AI can now create a replica of your personality

Technology Review 20.11.24

This over-reliance on AI ‘interviews’ to replicate another ‘you’ is a bit ridiculous. A personality is a sum of a lived experience over decades and not just a couple of hours:

‘In the paper the replicas are called simulation agents, and the impetus for creating them is to make it easier for researchers in social sciences and other fields to conduct studies that would be expensive, impractical, or unethical to do with real human subjects. If you can create AI models that behave like real people, the thinking goes, you can use them to test everything from how well interventions on social media combat misinformation to what behaviors cause traffic jams… The evaluation methods the team used to test how well the AI agents replicated their corresponding humans were also fairly basic. These included the General Social Survey—which collects information on one’s demographics, happiness, behaviors, and more—and assessments of the Big Five personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Such tests are commonly used in social science research but don’t pretend to capture all the unique details that make us ourselves. The AI agents were also worse at replicating the humans in behavioral tests like the “dictator game,” which is meant to illuminate how participants consider values such as fairness.’

This researcher wants to replace your brain, little by little

Technology Review 16.08.24

There’s something seriously wrong in a society which does not accept that death follows life:

‘As he described in his 2020 book, Replacing Aging, Hébert thinks that to live indefinitely people must find a way to substitute all their body parts with young ones, much like a high-mileage car is kept going with new struts and spark plugs. The idea has a halo of plausibility since there are already liver transplants and titanium hips, artificial corneas and substitute heart valves. The trickiest part is your brain. That ages, too, shrinking dramatically in old age. But you don’t want to swap it out for another—because it is you… One organization promoting Hébert's ideas is the Longevity Biotech Fellowship (LBF), a self-described group of “hardcore” life extension enthusiasts, which this year published a technical roadmap for defeating aging altogether. In it, they used data from Hébert's ARPA-H proposal to argue in favor of extending life with gradual brain replacement for elderly subjects, as well as transplant of their heads onto the bodies of “non-sentient” human clones, raised to lack a functioning brain of their own, a procedure they referred to as “body transplant.”… For instance, Hebert recently said on a podcast with Hamalainen that human fetuses might be used as a potential source of life-extending parts for elderly people. That would be ethical to do, Hébert said during the program, if the fetus is young enough that there “are no neurons, no sentience, and no person.” And according to a meeting agenda viewed by MIT Technology Review, Hébert was also a featured speaker at an online pitch session held last year on full “body replacement,” which included biohackers and an expert in primate cloning. Hébert declined to describe the session, which he said was not recorded “out of respect for those who preferred discretion.” But he’s in favor of growing non-sentient human bodies. “I am in conversation with all these groups because, you know, not only is my brain slowly deteriorating, but so is the rest of my body,” says Hébert. “I'm going to need other body parts as well.”’

What Is Quantum Teleportation?

Quanta 14.04 24

One day, far away into the future, I should be able to beam myself up to another entangled point in the universe:

‘If we have two chips in a quantum computer, and we want to send quantum information from one to the other, the way we can do it is by establishing entanglement between the two chips, and then using teleportation to send information from one to the other. And that’s probably going to be essential for scaling up quantum computing to large systems that can solve really hard problems… In the case of quantum computing, the best idea we currently have — and it’s an old idea, which goes back over 40 years to Richard Feynman — is that we can use quantum computers to understand more deeply how quantum systems behave.’

Sci-Fi Nightmare? These Insect-inspired Micro-Robots are the Smallest, Lightest, and Fastest Ever Built

The Debrief 24.01.24

Despite the various claims with regards to their positive contributions, nano-robotics could equally have a more nefarious use:

‘Engineers from Washington State University (WSU) have created the smallest, lightest, and fastest micro-robots ever. Inspired by actual mini-bugs and water striders, the insect-like micro-robots could one day be used for artificial pollination, search and rescue missions, remote environmental monitoring, micro-fabrication, or even robotic-assisted surgery.’

WiFi Signals May Soon Be Used to Watch You

The Debrief 15.09.23

Something more intrusive to look forward to:

'The researchers, working in Professor Yasamin Mostofi’s lab, have unveiled a revolutionary method that allows WiFi signals to penetrate walls, tracing intricate details of objects behind them. This innovation, rooted in the Geometrical Theory of Diffraction and the corresponding Keller cones, not only showcases the untapped potential of wireless signals but also opens a plethora of applications, from advanced surveillance to healthcare diagnostics… Law enforcement agencies could potentially use this technology to monitor criminal activities without physically breaching a location, and hospitals could monitor patients without wearable medical devices, but it also raises concerns about unwarranted surveillance and personal privacy. The technology’s ability to identify individuals based on their silhouette or even their walking pattern, as suggested by its application in person identification, is both impressive and concerning. In the wrong hands, it could be used to track individuals without their knowledge, leading to potential stalking or identity theft scenarios. Furthermore, if integrated with existing data collection methods, it could provide a more comprehensive profile of an individual, leading to heightened data privacy concerns.’

Elon Musk's Neuralink says has FDA approval for study of brain implants in humans

Reuters 25.05.23

I very much doubt Musk would implant his children’s brains, unless he sees them as experimental monkeys:

‘Musk envisions brain implants could cure a range of conditions including obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia as well as enabling web browsing and telepathy. He made headlines late last year when he said he was so confident in the devices' safety that he would be willing to implant them in his children… Major issues involved the lithium battery of the device, the possibility of the implant's wires migrating within the brain, and the challenge of safely extracting the device without damaging brain tissue. Neuralink, founded in 2016, has been the subject of several federal probes… The Department of Transportation is separately probing whether Neuralink illegally transported dangerous pathogens on chips removed from monkey brains without proper containment measures. Neuralink is also under investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General for potential animal-welfare violations. This probe has also been looking at the USDA's oversight of Neuralink.’

Scientists Working to Build Biocomputers Out of Lab-Grown “Minibrains"

Futurism 01.02.23

What new dystopian road is being paved?

‘A team of scientists has grown "minibrains" in a lab, with the eventual goal of linking them together to form super-efficient “biocomputers."  In a new paper published in the journal Frontiers in Science, a team of researchers laid out a roadmap to achieve that goal, a new multidisciplinary field they're calling "organoid intelligence," or OI for short.  Coining the new term is meant to "establish OI as a form of genuine biological computing that harnesses brain organoids using scientific and bioengineering advances in an ethically responsible manner," the paper reads.'

