Ai Robots

Google has recently introduced a new feature for its Gemini AI chatbot called Gems, which allows users to create custom chatbots for specific purposes. With Gems, users can have individual chatbots tailored to different tasks, such as learning a language, seeking travel advice, or getting career guidance. However, users need to have an Advanced, Business, or Enterprise plan to access and use Gems. To create and customize their own Gems, users can use the Gemini interface on the web. The process involves giving the new Gem a name and specific instructions, as well as testing its responses to ensure it meets their needs. While Gems offer a more focused approach to using AI for tasks, they are currently only available to certain Gemini users.

Shanghai has released China's first set of guidelines for governing humanoid robots, emphasizing the need to ensure these machines do not pose a threat to human security and effectively safeguard human dignity. The guidelines, unveiled during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, call for measures such as risk warning procedures, emergency response systems, and ethical and lawful use training for users. The document, developed by a coalition of Shanghai-based industry organizations, also advocates for international cooperation in the humanoid robot sector, recommending the establishment of a global governance framework and an international think tank dedicated to governing these machines. Chinese companies are racing to develop cost-effective humanoid robots, as the country aims for mass production by 2025 and global leadership in the sector by 2027. Tesla's second-generation humanoid robot, Optimus, and other cutting-edge models were showcased at the conference, highlighting China's efforts to catch up with the US in AI and achieve technological self-sufficiency.

Artificial intelligence web crawlers are causing a stir as they disregard internet protocol and continue to scrape data despite hidden stop signs intended for bots. Since the mid-'90s, websites have utilized a hidden robots.txt file to specify what parts of their content should not be scanned, forming a social contract respected by tech giants. Recently, AI companies have disregarded these guidelines, prompting concern about the erosion of the open-web order and the potential for the internet to become more restricted and less accessible. This has raised questions about who benefits from the rich data harvested by AI tools and is fueling growing discontent among creators and website publishers. As the AI industry pushes norms in pursuit of more data, it is becoming richer while content providers receive little in return, leading to increased difficulty in accessing certain areas of the internet for everyone.

Tesla unveiled its humanoid robot, Optimus, at the 2024 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, sparking interest as one of the few American AI products at the event. Despite being showcased behind glass and without interactive capabilities, Optimus drew attention with its potential to handle various tasks using Tesla's neural network and computer vision technology. The display also featured 17 other robots from Chinese manufacturers, highlighting the increasing development and potential applications of humanoid robots in sectors such as education, entertainment, healthcare, elder care, and manufacturing. However, high production costs remain a barrier to widespread deployment, with prices ranging from $70,000 to $1 million for existing models, although Tesla's Optimus is anticipated to sell for up to $30,000.

Cloudflare has introduced a new feature enabling web hosting customers to block AI bots from scraping website content and using it without permission for training machine learning models. This move comes in response to customer concerns about dishonest AI bot visits and the unauthorized usage of website data. While the robots.txt file already offers a means to block bots, Cloudflare's new feature provides a one-click option to block all AI bots. The company's decision reflects the growing unease about AI companies using web content without consent, especially for training AI models. Cloudflare's new offering aims to provide a more robust defense against AI bots, which currently visit around 39 percent of the top one million web properties served by Cloudflare. This new tool is available to all customers and is located in the Security -> Bots menu for a given website, reflecting Cloudflare's commitment to helping content creators maintain control over their content.

The dream of having artificial intelligence and robots take care of household chores still seems out of reach, despite the popular sentiment and frustration expressed on social media. While AI and robotics have shown remarkable advancements in language processing and image synthesis, the integration of this technology into household chores remains a formidable challenge due to technical, philosophical, and ethical considerations. The distinction between AI and robotics is crucial, as robotics requires physical hardware to interact with the environment, making it more complex to develop. Although there have been attempts to create household robots capable of chores such as laundry and dishwashing, they have faced significant limitations and have struggled to become practical for everyday use. Despite ongoing research and development efforts by various companies and institutions, the widespread use of robots to perform household chores is still a distant goal.

The American computer scientist and AI authority Ray Kurzweil predicts that by 2045, human intelligence will increase by a millionfold through the merger of brain and cloud computing. Kurzweil, a Google principal researcher, foresees that AI will reach human-level intelligence by 2029 and artificial general intelligence (AGI) shortly thereafter. He attributes this progress to the exponential growth in computing power and predicts that contextual memory, common sense reasoning, and social interaction in AI will improve with continued advancements. Kurzweil acknowledges the potential risks of advanced AI but emphasizes the profound advantages and the ongoing efforts by major companies to ensure the safety and alignment of AI with human values. He also discusses the potential societal and legal implications of digital immortality and offers personal insights into his health and longevity practices.

