eMusings
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Turmoil is the best way to describe what is happening in AI worldwide. More than 30 bills are before the U.S. congress
addressing isssues of control and safety. Literally billions of dollars are trading hands, from individuals like Sam Altman,
to companies like Microsoft, to venture capitalists. At stake is the future, if there is to be one, of the human species. Stay alert,
and choose political candidates carefully.
Here some of the better online
comments. Keep in mind that we have no idea whether these articles were partially or entirely written by AI:
OpenAI has now introduced its
Strawberry model, boasting of its reasoning abilities. However the company has hidden the underlying chain of
thought from users, instead providing a filtered explanation created by a second AI algorithm.
The company has threatened to ban anyone who tries to understand how the algorithm works. Of course this has
induced hackers to double their attempts to trick the algorithm into revealing its underlying code.
Google
Cloud is working with Ginkgo Bioworks to bring out a Large Language Model (LLM) to speed up their drug discovery process. Another
project under development is to help engineers and scientists attain access to biology AI codes. Key to this endeavor
is to understand the DNA of biology.
A new AI
algorithm is looking for images of colliding clusters of galaxies as an example of self-interacting dark matter. Note
that dark matter is said to occupy 85% of all matter in the entire universe, since every galaxy appears to be surrounded
by a dark matter halo. Essentially, dark matter continues to be an unsolved mystery, so scientists are hoping to
break its code.
Boston Dynamics is
showing off its new electric Atlas doing pushups.
Speaking at a Goldman Sachs conference, Nvidia CEO jensen Huang
claims that we can no longer do next generation graphics without AI. In a cryptic illustration, Huang explained that when
using AI, "we compute one pixel, we infer the other 32. I mean, it's incredible." In other words, we basically hallucinate
the other 32. He adds that computing one pixel demands a great deal of energy, while making an educated guess about the
other 32 takes little energy and is extremely fast.
Open AI has a new o1 model that "thinks"
before it answers. It appears to surpass even humans with Ph. D degrees at solving expert-level queries. Not yet
available to the public, its specialty is complex reasoning which it accomplishes by breaking down large projects
into small jobs, repeatedly checking its own work, and challenging its own assumptions.
Scientists at Cornell University
have produced a tiny robot that crawls and folds into 3D shapes when given a jolt of electricity. The design is
modeled on kirigami, similar to origami. The model comprises a hexagonal tiling of roughly 100 silicon
dioxide panels connected by more than 200 hinges, each about 10 nanometers thin. Depending on which hinges are
electrically activated, the robot can even wrap around other objects and then refold into a flat panel.
Robots that do massages
are now being used in Miami, Florida, by a New York tech company called Aescape. No conversation. No interaction. No nudity.
The massage table is made of a mattress, with ankle bolsters and an arm rest, both adjustable by touch screen or
phone. You can choose the pressure, skip body parts that you don't want massaged, and pick music to listen to. You
will have to wear a special compression suit so that the robot arms can move smoothly over your body. An infrared
scan makes a 3D model of your body, which the robot uses to adapt its massage to your muscular structure.
An open-source project to analyze human language
has been terminated because "generative AI spam has poisoned the internet". Wordfreq creator Robyn Speer adds
"I don't think anyone has reliable information about post-2021 language usage by humans". (Thanks to CK for this.)
Just as we have become used to the concept of AGI, Artificial General Intelligence, a contender appears on the horizon.
Sam Altman has announced the emergence of Artificial
Superintelligence, ASI, within the next decade. ASI was first described in 2014 in a book called, "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies"
by Nick Bostrom. ASI is said to outperform humans at any intellectual demand, perhaps by leaps and bounds. Altman's
blog post explains his outlook. He is currently looking
for trillions of dollars in funding from international sources like the United Arab Emirates.
On to other October treats:
Pneuhaus studio specializes in playful constructions for public spaces. These charming sculptures
and immersive environments are designed to bring smiles and a sense of joy to our shared outdoor lives.
The growing field of bionic architecture
offers striking examples of organic, fluid design meant to counter the severity of severely geometric buildings. Based on an imitation
of "natural systems", the buildings are designed to imitate living organisms by creating sustainable and adaptive structures.
Often energy efficient and eco-friendly, they draw inspiration from multiple cultures and offer a much-needed visual relief
from the rigidity of today's cityscapes.
Born in Sweden, Camilla Engstrom is exhibiting a new body of paintings
titled "Ro", meaning tranquility. Now living in California, Engstrom's imaginary landscapes merge sun and flowers with
female bodies, creating a sense of meditation and the healing power of art.
Francis Newton Souza
was considered one of modern India's most significant painters, sometimes referred to as India's "enfant terrible".
Souza was known as a rebellious child, obsessively drawing everywhere including pornographic images in the school lavatory.
His bold, figurative paintings from the 1950's and 1960's are much admired, with themes of Catholicism, nude females, and
the struggle between good and evil. Underlying much of his work is a passionate and sometimes violent sensuality.
The large outdoor sculptures of Will Kurtz are hard to miss. Using items
like plastic bags, cellophane balloons and duct tape, he confronts us with massive dogs that demand attention. In addition
to his canines, Kurtz has sculpted other residents of New York City in the same provocative style.
Sophie-Yen Bretez
brings us her "Dialectic of Inner/Outer Space". Born in Vietnam and living in Paris, Bretez conjures dream-like characters surviving
in an ambiguous world. She explains, "I paint horizons for those who have suffered". Her models are frequently nude females,
puzzled, worried, confounded by the challenges that women face in contemporary society.
Many people don't think of wigs as art, but Eugene
Souleiman has spent over 40 years perfecting the form. He celebrates rejecting traditional stereotypes, and gleefully calls his
studio a place of chaos. With an impressive list of clients like Lady Gaga, John Galliano, and Alexander McQueen, Souleiman
creates singular hairstyles for clients who are essentially outsiders and radicals.
For many years, George Rouy has
focused his attention on images of somewhat "unsavory organs" - think of phrases like gut-wrenching and
a knot in your stomach. His favorite body part seems to be the belly, locus of creation, suggesting that painting
is akin to giving birth. Many of his figures seem unfinished, ghostly, and more symbolic than alive.
c. Corinne Whitaker 2024
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