Category: Just plain interesting!

Chinese AI gets better — and cheaper

Posted on by esimantiras

Chinese AI gets better — and cheaper

source: axios.com (contributed by Bill Amshey)  |  image: pixabay.com

 

Chinese AI makers have learned to build powerful models that perform almost as well as the best ones in the U.S. — for less money and with much less demand for energy, Axios’ Scott Rosenberg and Alison Snyder report.

  • V3, an open-source model developed by Chinese firm DeepSeek, performs about as well on various benchmark tests as OpenAI and Anthropic’s most advanced models.
  • DeepSeek says it cost just $5.6 million to train V3 — compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars American companies have spent to build and train their models.

🤖 Between the lines: The Biden administration has done a lot to advance AI in the U.S. and keep those advancements out of the Chinese government’s hands.

  • It has invested heavily in domestic manufacturing for powerful chips and new energy sources. And it has imposed tight export controls to prevent those chips from reaching China, including through third countries.
  • That seems to have worked in the short term, while spurring China to compete just as aggressively to develop its own tools.

A chilling, “catastrophic” warning

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A chilling, “catastrophic” warning

source: axios.com (contributed by Bill Amshey)  |  image: pixabay.com

 

Jake Sullivan — with three days left as White House national security adviser, with wide access to the world’s secrets — called us to deliver a chilling, “catastrophic” warning for America and the incoming administration:

  • The next few years will determine whether artificial intelligence leads to catastrophe — and whether China or America prevails in the AI arms race.

Why it matters: Sullivan said in our phone interview that unlike previous dramatic technology advancements (atomic weapons, space, the internet), AI development sits outside of government and security clearances, and in the hands of private companies with the power of nation-states, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a “Behind the Curtain” column.

  • Underscoring the gravity of his message, Sullivan spoke with an urgency and directness that were rarely heard during his decade-plus in public life.

Continue reading “A chilling, “catastrophic” warning” →

Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams

Posted on by esimantiras
Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams
source: wired.com  |  image: pixabay.com
view source article
 
The scourge of “malvertising” is nothing new, but the tactic is still so effective that it’s contributing to the rise of investment scams and the spread of new strains of malware.

Malicious digital advertisements and “SEO poisoning” that gets those ads to prime spots in search results have been mainstays of the digital scamming ecosystem for years. But as online crime evolves and malicious trends like “pig butchering” investment scams and infostealing malware proliferate, researchers say that so-called “malvertising” is still a key technique for scammers—and still a growing problem.

Instances of malvertising in the US were up 42 percent month-over-month in fall 2023 and increased another 41 percent from July to September of this year, according to data from the security firm Malwarebytes. The company says that scammers typically cycle through the advertising accounts used for malvertising quickly, and 77 percent of the accounts are only used once. The bulk of the activity, though, traces back to South Asia and Southeast Asia, Malwarebytes says, with 90 percent of the ad fraud coming from Pakistan and Vietnam, according to the researchers’ telemetry. But as with many components of the digital crime ecosystem, malvertising is often offered as a service where cybercriminals from around the world can purchase ads that distribute their malware or lead potential victims to a malicious website of their choosing. Continue reading “Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams” →

The Promise of Artificial General Intelligence is Evaporating

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The Promise of Artificial General Intelligence is Evaporating

source: mindmatters.ai (contributed by Artemus founder, Bob Wallace)  |  image: pexels.com

 

Revenue from corporate adoption of AI continues to disappoint and, so far, pales in comparison to the revenue that sustained the dot-com bubble — until it didn’t

hink back to when you took a science class in high school or college. Introductory physics, for example. There was one textbook and, if you learned the material in the book, you got a high grade in the class. If you were super serious, you might read a second textbook that reinforced what was in the first book and might even have added a few new concepts. A third book wouldn’t have added much, if anything. Reading a 10th, 20th, or 100th textbook would surely have been a waste of time.

Large language models (LLMs or chatbots) are like that when it comes to absorbing factual information. They don’t need to be told 10, 20, or 100 times that Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, Paris is the capital of France, or that the formula for Newton’s law of universal gravitation is

Continue reading “The Promise of Artificial General Intelligence is Evaporating” →

In This Polish Village, All 5,600 Residents Live on the Same Street

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In This Polish Village, All 5,600 Residents Live on the Same Street

source: nicenews.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

take a look at this street!

 

When a drone captured a bird’s-eye view photo of a sleepy Polish town, one feature stood out, taking the village from a relatively unknown dot on a map to a social media phenomenon. 

That wow-worthy feature? Everyone in Suloszowa — with a population of 5,672 in 2023 — lives on one single street. What impresses in the aerial picture is not only the 5.6-mile road with homes dotted on either side of it, but the billowing ribbons of yellow, green, and gold fields stretching out from behind them, forming living art in the surrounding countryside. 