Space-Based Solar Power Hardware Was Just Launched Into Orbit for Testing

Singularity Hub 06.01.23

Microwaves on earth to be added to the intricate cocktail of radiation already present:

‘Over the next few months, the team behind the Caltech Space Solar Power Project will test out the systems that will allow their flexible solar panels to unfurl in space and the technology designed to transmit power back to Earth. They will also assess how well different kinds of solar panel technologies hold up in the harsh environment of space.  “No matter what happens, this prototype is a major step forward,” Ali Hajimiri, one of the three Caltech professors leading the project, said in a statement. “It works here on Earth, and has passed the rigorous steps required of anything launched into space. There are still many risks, but having gone through the whole process has taught us valuable lessons.”…  Beneath the surface is an integrated circuit that converts the power from the solar cells into microwaves, which are then transmitted out of the bottom of the tile by an array of ultra-thin and flexible patch antennas.’

The retailers setting up shop in the metaverse

BBC 04.07.22

Are online sales so passé already?:

‘While for many people this all sounds fanciful, a growing number of companies are buying up space in the metaverse so that they can set up shop there. These firms include the likes of Adidas, Burberry, Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Samsung, Louis Vuitton, and even banks HSBC and JP Morgan.  The question for such businesses, though, is what location do they pick? There are now some 50 or so different providers of worlds within the metaverse, with the most popular ones including The Sandbox, Decentraland, Voxels, and Somnium Space, plus Meta's own Horizon Worlds…  Meanwhile, one report earlier this year said that total retail sales across the metaverse topped $500m in 2021.'

A hybrid inorganic–biological artificial photosynthesis system for energy-efficient food production

The Independent 27.06.22

This could come in handy when we are all living underground:

‘A new study published in the journal Nature Food last week revealed how scientists found a way to create food independent of sunlight using artificial photosynthesis.  Researchers used a two-step chemical process to convert carbon dioxide, electricity and water into acetate – a form of the main component of vinegar…  Coupling this approach to existing systems for producing energy from sunlight “can increase solar-to-food energy conversion efficiency by about fourfold” over natural photosynthesis, scientists said, adding that the technology allowed for a “reimagination of how food can be produced in controlled environments”.  Scientists said liberating crop dependence on the sun and instead producing them using artificial photosynthesis can open doors for food production in increasingly difficult conditions imposed by the human-driven climate crisis and its resulting food security challenges.’

Amazon has a plan to make Alexa mimic anyone's voice

Reuters 22.06.22

This is a new level of creepy; the scam opportunities are unfathomable, should (and it will) the tech get into bad actors’ hand:

‘The online retailer is developing a system to let Alexa mimic any voice after hearing less than a minute of audio, said Rohit Prasad, an Amazon senior vice president, at a conference the company held in Las Vegas Wednesday. The goal is to "make the memories last" after "so many of us have lost someone we love" during the pandemic, Prasad said…  The work wades into an area of technology that has garnered close scrutiny for potential benefits and abuses. For instance, Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) recently restricted which businesses could use its software to parrot voices. The goal is to help people with speech impairments or other problems but some worry it could also be used to propagate political deepfakes…  Amazon shared its vision for companionship with Alexa at the conference. In a video segment, it portrayed a child who asked, "Alexa, can grandma finish reading me the Wizard of Oz?”  A moment later, Alexa affirmed the command and changed her voice. She spoke soothingly, less robotically, ostensibly sounding like the individual's grandmother in real life.'

Five of the world’s tiniest robots

The Conversation 14.06.22

From ingestible pills to crop pollinators and spy drones, tiny robots are growing in popularity:

'All these systems seem to share the same challenges. They are hard to power. There is still no battery technology small enough to for energy storage on these robots. That means that, either these robots display short power life, or they need a tether or some kind of wireless energy pointed at them.  They are also too small to have brains. The computational hardware you can mount on one of these robots to provide on-board intelligence will not provide the capability to go much beyond “how to flap its left wing”; nothing that would make them fully autonomous. The RoboBee would know how to flap its wings but would be incapable of deciding where to go on its own.  Tiny robots are closer than ever to mainstream use. Proofs of concept are here, and becoming more and more convincing. But you can’t guarantee this technology will be viable in the near future (the next ten years). Nonetheless the child in me tells me that these tiny robots have a big future ahead of them.’

Tech firms are making computer chips with human cells – is it ethical?

The Conversation 24.05.22

Hybrid intelligence?:

‘In December 2021, Melbourne-based Cortical Labs grew groups of neurons (brain cells) that were incorporated into a computer chip. The resulting hybrid chip works because both brains and neurons share a common language: electricity…  Cortical Labs believes its hybrid chips could be the key to the kinds of complex reasoning that today’s computers and AI cannot produce. Another start-up making computers from lab-grown neurons, Koniku, believes their technology will revolutionise several industries including agriculture, healthcare, military technology and airport security. Other types of organic computers are also in the early stages of development…  If neural computers become common, we will grapple with other tissue donation issues. In Cortical Lab’s research with Dishbrain, they found human neurons were faster at learning than neurons from mice. Might there also be differences in performance depending on whose neurons are used? Might Apple and Google be able to make lightning-fast computers using neurons from our best and brightest today? Would someone be able to secure tissues from deceased genius’s like Albert Einstein to make specialised limited-edition neural computers?’

Tumors partially destroyed with sound don’t come back

University of Michigan 18.04.22

Sound and frequencies may well be the future non-invasive treatments of cancer and tumours:

‘Noninvasive sound technology developed at the University of Michigan breaks down liver tumors in rats, kills cancer cells and spurs the immune system to prevent further spread—an advance that could lead to improved cancer outcomes in humans.  By destroying only 50% to 75% of liver tumor volume, the rats’ immune systems were able to clear away the rest, with no evidence of recurrence or metastases in more than 80% of animals…  The treatment, called histotripsy, noninvasively focuses ultrasound waves to mechanically destroy target tissue with millimeter precision. The relatively new technique is currently being used in a human liver cancer trial in the United States and Europe.’

