Vodafone has called for the establishment of a ‘Connectivity Union’ to accelerate Europe’s digital ambitions and bolster its global competitiveness. Emphasising the crucial role of next-generation connectivity, particularly 5G standalone technology, Vodafone argues that this is essential for European businesses to fully harness the industrial value of the internet and emerging technologies such as AI. They warn that Europe risks falling behind in the global digital race without addressing the current connectivity issues.
The European Commission has identified several challenges in the connectivity sector, including fragmentation, excessive costs, and inconsistent regulations that vary across companies despite offering similar services. These issues threaten the achievement of Europe’s digital decade targets and put the region at a significant competitive disadvantage.
Vodafone stresses that Europe needs critical action from policymakers to close the 5G investment gap and turn its digital future around. Joakim Reiter, Chief External & Corporate Affairs Officer at Vodafone, highlighted the urgency of resetting Europe’s telecoms policy regime. He proposed a new Connectivity Union that would bring together the European Commission, national governments, and industry stakeholders to tackle the shortcomings in Europe’s connectivity sector more aggressively.
In response to the European Commission’s consultation paper, Vodafone outlined five key policy pillars for a new Digital Communications Framework for Europe. These include enhancing investment competition in mobile and fixed markets, advocating for pro-investment spectrum policies, ensuring fair regulation based on services offered, implementing a harmonised security framework, and creating a stable policy environment that incorporates sustainability requirements. These pillars aim to end the piecemeal policy approach to telecoms and lay the foundation for a robust Connectivity Union.
Florida International University’s Moss Department of Construction Management is at the forefront of a revolution in the industry. They’re equipping students with the tools to leverage AI for increased efficiency and safety on construction sites.
Imagine generating blueprints with just a few specifications or having a watchful eye constantly monitoring a site for safety hazards. These are just a few ways AI is transforming construction. Students like Kaelan Dodd are already putting this knowledge to work. ‘An AI tool I tried at my job based on what I learned at FIU lets us create blueprints in seconds,’ Dodd said, impressed by the technology’s potential.
But FIU’s course goes beyond simply using AI. Professor Lufan Wang understands the importance of students not just using the technology but understanding it. By teaching them to code, she gives them a ‘translator’ to communicate with AI and provides valuable feedback to improve its capabilities. An approach like this one prepares students to not only navigate the constantly evolving world of AI but also shape its future applications in construction.
The benefits of AI extend far beyond efficiency. Construction is a field where safety is paramount, and AI can be a valuable ally. Imagine having a tireless AI assistant analyse thousands of construction site photos to identify potential hazards or sending an AI-powered robot into a dangerous situation to gather information. These are a few ways AI can minimise risk and potentially save lives. While AI won’t replace human construction managers entirely, it can take on the most dangerous tasks, allowing human expertise to focus on what it does best – guiding and overseeing complex projects.
Key internet technical bodies, including the Internet Engineering Task Force, World Wide Web Consortium, Internet Research Task Force, and the Internet Society’s Board of Trustees, have signed an open letter to the UN arguing against a centralised governance of the internet, which they argue is being proposed in the UN’s Global Digital Compact (GDC). The letter states that some of the proposals in the latest version of the GDC, released on 26 June 2024, can be interpreted as mandating more centralised internet governance, which the technical bodies believe would be detrimental to the internet and global economies and societies.
The GDC aims to create international consensus on principles for an ‘inclusive, open, sustainable, fair, safe and secure digital future’. However, the technical bodies argue that the GDC is being developed through a multilateral process between states, with very limited engagement of the open, inclusive, and consensus-driven methods used to develop the internet and web to date.
Specifically, the GDC proposes the establishment of an international scientific panel on AI to conduct risk assessments, an office to facilitate follow-ups on the compact, and calls on the UN to play a key role in promoting cooperation and harmonisation of data governance initiatives. The technical bodies view these proposals as steps towards more centralised internet governance, which they believe would be detrimental.
West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) has announced plans to deploy a humanoid robot to undertake maintenance tasks along its railway tracks in the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe region starting this July. The move aims to enhance efficiency and safety by delegating hazardous and physically demanding tasks to the robot.
Equipped with two arms, the robot will operate atop a construction vehicle, reaching heights up to 12 meters. It can handle objects weighing up to 40 kilograms and be fitted with various tools such as chain saws and brushes for different maintenance needs.
Operators will control the robot from inside the vehicle using goggles that display real-time camera feeds from the robot’s perspective. A setup like this enables precise control, replicating the sensation of physically handling tools and objects through advanced feedback mechanisms.
