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Dec 1, 2023

When AI gets it wrong, workers suffer

Posted by in categories: law, robotics/AI

AI can be just as discriminatory in the workplace as any human manager and the law needs to catch up to this new reality.

By associate professor alysia blackham, university of melbourne.

Dec 1, 2023

Procurement in the age of AI

Posted by in categories: business, robotics/AI

Procurement professionals face challenges more daunting than ever. Recent years’ supply chain disruptions and rising costs, deeply familiar to consumers, have had an outsize impact on business buying. At the same time, procurement teams are under increasing pressure to supply their businesses while also contributing to business growth and profitability.

Deloitte’s 2023 Global Chief Procurement Officer Survey reveals that procurement teams are now being called upon to address a broader range of enterprise priorities. These range from driving operational efficiency (74% of respondents) and enhancing corporate social responsibility (72%) to improving margins via cost reduction (71%).

Nov 30, 2023

Toyota tempers expectations for solid-state battery adoption

Posted by in categories: chemistry, sustainability, transportation

It really is impressive how many unknowns there are about the next decade in transportation. Sure, there have always been innovations and surprises, but to be unsure what most vehicles will even be powered by in 10 years, nor who — or what — will be in the driver’s seat, is astounding. Battery-electric vehicles are the leading contender to usurp internal combustion, eventually, though the road to that outcome is full of hurdles. Solid-state batteries (SSB) are seen as one of the key innovations to get there, various makers saying they’ll have at least one product with a solid-state battery on the market by the end of the decade. The overall numbers of SSB-powered vehicles might remain surprisingly low well into the 2030s, though. In Toyota’s internal news outlet, Toyota Times, the automaker wrote, “In the [SSB] mass production phase anticipated for 2030 and beyond, the companies are looking to boost capacity to several thousand tonnes (several tens of thousands of vehicles) in line with Toyota’s product plans.”

The “companies” referred to are Toyota and Japan’s petrochemical conglomerate Idemitsu Kosan, which formalized collaboration on SSBs this year. Right now, Toyota and Idemitsu are working on the development times for solid electrolyte and resulting quality and cost. When those are locked in, the firms will work on a pilot facility for commercialization. Initial commercial effort will take two years of testing and validation before wider production commences in 2030.

The “several tens of thousands of vehicles” appears to have gone through at least one revision after publication. In Jalopnik’s writeup, the capacity was quoted as “over ten thousand vehicles.” Even at the larger sum, that’s considerably less than onlookers expected, but that might be because onlookers expected too much, not because Toyota overpromised. The automaker’s talked big numbers for BEV sales, but has talked just as bigly about what kinds of electrified powertrains those sales will entail: At least four kinds of battery technologies, plus hydrogen, and hybrids. In 2021, Toyota said it expected to have an SSB ready by 2025. In 2022, a Toyota engineer said the first product to get an SSB would be a hybrid on go on sale in the first half of the decade.

Nov 30, 2023

Chery and Huawei brand Luxeed shakes up EV market with 855 km range S7, starting at $35k

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Luxeed – a young, premium EV brand developed between Chery Automobile and Chinese tech giant Huawei, has shared new details of its flagship sedan, the S7. In a matter of months since first teasing the Tesla Model S competitor, followed by an influx of pre-orders, Chery and Huawei have now shared trim variants, pricing, and of course, range – which tops out at an impressive 855 km.

Luxeed is a new all-electric brand in China and when we say “new,” we mean we didn’t even know the official name of the joint effort between China’s Chery and Huawei until about four months ago.

In that time, we’ve seen Huawei tease its first model, learned its core specs from a regulatory filing in China, and saw the S7 sedan’s first unveiling three weeks ago, ahead of an official launch that took place today.

Nov 30, 2023

December 2023 Celestial Events

Posted by in category: space

Save this for later! From the Moon to the planets to the stars, read about the celestial events happening in December 2023!


Labroots recently shared key celestial events for November 2023 which offered skywatchers an opportunity to witness 16 days of events that included numerous meteor showers, comets, and planetary encounters. Now, Labroots wishes to share with you 22 days of celestial events for December 2023 that will ensure astronomy fans will not be disappointed. Each event is labeled in all caps for the type of event (e.g., MOON, PLANET, COMET, etc.) to provide skywatchers additional excitement to catch these incredible events!

December 1 (MOON and STAR): The Earth’s Moon will pass between 1–2 degrees from the star Pollux, which is located just under 34 light-years from Earth and resides within the constellation Gemini.

Continue reading “December 2023 Celestial Events” »

Nov 30, 2023

Teaching Robots to Ask for Help: A Breakthrough in Enhancing Safety and Efficiency

Posted by in categories: information science, robotics/AI

“We want the robot to ask for enough help such that we reach the level of success that the user wants. But meanwhile, we want to minimize the overall amount of help that the robot needs,” said Allen Ren.


A recent study presented at the 7th Annual Conference on Robotic Learning examines a new method for teaching robots how to ask for further instructions when carrying out tasks with the goal of improving robotic safety and efficiency. This study was conducted by a team of engineers from Google and Princeton University and holds the potential to design and build better-functioning robots that mirror human traits, such as humility. Engineers have recently begun using large language models, or LLMs—which is responsible for designing ChatGPT—to make robots more human-like, but this can also come with drawbacks, as well.

“Blindly following plans generated by an LLM could cause robots to act in an unsafe or untrustworthy manner, and so we need our LLM-based robots to know when they don’t know,” said Dr. Anirudha Majumdar, who is an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University and a co-author on the study.

Continue reading “Teaching Robots to Ask for Help: A Breakthrough in Enhancing Safety and Efficiency” »

Nov 30, 2023

Sports Illustrated accused of using AI for fake writers and articles

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Publisher denies Futurism report, says they didn’t use AI.


Guillaume/iStock.

One example cited by Futurism, which first reported the story, was of Drew Ortiz, who was listed as a “Product reviewer,” complete with a profile and a picture, for Sports Illustrated on its website.

Nov 30, 2023

Microsoft president says no chance of super-intelligent AI soon

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) — The president of tech giant Microsoft (MSFT.O) said there is no chance of super-intelligent artificial intelligence being created within the next 12 months, and cautioned that the technology could be decades away.

OpenAI cofounder Sam Altman earlier this month was removed as CEO by the company’s board of directors, but was swiftly reinstated after a weekend of outcry from employees and shareholders.

Reuters last week exclusively reported that the ouster came shortly after researchers had contacted the board, warning of a dangerous discovery they feared could have unintended consequences.

Nov 30, 2023

Generative AI could revolutionize health care — but not if control is ceded to big tech

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, robotics/AI

Large language models such as that used by ChatGPT could soon become essential tools for diagnosing and treating patients. To protect people’s privacy and safety, medical professionals, not commercial interests, must drive their development and deployment.

Nov 30, 2023

ChatGPT is winning the future — but what future is that?

Posted by in categories: mobile phones, robotics/AI

OpenAI didn’t mean to kickstart a generational shift in the technology industry.


The biggest thing in tech since the iPhone was basically an accident.