Woman Says Coors Paid Her $1,000 to Successfully Inject Advertisements Into Her Dreams

Futurism 23.03.22

A marketer’s wet dream comes into being:

‘Gould and the other subjects were directed to watch a video that featured Coors products amid waterfalls and jungle landscapes, and instructed to try to doze off while listening to audio from the video they’d just watched. For the next eight hours, the travel writer said she did, in fact, have a series of “weird Coors dreams.”…  In June 2021, Science Magazine reported that Coors, along with others including Xbox and Burger King were working with scientists to “engineer” ads into volunteers’ dreams using audio and video. Sound familiar?  The Science report also noted that 40 dream researchers signed an open letter calling for the regulation of burgeoning “targeted dream incubation” experiments like Coors’, because although this sort of dream manipulation is current voluntary, “it is easy to envision a world in which smart speakers — 40 million Americans currently have them in their bedrooms — become instruments of passive, unconscious overnight advertising, with or without our permission.”'

Men Are Creating AI Girlfriends and Then Verbally Abusing Them

Futurism18.01.22

This virtually-replicated world is horrific:

‘The smartphone app Replika lets users create chatbots, powered by machine learning, that can carry on almost-coherent text conversations. Technically, the chatbots can serve as something approximating a friend or mentor, but the app’s breakout success has resulted from letting users create on-demand romantic and sexual partners — a vaguely dystopian feature that’s inspired an endless series of provocative headlines.  Replika has also picked up a significant following on Reddit, where members post interactions with chatbots created on the app. A grisly trend has emerged there: users who create AI partners, act abusively toward them, and post the toxic interactions online.’

Neuralink and Tesla have an AI problem that Elon’s money can’t solve

The Next Web 07.12.21

Musk is very talented in PR:

‘People who get the opportunity to invest in Neuralink will make money as long as Elon keeps the hype-train going. Never mind that the distant technology he claims will one day take the common BCI his company is making today and turn it into a magical telepathy machine is purely hypothetical in 2021. The reality is that AI can’t do the things Musk needs it to do in order for Tesla and Neuralink to make good on his promises… Experts believe there are more than 100 billion neurons in the human brain. Despite what Elon Musk may have recently tweeted, we don’t even have a basic map of those neurons… In fact, neuroscientists are still challenging the idea of regionalized brain activity. Recent studies indicate that different neurons light up in changing patterns even when brains access the same memories or thoughts more than once. In other words: if you perfectly map out what happens when a person thinks about ice cream, the next time they think about ice cream the old map could be completely useless.’

Why We Should Reject Mark Zuckerberg’s Dehumanizing Vision of a “Metaverse”

CounterPunch 24.11.21

What he said:

‘It is no secret that technology has become increasingly invasive since the Internet became commonplace. Originally, it did empower us with a rich array of resources. Many of those resources still exist even as some are being gradually clawed back, modified to suit corporate interests, or in some cases outright censored. On balance, the Internet is now increasingly about social control, technology dependence for profit purposes, surveillance, and sometimes cynical corporate manipulation of hearts and minds. As more and more corporate control was levied, Internet-based technology began to intrude subtly on our personal spaces in exchange for the Faustian bargain of a new set of technological “conveniences”. Now Big Tech is aiming to not only extend this intrusion with technologies like Alexa but to make life impossible to live without it…hence the notion of a metaverse. Working in conjunction with elites and Big Tech social engineers, this next big initiative will be even more intrusive and dehumanizing and is being carried out under the rubric of a specious “philosophy” called transhumanism—a set of values that has declared our own humanity as deficient in need of technological enhancement.’

Inside your dreamscape

Aeon 19.21.11

Now wise to the wiles of corporate data vampires, steps by developers are emerging to protect the last bastion of privacy, sleep:

‘Tech giants such as Amazon, Apple and Google have all developed smart devices designed to monitor people’s sleep (eg, Amazon’s upcoming radar sensor, Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch, Google’s Fitbit and Nest Hub). While these technologies and the data they collect are ostensibly geared to improve people’s sleep, it is not hard to envision a world in which our phones and smart speakers – now widely present in people’s bedrooms – become instruments of overnight advertising, or data collection, with or without our knowledge… Ultimately, the key question at hand isn’t necessarily whether or not dream advertising can influence people’s behaviour (it can) or if large-scale sleep-related advertising is cost-effective (still unclear), but rather if we, as individuals and as a society, think powerful marketers and companies should even be allowed to collect massive datasets on the workings of our brains during sleep, let alone to exploit or manipulate them. If our online activities and internet fingerprints have taught us anything, it is that, once collected, such data can be leaked, traded and used for profiling, selective targeting, manipulation and commercialisation without our knowledge… Our responsibility is to create dialogue and map out these spaces before these scenarios become a fait accompli. Steps in this direction have already been taken. For starters, a group of more than 40 sleep and dream researchers from the scientific community recently co-signed a document rejecting dream advertising campaigns such as the one run by Molson Coors, while others have drafted a Dream Engineering Ethic to foster discussions on the implications of this emerging field of research and the ethical considerations that should guide this work moving forward.’

Wormholes may be viable shortcuts through space-time after all, new study suggests

Live Science 15.11.21

Could I please go to a gentler universe. Surely, going from A to B will herald a multiverse possibility?:

‘The findings contradict earlier predictions that these hypothetical shortcuts through space-time would instantly collapse.  The sea change comes because tiny differences in the mathematics of relativity, which is used to describe such wormholes,  end up dramatically changing our overall picture of how they behave… Koiran found that by using the Eddington-Finkelstein metric, he could more easily  trace the path of a particle through a hypothetical wormhole. He found that the particle can cross the event horizon, enter the wormhole tunnel and escape through the other side, all in a finite amount of time. The Eddington-Finkelstein metric didn't misbehave at any point in that trajectory. Does this mean that Einstein-Rosen bridges are stable? Not quite. General relativity only tells us about the behavior of gravity, and not the other forces of nature. Thermodynamics, which is the theory of how heat and energy act, for example, tells us that white holes are unstable. And if physicists tried to manufacture a black hole-white hole combination in the real universe using real materials, other math suggests the energy densities would break everything apart. However, Koiran's result is still interesting because it points out that wormholes aren't quite as catastrophic as they first appeared, and that there may be stable paths through wormhole tunnels, perfectly allowed by general relativity.’

New Brain Implant Turns Thoughts Into Text

Futurism 09.11.21

One word simulates a GP3-like AI to write 90 words/minute. And…?:

‘Older implant systems often rely on patients moving a cursor to specific characters on a digital keyboard with their mind. However, the new Stanford neural implant allowed a patient to type by imagining himself writing a word with his hand. An AI then decoded the neural signals and displayed the word on a screen.  The team combined the neural implant system with an autocorrect function that resulted in a 99 percent accuracy rate, according to SCMP, which would be impressive even on a regular keyboard. They now claim that the man is now the world’s fastest mind typist.’

