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Category: robotics/AI – Page 162

Breakthrough AI Reveals the Universe’s Hidden Signals

A new AI-driven tool allows scientists to analyze vast amounts of LIGO

LIGO, or the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. There are two LIGO observatories in the United States—one in Hanford, Washington, and the other in Livingston, Louisiana. These observatories use laser interferometry to measure the minute ripples in spacetime caused by passing gravitational waves from cosmic events, such as the collisions of black holes or neutron stars.

AI chatbots ease embarrassment, but humans handle anger better, research finds

Many people have experienced frustration when dealing with artificial intelligence chatbots for customer support or technical assistance. New research from the University of Kansas has found when dealing with embarrassing issues, people prefer the anonymity and nonjudgmental nature of AI chatbots. However, when angry, they still preferred dealing with a fellow human.

The COVID-19 pandemic both angered and embarrassed people around the world as they dealt with new and frequently changing information and misinformation on vaccines, social distancing and related topics. KU researchers conducted a lab-based experimental study in which they gauged people’s attitudes about vaccines, showed them content that could arouse anger or embarrassment and randomly assigned them AI or human assistance to further gauge their knowledge and attitudes about vaccines.

Vaibhav Diwanji, assistant professor of journalism and mass communications at KU and lead author of the study, researches new and emerging technologies’ influence on consumers.

AI-Powered Robots Advance in General Tasks in a Crowded Market

The dream of having robots do household chores inched a little closer to reality last week.

Figure, an OpenAI-backed robotics artificial intelligence (AI) startup, showed off humanoid robots that can understand voice commands and can grab objects they had never seen before.

In a Figure video, a guy holding a bag of groceries starts unloading eggs, apple, ketchup, cheese, cookies and other items on a counter.

Genome Editing with CRISPR: How to Effectively Minimize Off-Target Effects

Unlock the full potential of CRISPR technology while ensuring precision and safety! In this video, we dive deep into the science of CRISPR gene editing, explore the challenges of off-target effects, and reveal cutting-edge strategies to minimize risks.
📌 Key Topics Covered:

1️⃣ What is CRISPR?

Discover the origins of CRISPR-Cas9, its revolutionary impact on genetics, agriculture, and medicine, and the latest advancements like base editing and AI-driven optimization.
2️⃣ Understanding Off-Target Effects.

Learn why unintended DNA modifications occur, how gRNA promiscuity and nuclease activity contribute to risks, and proven mitigation strategies (e.g., HiFi Cas9, dual gRNA systems).
3️⃣ Off-Target Prediction & Detection.

Explore bioinformatics tools (e.g., CRISOT) and advanced detection methods like Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), LAM-HTGTS, and Digenome-seq for unbiased, high-sensitivity analysis.
4️⃣ Validation & Solutions.

See how CD Genomics’ off-target validation service combines multiplex PCR, Illumina sequencing, and cloud-based analytics to deliver publication-ready results with unmatched accuracy.

Continue reading “Genome Editing with CRISPR: How to Effectively Minimize Off-Target Effects” | >

Alibaba To Spend More Than $52 Billion In AI, Cloud Over Next Three Years

Major Chinese tech companies have been ramping up efforts to spur AI business growth.

Alibaba Group plans to invest more than $52 billion on AI and cloud infrastructure over the next three years, in a bid to seize more opportunities in the artificial-intelligence era.

The spending of at least 380 billion yuan, equivalent to $52.41 billion, will surpass the company’s AI and cloud computing investment over the past decade, Alibaba said in a post Monday on its news site. Alibaba first mentioned the plan last week when the company reported its results but didn’t provide a specific figure.

The technology giant co-founded by Jack Ma delivered better-than-expected results for three months ended December, with revenue growth accelerating to its fastest pace since late 2023, supported by improvements in its e-commerce and cloud businesses.

Major Chinese tech companies, from Alibaba to Baidu, have been ramping up efforts to spur AI business growth as advancements by homegrown upstart DeepSeek have gained global attention. Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai earlier this month said its AI technology would be integrated into Apple’s iPhones for the Chinese market, a move that analysts expect to burnish the Hangzhou-based company’s brand image and benefit its long-term growth.

Last month, Alibaba introduced the Qwen2.5 Max, the latest version of its AI model, which it said was competitive with global leaders, including DeepSeek-V3.

Continue reading “Alibaba To Spend More Than Billion In AI, Cloud Over Next Three Years” | >

Introducing Project Aria, from Meta

In today’s AI news, Alibaba Group plans to invest more than $52 billion on AI and cloud infrastructure over the next three years, in a bid to seize more opportunities in the artificial-intelligence era. The spending of at least 380 billion yuan, equivalent to $52.41 billion, will surpass the company’s AI and cloud computing investment over the past decade, Alibaba said in a post Monday on its news site.

And, at the Global Developer Conference, an AI community event hosted in Shanghai over the weekend, open-source developers from around China congregated in a show of exuberance over the possibilities of AI since DeepSeek’s resource-efficient models captured the world’s imagination. Use cases on display included everything from robotics to virtual reality glasses.

Then, John Werner poses the question, what if you could just run to the supply room, and Xerox an entire firm? What would that look like? Well, it might be expensive. But probably not as expensive as humans. John says, Dwarkesh Patel gives us an idea in a new collaborative essay Jan. 31 talking about the potential for all-AI companies. Suggesting that “everyone is sleeping on the collective advantages AI will have” …

And, agents capable of handling shopping-related tasks, optimizing supply chains, and creating personalized customer experiences are already here. Retail, in particular e-commerce, has been the poster child for agentic AI and is a sector where there is a lot of hype but also some very compelling use cases. So, let’s explore what’s happening in this space and what we can expect to see in the future.

In videos, during the 2025 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the chairman, founder and chief educational technology scientist of Squirrel AI Learning, Derek Haoyang Li, discusses with Forbes’ Randall Lane, the research, technology and success behind the Shanghai company’s innovative adaptive education models.

Meanwhile, as AI chatbots become more personal and proactive, the line between tool and companion is beginning to blur, with some users even professing love for their digital aides, says business consultant Amaryllis Liampoti. She presents three foundational principles for how brands can harness AI to build deeper emotional connections with consumers while prioritizing well-being, transparency and autonomy —

In other advances, Professor Danfei Xu and the Robot Learning and Reasoning Lab (RL2) present EgoMimic is a full-stack framework that scales robot manipulation through egocentric-view human demonstrations via Meta’s Project Aria glasses at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Learn more about the Aria Research Kit at projectaria.com.

T need AGI or even the latest and greatest models; they need products that augment their existing workflows … + Thats all for today, but AI is moving fast — like, comment, and subscribe for more AI news! Thank you for supporting my partners and I — it’s how I keep Neural News free.

Continue reading “Introducing Project Aria, from Meta” | >