Britain has initiated a new technology security partnership with India, aiming to boost economic growth and collaboration in telecom security while fostering investment in emerging technologies. The agreement will enhance cooperation on critical technologies, including semiconductors, quantum computing, and AI.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasised that this partnership would address future AI and critical minerals challenges, promoting mutual growth, innovation, job creation, and investment. Lammy made these remarks during his visit to India, where he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s Minister for External Affairs.
Additionally, both nations have committed to closer collaboration on tackling climate change. That includes mobilising finance and advancing partnerships in offshore wind energy and green hydrogen.
Microsoft has announced a partnership with Lumen Technologies to expand its capacity for AI workloads using LT’s network equipment. The tech giant, which has faced challenges due to data center infrastructure shortages, aims to meet the growing demand for AI services at its data centers.
In April, Microsoft revealed that the shortage of necessary infrastructure was limiting its ability to fully leverage the boom in AI technology. The company, which has invested heavily in OpenAI and its ChatGPT technology, continues to pour billions into cloud infrastructure to stay ahead of competitors like Google and Amazon.
As part of the deal, Lumen Technologies will switch to Microsoft’s Azure cloud services to reduce costs. The transition is expected to improve Lumen’s cash flow by over $20 million in the next year, aiding the company’s efforts to restructure its debt and achieve financial stability.
Why does this matter?
The collaboration comes as Microsoft also makes strides in AI development with projects like Vall-E-2, which achieves human-like speech, and its commitment to expanding AI in education in Hong Kong. These initiatives highlight Microsoft’s ongoing efforts to maintain its leadership in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
A consortium of universities, technology accelerators, and private research labs, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe program, has launched RoboSAPIENS, a project aimed at enhancing the adaptability and trustworthiness of industrial robots. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), industrial robot installations in Europe increased by 24% in 2021, reaching 84,302 units. The new project seeks to ensure these robots can efficiently adapt to changing environments while maintaining safe collaboration with humans.
The RoboSAPIENS consortium aims to advance robotic self-adaptation, empowering robots to dynamically respond to unforeseen changes in system structure or environment. The initiative focuses on developing control software for open-ended self-adaptation, improving safety engineering techniques, and utilising deep learning to reduce task uncertainty. This approach is designed to ensure that robots can reliably and reproducibly adapt to new tasks without the need for reprogramming.
Project coordinator Peter Gorm Larsen emphasised the importance of safety and trustworthiness in industrial robotics as Europe advances its capabilities. The project will build on the Monitor-Analyze-Plan-Execute-Knowledge (MAPE-K) framework to include adaptive controllers, incorporating deep learning and digital twin simulation techniques. RoboSAPIENS is currently conducting industrial use studies with manufacturing and logistics companies to test its adaptive controllers in real-world scenarios.
Why does this matter?
The launch of RoboSAPIENS comes amid broader efforts by the European Commission to promote human-centric AI, as seen with the introduction of the InTouchAI.eu initiative. At the same time, AI experts express concerns about granting legal status to robots, highlighting the need for careful consideration of AI’s role in society. RoboSAPIENS aims to strike a balance between innovation and safety, ensuring that industrial robots can adapt effectively while maintaining reliable and trustworthy operations.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has proposed a vision where AI bots assist content creators with audience engagement, aiming to free up their time for more crucial tasks. In an interview with internet personality Rowan Cheung, Zuckerberg discussed how these AI bots could capture the personalities and business objectives of creators, allowing fans to interact with them as if they were the creators themselves.
Zuckerberg’s optimism aligns with many in the tech industry who believe AI can significantly enhance the impact of individuals and organizations. However, there are concerns about whether creators, whose audiences value authenticity, will embrace generative AI. Meta’s initial rollout of AI-powered bots earlier this year faced issues, including bots making false claims and providing misleading information, raising questions about the technology’s reliability.
Meta claims improvements with its latest AI model, Llama 3.1, but challenges such as hallucinations and planning errors persist. Zuckerberg acknowledges the need to address these concerns and build trust with users. Despite these hurdles, Meta continues to focus on integrating AI into its platforms while also pursuing its Metaverse ambitions and competing in the tech space.
Samsung is relaunching Bixby, its virtual assistant initially introduced in 2017. The new version will feature advanced AI capabilities, enhancing user interactions with generative AI powered by Samsung’s proprietary large language model. The announcement was confirmed by TM Roh, head of Samsung’s mobile division, who emphasised the improvements aimed at making Bixby a more natural conversational interface.
Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, highlighting new AI tools designed to enhance the user experience. However, the upgraded Bixby was not mentioned during the latest Galaxy Unpacked event. Speculations suggest that the new Bixby may debut with the Galaxy S25 series early next year, though no specific timeline has been provided.
Reintroducing Bixby into a market dominated by Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple’s Siri is a significant challenge. Apple has also announced AI enhancements for Siri, intensifying the competition. Samsung aims to differentiate Bixby by seamlessly integrating it with its extensive product ecosystem, providing a unique user experience.
The timeline for Bixby’s AI upgrade remains unclear. Whether Samsung’s virtual assistant will reclaim its position among the top contenders in the market is uncertain. However, Samsung is determined to make a strong impact with its revitalised Bixby.
OpenAI’s AI safety leader, Aleksander Madry, is now working on a new significant research project, according to CEO Sam Altman. OpenAI executives Joaquin Quinonero Candela and Lilian Weng will take over the preparedness team, which evaluates the readiness of the company’s models for general AI. The move is part of a broader strategy to unify OpenAI’s safety efforts.