The hi-tech headbands that claim to reduce your stress

BBC 11.10.21

Such an oxymoron:

‘The headbands encourage people to work towards "norms" for an average brain, she says. "This can leave some people feeling over or under stimulated after using them - perhaps because their brains don't quite fit the 'average' brain," she adds.  "Whilst some people find measurements useful or reinforcing, many are attracted to 'neuro-tech' because they identify with a vulnerability, an anxiety about their performance, and the use of data can exacerbate this.”…  Meanwhile, Prof Sandra Wachter of Oxford University, a leading artificial intelligence expert, questions whether EEG devices aimed at making people less stressed should ever be needed.  "Mindfulness training and meditation might be one of the areas where I see very little room that AI can improve traditional ways of practising," she says, citing Buddhist and Hindu methods.  "If you are creating AI to measure how people really feel and if they are really stressed you are kinda missing the point of mindfulness training and meditation. The whole point is not to focus on external factors and not compare yourself to others, and to only listen to yourself.  "In addition to the there is no such thing as 'ideal relaxation' or 'problematic stress levels scores' because every person is different.”'

Robot that changes colour could lead to world's first 'invisibility cloak’

The Independent 11.08.21

‘Could’ is quite a leap but yes, the possibilities are there:

'A robot that changes colour just like a chameleon may lead scientists to create the world's first "invisibility cloak”.  Much like a chameleon changing the colouration of its skin, scientists have developed the world's first soft robot that adapts its tone to the background.   In the video, the robot is seen mimicking the enigmatic reptile by changing colour.  The possibility of garments that make us "disappear" could be achievable in the near future.  "The ultimate form of this application will be an invisibility cloak - by blending into the background," Project leader Professor Seung Hwan Ko, of Seoul National University, said.‘

Tiny Neuralink Rival Wins Race for Approval To Test Brain Implant in Humans

Futurism 28.07.21

Brain implants are on their way:

‘On Wednesday, a small neurotech startup called Synchron was granted regulatory approval by the FDA to start testing out its brain implant on human volunteers…  With that go-ahead, Synchron announced that it plans to begin preliminary human studies later this year on what it calls the Stentrode, Insider reports. The Stentrode is a neural implant that taps into the brain through the jugular, and the goal is to use it like an implanted brain-computer interface to grant six volunteers with paralysis control over external devices…  The race to develop and test neural implants is heating up even beyond Synchron and Neuralink. Last week, Bloomberg reported that the neurotech company Paradromics raised $20 million to further develop and refine its own neural implant, which it claims will grant people with paralysis the ability to move and communicate via brain-computer interface.’

Voice cloning of growing interest to actors and cybercriminals

BBC 12.07.21

Voice cloning joins deepfake to the list of AI-generated impersonations:

‘Voice cloning is when a computer program is used to generate a synthetic, adaptable copy of a person's voice.  From a recording of someone talking, the software is able to then replicate his or her voice speaking any words or sentences that you type into a keyboard.  Such have been the recent advances in the technology that the computer generated audio is now said to be unnervingly exact. The software can pick up not just your accent - but your timbre, pitch, pace, flow of speaking and your breathing.  And the cloned voice can be tweaked to portray any required emotion - such as anger, fear, happiness, love or boredom.’

This Filter Is Really Good at Turning Seawater Into Freshwater

Gizmodo 02.07.21

This looks promising:

‘The new research published in the Journal for Membrane Science chronicles a unique way to desalinate water. The team designed a nanofiber membrane (a very good screen of extremely small things) which they say could turn seawater into drinking water in minutes…  The membrane was made using electrospinning, which minimizes the amounts of wetting the membrane undergoes. When it comes to water filtration, wetting is a bad thing: If the pores of a membrane become flooded, the membrane ceases to act as a filter. Under an electron microscope, this membrane looks like wispy strands of cotton candy. But far from being absorbent, the membrane is hydrophobic; it hardly allows any wetting at all…  Other means of converting saltwater into freshwater exist, namely desalination plants, but those facilities also produce tons of nasty waste products, reducing the impact of such a useful technology. Researchers also recently debuted a new technology to make water out of thin air. Whether these new methods can be scaled up remains to be seen. Nearly 900 million people lack a clean source of drinking water, and 2.2 billion need access to safely managed drinking water, according to the CDC.'

Human Augmentation – The Dawn of a New Paradigm

Ministry of Defence 13.05.21

This report was included in the UK government website. Although the page states that it is ‘not national policy’, why include it at all? It makes for a very interesting read with regards to trans-humanism and as the contents cannot be replicated or copies without authorisation, you’ll have to peruse it for yourselves.

Professor Warns of “Nightmare” Bots That Prey on Vulnerable People

Futurism 04.05.21

Your imaginary friend is round the corner:

‘How would it affect you to learn that you had become emotionally attached to an algorithm? And what if that “person” was designed to manipulate you, influencing your personal, financial, or political decisions like a garden-variety scammer or grifter? It might sound far-fetched, but people have been fooled by computers masquerading as human since as far back as 1966, when MIT computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum created the ELIZA program. ELIZA was built to simulate a psychotherapist by parroting peoples’ statements back to them in the form of questions. Weizenbaum was unsettled by how seriously users reacted to it — famously, his secretary asked him to leave the room while she was talking to it — and he ultimately became a critic of artificial intelligence.Now, the tech is closer than ever to creating believable ersatz online people. Simon DeDeo, an assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University and external faculty at the Santa Fe Institute, tweeted last summer that his “current nightmare application is blending GPT-3, facial GANs, and voice synthesis to make synthetic ELIZAs that drive vulnerable people (literally) crazy”…

In addition to enabling manipulation of social media users, it’s easy to see how these kinds of fakes could lead people to doubt reality — in fact, this has already happened and has been a concern of people following AI development for years. Another major malicious use of this technology — and one that’s vastly underreported compared to the hypothetical political impact of deepfakes — is harassing and demeaning women. Fake pornography of celebrities is prolific, but deepfake porn of regular people is also a massive problem. A visual threat intelligence company called Sensity discovered a porn bot embedded in the messaging app Telegram that allowed users to create deepfake nudes of women from just one profile picture; by the time it was discovered in late 2020, the bot had been used to generate fake porn of 680,000 women.’

