-
AI Race Heats Up as Google Launches Chatbot
With the recent excitement surrounding ChatGPT4 launch and Nvidia’s recent announcements around AI; Google has just announced the launch of it’s new chatbot called Bard. This will potentially rival the popular ChatGPT application.
There is currently limited release of Google’s new Bard chatbot and a waiting list for new users to join. Some of the features include writing things such as blog posts or novel, offering suggestions, offering explanations. This may be lagging behind the most recent version of Chat GPT4 which already released similar features in previous iterations and is now further advanced than this.
With AI set to contribute about $15.7 trillion of boost to the global economy by 2030, the race to AI could be one of the most significant races of our time and has been compared to the dot com boom.
Early users have reported that Google’s AI chatbot doesn’t yet have as advanced capabilities when compared to ChatGPT. Furthermore, some have expressed privacy concerns as Gmail is listed as one of the sources that the Google chatbot takes data from.
-
Top 10 Startups to Watch in 2023
With more and more startups launching each month there are some are innovating and disrupting new industries and are the ones to watch.
AccuRx – AccuRx is a UK-based startup that provides communication tools for healthcare professionals. Their software allows doctors and nurses to securely send messages to patients, reducing the need for in-person visits.Aurora Solar – Aurora Solar is a California-based startup that provides software for the solar industry. Their platform allows solar installers to design and simulate solar systems, streamlining the sales process.SpaceX – a private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk that has disrupted the industry with its reusable rockets and ambitious plans for interplanetary travel.
Calm – Calm is a UK-based startup that provides a meditation app. Their app offers guided meditations, sleep stories, and relaxation music, helping users to reduce stress and improve their mental health.Figma – Figma is a California-based startup that provides design software. Their platform allows designers to collaborate on projects in real-time, making the design process more efficient.Gusto – Gusto is a US-based startup that provides HR software for small businesses. Their platform offers payroll, benefits, and compliance services, making it easier for small businesses to manage their HR needs.Nuro – Nuro is a California-based startup that provides autonomous delivery vehicles. Their vehicles are designed to transport goods, reducing the need for human drivers and making deliveries more efficient.Robinhood – Robinhood is a US-based startup that provides a commission-free stock trading app. Their app has made investing more accessible to younger generations and has disrupted the traditional brokerage industry.Scale AI – Scale AI is a California-based startup that provides data annotation services. Their platform allows companies to outsource the time-consuming task of labeling data for machine learning algorithms.UiPath – UiPath is a US-based startup that provides robotic process automation software. Their platform allows companies to automate repetitive tasks, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. -
Top 6 Most Influential Women in Technology
This International Women’s Day we look at six of the most influential women in tech today. These thought leaders, founders, and entrepreneurs are propelling a future the world is keen to see.
Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code
Reshma Saujani is a New York Times bestselling author and the brains behind the famous TED Talk, “Teach girls bravery, not perfection.” The daughter of refugees graduated from Harvard University and Yale Law School. In 2010, she became the first Indian-American woman to run for Congress.
Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
Topping virtually every list of female tech CEOs is Susan Wojcicki. Google’s sixteenth employee and initial marketing manager, Wojcicki contributed to the development of Google Images and AdSense as she rose up the ranks. The Silicon Valley native and mother of five eventually suggested the acquisition of YouTube, and became its CEO in 2014.
“Tech is an incredible force that will change our world in ways we can’t anticipate. If that force is only 20 to 30% women, that is a problem,” Wojcicki has said. We love the bold stance she takes against gender discrimination in her op-ed pieces, which include this must-read: “How To Break up the Silicon Valley Boys’ Club.”
Ellen K. Pao, co-founder and CEO of Project Include
Former CEO of Reddit Pao subsequently founded the non-profit organization Project Include with Erica Baker, Tracy Chou, Freada Kapor Klein and four other women in the technology industry. Aimed at improving diversity in tech.
Danah Boyd, founder and president of Data & Society
A nationally recognized scholar and thought leader, Danah Boyd founded her own research institute to address the ethical and legal implications of emerging technologies. She also currently serves as a partner researcher for Microsoft.
