Prince Harry, alongside his wife Meghan, emphasised the need for caution regarding artificial intelligence during their visit to Colombia. Speaking at a panel in Bogota, the Duke of Sussex expressed concerns about AI’s impact on society, highlighting the fear and uncertainty surrounding the technology. He also pointed to social media’s role in creating division, warning that misinformation is driving a wedge between people.
The couple arrived in Colombia at the invitation of Vice President Francia Marquez. During their visit, they engaged with students at a local school and enjoyed a traditional dance performance, showcasing their support for Colombian culture. Harry’s remarks on AI were part of a broader conversation about the challenges posed by new technologies and their influence on social dynamics.
Harry and Meghan, founders of the Archewell Foundation, are expected to continue their tour with a visit to Cali, where they will participate in the Petronio Alvarez festival, celebrating Afro-Colombian music and culture. Their visit reflects a commitment to addressing global issues such as cyber-bullying, online violence, and discrimination.
Vice President Marquez thanked the couple for their visit, acknowledging their efforts to forge connections and work on pressing global challenges. The royal couple’s engagement in Colombia underscores their ongoing dedication to social causes and global humanitarian efforts.
Donald Trump has shared AI-generated images on social media, showing Taylor Swift fans endorsing his presidential campaign. The images, which are clearly fake, have sparked controversy, particularly since Swift has not publicly supported any candidates in the 2024 US election.
Trump, however, embraced the images, responding with ‘I accept!’ on his platform. The posts were also shared by an account that reposts his content on X (formerly Twitter). Despite their obvious fabrication, the posts have drawn significant attention online.
( @realDonaldTrump – Truth Social Post ) ( Donald J. Trump – Aug 18, 2024, 3:50 PM ET )
— Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 TRUTH POSTS (@TruthTrumpPosts) August 18, 2024
Taylor Swift, who endorsed Joe Biden in the last election, has not commented on these fake images. Her history with AI-generated content has been fraught, including deepfake videos that once led to a temporary ban on her searches on X.
Swift’s potential legal actions against AI content providers remain a topic of interest. However, the source of these recent fake posts remains unknown, raising concerns about the use of AI in political propaganda.
Researchers at the University of Auckland’s Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand have used machine learning to delve into athletic recovery. They tracked 43 endurance athletes, gathering extensive data on sleep, diet, heart-rate variability, and workout routines. The study revealed that while certain factors like sleep quality and muscle soreness broadly influence recovery, the most effective predictors vary from person to person.
For instance, sleep data might be a strong indicator for one athlete, while for another, protein intake and muscle soreness could be more relevant. A simpler model using just a few variables performed nearly as well as more complex ones, emphasising that not all factors are equally important for every athlete. However, the effectiveness of predictions significantly improved when tailored to individual data.
The study also examined heart-rate variability (HRV) but found that predicting HRV changes based on controllable factors, like training load and diet, proved challenging. Although HRV is often used as a gauge for readiness to train, the researchers concluded that its predictive value might be limited.
Ultimately, the research underscores the importance of personalised recovery strategies. While broad patterns exist, the best approach to recovery seems to hinge on understanding the unique factors that impact each athlete individually.
Klaxon AI, a start-up based in Peterborough, has received £50,000 in funding from the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, to develop a new tool that allows small businesses to create computer-generated podcast adverts. The new system, expected to launch in January, will enable companies to produce 30-second podcast ads in just a few minutes, providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional advertising methods.
Co-founder Arup Biswas expressed excitement over the funding, noting that the tool will be ‘incredibly cheap’ and accessible to small businesses that typically cannot afford podcast advertising. The system will allow users to input a few words about their business or provide specific text, with AI generating the audio advert.
The service will cost about £50 for businesses to download their ad, or they can opt to use it for free on Klaxon AI’s network of podcasts. The funding is part of a broader £30 million investment by Innovate UK in high-potential businesses within the creative sector.
SK Telecom and Nokia have announced a strategic partnership to implement AI-driven fibre sensing technology to enhance network reliability in South Korea. The collaboration, formalised through a memorandum of understanding, plans to roll out the innovative technology across SK Telecom’s national fixed network by the end of 2024.
The primary goal is proactively monitoring and detecting environmental changes that could impact optical cables, addressing issues before they escalate into significant disruptions. The fibre sensing technology will utilise advanced AI and machine learning techniques to monitor various environmental factors, including earthquakes, climate fluctuations, and disruptions from nearby construction activities. By continuously analysing data from SK Telecom’s commercial networks, the system aims to identify potential threats to network stability early on.
The proactive approach is designed to minimise damage from line breaks and prevent service interruptions, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for customers. The integration of these advanced technologies allows for real-time monitoring and analysis, which is crucial for maintaining the resilience of network infrastructure. Ryu Jeong-hwan, Head of Infrastructure Strategy Technology at SK Telecom, emphasised the importance of this collaboration in accelerating the adoption of AI technologies.