Scientists Alarmed by Lab-Grown Human-Animal Hybrids

Futurism 26.04.21

From Fantasy fiction into research labs:

‘Scientists can’t control what kind of cells the human stem cells develop into, for instance, so for the time being they can’t actually farm and harvest organs. “That is what leads to the theoretical concern,” Case Western Reserve University bioethicist Insoo Hyun told the WSJ, “there is a chance that in an uncontrolled way it may lead to a mixing of human cells that may result in human cells developing in the brain or the heart or from head to toe across the body.”'

Peter Thiel-Backed Psychedelics Firm Buys Majority of Brain-Control Interface Firm

Gizmodo 09.04.21

Thiel, of odious Palantir company, will prove to be a direct competitor to Musk’s BCI attempts:

‘“Combining both medicine and BCI-assisted therapy puts the patient firmly in the driving seat as it tailors to the individual’s specific needs,” David Keene, ATAI’s digital therapeutics ad, told CNBC in a statement…  Thiel is a techno-libertarian who has long sought to cease simply being a rhetorical immortal vampire and become an actual one, has funded research into various biotech companies in fields like experimental therapies, life extension, and transhumanism. He’s a big proponent of humanity reaching the technological singularity, a hypothesized future where scientific progress attains an exponential, irreversible pace, resulting in things like the creation of digital superintelligences or the elimination of the distinction between humans and machines. This would presumably also allow him to live forever, so long as that brain-control interface gets made.’

Elon Musk's Neuralink shows monkey with brain-chip playing videogame by thinking

REUTERS 09.04.21

Under the guise of helping paraplegic people, brain implants will soon explode onto the market:

'"First @Neuralink product will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs," Musk tweeted here on Thursday.  “Later versions will be able to shunt signals from Neuralinks in brain to Neuralinks in body motor/sensory neuron clusters, thus enabling, for example, paraplegics to walk again. The device is implanted flush with skull & charges wirelessly, so you look & feel totally normal.”  Neuralink works by recording and decoding electrical signals from the brain using more than 2,000 electrodes implanted in regions of the monkey’s motor cortex that coordinate hand and arm movements, the video’s voiceover said.'

Big Potential for Electronic Textiles Made with Cellulose Thread

Lab Manager 15.03.21

‘Smart’ clothing is on the horizon :

‘The cellulose yarn, which the researchers present in the article, is practical to work with and could be used to make clothing with smart functions. Using a standard household sewing machine, researchers have sewn the electrically conductive cellulose yarn into a fabric and succeeded in producing a thermoelectronic textile, which can produce a small amount of electricity when the textile is heated on one side, for example by a person's body heat—typically 0.2 microwatt at a temperature difference of 37 degrees Celsius.’

How safe is it to 'hack' the ageing process? (VIDEO)

BBC 06.01.21 

It’s really the gene-editing field that’s taking off:

‘Trying to slow down the ageing process through ‘biohacking’ is a growing trend. But is it safe? Are there more natural ways to stay young?’

A New Satellite Can Peer Inside Buildings, Day or Night

Futurism 16.12.20

The possibilities for nefarious uses are endless:

‘On Wednesday, Capella launched a platform allowing governmental or private customers to request images of anything in the world — a capability that will only get more powerful with the deployment of six additional satellites next year…  “There’s a bunch of gaps in how we’re currently observing Earth from space — the majority of the sensors we use to observe earth are optical imaging sensors,” he said [CEO Payam Banazadeh]. “If it’s cloudy, you’re going to see the clouds, not what’s happening under the clouds. And if there’s not much light, you’re going to have a really hard time getting an image that is useful.”  By contrast, Capella can peer right through cloud cover, and see just as well in the daylight as in total darkness. That’s because instead of optical imaging, it uses synthetic aperture radar, or SAR.  SAR works similarly to how dolphins and bats navigate using echolocation. The satellite beams down a powerful 9.65 GHz radio signal toward its target, and then collects and interprets the signal as it bounces back up into orbit. And because the satellite is sending down its own signal rather than passively capturing light, sometimes those signals can even penetrate right through a building’s wall, peering at the interior like Superman’s X-ray vision…  “We’re making it very easy for people with all sorts of backgrounds to interact with a company like us, and that inevitably is going to bring a more users that previously couldn’t access this market,” Banazadeh said. “That’s our hope.”’

Part human, part machine: is Apple turning us all into cyborgs?

The Guardian 25.11.20

An early guess as to what Apple’s AR glasses’ impact would be on society:

‘“It’s a fool’s errand to imagine every use of AR before we have the hardware in our hands,” writes the developer Adrian Hon, who was called on by Google to write games for their smartglasses a decade ago. “Yet there’s one use of AR glasses that few are talking about but will be world-changing: scraping data from everything we see.” This “worldscraping” would be a big tech dream – and a privacy activist’s nightmare. A pair of smartglasses turns people into walking CCTV cameras, and the data that a canny company could gather from that is mindboggling. Every time someone browsed a supermarket, their smartglasses would be recording real-time pricing data, stock levels and browsing habits; every time they opened up a newspaper, their glasses would know which stories they read, which adverts they looked at and which celebrity beach pictures their gaze lingered on.  “We won’t be able to opt out from wearing AR glasses in 2035 any more than we can opt out of owning smartphones today,” Hon writes. “Billions have no choice but to use them for basic tasks like education, banking, communication and accessing government services. In just a few years time, AR glasses do the same, but faster and better.”'

New device puts music in your head — no headphones required

AP News 12.11.20

Why?:

‘The technology uses a 3-D sensing module and locates and tracks the ear position sending audio via ultrasonic waves to create sound pockets by the user’s ears. Sound can be heard in stereo or a spatial 3-D mode that creates 360 degree sound around the listener, the company said…  By changing a setting, the sound can follow a listener around when they move their head. It’s also possible to move out of the beam’s path and hear nothing at all, which creates a surreal experience.  “You don’t need to tell the device where you are. It’s not streaming to one exact place,” Wallwater said.   “It follows you wherever you go. So it’s personally for you — follows you, plays what you want inside your head.”’

Scientists Have Piloted a Tumbling Microbot Inside an Animal Colon For The First Time

Science Alert 20.10.20

The world of micro robotic bioengineering is set to expand:

‘Scientists have been able to operate a tiny, tumbling microrobot inside an animal colon for the first time, an innovation that promises all kinds of uses for medical monitoring and drug delivery.  What makes the little bot so useful is that it's fitted with a magnet so it can be piloted from outside the body using an electromagnetic field. While this was just a test run to prove it could be done, eventually the miniature explorer could be fitted with a payload.’

