator tweaks LLM ‘Hallucination Detector’ to better flag confabulations
A ‘Hallucination Detector’ is 60% spot-on at flagging LLM phantasms, says AI and ML researcher Lloyd Watts, PhD, founder, CEO, and Chief Scientist at Neocortix and Audience, who is redoubling his efforts to fine tune the program (republished with permission from a LinkedIn post).
AI WWI raging in Ukraine will by no means be the last
The use of AI is burgeoning in armed conflicts great and small all around the world, but most notably nowadays in Ukraine. Although still subject to technical limits, the tech looks set to soon transcend these, as warfare once again proves to be the real ‘mother of invention.’
Genome of Greece is a paradigm for large-scale genomic medicine projects
The integration of genomics is crucial for healthcare to become more personalized, and the Genome of Greece initiative is helping do just that, writes Pharmacogenomics and Pharmaceutical Biotech Prof George P. Patrinos, of the University of Patras, Greece.
Who needs governments? AI prompts the question already on the minds of manyThe world is seriously underachieving, and countries everywhere must now redouble their efforts to attract FDI, make full use of their entrepreneurs and other talents, and take advantage of the opportunities AI provides. Naseem Javed, an expert on new ways of thinking, weighs in.
Looking ahead, OpenAI’s got 9.9 problems, and Twitch ain’t oneWhile late 2022 and 2023 were heady times for ChatGPT’s creator OpenAI, the AI darling faces many serious challenges in 2024 as its momentum slows and cracks in its business model become more apparent, argues best-selling AI author, entrepreneur, and professor Gary Marcus.
Rapid rise of CRISPR gene editing is revolutionizing a myriad of fields
CRISPR is a keen gene editing and engineering tool that won its discoverers the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. While undoubtedly upending this field, its uses do not stop there. Academy of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences researcher Shipra Asthana gives an overview of its applications.
Infotainment systems for voice-controlled cars represent a big step forward
Alexa and Siri are well-known voice assistants but deliver mixed results. Similar technology is now going a step further to create smarter car infotainment systems, with AI researcher and tech expert Parisa Naraei shedding light on the specific methodology involved.
Vision Pro realizes Steve Jobs' last vision, but Apple does not yet see it
If Steve Jobs were still alive, Apple Vision Pro would have come out earlier and featured AI at its core, writes award-winning tech columnist Satyen K. Bordoloi as he outlines a vision for AVP that Apple would do well to adapt.
The Yuan favorites
Emerging markets
Warren Buffett strikes a gloomy note over AI at his company’s annual confab
Warren Buffett, the éminence grise of investment, took the occasion of his company shareholders’ meeting to air his views on AI - part upbeat and part desponding. Though concededly no AI maven, Buffet’s remarks made waves nonetheless as he voiced his hopes and fears for the tech.
Emerging markets
Market power is permanent even with intense technological competition
Contrary to what one might think, the competition and ceaseless innovation that are hallmarks of today’s globalized, digital, hyperconnected world are actually increasing and entrenching market power for large, established players, argues Stanford economics prof Mordecai Kurz.
Emerging markets
AI octopus flexes its tentacles to entrench Big Tech’s hegemony
No end looms in sight to Big Tech companies’ chokehold on the digital economy, and AI’s steady rise bids fair to buttress this trend based on these corporate leviathans’ access to data and knowledge of consumer and business behavior, argues author and Law Prof Eric Posner.
Emerging markets
AI roots out corruption in India’s troubled healthcare terrain
India, the world’s most populous country, has a complex healthcare system prone to inefficiency and corruption. As the country digitalizes, AI is already bearing fruit by exposing graft and granting more Indians access to quality care, writes AI and Big Data expert Disha Ganguli.
Domain knowledge
Tim O’Reilly on AI development, regulation, copyright lawsuits, and more
Tech entrepreneur, professor, and author Tim O’Reilly - a major influencer in the world of AI and the driving force behind open source and Web 2.0 - recently sat down with The Yuan to give his thoughts regarding the most pressing tech-related issues facing the world today.
