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Could analog chips be the solution to AI’s power thirst?

Digital chips have revolutionized the world beyond all recognition. Yet, despite their enormous advantages to computing, for power-hungry processes like AI, analog might be best.

Digital computer chips are the mainstay of our current digital age.

They are found in almost any device that uses electricity, from fridges to cars and your cell phone. But their predecessor, analog chips, could be about to have a resurgence.

In the past, analog chips governed computing, operating over continuous value ranges.


Visualspace/iStock.

Baidu’s AI revolution: CEO announces launch of game-changing generative AI model

CEO Robin Li recently revealed that the company is primed to launch Ernie 3.5, a generative AI large-language model.

Baidu is China’s leading search engine and a powerhouse of technological innovation. Now, they are at the edge of a breakthrough. CEO Robin Li recently revealed that the company is primed to officially launch Ernie 3.5, a generative AI large-language model that promises to revolutionize Baidu’s ChatGPT-like app, Ernie Bot, and enhance its renowned search engine.

The announcement during the prestigious Zhongguancun Forum marks an exciting milestone for Baidu’s journey into advanced artificial intelligence.


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OpenAI’s Sam Altman raises $115 million for Worldcoin crypto project

May 25 (Reuters) — OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman has raised $115 million in a Series C funding round led by Blockchain Capital for a cryptocurrency project he co-founded.

The project, Worldcoin, aims to distribute a crypto token to people “just for being a unique individual”. The project uses a device to scan irises to confirm their identity, after which they are given the tokens for free.

Worldcoin has faced criticism for perceived privacy risks. In response to Altman’s tweet introducing the project in 2021, former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden tweeted, “Don’t catalogue eyeballs”.

What can stop the AI apocalypse? — Grammar. Yes, only grammar

As my friends Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin of the Center for Humane Technology (CHT) explain in their April 9th YouTube presentation, the AI revolution is moving much too fast for, and proving much too slippery for, conventional legal and regulatory responses by humans and their state power.

Crucially, these two idealistic Silicon Valley renegades point out, in an accessible manner, exactly what has made the recent jump in AI capacity possible:

Startups to Watch in AI: Artificial intelligence firms on the rise

Generative AI startup Jasper is creating an AI marketing assistant capable of writing ad copy, blogs, and other web content. Founded just two years ago, the startup raised $125 million in October at a $1.5 billion valuation.

AI startup Magic. Dev wants to make it easier to write computer code. The company uses large language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT to develop software that can write lines of code based on a text prompt. The program is meant to make software engineers more efficient. The company has raised $28 million to date from investors including Alphabet’s CapitalG.

Artificial muscle fibers could serve as cell scaffolds

In two new studies, North Carolina State University researchers have designed and tested a series of textile fibers that can change shape and generate force like a muscle. In the first study, published in Actuators, the researchers focused on the materials’ influence on artificial muscles’ strength and contraction length. The findings could help researchers tailor the fibers for different applications.

In the second, proof-of-concept study published in Biomimetics, the researchers tested their fibers as scaffolds for . Their findings suggest the fibers—known as “fiber robots”—could potentially be used to develop 3D models of living, moving systems in the human body.

“We found that our fiber robot is a very suitable scaffold for the cells, and we can alter the frequency and contraction ratio to create a more suitable environment for cells,” said Muh Amdadul Hoque, graduate student in textile engineering, chemistry and science at NC State. “These were proof-of concept studies; ultimately, our goal is to see if we can study these fibers as a scaffold for stem cells, or use them to develop artificial organs in future studies.”

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