Your FedEx Packages May Soon Arrive By Autonomous Cargo Plane

Gizmodo 27.0920

Flying by plane just became that much more dangerous.  If you’re a bird, forget it:

‘Reliable Robotics, an aviation startup run by former Tesla and SpaceX engineers, completed test flights for two of its remote-piloted aircraft models last month, per a company press release. According to Federal Aviation Administration documents, FedEx now owns the larger model of the two, the Cessna 208 Caravan or C208, a single-engine plane that can carry up to 14 passengers. You can watch a video of the plane’s fully automated remote landing here...  This partnership is part of FedEx’s larger effort to cut down on delivery costs, especially in that infamous last mile before it arrives at your doorstep, through partially automating its supply chain. On Sept. 19, the air delivery company Wing announced it was teaming up with FedEx Express and other retailers to roll out a pilot program for drone deliveries in Virginia. FedEx also unveiled its in-house fleet of autonomous delivery robots last year to help retailers with same-day and last-mile deliveries.  They’re one of several companies racing to gain a foothold in the automated delivery market. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, and UPS have both already received federal approval for their drone delivery services, and the FAA certified Amazon’s program in August. Reliable Robotics said in its release that it’s “now working with the FAA on incrementally bringing this technology to market,” so it may well be on its way to securing federal approval.’ 

The Genetic Engineering Genie Is Out of the Bottle

Foreign Policy 11.09.20

Unregulated genetic research contributes to a plethora of future threats:

‘With COVID-19 bringing Western economies to their knees, all the world’s dictators now know that pathogens can be as destructive as nuclear missiles. What’s even more worrying is that it no longer takes a sprawling government lab to engineer a virus. Thanks to a technological revolution in genetic engineering, all the tools needed to create a virus have become so cheap, simple, and readily available that any rogue scientist or college-age biohacker can use them, creating an even greater threat.’

'Three little pigs': Musk's Neuralink puts computer chips in animal brains

REUTERS 28.08.20

Neuralink implanted in pigs’s brains show that whatever Musk says about AI dangers is pure baloney.  As usual, health developments are mentioned at the forefront:

‘Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s neuroscience startup Neuralink on Friday unveiled a pig named Gertrude that has had a coin-sized computer chip in its brain for two months, showing off an early step toward the goal of curing human diseases with the same type of implant…  Co-founded by Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and SpaceX CEO Musk in 2016, San Francisco Bay Area-based Neuralink aims to implant wireless brain-computer interfaces that include thousands of electrodes in the most complex human organ to help cure neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s, dementia and spinal cord injuries and ultimately fuse humankind with artificial intelligence.   “An implantable device can actually solve these problems,” Musk said on a webcast Friday, mentioning ailments such as memory loss, hearing loss, depression and insomnia.’ 

A Japanese robotics startup has invented a smart mask that translates into eight languages

CNN 04.08.20

It seems like some companies believe that masks are to become ubiquitous - even though they don’t protect from covid particles:

‘When the Covid-19 pandemic made face masks an everyday essential, Japanese startup Donut Robotics spotted an opportunity. They created a smart mask — a high-tech upgrade to standard face coverings, designed to make communication and social distancing easier…  The mask's Bluetooth chip can connect to smartphones up to 32 feet (10 meters) away, says Ono. He hopes the mask will make new social distancing norms in locations including hospitals and offices easier, by enabling good communication. "We still have many situations where we have to meet in person," he says. "In this new normal ... the mask and the app are very helpful.”'

Elon Musk claims his Neuralink chip will allow you to stream music directly to your brain

The Independent 20.07.20

However much Musk has proselytised against BCIs, he’s really pushing for the new tech:

‘Speaking at the 2019 event, Mr Musk said the firm was working on a “sewing machine-like” device that would provide a direct connection between a computer and a chip inserted within the brain.  The technology could will first be used to help people suffering from brain diseases like Parkinson’s, but the ultimate aim of Neuralink is to allow humans to compete with advanced artificial intelligence, he said.’ 

Clients loved this designer’s work. Turns out, he was an AI

Fast Company 20.07.20

First there was GPT2/3, the new ‘writer’ on the block, and now Ironov, the in-designer in demand:

‘His name was Nikolay Ironov, and for a year, he designed logos for influencers, restaurants, apps, and new products. As a critical member of Russian design firm Art. Lebedev Studio, his clients were happy with his work. And they should have been! Looking through Ironov’s public portfolio, the brand work is full of quirky, bold identities—with an undefinable whimsy that you might even call soul…  But what makes Ironov so impressive is that the app isn’t just a wily AI that pulled one over on some clients. It’s that, in successfully creating real commercial brands, Ironov has proven that AI is not some distant future for design. AI is very much the present.’

Google's quiet experiments may lead to smart tattoos, holographic glasses

CNET 15.07.20

More data for hungry tech goblins:

‘It isn't just about selling hardware. Getting sensor packed-devices onto consumers could mean a treasure trove of data beyond what people produce on their phones or at their desks. It's an especially valuable haul for Google, which makes more than $160 billion a year, mostly through targeted ads that are informed by the personal data of people who use its services. The gadgets also create inroads to lucrative new businesses for tech giants, like health and fitness, though lawmakers and regulators have privacy concerns about Silicon Valley's ever-expanding scope.’

CRISPR gene editing in human embryos wreaks chromosomal mayhem

Nature 25.06.20

Scientists believing they have a grasp on genetics are left short-changed.  Humbling news:

’A suite of experiments that use the gene-editing tool CRISPR–Cas9 to modify human embryos have revealed how the process can make large, unwanted changes to the genome at or near the target site…  “If human embryo editing for reproductive purposes or germline editing were space flight, the new data are the equivalent of having the rocket explode at the launch pad before take-off,” says Fyodor Urnov, who studies genome editing at the University of California, Berkeley, but was not involved in any of the latest research.’

There’s No Cure for Covid-19 Loneliness, but Robots Can Help

WIRED 22.06.20

Lonely?  Fluffy robots can take the edge off:

‘But Paro isn’t just a $6,000 piece of cute overload; underneath its cuddly fur lies sophisticated artificial intelligence designed to comfort people. Invented by roboticist Takanori Shibata, the chief research scientist at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Paro may be helping Petersen’s patients, but it has also inspired some ethical hand-wringing about the role of robots in caretaking…  

Sony’s Aibo—a cheerful dog equipped with a camera specifically to monitor children and the elderly—is less expensive than Paro but still costs around $2,800. There are more affordable models, like Joy for All’s stuffed animal-esque robots, which are available at places like Best Buy for around $130, although these offerings are more toylike than medical-grade. Jibo, a $900 social robot, gained devoted fans after its introduction in 2014 and looked like it could become a mainstream companion robot. But Jibo sunsetted its social robot in 2019, leaving loyal users sad that their little plastic friend no longer functioned—and highlighting the perils of bonding with an AI.'