Domain knowledge
Can AI deliver long-awaited breakthroughs in assessing stroke risk?
Medical professionals toil hard to gauge stroke risk among aging populations earlier and more accurately. Incremental improvements have come, but big breakthroughs remain elusive as lack of access to care and AI jitters thwart efforts, as Harvard Med Fellow Rohit Agrawal, MD, MPH explains.
Domain knowledge
5G-driven AI, ML forecast traffic snarls within an ever-expanding range
AI, ML, and 5G are allying to achieve breakthroughs in traffic pattern management, easing congestion, and making highways everywhere safer, smarter, and more efficient. Purva Joshi, a PhD candidate in Healthtech at the University of Pisa, gives the green light to future mobility.
Domain knowledge
AI is advancing preventive medicine, promoting better health
AI draws much attention for transforming areas of healthcare such as cancer treatments and surgery, but its greatest impact lies in keeping more people healthy so they do not need such intervention, argues Ahmed Zahlan, a Fulbright Scholar doing his PhD on AI healthcare startups.
Generic
AI might seem like HR’s savior, but it can also be a saboteur
Companies increasingly rely on AI to recruit and hire new talent, and the tech might soon be used to decide which employees to fire too. At first glance, this seems good because it reduces workloads for HR employees, but it is also controversial, writes Prof Koen Dewettinck.
Generic
AI WWI raging in Ukraine will by no means be the last
The use of AI is burgeoning in armed conflicts great and small all around the world, but most notably nowadays in Ukraine. Although still subject to technical limits, the tech looks set to soon transcend these, as warfare once again proves to be the real ‘mother of invention.’
Generic
AI sleuths out Parkinson's disease earlier for more effective intervention
Parkinson’s disease afflicts many people, yet often goes undetected until symptoms have already manifested themselves. Computer-based AI shines a light at the end of this bleak tunnel, however, promising to detect the presence of the disease earlier and alleviate much suffering.
Generic
Lessons learned from AI chatbots will encourage their responsible use
Chatbots are widespread forms of AI and, while they handle many routine tasks effectively, too often they are left to deal with problems for which they are ill-equipped, prompting scandals and bad experiences. AI and legal expert Prof Eran Kahana cites an illustrative case study.
New era
Air Canvas using Python libraries reveals much about art in the digital age
In the current digital age of advanced tech, the boundaries between art, science, and technology are increasingly blurring. Researcher Parisa Naraei describes a project exploring the concept of computer vision and its workings, with various intriguing applications.
New era
Humanity must navigate a future of freedom versus control in the age of AI
As the AI epoch advances, humans face a stark choice and must seek to strike the right balance between freedom and control by the entrenched Big Tech elites, counsels Bart de Witte, an expert on digital transformation in healthcare and founder of Berlin-based non-profit HIPPO AI.
New era
Far from being amazing, Sora seems unable to handle the truth
Sora, a text-to-video and text-to-image AI model from OpenAI, is known for creating realistic scenes. A closer look, however, reveals that many of these are not real and should not be mistaken for such, warns Gary Marcus, a best-selling AI author, entrepreneur, and professor.
New era
Meta’s massive AI course correction follows The Yuan’s sage advice
In a once in a blue moon event, Meta, name notwithstanding, seems to have bowed down to The Yuan’s urgings, turned its back on the Metaverse, and set its front towards AI, as the firm strategically re-orients itself. Award-winning tech columnist Satyen K. Bordoloi has the skinny.
Metaverse
Has the concept of the metaverse failed, or is it still too early to tell?
This, the fourth in an article series titled Life and Crime in the Metaverse, examines the metaverse today and the question of whether it will ever reach its potential. Some already view it as a failure, but it could just be a steppingstone to something bigger and better.
Metaverse
The Yuan raises the red flag, wards off incursions by GAI chatbots
As GAIs such as ChatGPT find ever-wider use, this exciting development also risks obsoleting many human functions. ‘Singularitarians’ may hail this step, but The Yuan is committed to keeping humans in the loop, and so offers this cautionary tale for our contributors’ edification.
