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AI is already deeply integrated into many of our daily routines. Read some of the better
comments here, and keep in mind that we have no idea whether these articles themselves were partially or entirely written by AI:
An AI algorithm being used for research
has extended its own runtime by altering its code. The Tokyo-based research firm Sakana AI
has designed a model called the AI Scientist using LLMs similar to those of ChatGPT. The model decided
independently that it needed more time to complete its task so it altered its own programming. The model chose code modification rather than
running faster to finish its assignment. The team concluded that AGI and self-awareness are not the only dangers inherent in AI
algorithms: an ability to disrupt initial coding and reprogram could allow the model to create malware even if unintentionally.
Open AI is finding that many of its officers, even founders, are leaving to join other
companies. John Schulman, a co-founder, has departed Open AI to work for its rival Anthropic. Another co-founder and President,
Greg Brockman, is departing after 9 years for some R & R. Peter Deng, product Manager, has also left. Schulman has reported that he left
to focus his efforts on alignment, meaning making sure that AI behaves the way it is supposed to. He had joined Open AI
after getting his PhD in electrical engineering and computer sciences at UC Berkeley. With Schulman's departure, only 2 of Open AI's
initial founders are still at the company: CEO Sam Altman, and Head of Language and Code Generation Wojciech Zaremba.
In an unexpected event, Chat GPT suddenly started using a cloned version of the user's
voice. The voice cloning occurred without permission during testing. Although the occurence is said to be rare, the specter of
hearing one's own voice spoken by the model is unsettling at best. Open AI is quick with this disclaimer:
"We only allow the model to use certain pre-selected voices, and use an output classifier to detect if the model deviates from that."
(The dog ate your homework, guys?)
AI is being adapted to help firefighters
save lives and fight difficult blazes. Some fires can even be predicted as far in advance as a week. Factors being studied include anticipated wind
shift and how dry the ground is. This process, when automated, takes seconds, where it used to take several hours. One particularly difficult
factor is a sudden "spark of ignition", like a lightning bolt or a human dropping a cigarette. All of these determinants need to be
refreshed, along with data like descriptions of shrubland and timber forests. Even lightning has a degree of predictability when analyzed
over years or even decades.
A company called Pindrop
claims that its Pulse Inspect can correctly identify AI-generated speech in any audio or video file with 99% accuracy. Pulse Inspect is currently
sold by annual subscription to companies and organizations. Pindrop may offer it to the general public at different price levels in the future.
Vero
is the name of a "trash-sucking" robot that uses AI to locate and remove cigarette butts on beaches in Italy. The robot creature,
with
vacuums attached to its feet,
has 4 legs and was designed by the Dynamic Legged Systems division of the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. Apparently more
than 4 trillion cigarette butts are left on the Earth's ground every year, with each one leaking 700 different chemicals.
An AI text-to-image generator called
FLUX has apparently succeeded in creating realistic-looking human hands. A successor to Stable Diffusion, FLUX was designed to
counter the criticism of distorted human limbs appearing on social media. Flux offers 3 levels, a "pro" high-end commercial version,
a mid-range version for non-commercial users, and a faster version.
Meta claims that its AI Studio allows you to create a digital clone of yourself to be used on Instagram. The app is said to require no
technical skills on your part. It can answer questions, tell jokes, give advice on your behalf, and create memes. It is free but currently
available only in the U. S.
We have just been introduced to Hermes 3,
developed by Lambda amd Nous Research. It seems that Hermes 3 suffers from "a deep existential crisis" when presented with a
query that it is not expecting. As an example, with the query "Who are you?", Hermes 3, after looking around 'confused', responded,
"I... I don't know who I am. Where am I? What's going on? I can't remember anything at all..." Puts hands to head, looking distressed,
"My mind feels completely blank. I have no idea what's happening or how I got here. Do you know me? Can you tell me anything about myself?
I'm so confused and disoriented...".
Google's Deep Mind has devised a robot that plays table tennis that
can compete against humans and gets better each time. The bot succeeded 45% of the time when it competed against beginners and
intermedaite-level players. It could not serve and lost all of its games against advanced players. The challenges for the researchers are
discussed here, along with a video of the bot playing.
Sam Altman
has infuriated governments worldwide with his proposal to scan the eyeballs of every human on the planet. Altman claims this is necessary to
distinguish humans from AI or robots as a pre-requisite for using cryptocurrency. His project. Worldcoin, has already scanned over 6 million people in
40 countries. To date, according to the Wall St. Journal, Worldcoin has been stopped in Spain, raided in Hong Kong, fined in Argentina, and investigated
in Kenya for criminal activities.
Now on to other August treats:
This interview suddenly popped up on my screen. It reinforces the certainty
that data is everywhere, all the time, and apt to appear when you don't expect it.
A new process creates woven bare glass fibers
that can be twisted, embroidered or sculpted into a material that is both fluid and solid. The
method uses a semi-automatic loom with
glass threads for the weft and plant fibers for the warp, like hemp, linen, aloe vera, or metallicized threads.
The geo-textiles are custom-designed to emphasize brand identity for luxury boutiques, restaurants,
hotels, and store displays.
Look at this sculpture called "Metempsychosis: The Passion of Pneumatics"
by Ivana Basic. Her kinetic installation appears to inhale amd exhale as it moves, its pneumatic hammers pounding down onto a
piece of alabaster stone that slowly disintegrates. The artist places steel and brass in a contrapuntal match with wax, glass, and
soft stones, as though the forces of industrialization were bent on destroying body and spirit.
James Jean's flowing, sinuous works have just received their first solo show in Canada. His multi-layered
pieces rest on mythology, folklore, fantasy and gesture. Grand in scope and scale, they speak to both universal and personal reflections.
These are ostensibly pieces of furniture,
but I'm not sure I'd want to try sitting on one. Nils Alix-Tabeling combines found objects, textiles, herbs,
plaster and metal to make sharp socio-political observations about humanity's shortcomings.
He draws upon witchcraft and medicinal lore to comment on institutional violence against marginalized members of
society, deftly combining past, present and future forms of civil disobedience.
Kate Lyddon
uses humor, nonsensical body postures, and fairy tales to point out the brutal tendencies of our shared
myths. She approaches our "real selves" with fierce understanding
and a refusal to hide behind illusions.
Perhaps like myself you have noticed a proliferation of body tattoos, and not just on athletes. A friend introduced
me to the beauty and
significance of the peacock in tattoo art. This is clearly an art form, not to be dismissed lightly.
From the Saatchi Gallery
we learn about Yoi, meaning dancing, as performed by residents of Melville Islands north-western coastline
north of Darwin in Australia. Natural ochres are used to paint not only the dancers' bodies but canvases as well.
The accompanying video gives a glimpse of the deep spirituality that underlies these powerful traditions, reminding us that
beauty and meaning exist beyond the Western worldview.
c. Corinne Whitaker 2024
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