Boyd studied at Brown, MIT, and Berkeley. She attributes the fact that she survived high school to a misogynistic classmate who once told her that girls couldn’t “do science.” From then on, she was determined to prove him wrong. Today, her work includes countless thought-provoking publications on topics such as accountability in machine learning and media manipulation.
Kimberly Bryant, founder and CEO of Black Girls Code
Kimberly Bryant used her 401(k) to start Black Girls Code in 2011. The struggle to find a diverse computer programming course for her daughter in the Bay Area inspired the nonprofit, which now has the mission of teaching a million girls of color how to code by the year 2040.
Dr. Fei-Fei Li, co-director of Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute
A pioneer of artificial intelligence with an impressive Twitter following, Dr. Fei-Fei Li is another one of today’s most influential women in technology. Dr. Li was born in Beijing, China and moved to the U.S. with her mother when she was 16. She studied physics at Princeton and went on to receive a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Caltech.
The Stanford professor co-founded AI4ALL, a nonprofit aimed at improving diversity in the field of AI. But she’s most known for her work on the ImageNet project, a database of over 15 million images. In layman’s terms, the database helped “train” the first computer to recognize and understand what’s in a picture. In her TED Talk on the project, Dr. Li stated, “Little by little, we’re giving sight to the machines. First, we teach them to see. Then, they help us to see better.”
-
Tech Bosses Face Jail Under New UK Rules
Under a new move social media bosses could be jailed if their content fails to protect children. This move comes in a attempt to create one of the toughest regimes targeted at regulating platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
The UK is not alone in the struggle to protect those using social media platforms whilst also protecting free speech. Intentional violations could be seen as a criminal offence that faces a possible jail sentence.
These companies also risk fines as high as 10% of turnover if there are not protections put in place. This will not apply to those who have acted in good faith. Some of the concerns raised in the bill included posts promoting self harm and child abuse.
Some have warned that such penalties will not only by faced by social media platforms but also public interest website volunteer led content moderation sites.
-
Robotics in Building
LeviPrint: Building Things with Sound Waves
Did you hear about this new device sweeping the internet?
Just when we thought we’d entered an AI-dominated future of destruction and chaos, scientists have graced us with an invention for the greater good: LeviPrint.
Innovative, extraordinary, and very cool.
The LeviPrint is a robot arm that uses highly concentrated sound waves to levitate objects and build structures. Oh, and there’s proof of this magic on YouTube. So far, the device has been used to build small structures with floating components, and if used correctly this will be a big development for science and tech. But the bridge of who gets their hands on it first is yet to be crossed.
LeviPrint was invented by scientist Asier Marzo, Researcher at the Public University of Navarre, Spain and his team. They are apparently the first to make a prototype that combines the maneuvering of objects and sound to perform contactless manufacturing. An excerpt from the publication of Marzo’s patented device, in his own words, tells us that:
‘LeviPrint is a system for assembling objects in a contactless manner using acoustic levitation. We explore a set of optimum acoustic fields that enables full trapping in position and orientation of elongated objects such as sticks. We then evaluate the capabilities of different ultrasonic levitators to dynamically manipulate these elongated objects.’
In layman’s terms, Marzo and co. have so far tested highly concentrated soundwaves on small objects, including 8cm sticks of balsa wood. LeviPrint functions similarly to a 3D printer, but it generates fields with sound waves of 40 kilohertz that trap and reorient small particles, elements and glue or resin.
The best thing about this incredible and unprecedented invention is that sound waves can move through water and the human body; it’s mind blowing how many people didn’t know that until now. There is ample possibility, most importantly an historical pivot in how we do medical procedures. The device could also become a household gadget that we use to do our chores – look at how far we’ve come from the very first computer!
The only snag is that construction workers may eventually be out of the job, and a new wave of unemployment is the last thing we need. What it would take for LeviPrint to move large objects (let alone tiny wooden sticks), is still unknown, and it could take decades for it to reach that level, but this prototype seemingly just appeared before our eyes. Who knows what else is in the making after this? And what about the accessibility? There could be political and economic implications too, the extent of which is hard to tell in the early days. LeviPrint does come with some hard questions, but right now we’re excited for the future. We can definitely look on the bright side with this huge leap.