“Until I saw the pictures from above, I didn’t really appreciate how nice it is here,” Marian Gęgotek, a resident and tractor driver, told the Daily Mail. Local shopkeeper Edyta was similarly struck by the photo of her town making the rounds on social media, adding: “I saw the aerial picture on the internet and I know that people are talking about us, and I am not that surprised, it is a lovely view.”  Continue reading “In This Polish Village, All 5,600 Residents Live on the Same Street” →

A “City Within a City” Is Coming to Phoenix

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A “City Within a City” Is Coming to Phoenix

source: nicenews.com  |  image: unsplash.com

 

Things are getting meta in Phoenix: Plans are in the works to build a $7 billion “city within a city” and drive value in the local economy.
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Called “Halo Vista,” the project in the Arizona capital would span 2,300 acres, with 28 million square feet dedicated to residential, retail, office, and industrial spaces. All of that will surround a semiconductor chip manufacturing complex, Newsweek reports, citing The Arizona Republic.
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“As historic as this is, it’s maybe just the beginning,” Richard Mack, one of the developers of the project, said at a launch event. Three other plants are planned for the site and are projected to create 10,000 total permanent jobs, not to mention another 80,000 jobs for the surrounding development.
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The team behind Halo Vista reiterated that it’s more than structures they’re seeking to build: “I really hope people understand this is a community we are trying to develop, and not any one thing,” Mack added.

The Era of Flying Cars…

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The Era of Flying Cars May (Actually) Be on the Horizon

source: nicenews.com  |  image: unsplash.com

 

You might soon hear your cab driver say: “Clear skies ahead and ready for takeoff.” Air taxis, along with other electric-powered aircrafts, are closer than ever to getting permission to fly.
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Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration published a much-anticipated 880-page document on the final regulations for pilot training and operating requirements for “powered-lift” vehicles. That means an aircraft designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter (or the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future), but with fixed wings like a plane, per The Verge.
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“Powered lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement, calling the new ruling “historic.” According to the agency, the vehicles can be used for cargo delivery, emergency rescue efforts, and simply taxiing people from point A to point B. While the rules aim to maintain safety and rigor, they also seek to address the realities of this nascent industry without setting overly strict standards.
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No air taxi company is currently certified for commercial operations, but some startups, like Joby Aviation and Archer, are in the process of making our sci-fi dreams a reality. Watch Joby’s aircraft fly over New York City last year.​

Security News This Week: The FBI Made a Crypto Coin Just to Catch Fraudsters

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Security News This Week: The FBI Made a Crypto Coin Just to Catch Fraudsters

source: wired.com  |  image: fbi.gov

 
/ NexFundAI, the FBI’s Ethereum-based token, was used to investigate price manipulation in crypto markets.

The FBI created a cryptocurrency as part of an investigation into price manipulation in crypto markets, the government revealed on Wednesday. The FBI’s Ethereum-based token, NexFundAI, was created with the help of “cooperating witnesses.”

As a result of the investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged three “market makers” and nine people for allegedly engaging in schemes to boost the prices of certain crypto assets. The Department of Justice charged 18 people and entities for “widespread fraud and manipulation” in crypto markets. Continue reading “Security News This Week: The FBI Made a Crypto Coin Just to Catch Fraudsters” →

This Brain Implant Lets People Control Amazon Alexa With Their Minds

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This Brain Implant Lets People Control Amazon Alexa With Their Minds

source: wired.com (contributed by Artemus founder, Bob Wallace)  |  image: pexels.com

 

Neuralink rival Synchron is connecting its brain–computer interface with consumer technologies to allow people with paralysis more functionality.

Mark, a 64-year-old with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, uses Amazon Alexa all the time using his voice. But now, thanks to a brain implant, he can also control the virtual assistant with his mind.

ALS affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control over time. Mark, who asked that his last name not be used, has limited mobility as a result of his condition. He can walk and talk but has no use of his arms and hands. As part of a clinical trial, he received a brain-computer interface, or BCI, made by startup Synchron in August 2023.

Synchron is developing a BCI that decodes brain signals to allow people with paralysis the ability to control digital devices with their thoughts alone. On Monday, the company announced that its BCI can now be used with Alexa without the need for voice or physical interaction with a touchscreen. Synchron says Mark is the first person to use Alexa with an implanted BCI. Continue reading “This Brain Implant Lets People Control Amazon Alexa With Their Minds” →

Apple Dives Deeper Into Med Tech With Focus on Hearing Health

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Apple Dives Deeper Into Med Tech With Focus on Hearing Health

 

source: cnet.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

An Apple a Day…

There’s nothing quite as thrilling as the chaos and hype of an Apple event day. Granted, as a longtime Apple user, I’m a bit biased. But the launch of the new iPhone 16; the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch; and the release of the next generation of Watches and AirPods warrants that kind of excitement. While our tech experts are knee-deep in all things iPhone and Watch, I want to highlight one important bit of news from yesterday’s Glowtime presentation: The AirPods Pro 2 earbuds will have over-the-counter hearing aid capability.

Anyone who’s experienced hearing loss, or who knows someone who has, understands the challenges associated with it. Traditional hearing aids are designed to help ease confusion, but they tend to raise the volume on all sounds, not just people’s voices. On top of that, they can cost thousands of dollars. With the new AirPods Pro 2, you’ll be able to give yourself a hearing test, and the earbuds will use “personalized dynamic adjustments” to boost sound in real time, Apple said. They’re expected to be available this fall.

It was hard to pick which of our Apple stories to include this week. Make sure you check out our other Apple event coverage, including a comparison of the iPhone 16 specs and commentary on why Apple’s hardware-focused event was so refreshing.