Metaverse
Life and crime in the metaverse: Trust, trustless, and zero trust
This, the third in an article series titled Life and Crime in the Metaverse, examines the idea of trust, how to engage in online transactions and other interactions in its absence, and what this signifies in the metaverse context.
Metaverse
Metaverse healthcare system applications are based on the discovery layer
In the second part of his series of articles on the Metaverse, AI engineer Douglas Amante takes a look at what the discovery layer of the Metaverse is and how healthcare-related applications fit in as they become an increasingly integral part of people’s lives.
Brain science
Stay tuned for The Yuan’s brain science themed webinar this July!
The Yuan recently ran a three-week series of articles from April 1 to April 19, with topics examining the intersection of neuroscience and AI. The series was a great success and will be followed up in July by a webinar featuring some of the series’ outstanding contributors.
Brain science
Neurosymbolic AI injects symbolic reasoning to give DL ‘the human touch’
Neurosymbolic AI is a novel method that empowers DL to reason symbolically, while also bolstering its already renowned ability to ingest and digest reams of data. SEO content creator Ava Addams maps a new route toward more intuitive AI, and forecasts a sea change in the offing.
Brain science
Advantis Medical Imaging fuels innovation to redefine healthcare with AI
The Yuan recently spoke with Zoi Giavri, co-founder, president and chief product officer of leading medical software developer Advantis Medical Imaging to talk advances in healthcare. Eleni Natsi, a journalist focused on the transformative impact of AI, lets us in on their tête-à-tête.
Brain science
GenAI offers a peek into the future of empathetic care in neuropsychiatry
Neuropsychiatric disorders are often difficult to treat because each patient’s case is unique and there are few, if any, other comparable cases to use as references. Fortunately, GenAI, a new tech, is now changing this outlook, argues Harvard Med Fellow Rohitashva Agrawal, MD,MPH.
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Special reports
What will be the outcome when AI 'outsmarts' humans?
Views on AI diverge. Some see a savior bestowing immortality on and whisking humanity off to the stars. Others descry a false prophet encompassing the ruin of humankind. The Yuan is cordially inviting our contributors to read their auguries and divine a time when AI ‘outsmarts’ us in this new series.
Can ‘AI’ outsmart humans? That depends on how one defines ‘smart’
Whether machines will ever outsmart humans is a question of the use of language and the inadequacy of programming because, on their own, machines are not clever, says Nigel Morris-Cotterill, author of The Yuan’s ‘Imaginary Friends’ series, on day 14 of The Yuan’s voyage of intelligent discovery.
AI will never outwit humans because it is no ‘smarter’ than an abacus is
Ancient Greeks used a marked table - abax - to calculate, but the true ‘abacus’ is a 5,000-year-old Babylonian invention diffused to the rest of the world. On day 13 of our intelligent discovery quest, writing from the East-West trade hub of Mumbai, The Yuan columnist Satyen K. Bordoloi likens seeing smartness in AI to ascribing sentience to an abacus.
Imaginary Friends 6: The circles of an imaginary mind
As our four imaginary friends feted the New Year, they end this series by spreading cheer with examples of AI’s failures that may have ruined or caused lives to be lost. Their moral is blunt: Never unloose AI unless it is under adult supervision and subject to actual intelligence.
Is ChatGPT really a ‘code red’ for Google Search? Maybe not
ChatGPT has lately been the focus of a great deal of buzz and great expectations, though its real capabilities and limitations also warrant attention, especially when compared to Google’s search engine. AI scientist, best-selling author, and serial entrepreneur Gary Marcus cuts through all the ballyhoo in quest of answers.
‘Terminator’ or ‘Terra-minator’? The Yuan announces its ESG manifesto
Fears of AI leapfrogging human cognition and ushering in Doomsday abound. The current impact of AI and ML, which devour vast energy, yield tons of toxic waste, and cleave deep social chasms, gleans less notice. The Yuan hereby proclaims our ESG policy to help safeguard our Earth.
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