JR West anticipates a significant reduction in staffing requirements for these tasks, estimating a decrease of around 30% with the introduction of the robot. Beyond internal use, the company plans to evaluate the robot’s effectiveness and explore opportunities to expand its deployment to other areas and potentially market it to external entities.
Introducing this humanoid robot in Japan marks a strategic step for JR West towards leveraging advanced technology to improve operational efficiency and safety standards across its railway maintenance operations.
Anthropic is launching a new program to fund the creation of new benchmarks for better assessing AI model performance and its impact. In its blog post, Anthropic stated that it will offer grants to third-party organisations developing improved methods for evaluating advanced AI model capabilities.
Urging the AI research community to develop more rigorous benchmarks that address societal and security implications, Anthropic advocated for revising existing methodologies through new tools, infrastructure, and methods. Highlighting how they aim to develop an early warning system to identify and assess risks, it specifically called for tests to evaluate a model’s ability to conduct cyberattacks, enhance weapons of mass destruction, and manipulate or deceive individuals.
Moreover, Anthropic also aims for its new program to support research into benchmarks and tasks that explore AI’s potential in scientific study, multilingual communication, bias mitigation, and self-censorship of toxicity. In addition to grants, researchers will have the chance to consult with the company’s domain experts. The company also expressed interest in potentially investing in or acquiring the most promising projects, offering various ‘funding options tailored to the needs and stage of each project’.
Why does this matter?
Benchmarks are the process of evaluating the quality of an AI system. The evaluation is typically a fixed process of assessing the capability of an AI model, usually in one area, while AI models like Anthropic’s Claude and Open AI’s ChatGPT are designed to perform a host of tasks. Thus, developing robust and reliable model evaluations is complex and is riddled with challenges. Anthropic’s initiative to support new AI benchmarks is commendable, with their stated objective of the program serving as a catalyst for progress towards a future where comprehensive AI evaluation is an industry-standard. However, given their own commercial interests, the initiative may raise trust concerns.
Connecticut is spearheading efforts by developing what could be the nation’s first Citizens AI Academy. The free online resource aims to offer classes for learning basic AI skills and obtaining employment certificates.
Democratic Senator James Maroney of Connecticut emphasised the need for continuous learning in this rapidly evolving field. Determining the essential skills for an AI-driven world presents challenges due to the technology’s swift progression and varied expert opinions. Gregory LaBlanc from Berkeley Law School suggested that workers should focus on managing and utilising AI rather than understanding its technical intricacies to complement the capabilities of AI.
Several states, including Connecticut, California, Mississippi, and Maryland, have proposed legislation addressing AI in education. For instance, California is considering incorporating AI literacy into school curricula to ensure students understand AI principles, recognise its use, and appreciate its ethical implications. Connecticut’s AI Academy plans to offer certificates for career-related skills and provide foundational knowledge, from digital literacy to interacting with chatbots.
Despite the push for AI education, concerns about the digital divide persist. Senator Maroney highlighted the potential disadvantage for those needing more basic digital skills or access to technology. Marvin Venay of Bring Tech Home and Tesha Tramontano-Kelly of CfAL for Digital Inclusion stress the importance of affordable internet and devices as prerequisites for effective AI education. Ensuring these fundamentals is crucial for equipping individuals with the necessary tools to thrive in an AI-driven future.
G42, an ambitious AI company based in the UAE, is positioning itself as a central player in transforming the UAE into an AI powerhouse while aiming to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons. Founded six years ago and state-backed, G42 has set its sights on regional and global influence through strategic collaborations and innovative technological advancements. Unlike other AI firms focused on developing large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, G42 prioritises building the infrastructure for the AI economy and creating real-world applications in key sectors such as healthcare and energy.
Recently, G42 has been active in forming partnerships and securing investments, including deals with OpenAI and Cerebras to construct a supercomputer and with AstraZeneca to manufacture innovative medicines in the UAE. A significant highlight is a $1.5 billion investment from Microsoft, underscoring confidence in G42’s potential. Additionally, G42 is pursuing global ventures to extend Emirati influence, such as enhancing Kazakhstan’s energy grid and developing data centres and digitising services in several African countries like Angola, Gambia, Kenya, Senegal, and Zambia.
However, G42 faces challenges, including local competition from entities like the Advanced Technology Research Council’s AI71 and Equinix. Regionally, Saudi Arabia is also advancing in AI by building the Middle East’s most powerful supercomputer and collaborating with IBM. Geopolitics add complexity, as G42 had to cut ties with Huawei to secure Microsoft’s investment.
