Podcast Summary
Instagram using AI for age verification through facial recognition: Instagram partners with Yoti for age estimation using facial recognition, enhancing child safety and complying with regulations, but less accurate for females and people with darker skin tones.
Social media giant Instagram is implementing new age verification measures using AI technology. The company is partnering with third-party firm Yoti to estimate users' ages through facial recognition. This tool, which has been approved by the UK government and German digital regulators, is more reliable for estimating ages within a few years for those aged 18 or under 25. However, it is less accurate for females and people with darker skin tones. Instagram is using this tool to enhance child safety and comply with privacy regulations, as it has come under scrutiny for these issues in the past. Users will be asked to verify their age when they edit their birthday to show them as 18 or older, and can also opt for mutual confirmation from mutual followers. Instagram also uses AI to scan user-posted birthday information and flag potential discrepancies. Overall, this marks a significant step forward in age verification on social media platforms, using AI to help ensure compliance with age restrictions and protect younger users.
Online Age Manipulation and Retailer's Use of Facial Recognition Technology: Individuals falsify their online ages, triggering verification processes. Retailers use facial recognition tech for theft prevention, raising ethical concerns about privacy and consent.
Individuals may manipulate their online ages, leading platforms to require verification. Meanwhile, some retailers in Australia employ facial recognition technology for theft prevention, sparking ethical concerns. The discussion began with the speaker's confusion regarding teenagers falsifying their birthdays online and the subsequent verification process. The speaker shared their personal experience with this issue and how it was done to meet age requirements on certain sites. Next, the topic shifted to retailers using facial recognition technology to deter shoplifting. Three Australian retailers, Bunnings, Kmart, and The Good Guys, were identified as using this technology. Although it's stated in their privacy policies and warnings are displayed in-store, concerns about ethics and consent have been raised. The speaker acknowledged the importance of consent and the balance between convenience and privacy. They also mentioned the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's review of the use of facial recognition technology in these stores. In conclusion, individuals may provide false information about their age online, leading to verification processes. Retailers employ facial recognition technology to prevent theft, sparking ethical debates about privacy and consent. It's crucial to maintain a balance between these concerns and the benefits of these technologies.
Autonomous cars offer paid rides in cities and AI-powered tools assist software developers: Autonomous cars provide paid rides in cities, expanding service hours. AI-powered tools like Co-pilot assist software developers, improving productivity.
Technology is increasingly being integrated into everyday services and industries, from transportation to software development. In the transportation sector, Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, has become the first company to offer paid rides in a major city using driverless, autonomous cars. This new service, which is currently limited to designated streets and certain hours, is expected to extend the company's active time and make transportation more accessible, especially during less supply periods. In the software development industry, GitHub's AI-powered programming assistant, Co-pilot, has moved from technical preview to general availability. This tool, which assists developers in writing code, is now available to all developers, with a free trial and a monthly or annual subscription fee. For individuals who spend a significant amount of time coding, this tool could be a valuable investment. In addition, the US Internal Revenue Service is expanding the use of AI-powered bots to help set up payment plans with taxpayers over the phone, reducing wait times for human assistance. Overall, technology is making services more efficient and accessible, from transportation to software development to tax services.
AI in Automotive and Gaming: AI is transforming industries, including automotive and gaming, by enabling faster and cheaper inspections and complex task performance with enough data
AI is making significant strides in various industries, including automotive and gaming. General Motors is using AI to speed up vehicle inspections through a partnership with Israeli startup UVI. This technology uses sensors and AI to quickly identify damaged parts or maintenance issues, making inspections cheaper and faster. In the gaming world, OpenAI has made progress in reinforcement learning by training a neural network to play Minecraft using a two-stage approach. The model was trained on a small amount of labeled contractor data and then used to label unlabeled Minecraft videos. The AI model is now able to perform complex tasks in Minecraft, such as crafting a table, which could take a proficient human player approximately 50 seconds or 1,000 consecutive game actions. This breakthrough shows the potential for AI to learn and perform complex tasks in various software tools, given enough data. However, it's important to note that while this research demonstrates impressive results, it doesn't necessarily address efficiency concerns. Instead, it highlights the potential of AI to learn and perform complex tasks when given ample data. These advancements in AI have the potential to revolutionize industries and make processes more efficient and effective.
Open-source AI projects and cross-linguistic studies: Researchers are making progress in open-source AI projects like MineRL and Mind Dojo, and cross-linguistic studies, such as identifying speech features for autism diagnosis across languages using SVM.
The research community is making significant strides in open-source AI projects and cross-linguistic studies. Regarding the first topic, MineRL, a research project built on Minecraft, has open-sourced their data, model weights, and code. This framework offers a simulation suit with thousands of diverse, open-ended tasks, ranging from crafting items to exploring ocean monuments. Researchers can enter the Mine RL NURIPS competition and work with this data to build more complex tasks. Another project, Mind Dojo, also released around the same time, focuses on creating tasks for agents instead of training them. These projects complement each other and have the potential to advance AI research. Moving on to the second topic, researchers at Northwestern University and Hong Kong collaborated on a study to identify speech features that could help diagnose autism across languages. They focused on rhythm and intonation, which proved to be common identifiers for autistic speakers of both English and Cantonese. This study sheds light on the genetic aspect of autism and confirms its genetic influence. The researchers used a simple machine learning model, Support Vector Machines (SVM), to predict whether a speaker was on the autistic spectrum based on their speech rhythm. This research opens up opportunities for further exploration using more advanced techniques and neural networks.