Looting of antiquities has increased under lockdown – here’s how we’re working to prevent this in Iraq

The Conversation 18.06.20

One great tech to put a stop to the horrific looting of Middle-East treasures.  A bit late, but commendable:

'Social instability and financial pressures can combine to encourage looting of archaeological sites across the world, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, feeding the global online black market in antiquities dealing, which is estimated to have a daily turnover of US$10 million(£7.9 million)…  ‘Liquid traceability’:  To do this we used a commercial product, SmartWater, which works by providing “liquid traceability” to protected objects and materials. By applying a small dot or spray of the “smart” liquid to artefacts in museum collections, it becomes possible to prove the museum source of each object, should they ever be illicitly removed from their host museum. Each dot of liquid contains a unique code specific to that museum.’

Had enough dystopia yet? Boston Dynamics puts its robot dog ‘Spot’ up FOR SALE

RT 16.06.20

Horrific-looking robot dogs up for sale.  How its company would disable them from creating harm is anyone’s guess:

‘Affectionately named ‘Spot,’ the robot dog is billed as a multipurpose “mobility platform” that can be outfitted with a range of sensors and programmed to patrol anywhere a human can go, or beyond… Critics, naturally, are opposed to the use of robot dogs by law enforcement and military organizations. Responding to their worries, a Boston Dynamics spokesman told the Verge that the company will prohibit the robot being used to “harm or intimidate” people. Yet with the killer potential for such robots depicted in a terrifying episode of ‘Black Mirror,’ Spot’s existence will likely leave skeptics nervous.’

Run, HAMR-Jr, Run!

Futurism 04.06.20

Tiny robots on the horizon:

‘Researchers at Harvard have created a tiny cockroach-inspired robot that’s only about the size of a penny and weighs just 0.3 grams.  It can run, jump, carry heavy payloads relative to its size — and scuttle really, really fast. In fact, the robot “can run about 14 body lengths per second, making it not only one of the smallest but also one of the fastest microrobots,” according to a press release...  A different robot, dubbed “Robobee,” created by researchers at the Harvard Microrobotics Lab last year, weighs less than one-tenth of a gram but is still capable of flying — albeit while attached to a tether and only for short periods.’

A new device can produce electricity using shadows

Science News 04.06.20

Shadows can be put to use to create energy, but some light is needed:

‘Tan and his team created the device, called a shadow-effect energy generator, by placing a superthin coating of gold on silicon, a typical solar cell material. Like in a solar cell, light shining on silicon energizes its electrons. With the gold layer, the shadow-effect energy generator produces an electric current when part of the device lies in shadow…  The excited electrons jump from the silicon to the gold. With part of the device shaded, the voltage of the illuminated metal increases relative to the dark area and electrons in the generator flow from high to low voltage. Sending them through an external circuit creates a current that can power a gadget, Tan’s team reports April 15 in Energy & Environmental Science.’

Horrifying high-tech hazmat suit promoted as the future of post-Covid clubbing – but hey, you can vape in it!

RT 26.05.20

This, should not be given the light of day:

‘The suit is made of high-performance resistance fabric. It’s sleek and, though it’s based on a hazmat suit, it’s far more fitting and flattering…  Before storming the dance floor, you hit the bar and order a drink. But how do you sip a Malibu and Coke while in a hazmat suit? The designers are one step ahead. At the front of the helmet are a pair of ports: one for drinks and the other for vaping. They’re connected to a couple of supply nozzles you can grab with your mouth.  There’s a hauntingly pathetic wireless communication system between suits that works on proximity, so there’ll be no opening-line nerves, given that you're basically talking to yourself in the hope that another living soul does the same. If they don’t, you won’t be left red-faced as your friends laugh at your failed flirting attempts, like they did back in the days when we actually spoke and connected as humans.’

Colonizing Mars may require humanity to tweak its DNA

SPACE 19.05.20

The ethical implications of this narrative are huge:

'Genetic engineering almost certainly won't be restricted to pioneering astronauts and colonists. Recent advances in synthetic biology herald a future in which "designer microbes" help colonists establish a foothold on the Red Planet, Lynch said.  "These are some of the things that we can actually do to help us make things we need, help us make materials to build our habitats," she said. "And these are a lot of things that scientists are researching right now — to create these kinds of things for our trip to Mars.”  Some researchers and exploration advocates have even suggested using designer microbes to terraform Mars, turning it into a world much more comfortable for humans. This possibility obviously raises big ethical questions, especially considering that Mars may have hosted life in the ancient past and might still host it today, in subsurface lakes or aquifers. (Permanently changing our own genomes for radiation protection or any other reason may also strike some folks as ethically dubious, of course.)’

Elon Musk says human language will be OBSOLETE in 10 years, after struggling to pronounce his baby’s name on Joe Rogan

RT 08.05.20

He’s obviously not into reading and extremely confident that Neuralink would be adopted by all:

‘As the conversation drifted into neural nets and artificial intelligence, Musk said “Neuralink” technology – a battery-powered device implanted directly into the skull – could be rolled out within the next year, and potentially “fix almost anything that is wrong with the brain.” Eventually, in addition to curing disorders like epilepsy, he said language itself could be made obsolete thanks to the new tech – and perhaps unpronounceable baby names along with it… Asked about how long it might take before mankind goes mute, Musk said it could happen in five to 10 years in a “best-case scenario” if the technology continues to develop at its currently rapid pace. Of course, even in the entrepreneur's brave new world, he said some might still choose to speak for “sentimental reasons,” even when “mouth noises” are but a primitive vestige of the past.’

Technology Melds Minds With Machines, and Raises Concerns

Undark 22.04.20

Brain/computer interfaces get a references-filled article here:

‘BCIs are popping up in a range of fields, from soldiers piloting a swarm of drones at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to a Chinese school monitoring students’ attention. The devices are also used in medicine, including versions that let people who have been paralyzed operate a tablet with their mind or that give epileptic patients advance warning of a seizure. And in July 2019, Elon Musk, the CEO and founder of Tesla and other technology companies, showed off the work of his venture Neuralink, which could implant BCIs in people’s brains to achieve “a symbiosis with artificial intelligence.”’  

