Lifeboat Foundation

In the shadows of the digital age, a quiet revolution unfolds, reshaping the landscape of work with every passing moment. Artificial intelligence (AI), once the fodder of science fiction and speculative thought, now infiltrates every facet of our professional lives, often in ways so subtle that its impact goes unnoticed until it’s too late. This silent shift sees AI not just complementing human efforts but outright replacing them, leaving a trail of obsolescence in its wake. Thus, let’s delve into the stark realities of AI’s encroachment on human jobs, exploring the future landscape of employment and the duality of its impact, through a lens that does not shy away from the grim nuances of this transition.

Across industries, AI’s efficiency, relentless work ethic, and precision have made it an irresistible choice for employers. From manufacturing lines where robotic arms assemble products with inhuman speed and accuracy, to sophisticated algorithms that manage stock portfolios, outperforming their human counterparts, the signs are clear. AI doesn’t just work alongside humans; it often works instead of them. The adoption of AI in tasks ranging from customer service bots handling inquiries with unsettling empathy, to AI-driven analytics predicting market trends with eerie accuracy, showcases a reality where human involvement becomes increasingly redundant.

As AI continues to evolve, the future of human employment navigates a precarious path. On one hand, new realms of jobs and careers will emerge, focusing on managing, enhancing, and leveraging AI technologies. On the other, the specter of widespread job displacement looms large, a testament to the inexorable march of progress that waits for no one.

How OpenAI, Google, and Meta deal with the limits of data online.

Alex Reben makes art with (and about) AI. I talked to him about what the new wave of generative models means for the future of human creativity.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket hasn’t flown space tourists for over 18 months, following an explosive incident in 2022.

UBTech teams up with Baidu to enhance Walker S humanoid robot with natural speech and real-time reasoning capabilities.

A team of MIT researchers has addressed significant barriers to the practical application of 2D magnetic materials. This innovation will enable the development of the next generation of energy-efficient computers.

The team achieved a notable breakthrough by developing a “van der Waals atomically layered heterostructure” device. The device connects two 2D materials: tungsten ditelluride and iron gallium telluride, a 2D van der Waals magnet.

It reduces stress, boosts the immune system, and relieves pain. Touch is even crucial to our survival. Babies can die if they don’t get it. Additionally, the lack of it in a child’s‘life can stunt their growth in various ways.

Thus, scientists at Saarland University developed the smart textile with therapeutic and medicinal value in mind.

They claim that with this technology, seriously ill children in hospital isolation wards gain the chance to feel their parents’ closeness.

The settlement terms include Google deleting ‘billions of data records’ that are from the private browsing activities of users involved in the suit. Going forward, Google will also update its disclosure to make users aware of what data it retains from the private browsing sessions.

As per the settlement, Google will also let people using the Incognito mode block third-party cookies for the next five years. The company will also not track the user’s choice of privately browsing the internet.

A groundbreaking study in the UK has revealed that reducing the duration of MRI scans for prostate cancer by a third would make them cheaper and more accessible without compromising on their accuracy. Lower costs would mean that more men could be offered scans and diagnosis for a disease which is highly treatable in its early stages.

As of today, doctors rely on a three-stage MRI scan to detect prostate cancer. The patient is injected with a contrast dye at the third stage, which helps to enhance the images from the scan. Now, the new research indicates the third step can be done away with if the first two scans are done with high precision and good quality.

Researchers from University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals conducted a study in which they assessed the impact of dropping the third stage. The study involved 555 patients from 22 hospitals in 12 countries.