Why does it matter?
In summary, G42 is taking a significant role in the UAE’s AI strategy, focusing on infrastructure and practical applications. Its high-profile partnerships and financial backing underline its strategic importance, yet it must navigate competition, geopolitical intricacies, and the challenge of making generative AI profitable.
SoftBank Group has launched a joint venture called ‘SB TEMPUS Corp.’ with Tempus AI, a leader in AI and precision medicine. The joint venture aims to provide precision medicine services in Japan by applying the expertise and technology that Tempus has accumulated in the US. That includes Tempus’ AI-enabled platform, which works to make diagnostics more intelligent and support healthcare providers in making more informed decisions. The goal is to provide personalised, data-driven therapies to patients, with the aim of helping them live longer and healthier lives.
A key focus of the joint venture will be collecting and analysing siloed and unstructured medical data, such as molecular, clinical, pathological, and medical imaging data. By leveraging AI to analyse this data, the joint venture aims to contribute to the advancement of pharmaceutical research, including clinical and drug discovery research and the proposal of treatment plans more suited to individual patients. That approach is expected to reduce side effects and enhance the effectiveness of medications, marking a significant step towards personalised medicine.
To help as many people suffering from cancer as possible, SB TEMPUS plans to establish collaborations with cancer genomic medicine hospitals and Japanese hospitals, medical facilities, pharmaceutical companies, biotech ventures, medical device companies, cancer insurance companies, and testing companies.
Why does it matter?
The collaborative network will support the provision of better diagnosis and treatment for patients, ensuring that they benefit from personalised, data-driven therapies. Also, the joint venture aligns with SoftBank’s corporate philosophy of ‘Information Revolution—Happiness for everyone.’
Google Translate is undergoing its largest expansion yet, adding 110 new languages and reaching nearly a tenth of the global population, thanks to advancements in AI. Google’s PaLM 2 language model has facilitated this growth by efficiently learning languages that are closely related, such as Awadhi and Marwadi, which are similar to Hindi, and French creoles like Seychellois Creole and Mauritian Creole. The expansion includes new languages like Afar, Cantonese, and Tamazight, bringing over 614 million people into the fold, with a significant focus on African languages.
Google’s approach to language variety and dialects involves creating hybrid models that prioritize the most commonly used forms. For instance, the translation model for Romani combines elements from several dialects, including Southern Vlax Romani, to produce a more universally understandable output. The strategy follows their 2022 introduction of 24 new languages using Zero-Shot Machine Translation, which enables translation without prior examples, and their ambitious 1,000 Languages Initiative to support the world’s most spoken languages.
Isaac Caswell, a Google software engineer, highlighted that ongoing partnerships with expert linguists and native speakers will further enhance the diversity and accuracy of Google Translate. The expansion underscores Google’s broader commitment to integrating AI across its platforms, a trend mirrored by competitors like Apple and Microsoft, who are also embedding AI into their services. Google Translate can be accessed at translate.google.com or through its mobile apps for Android and iOS.
Instagram is trialling a new feature called ‘AI Studio’, allowing creators to develop AI versions of themselves. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently revealed on his broadcast channel that the feature is undergoing an initial test phase with selected creators and users in the United States.
Zuckerberg highlighted that AI avatars from popular creators and interest-based AI models will soon appear in Instagram messaging. These AI entities are initially designed to interact within messaging threads and will be clearly marked as AI-generated.
During the broadcast, Zuckerberg demonstrated early examples featuring AI-powered chatbots developed in collaboration with creators such as the team behind the meme account ‘Wasted’ and Don Allen Stevenson III. These chatbots aim to assist creators by engaging with their followers and responding to messages on their behalf.
Creators on Instagram can initiate interactions by tapping the ‘Message’ button, prompting users to acknowledge that the responses may be AI-generated and potentially not entirely accurate or appropriate. Each AI-generated message will be prefaced with ‘AI’ and marked with a ‘beta’ tag, indicating ongoing development and testing.
Meta’s launch of AI Studio last year enabled businesses to create AI chatbots for platforms like Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram. The initiative reflects Meta’s ongoing efforts to integrate advanced AI technologies into its social media platforms, enhancing user engagement and interaction capabilities.
Why does it matter?
The IATSE’s tentative agreement represents a significant step forward in securing fair wages and job protections for Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes workers, ensuring that the rapid advancements in technology do not come at the expense of human employment.