He noted that this partnership prepares SK Telecom for the evolving AI landscape, positioning it as a leader in innovative network solutions. Similarly, John Harrington, President of Nokia Asia Pacific, expressed enthusiasm about integrating Nokia’s sensing technology into automated networks, highlighting their commitment to providing stable services by proactively addressing potential issues.
California is set to vote on SB 1047, a bill designed to prevent catastrophic harm from AI systems. The bill targets large AI models—those costing over $100 million to train and using immense computing power—requiring their developers to implement strict safety protocols. These include emergency shut-off mechanisms and third-party audits. The Frontier Model Division (FMD) will oversee compliance and enforce penalties for violations.
Supporters of the bill, including State Senator Scott Wiener and prominent AI researchers, contend that preemptive regulation is essential to safeguard against potential AI disasters. They believe it’s crucial to establish regulations before serious incidents occur. The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate and is now awaiting a decision from Governor Gavin Newsom.
If passed, SB 1047 would not take effect immediately, with the FMD scheduled to be established by 2026. The bill is anticipated to face legal challenges from various stakeholders who are concerned about its implications for the tech industry.
Norway’s $1.7 trillion sovereign wealth fund, one of the world’s largest investors, is calling for improved AI governance at the board level across its portfolio companies. Carine Smith Ihenacho, the fund’s Chief Governance and Compliance Officer, highlighted the need for boards to not only understand how AI is being used but to also establish robust policies to ensure its responsible application. The fund, which holds stakes in nearly 9,000 companies, has already shared its views on AI with the boards of 60 major firms.
The call for enhanced AI competency in Norway comes as the fund has increased its focus on the technology sector, where it has significant investments in major tech companies like Microsoft and Apple. The fund’s emphasis is on ensuring that AI is used responsibly, particularly in high-impact sectors such as healthcare. Smith Ihenacho stressed that boards must be able to address key questions about their AI policies and risks, even if they don’t have a dedicated AI expert.
Despite its concerns, the fund supports the responsible use of AI, recognising its potential to drive innovation and productivity. The push for better AI governance is part of the fund’s broader strategy to maintain high standards in environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) across its investments.
As the AI sector continues to grow, the fund’s recommendations reflect a broader trend towards increasing accountability and transparency in the use of emerging technologies.
Google is expanding its AI-generated search summaries, known as AI Overviews, to six new countries: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, and Britain. This follows a previous rollout in the US, which faced criticism for inaccuracies such as incorrect information and misleading content. The company has since refined the feature, adding restrictions to improve accuracy and reducing reliance on user-generated content from sites like Reddit.
The updated AI Overviews now include more hyperlinks to relevant websites, displayed alongside the AI-generated answers, with plans to integrate clickable links directly within the text. Google aims to balance user experience with publisher traffic, responding to concerns from the media industry about potential impacts on referral traffic.
Hema Budaraju, a senior director at Google, reported improved user satisfaction based on internal data, noting that users of the feature tend to engage more deeply with search queries. These updates come at a time when Google faces legal challenges and competition from AI advancements by rivals like Microsoft-backed OpenAI.
Ridley Scott, the acclaimed director behind the original Gladiator, is raising the stakes with Gladiator II, promising some of the biggest action sequences of his career. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Scott revealed that the film begins with an enormous action scene, surpassing even his work on Napoleon. Paul Mescal stars in the sequel, alongside Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, taking audiences on a thrilling new adventure two decades after the Oscar-winning original.
Scott embraces advanced technology, including AI, to bring his vision to life. One of the standout sequences features Paul Mescal’s character, Lucius, facing off against a massive rhino. Scott shared that he used a combination of computerisation and AI to create a lifelike model of the rhino, which was mounted on a robotic platform capable of impressive movements, adding a new layer of realism to the film’s action.
The director’s shift in attitude towards AI is notable, given his earlier concerns about the technology. Last year, Scott expressed fears about AI’s potential to disrupt society, but now he acknowledges its role in filmmaking. Despite his previous reservations, Scott seems to have found a balance between caution and innovation, using AI to push the boundaries of what’s possible on screen.
A decentralised blockchain and AI startup, Sahara AI, has successfully raised $43 million in a Series A funding round. The round saw significant backing from prominent investors including Pantera Capital, Binance Labs, and Polychain Capital. Samsung NEXT also joined the funding alongside Matrix Partners, dao5, and Geekcartel.
The funds will be utilised to expand Sahara AI’s global team, improve the platform’s performance, and grow its developer ecosystem. By leveraging its decentralised platform, Sahara AI aims to reward users, data sources, and AI trainers, rather than just the companies that create AI models. The company’s approach is seen as a shift from the traditional model, promoting transparency and fair compensation.
Founded in April 2023, Sahara AI has already partnered with leading tech firms such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Snap. These collaborations highlight the startup’s rapid growth and the increasing interest in its unique decentralised approach to AI.
As the use of AI continues to rise, concerns around data privacy, copyright, and ethical issues have become more pronounced. Sahara AI’s approach seeks to address these challenges by ensuring transparency and fairness in how AI models are developed and utilised.
