This week’s AI news roundup highlights various topics. There are discussions on AI’s potential control over humans, the EU AI Act, and improvements in AI technology like Humane’s “AI Pin” and Nvidia’s H100 and H200 chips. Challenges in AI deployment, such as the DDoS attack on OpenAI’s ChatGPT servers, and ethical concerns, including AI-generated child pornography, are also addressed. Furthermore, the Hollywood actors’ strike and the use of AI in entertainment and arts are mentioned. Lastly, topics like AI in military applications, AI-based weather prediction, AI talent competition, and other interesting AI stories are covered.
Welcome to this week’s roundup of AI news made by humans, for humans.
Is AI already in control?
AI alarmists paint a bleak picture of a future where AI rules humans. The concept of an ‘algocracy’ and the backstory of how we got here and where we’re heading is fascinating. AI could do a better job than most politicians if it was more transparent and decentralized. What happens if you throw AI and blockchain into the mix and give it a stir? The increasing role of AI in administering our lives is inevitable. The EU AI Act is trying to make that future less Skynet and more techno-utopia. The OECD just modified its definition of AI to make sure the act covers all the bases.
I want one!
Humane released its “AI Pin” and the excitement in the tech community is reminiscent of Steve Jobs showing us the first iPhone. A purchase price of $699 and $24 a month you say? Take my money! Maybe astronauts could wear the AI Pin and pretend they’re in Star Trek every time they tap their ‘communicator’. And when they eventually make it to Mars this AI robot could create oxygen on the surface.
The DevDay hangover
After the excitement of OpenAI’s DevDay, we still don’t know when to expect GPT-5. Bill Gates thinks we’ve hit an AI plateau and that GPT-5 won’t be as big a deal as some hope. Meanwhile, users of GPT-4 Turbo aren’t exactly dishing out 5-star reviews as its performance seems to be less ‘Turbo’ and more ‘meh’. The surge in usage post DevDay has exceeded OpenAI’s capacity, leading to a pause in new ChatGPT Plus sign-ups until server resources are improved.
How do we stop this?
People keep using generative AI to make horrible stuff. This week, a man was sentenced to prison for AI-generated child pornography. Platforms like Civitai are making it easier to generate exactly the image you’re after. Is it possible to make a pencil that only draws nice things? That’s the impossible challenge facing AI regulators.
Entertaining AI
The Hollywood actors’ strike is finally over! Well, maybe. There’s a “tentative” agreement in place relating to actors’ jobs and how AI will be used by the studios. Police in Wales admitted that they used facial recognition on everyone who attended a Beyoncé concert earlier this year. AI has earned a bad rap for faking artists but it’s also bringing back some of our favorites. Warner Music will use AI to bring Edith Piaf back to life in its biopic of the famous French singer.
But wait, there’s more!
Nvidia keeps streaking ahead of everyone else in the AI processor race. It set new AI training records in MLPerf benchmarks using a beast of a computer built with more than 10,000 of its H100 chips. The US State Department released a proposed set of guardrails for the ‘safe’ use of AI in military applications. China wasn’t one of the 31 countries that signed the military AI pledge. Google’s cybersecurity forecast predicts AI is going to be a big enabler for criminals in 2024.
Cloudy with a chance of job change
Google’s GraphCast model predicts weather better and faster than the current state-of-the-art models your weatherman uses. OpenAI and Google are locked in a high-stakes battle for AI talent. AI researchers are being poached back and forth with huge salary offers.
In other news…
White faces generated by AI are more convincing than photos. AI companions are becoming a big thing. Airbnb bought an AI startup in a bid to become more relevant in the travel industry. Is AI the answer to sustainable farming? YouTube is putting new measures in place for AI-generated content.
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