Lifeboat Foundation

The American computer scientist and techno-optimist Ray Kurzweil is a long-serving authority on artificial intelligence (AI). His bestselling 2005 book, The Singularity Is Near, sparked imaginations with sci-fi like predictions that computers would reach human-level intelligence by 2029 and that we would merge with computers and become superhuman around 2045, which he called “the Singularity”. Now, nearly 20 years on, Kurzweil, 76, has a sequel, The Singularity Is Nearer – and some of his predictions no longer seem so wacky. Kurzweil’s day job is principal researcher and AI visionary at Google. He spoke to the Observer in his personal capacity as an author, inventor and futurist.

Why write this book? The Singularity Is Near talked about the future, but 20 years ago, when people didn’t know what AI was. It was clear to me what would happen, but it wasn’t clear to everybody. Now AI is dominating the conversation. It is time to take a look again both at the progress we’ve made – large language models (LLMs) are quite delightful to use – and the coming breakthroughs.

“Automated logistics roads are designed to get the most out of road space by utilizing hard shoulders, median strips, and tunnels beneath the roadway,” Muramatsu explained.

ALSO READ: A New 6G device is Created by Japan That is 20 times Faster Than 5G Technology

The project involves installing automated conveyor belts in tunnels beneath major highways, on above-ground tracks in the middle of roads, and along hard shoulders. This innovative approach aims to optimize existing road space and enhance freight movement efficiency.

GXO and Agility Robotics debut humanoid Digit robots in a Spanx warehouse, a first for commercial robots-as-a-service (RaaS) deployment.

Transcend us, AI friends!

👉 Researchers from Harvard University, UC Santa Barbara, and Princeton University show in a new study that generative AI models can outperform their human trainers through “transcendence”

New research shows that generative AI models can surpass their human trainers. The researchers call this phenomenon “transcendence” and demonstrate it using the example of chess.

Continue reading “AI models can ‘transcend’ their training data, say researchers” »

Clips by Brighter with Herbert.

A team led by NCI researchers has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that uses data from individual cells inside tumors to predict whether a person’s cancer will respond to a specific drug. Learn more about how these findings hold promise for optimally matching cancer drugs to patients:

Precision oncology, in which doctors choose cancer treatment options based on the underlying molecular or genetic signature of individual tumors, has come a long way. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a growing number of tests that look for specific genetic changes that drive cancer growth to match patients to targeted treatments. The NCI-MATCH trial, supported by the National Cancer Institute, in which participants with advanced or rare cancer had their tumors sequenced in search of genetic changes that matched them to a treatment, has also suggested benefits for guiding treatment through genetic sequencing. But there remains a need to better predict treatment responses for people with cancer.

A promising approach is to analyze a tumor’s RNA in addition to its DNA. The idea is to not only better understand underlying genetic changes, but also learn how those changes impact gene activity as measured by RNA sequencing data. A recent study introduces an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tool, dubbed PERCEPTION (PERsonalized single-Cell Expression-based Planning for Treatments In ONcology), developed by an NIH-led team to do just this.¹ This proof-of-concept study, published in Nature Cancer, shows that it’s possible to fine-tune predictions of a patient’s treatment responses from bulk RNA data by zeroing in on what’s happening inside single cells.

Continue reading “AI Tool Using Single-Cell Data Has Promise for Optimally Matching Cancer Drugs to Patients” »

Influencer makes AI clone of herself. But it turns out badly.

Caryn Marjorie is a social media influencer whose content has more than a billion views per month on Snapchat. She posts regularly, featuring everyday moments, travel memories, and selfies. Many of her followers are men, attracted by her girl-next-door aesthetic.

In 2023, Marjorie released a “digital version” of herself. Fans could chat with CarynAI for US$1 per minute – and in the first week alone they spent US$70,000 doing just that.

Continue reading “An influencer’s AI clone started offering fans ‘mind-blowing sexual experiences’ without her knowledge” »

In the creepiest video of 2024, a scientist explains how his system, Cognify, could ‘fix’ prisoners by implanting AI-generated artificial memories in their brains. And it somehow gets weirder.

The Japanese government is planning to connect major cities with automated zero-emissions logistics links that can quietly and efficiently shift millions of tons of cargo, while getting tens of thousands of trucks off the road.