🪖 US Military has a new AI superpower

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🧠 AI and Machine Learning

His entire body was paralyzed. Then they put AI-powered chips in his brain (2 minute read)
In July 2020, amidst the early days of the pandemic, Thomas found himself in a surreal situation. A mishap had resulted in a severe neck injury, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down with no sensation in his limbs, a challenging situation to say the least. But fast forward to today, and Thomas's life has taken an incredible turn. Thanks to a groundbreaking clinical trial, which doctors fondly refer to as the "double neural bypass," developed at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Thomas is experiencing a remarkable transformation. Led by the visionary Dr. Chad Bouton, this pioneering therapy blends artificial intelligence, brain-computer interface implants, external computers, and user-friendly wearable technology. For Thomas and others living with quadriplegia, this innovative approach has brought newfound hope, allowing him to regain movement and sensation in his arms and hands after a three-year hiatus. It's a remarkable journey from paralysis to progress.

US military plans to thwart China with 1,000s of autonomous war drones (2 minute read)
The US Deputy Secretary of Defense has initiated what can only be described as the "AI drone revolution," unveiling a bold "Replicator" initiative aimed at deploying thousands of highly intelligent autonomous war drones within the next 18-24 months to dissuade any potential Chinese attempt to invade Taiwan. During a recent keynote address, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks explained that "Replicator" is designed to counter China's significant advantage in sheer numbers, whether it's ships, missiles, or personnel. She emphasized that the United States doesn't treat its citizens as mere pawns and instead relies on outsmarting, outstrategizing, and outmaneuvering its adversaries. Hicks stressed that America's true comparative advantage lies in the innovation and spirit of its people, setting the stage for a high-tech and innovative approach to national defense.

US restricts exports of Nvidia AI chips to Middle East (3 minute read)
The United States has expanded its export restrictions on Nvidia's artificial intelligence chips, extending beyond China to certain Middle Eastern countries. Nvidia, a tech giant valued at $1.2 trillion, revealed in a recent regulatory filing that these restrictions impact its A100 and H100 chips, crucial for accelerating machine-learning tasks in major AI applications like ChatGPT. Although the company stated that the controls wouldn't have an immediate material impact on its results, it did not specify which Middle Eastern nations were affected by these limitations. AMD, a competitor in the same sector, received a similar notification with restrictions. Nvidia explained, "During the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, the US government informed us of an additional licensing requirement for a subset of A100 and H100 products destined for certain customers and other regions, including some countries in the Middle East."

💼 Business

Baidu deploys its ERNIE Bot generative AI to the public (3 minute read)
Chinese tech giant Baidu has made an exciting announcement: they've opened up their generative AI tool, ERNIE Bot, to the public, making it accessible through various app stores and their website. ERNIE Bot is a powerful AI model that can create text, images, and videos based on natural language inputs. Baidu stands out as one of the first Chinese companies to receive approval from Chinese authorities to offer generative AI experiences to the public.

AI fever turns Anguilla’s “.ai” domain into a digital gold mine (2 minute read)
The idyllic British island territory of Anguilla, nestled in the Caribbean, is set to rake in an impressive $30 million this year, all thanks to its beloved ".ai" domain name. With AI fever catching on like wildfire, tech companies are flocking to this charming locale's ".ai" top-level domain. For Anguilla, predominantly reliant on tourism, this windfall is a much-needed boost, especially after the pandemic's impact. While $30 million might seem like a modest sum in the vast world of AI riches, consider this: Anguilla boasts a mere 35 square miles of land and a population of 15,753, so they're certainly not complaining. Those eager to secure these prized domains, must shell out a fixed fee of $140 for a two-year registration, and with demand on the rise, prices are on the upswing. Bloomberg notes that just last year, Anguilla's ".ai" domain brought in a comparatively paltry $7.4 million, but that all changed when OpenAI's ChatGPT burst onto the scene.

❓ Misc

Google's Generative AI Tools Now Turn Text Into Online Worlds (3 minute read)
In a quest to level up the game development process, some forward-thinking developers are turning to the power of artificial intelligence, not just to make things faster and easier but also more budget-friendly. During Google Cloud Next in San Francisco, startup Hiber unveiled its latest innovation—an integration of Google's generative AI tech into its Hiber3D development platform. The goal? To simplify the creation of in-game content and empower creators to build vast online realms, often referred to as metaverse platforms. Hiber3D is the engine behind their HiberWorld virtual platform, boasting a staggering 5 million user-crafted worlds, all without the need for coding. With the introduction of their generative AI tool, creators can now effortlessly instruct the Hiber3D generator using natural language, crafting worlds based on their moods or even to match the ambiance of a film, making game development a breeze.

AI-discovered drugs will be for sale sooner than you think (5 minute read)
In February 2020, more than five decades after a certain iconic AI villain graced our screens, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) accomplished something quite remarkable. They harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to unearth an antibiotic capable of vanquishing E. coli—a bacterium responsible for hospitalizing thousands each year—and an antibiotic-resistant strain of another common bacterial foe, Acinetobacter baumannii. In a nod to the sci-fi classic "2001: A Space Odyssey," they christened it "halicin," after HAL 9000. Prior to AI's involvement, the quest for such discoveries primarily centered on speed, efficiency, and cost. Historical data reveals that from the early 1990s to the late 2000s, the typical drug discovery process took a whopping 12 years or more. AI's secret sauce lies in its ability to sift through vast troves of medical data, as the remarkable tale of halicin demonstrates, significantly turbocharging the drug discovery process.

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