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Summary: Recent studies have explored the use of psychedelics for the treatment of a range of mental health disorders. A new study reveals more insightful and mystical “trips” while exposed to psychedelics may be linked to an enduring reduction of symptoms for those with anxiety and depression.

Source: Ohio State University.

A more mystical and insightful psychedelic drug experience may be linked to an enduring reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms, according to a new study.

Few recent advances in technology have elicited as much interest as generative artificial intelligence. Media outlets around the world have provided awe-inspiring snapshots of what it can do for us. Our services alliance with OpenAI brings clarity to the expanding array of its potential business applications, combining OpenAI’s technology with our deep understanding of business strategy and social responsibility.

Generative AI uses sophisticated machine learning models to produce entirely original content such as images, text, and more. Beyond a compelling novelty, platforms such as ChatGPT, DALL·E, and Codex offer tangible benefits across industries and business functions—hyperefficient content creation, highly personalized marketing, more streamlined customer service operations, to name just a few. Advances in neural networks have pushed generative AI to an inflection point, giving early adopters a golden opportunity to make their mark. But while the technology has gained traction, many companies have faced challenges with integration.

We can help separate the hype from the real-world application, bringing experience across the value chain and a deep understanding of our clients’ industries. Equipped with deep expertise in AI technologies, our Advanced Analytics practice doesn’t only advise but also delivers solutions. We pinpoint the generative AI use cases that will create the most value, rapidly deploy a proof of concept, then implement the capabilities across your operating model, businesses processes, and data assets.

Ben Goertzel in response to some common objections covered in an article on io9 by George Dvorsky ‘You’ll Probably Never Upload Your Mind Into A Computer’: http://io9.com/you-ll-probably-never-upload-your-mind-into-a-computer-474941498

Objections are covered in order as they appear in the article:
1. Brain functions are not computable.
2. We’ll never solve the hard problem of consciousness.
3. We’ll never solve the binding problem.
4. Panpsychism is true.
5. Mind-body dualism is true.
6. It would be unethical to develop.
7. We can never be sure it works.
8. Uploaded minds would be vulnerable to hacking and abuse.

Ben Goertzel wrote a response to the io9 article: http://hplusmagazine.com/2013/04/20/goertzel-contra-dvorsky-on-mind-uploading/

http://www.goertzel.org.

Dust is a common fact of life, and it’s more than just a daily nuisance—it can get into machinery and equipment, causing loss of efficiency or breakdowns.

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin partnered with North Carolina-based company Smart Material Solutions Inc. to develop a new method to keep dust from sticking to surfaces. The result is the ability to make many types of materials dust resistant, from spacecraft to solar panels to household windows.

The research is published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Synthetic speech and voice cloning startup Resemble AI has introduced an “audio watermark” to tag AI-generated speech without compromising sound quality. The new PerTh Perceptual Threshold) Watermarker embeds the sonic signature of Resemble’s synthetic media engine into a recording to mark its AI origin regardless of future audio manipulation, yet subtle enough that no human can hear it.


Audio Watermarking

Visual watermarking hides one image within another, invisible without a computer scanner in the case of particularly high-security documents. The same principle applies to audio watermarks, except it’s a very soft sound that people won’t notice but encoded with information that a computer could decipher. The concept isn’t new, but Resemble has leveraged its audio AI to make PerTh more reliable without compromising the realism of its synthetic speech creation.

Quiet sounds can be obliterated easily in most cases, but Resemble figured out a way to hide its identification tones within the sounds of speech. As people talking is the point of Resemble’s services, the audio watermark is much more likely to come through an edit unscathed. Resemble takes advantage of how humans tend to focus on specific frequencies and how louder sounds can hide quieter noises that are close in frequency. The combination masks and protects the watermark sound from humans noticing or being able to extract the audio watermark. Resemble’s machine learning model can determine where to embed the quiet sonic tag, generate the appropriate sound, and put it in place. The diagram below illustrates how the watermark hides in plain sight, or sound in this case.

Blurring lines between man and machine.

A breakthrough has made way for a new paradigm in bioelectronics. Earlier, it took the implantation of physical objects to initiate electronic processes in the body. Humans have incorporated technology to enhance the human experience and take charge of their evolution. They’ve also integrated devices within them that could alternately function as organs when biological tissues fail.

Scientists have now developed a viscous gel that will be enough in the future.

Researchers at Linköping, Lund, and Gothenburg universities in Sweden have successfully grown electrodes in living tissue using the body’s molecules as triggers.