New AI advancements in language models, text-to-image generation, and lake ecosystem forecasting: Meta released a massive open source language model, OPT-66 billion, while Google introduced a new text-to-image model, Party, generating hyper-realistic images. Researchers also developed a machine learning method for lake ecosystem forecasting, and Sevabras Systems demonstrated a 20 billion parameter model on a single device.
Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are continuing to push boundaries, with companies and researchers releasing increasingly sophisticated models and techniques. In the first article, Meta released the largest open source AI language model to date, OPT-66 billion, allowing anyone to access this advanced technology without restrictions. In the second article, Google unveiled a new text-to-image model, Party, which generates hyper-realistic images using 20 billion inputs, addressing concerns about bias in previous models. Thirdly, researchers have developed a new machine learning method to forecast lake ecosystem responses to climate change. Lastly, Sevabras Systems demonstrated the ability to train a 20 billion parameter model on a single device, aiming to make these large language models more accessible. These advancements show the ongoing progress in AI technology and its potential to solve complex problems and create innovative applications.
Cerebras Systems Unveils New AI Chip with 850,000 Cores and DOD Outlines Responsible AI Plan: Cerebras Systems introduces a groundbreaking AI chip with over 850,000 cores, while the DOD releases a plan to implement ethical AI principles in the military, emphasizing human control and workforce development.
The technology landscape is witnessing significant advancements, with Cerebras Systems unveiling a new AI chip that boasts over 850,000 cores, surpassing the capabilities of the largest GPU currently available. This breakthrough is impressive and challenges previous assumptions about what's possible. In other news, the Department of Defense (DOD) has released a 47-page document outlining their plan to implement responsible AI principles in the military. The document emphasizes ethical goals and concrete actions to promote responsible AI use across the department, focusing on areas like governance, warfighter trust, and workforce development. The DOD also reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining humans in the loop, ensuring that humans have final control over AI decisions. These developments showcase the importance of ethical considerations in AI advancements and the military's efforts to earn public trust. Both the Cerebras Systems breakthrough and the DOD's responsible AI plan represent significant strides in their respective fields.
Microsoft Eliminates Facial Analysis Tools from AI Services due to Ethical Concerns: Microsoft sets ethical standards for AI use, eliminates facial analysis, and limits face recognition technology due to potential misuse.
Technology companies, such as Microsoft, are increasingly focusing on ethical considerations when it comes to developing and deploying AI technologies. Microsoft recently announced plans to eliminate facial analysis tools from its AI services due to ethical concerns. This decision came after a two-year review by a team at Microsoft, which developed a responsible AI standard. The standard sets out requirements for AI systems, including the need for users to explain how they will use potentially abusive AI systems. The company is also limiting the use of face recognition technology and deeming other technologies, such as emotion prediction, not reliable enough for use. In other news, there have been reports of deep fake videos, including one involving Berlin Mayor, and concerns about China's expanding surveillance state, which collects digital and biological data from citizens on a massive scale. Elsewhere, researchers are working on using AI to predict earthquakes faster, but challenges remain in implementing this technology effectively. These developments underscore the importance of ethical considerations and the potential challenges in deploying advanced technologies.
Technology's Role in Disasters and Entertainment: Effective disaster response relies on infrastructure like seismic stations, while technology advances in voice replication and entertainment. Ethical considerations are crucial in both realms.
Technology continues to evolve and provide innovative solutions, but preparation and data are crucial. The discussion touched upon the importance of infrastructure in dealing with disasters, as shown by the recent earthquake in Afghanistan. The use of seismic stations to record data is essential for effective response. On a lighter note, technology is also advancing in the realm of voice replication, with Amazon's Alexa now able to mimic voices from short audio clips. However, ethical considerations arise, such as potential misuse for persuasive purposes. In the realm of entertainment, Word Dolly, a game combining elements of Wordle and Dolly, offers a fun and engaging way to guess prompts based on randomly generated images. Lastly, researchers in Sweden have made strides in developing their own large language model, GPT-SW3, capable of drafting the annual Christmas speech for the king. These advancements show the potential for technology to make significant contributions, but the importance of preparation, data, and ethical considerations cannot be overlooked.
A significant step forward in AI with large language models: Developing and implementing large language models with billions of parameters requires powerful supercomputers and resources, making it a challenge for areas outside of English language models
The development and implementation of large language models like the one discussed in the podcast, which has 3.6 billion parameters, is a significant step forward in the field of artificial intelligence. However, the availability of powerful supercomputers and resources, in addition to talent, is crucial for creating these models. This limitation is currently mostly present in areas outside of English language models. The podcast also highlighted that while only a few people were needed for the project, the acquisition of a supercomputer might be more challenging than acquiring talent. The podcast episode can be found on lastweekin.ai, and listeners are encouraged to share the show with others interested in AI and leave reviews on Apple Podcasts.