OpenAI’s preparedness team ensures the safety and readiness of its AI models. Following Madry’s shift to a new research role, he will have an expanded position within the research organization. OpenAI is also addressing safety concerns surrounding its advanced chatbots, which can engage in human-like conversations and generate multimedia content from text prompts.
Joaquin Quinonero Candela and Lilian Weng will lead the preparedness team as part of this strategic change. Researcher Tejal Patwardhan will manage much of the team’s work, ensuring the continued focus on AI safety. The reorganization follows the recent formation of a Safety and Security Committee, led by board members including Sam Altman.
The reshuffle comes amid rising safety concerns as OpenAI’s technologies become more powerful and widely used. The Safety and Security Committee was established earlier this year in preparation for training the next generation of AI models. These developments reflect OpenAI’s ongoing commitment to AI safety and responsible innovation.
Elon Musk has revealed that Tesla will start using humanoid robots next year. These robots will initially serve Tesla internally, with plans to begin sales by 2026. However, announcement aligns with Musk’s broader strategy to cut costs amid decreasing demand for Tesla vehicles.
Tesla’s recent financial update reported a significant drop in profits for the second quarter, from $2.7bn to less than $1.5bn. Despite various price cuts, automotive revenue decreased by 7% year-on-year, though a rise in the energy storage business led to a modest 2% increase in overall revenue. Consequently, Tesla’s shares fell by almost 8% in after-hours trading.
Musk has been increasingly focusing on advanced technologies such as AI and autonomous driving. He announced that the Optimus robot would be ready for internal use at Tesla by the end of this year, with mass production expected by 2026. Optimus is designed to perform tasks that are unsafe, repetitive, or boring for humans.
Mr Musk’s ambitious timelines have often been missed, including previous predictions about self-driving taxis. Tesla remains committed to developing robo-taxis, but their launch depends on regulatory approval. Other companies like Honda and Boston Dynamics are also developing humanoid robots, highlighting the competitive nature of this emerging field.
Elon Musk has launched a poll on social media platform X, asking if Tesla should invest $5 billion in his AI startup, xAI. Early votes show strong support, with 70% in favour. Musk emphasised that board approval and a shareholder vote are necessary before proceeding. This comes after Tesla reported its lowest profit margin in five years due to price cuts and increased AI project spending.
During Tesla’s earnings call, Musk highlighted xAI’s potential to enhance Tesla’s full self-driving capabilities and data centre infrastructure. He also mentioned opportunities for integrating xAI’s chatbot, Grok, with Tesla’s software. The poll, posted for nearly three hours, saw participation from approximately 386,000 users. Tesla and xAI have not yet commented on the poll results.
Should Tesla invest $5B into @xAI, assuming the valuation is set by several credible outside investors?
(Board approval & shareholder vote are needed, so this is just to test the waters)
Musk launched xAI last year as an alternative to ChatGPT, securing $6 billion in series B funding and reaching a post-money valuation of $24 billion. Major backers include Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. Musk plans for a quarter of xAI to be owned by investors in X, which he purchased for $44 billion.
On the earnings call, Musk dismissed concerns about diverting resources from Tesla to his other ventures. He previously ordered Nvidia to ship thousands of AI chips to xAI and X due to Tesla’s data centre being at full capacity. Musk has a history of using polls to gauge public opinion, including a 2021 poll on selling 10% of his Tesla stake.
According to the Central Statistics Office, Ireland’s data centres consumed more electricity last year than all its urban homes combined. These centres used 21% of the country’s electricity, a fifth more than in 2022, surpassing the 18% used by urban homes.
Experts worry this spike could hinder climate goals in Ireland and Europe. Within the Irish tech hub, Google reported a 48% rise in emissions due to its data centres, threatening its green targets. With AI advancements, data centres could use 31% of Ireland’s electricity in three years, overtaking the 28% used by all homes.
Despite the rapid growth of data centres fueled by Ireland’s low corporate taxes, the country’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels, which supply over 50% of its electricity, poses a challenge to environmental goals. Professor Paul Deane, a senior research fellow at University College Cork, highlights the need for swift renewable energy expansion, noting that while wind accounts for 34.6% of the power, solar is only at 1.2%.
Why does it matter?
The environmental impacts of data centres are already on the European Union’s radar. The European Commission recently adopted a new regulation requiring EU data centres to report key sustainability performance indicators starting in September 2024, aiming to increase transparency, enhance energy efficiency, and support climate-neutrality actions.
Meta Platforms has unveiled its largest version of the Llama 3 AI model, boasting impressive multilingual capabilities and performance metrics that challenge paid models from competitors like OpenAI. The new model can converse in eight languages, write better computer code, and solve complex math problems thanks to its 405 billion parameters. That makes it significantly more powerful than its predecessor, though it still needs to catch up to OpenAI’s GPT-4, which has one trillion parameters, and Amazon’s upcoming two trillion parameter model.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has high expectations for Llama 3, predicting it will surpass proprietary competitors by next year. Meta’s AI chatbot, powered by these models, is on track to become the most popular AI assistant by the end of this year, already used by hundreds of millions. The release comes amidst a competitive push among tech companies to demonstrate the value of their advanced AI models in solving complex reasoning tasks, justifying the significant investments made.
Meta is also releasing updated versions of its lighter-weight 8 billion and 70 billion parameter Llama 3 models. All versions are multilingual and can handle larger user requests, enhancing their ability to generate computer code. Meta’s head of generative AI, Ahmad Al-Dahle, highlighted improvements in solving math problems by using AI to generate training data. By offering Llama models largely free of charge, Meta aims to foster innovation, reduce dependence on competitors, and increase engagement on its social networks, despite some investor concerns over the costs involved.