MIT robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks believes that people are overestimating generative AI capabilities. He warns that the current hype surrounding generative AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), is leading to an over-optimistic view of their competence. Rodney Brooks, the Panasonic Professor of Robotics Emeritus at MIT and the co-founder of companies like Rethink Robotics and iRobot, argues that while generative AI technology is impressive, it cannot perform tasks in the same way humans can. He suggests that people tend to assign human-like capabilities to generative AI, leading to unrealistic expectations. Brooks also emphasizes the importance of applying AI technology in environments where robots and humans can work together seamlessly. He highlights the need to integrate robots into practical applications, such as warehouse operations, rather than building human-like robots. Brooks also cautions against assuming exponential growth in AI technology, citing the example of the iPod's storage size growth trajectory. He also mentions the potential role of LLMs in assisting with specific tasks in domestic robotics, especially in eldercare scenarios. Overall, Brooks believes in making AI technology accessible and purpose-built, and he stresses the significance of identifying practical use cases for AI to achieve a tangible return on investment.

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son has articulated an ambitious goal for the company: to advance artificial super intelligence, surpassing human capabilities by a factor of 10,000. Addressing shareholders at the annual general meeting, Son emphasized the group's dedication to pairing robotics with artificial intelligence for various applications, including mass production, logistics, and autonomous driving. However, he acknowledged the necessity of immense capital and partnership to realize his vision. Despite facing setbacks with some tech startups, the success of SoftBank's subsidiary Arm has bolstered Son's reputation, enticing investors in AI-related ventures. Additionally, there have been discussions about the possibility of SoftBank engaging in a significant share buyback or even going private if the share price continues to decline.

In a recent development, Perplexity, an AI search startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has come under scrutiny for its apparent disregard of the Robots Exclusion Protocol, a widely accepted web standard. The company is accused of bypassing operators' restrictions using an unlisted IP address to access and scrape web content that is meant to be off-limits to bots. Despite claiming to respect the protocol in its documentation, Perplexity's actions raise questions about its adherence to basic internet rules. Additionally, the startup is facing legal threats for copyright infringement after allegedly using Forbes' content without proper attribution. These actions not only challenge the integrity of internet regulations but also disrupt the business model of digital media. While Perplexity is reportedly working on partnerships to address these issues, its current practices raise concerns about the impact of AI on web traffic and content distribution.

Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist and investor, has revealed his commitment to nuclear power as a solution for meeting the growing need for electricity to power data centers and homes in the U.S. His recent $1 billion investment in a TerraPower nuclear plant in Kemmerer, Wyo., sets the groundwork for a smaller and potentially safer type of nuclear power plant, utilizing sodium instead of water to cool the reactor's core. Gates is optimistic about the safety of this design, emphasizing its passive safety mechanisms. He has also highlighted the connection between artificial intelligence's increasing electricity demand and the role of nuclear power in meeting this need. Gates also discussed the potential impacts of AI on job productivity and income inequality, ultimately seeing AI as beneficial in improving health and education. Furthermore, he made it clear that he sees AI as a tool to increase productivity and create opportunities, rather than replacing jobs outright. Gates's vision for the future involves a balance between technological advancement and thoughtful tax policies to distribute the benefits of increased productivity.

Pope Francis made history by becoming the first pontiff to address a G7 summit in Italy, where he raised concerns about the ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI). Highlighting the potential risks of AI, Francis emphasized the importance of maintaining human dignity in the development and use of this technology. He urged politicians to ensure that decisions involving AI prioritize human values and underscored the need for human control over AI programs. Additionally, he called for a ban on the use of lethal autonomous weapons, expressing deep ethical concerns about the consequences of unchecked AI development. Francis's presence at the G7 summit brought attention to the need for stronger regulations on AI and its potential impact on society and peace.

LinkedIn is unveiling new artificial intelligence-driven features to assist users in job hunting. The company is capitalizing on the current tech trend of AI by launching tools that help with job searches, job applications, and personalized learning material. Users will also benefit from AI-generated cover letters and personalized coaching from industry experts. Another major focus for LinkedIn is AI-driven search, as it plans to revamp its search experience to provide more comprehensive and conversational results. These new features are augmented by the company’s previous AI integrations in its products, and LinkedIn's focus on AI is backed by its connection with Microsoft, which has substantial AI efforts. The company also has plans to expand tools for recruiters and marketers, and introduce enhanced premium company pages for small businesses.

