Newsletter
Highlights:
Meta to label AI-generated images on Facebook and Instagram.
A first-of-its-kind AI heist using deepfakes.
A scientific breakthrough in deciphering ancient scrolls.
Business
Labeling AI-Generated Images on Facebook, Instagram and Threads (Meta)
Meta is currently working on the capability to indicate to users when a piece of content has been created by AI. Using invisible watermarking and metadata, they can recognize an AI-generated image. However, the technology is not quite there yet for audio and video. They’re hoping to integrate this feature on the Facebook, Instagram, and Threads apps in the coming months.
Can Palantir Sustain The AI-Fueled Business Growth That Sent its Stock 31% Higher? (Investopedia)
On Tuesday, Palantir shares jumped 31% after the software company’s fourth-quarter earnings beat expectations due to an increasing demand for their Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP). Analysts are concerned that this growth is unsustainable as Government revenue continues to decelerate.
Fun fact: The company derives their name from an indestructible, all-powerful seeing stone in “Lord of the Rings”. If you know anything about LOTR, you’ll find this an intriguing (and perhaps ironic) decision.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Wants To Train 2 Million People In India With AI Skills (Forbes)
Microsoft is planning to train 2 million people in India’s emerging urban and rural areas with the requisite AI skills necessary to get a job. CEO Satya Nadella likened investing in AI today to the UK’s investments in railways during the industrial revolution. It can and will have massive social and economic impacts.
Deepfake scammer walks off with $25 million in first-of-its-kind AI heist (Ars Technica)
A multinational company’s Hong Kong office has been scammed out of $25.6 million using deepfake technology. In a video conference, an employee was instructed to transfer funds. The victim was the only real person on the call. The scammer used publicly available audio and video to replicate the appearance and voices of employees, including the chief financial officer. No arrests have been made but it’s the latest in a recent string of concerning deepfake activity.
Government
AI Launches Nukes In ‘Worrying’ War Simulation: ‘I Just Want to Have Peace in the World’ (Vice)
Researchers ran international conflict simulations with a handful of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. What they discovered is that AI has a tendency to escalate problems even in situations where peaceful alternatives are available. Concerningly, the government has already started testing LLM’s for decision making. Companies like Palantir (mentioned above) demoed a software suite last year for this very thing.
US agency to hire 50 AI experts to crack down on drugs, child abuse (Reuters)
The US Government is putting out a call for tech experts in cybersecurity, data science and software engineering. They’re hoping to harness the positive benefits of AI to assess damage from natural disasters, accurately find victims and perpetrators of sexual exploitation, and identify suspicious patterns in vehicles crossing the border carrying drugs.
Science
AI Unravels Ancient Roman Scroll Charred By Volcano (Scientific American)
A team of student researchers have won $700,000 in a competition after they used machine-learning algorithms to decipher a 2000-year old Greek scroll. The scroll is one of hundreds excavated from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. They were only able to decipher 5% of an entire scroll but this is a massive breakthrough for archaeologists.
Entertainment
REVOLT unveils "Imagine If?" Black History Month campaign (REVOLT)
Revolt, a digital media company, has launched their “Imagine If?” campaign which gives black creators the ability to shape their own narratives through the use of AI art and storytelling. The campaign will be showcasing these creators all throughout Black History Month on Revolt’s social media channels.
Trending AI game simulates awkward family conversations, strikes a chord ahead of Spring Festival (ChinaDaily)
An AI game is taking China by storm, drawing in over a million players in a week. The game called Clash of New Year’s Greetings allows players to simulate conversations with nosy and judgmental relatives. Unlike traditional games with fixed options, players can freely enter in dialogue and the AI will respond accordingly. Navigating these conversations without upsetting the virtual relative is the key to winning. Many view this as practice for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations with family.
Life
Filmmaker Kyle Vorbach on how he faked his life with AI (WXXINews)
Social media is a place where we can present our best (or sometimes entirely false) selves. AI is making that easier than ever. Kyle Vorbach is writing a novel and has recently created a short documentary, titled “How I Faked My Life with AI”, about his experience using AI to create the elaborate ruse that he was living a glamorous life in LA while actually living with his parents in Upstate New York.
New at KPI
Feb 15th | Catch Juliette at Tampere Conversations in Finland. She’ll be speaking on “AI: Labor Market, Regulation and Productivity”.
Feb 23rd | For Black History Month, Juliette will be giving a virtual fireside chat at a high school in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Chatbot Wisdom for Today
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