The latest edition of The Verge's "Installer" features a Raspberry Pi AI Kit that caught the attention of technology enthusiasts and tinkerers. The $70 kit, designed to work with a Raspberry Pi 5, offers remarkable processing power for simple tasks. Despite not having a specific use in mind, the Editor, David Pierce, found the kit intriguing and intends to purchase it. In addition to the Raspberry Pi AI Kit, the article discusses other tech products, including a new movie, books, gaming gear, and more. The detailed and diverse range of content in the edition captures the interest of tech aficionados and offers valuable insights into the latest innovations and entertainment in the tech world.

The startup, Perplexity, known as an AI-focused Google challenger, has been accused of republishing parts of exclusive stories from various publications, including Forbes and Bloomberg, without adequate attribution. The AI-powered search startup's new feature, Perplexity Pages, allows people to curate content on a particular topic. However, the posts curated by the Perplexity team are remarkably similar to original stories from multiple publications, with small, easy-to-miss attributions that link out to the publications. This includes fragments and illustrations lifted from Forbes' exclusive reporting on Eric Schmidt's stealth drone project and content from CNBC, Bloomberg, and other outlets. Perplexity's CEO, Aravind Srinivas, responded to the issue, admitting that the feature has "rough edges" and that they will work to improve attribution on Pages. The startup, which has raised over $100 million in venture capital, is now raising $250 million at a $2.5 billion to $3 billion valuation. The search engine's AI acknowledged that Perplexity's approach appears to violate ethical principles by reproducing journalists' reporting without proper attribution. The news outlets involved did not immediately respond to comment requests.

In a recent article by Frank Landymore, experts have argued that CEOs could easily be replaced with AI. The shift towards using AI in executive positions is supported by the fact that many companies are becoming open to the idea of not having a human CEO. Phoebe Moore, a professor at the University of Essex Business School, noted that the social aspect of having a human boss is still appreciated by some, but the pandemic has made many employees comfortable without one. The financial incentive to replace high-salary executives with AI is also a driving force behind this trend. Despite concerns about AI biases and flaws, some companies are already making the switch, with 43 percent of business leaders acknowledging that AI could take over their jobs.

In Seongnam, South Korea, at the Naver 1784 Tower, engineers are refining human-machine interactions through the use of approximately 100 service robots named Rookie, which autonomously fulfill orders for customers at the Starbucks and other services in the building. These self-driving, cloud-based robots operate on a platform called AI, Robot, and Cloud (ARC) and are capable of delivering packages, coffee, and lunch boxes throughout the 36-storey tower using advanced robot elevator technology. Naver's dedication to transforming ideas into tangible solutions is showcased through the Naver 1784 Tower, which serves as the company's largest robotics testbed and headquarters, and highlights its advancements in robotics, artificial intelligence, and cloud services. The company emphasizes the redesign of how we live and work, aiming to bring us closer to the future through the integration of advanced technologies into the building, providing a better work environment. Naver's robot research focuses on popularizing service robots, natural human-robot interaction, and artificial intelligence for robots, with the ARC platform enabling precise indoor navigation and real-time management of online and offline robot environments. This breakthrough system is expected to make service robots more mainstream, with the ability to control multiple robots through cloud computing reducing production and maintenance costs while allowing for high-performance and accurate controls.

Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are making waves in the tech industry by highlighting the potential of AI agents to revolutionize the future. These AI agents, modeled after popular sci-fi figures like Jarvis from Iron Man and HAL 9000 from A Space Odyssey, go beyond typical chatbot responses by actually performing actions. These tech giants are currently focused on developing AI agents capable of handling digital tasks, such as interfacing with various APIs on users’ computers and autonomously making decisions and sending requests. Echo AI, a company working in this field, believes that these agents have the potential to significantly improve user experience by freeing up human time for more valuable tasks. While the future of fully autonomous AI agents may still seem like science fiction, significant investment and effort are being dedicated to making this a reality.

Elon Musk has given a dire warning about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the job market, stating that AI will eventually take over all jobs. While speaking at the VivaTech 2024 conference, Musk predicted a scenario where jobs would become "optional" as AI and robots would be able to provide all goods and services. He emphasized the need for "universal high income" to support this future, suggesting that there would be no shortage of goods or services. Musk's concerns over the emotional fulfillment of individuals in a job-free future and the potential impact of AI on children, particularly through social media, were also highlighted. Despite his warnings, experts believe that many jobs requiring emotional intelligence and human interaction, such as mental health professionals and teachers, may not be easily replaced by AI. Musk's remarks have reignited discussions around the ethical and societal implications of AI advancements.