An MIT Lab Is Building Devices to Hack Your Dreams

Medium 13.04.20

Trigger words and smells to be tested in dreamtime:

‘In fact, dream incubation has been around for decades, and researchers and psychologists alike have used existing low-tech methods to influence dreams for research purposes or to help people rewrite their nightmares. The Dream Lab aims to create technology that can standardize and democratize these techniques — for scientists and for the general population. With their open source hardware and software, anyone can build their own Dormio or BioEssence, whether it’s a research team looking to study hypnagogia or an individual wanting to hack the inspiration residing in their own dreams.’

Robots deliver food in Milton Keynes under coronavirus lockdown

The Guardian 12.04.20

Robots delivering food in Milton Keynes:

‘Starship Technologies, an autonomous delivery startup created in 2014 by two Skype cofounders, has been testing its beer cooler-sized robots in public since 2015. The small, white, six-wheeled vehicles trundle along pavements to bring small deliveries to residents and workers of the neighbourhoods in which they operate, without the need for a human driver or delivery person.  The Milton Keynes operation is the first commercial deployment in the UK, and started in mid-March, just as the country was implementing widespread social distancing in an effort to tackle the spread of coronavirus. Residents can download the Deliveroo-style Starship Deliveries app to buy cooked food and small orders from supermarkets, which gets loaded into the robots and driven to them.’

A startup is pitching a mind-uploading service that is “100 percent fatal”

Technology Review 13.03.20

Just finished reading Peter F. Hamilton’s ‘Pandora’s Box and this re-lifing procedure brought it to mind.  But for this tech company to properly work, they would also need genetic material to re-create the person from scratch:

‘Nectome is a preserve-your-brain-and-upload-it company. Its chemical solution can keep a body intact for hundreds of years, maybe thousands, as a statue of frozen glass. The idea is that someday in the future scientists will scan your bricked brain and turn it into a computer simulation. That way, someone a lot like you, though not exactly you, will smell the flowers again in a data server somewhere… For Nectome’s procedure to work, it’s essential that the brain be fresh. The company says its plan is to connect people with terminal illnesses to a heart-lung machine in order to pump its mix of scientific embalming chemicals into the big carotid arteries in their necks while they are still alive (though under general anesthesia)… 

Some scientists say brain storage and reanimation is an essentially fraudulent proposition. Writing in our pages in 2015, the McGill University neuroscientist Michael Hendricks decried the “abjectly false hope” peddled by transhumanists promising resurrection in ways that technology can probably never deliver.  “Burdening future generations with our brain banks is just comically arrogant. Aren’t we leaving them with enough problems?” Hendricks told me this week after reviewing Nectome’s website. “I hope future people are appalled that in the 21st century, the richest and most comfortable people in history spent their money and resources trying to live forever on the backs of their descendants. I mean, it’s a joke, right? They are cartoon bad guys.”’

Researchers are sitting on tech that could transform trees into power generators

QUARTZ 11.03.20

Should trees be genetically engineered to provide electricity?

‘To transform trees to efficient power generators, Lotero and her classmates used synthetic biology techniques—a.k.a. genetic engineering—on an elm tree. They tweaked the branch formation, increased the leaf thickness and density, added a pest-repellent gene, and accelerated its growth rate.

Their plan involves collecting electricity from leaves which will be coursed through the trunk to a subterranean pipe and battery that will, in theory, store 103 kH/h of power.’

Doctors try 1st CRISPR editing in the body for blindness

AP News 04.03.20

New technique that may or may not cure specific blindness:

‘“We literally have the potential to take people who are essentially blind and make them see,” said Charles Albright, chief scientific officer at Editas Medicine, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company developing the treatment with Dublin-based Allergan. “We think it could open up a whole new set of medicines to go in and change your DNA.”  Dr. Jason Comander, an eye surgeon at Massachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston, another hospital that plans to enroll patients in the study, said it marks “a new era in medicine” using a technology that “makes editing DNA much easier and much more effective.”’

BAFTAS 2020: MAYA JAMA WEARS WORLD'S FIRST 5G-POWERED AUGMENTED REALITY DRESS ON RED CARPET

The Independent 02.02.20

‘The dress, which took 250 hours to complete and was hand sewn with more than 100,000 stitches, featured a total of six layers and contained more than 12 full body-length wires and 18 sensor bulbs.  The sensors were tracked using EE’s 5G network which allowed Jama to interact with the design when using a smartphone.’ 

First release of genetically engineered moth could herald new era of crop protection

Frontiers 20.01.20

What could go wrong?:

‘“When released into a field, the self-limiting male insects behaved similarly to their non-modified counterparts in terms of factors that are relevant to their future application in crop protection, such as survival and distance travelled. In laboratory studies they competed equally well for female mates” reports Shelton. “Our mathematical models indicate that releasing the self-limiting strain would control a pest population without the use of supplementary insecticides, as was demonstrated in our greenhouse studies.” “This study demonstrates the immense potential of this exciting technology as a highly effective pest management tool, which can protect crops in an environmentally sustainable way and is self-limiting in the environment,” says Dr Neil Morrison, Oxitec’s agriculture lead and study co-author.’

We can’t scale humans’: Why startups are raising millions to build AI avatars

Fast Company 28.01.20

‘We envisage that most consumer-facing companies in financial services, automotive, gaming, and discretionary spending will deploy digital humans in the foreseeable future,” Rajeev Gupta, who led Alium Capital Management in Uneeq’s $10 million Series A round, says via email.’

5G — the fifth generation of wireless communications technology — is our 2020 technology of the year

Nature 24.01.20

A collection of research papers from Nature looking at 5G, its potential, limitation and beyond (6G). In one of the papers relating to 6G, researchers felt the need to state that":

‘As a human-centric network, the trade-off between privacy and intelligence would be the most important one in 6G communications. On the one hand, AI algorithms need to get access to personal data and process them, so as to optimize network operations, adapt network coefficients and provide high-quality services. On the other hand, privacy would be sacrificed for the sake of high intelligence. A potential solution is to introduce an intermediate agent between the end-user data and AI algorithms. Such an intermediate agent should be third-party and unmanned if possible, and operate on a decentralized basis. All private and sensitive data will be anonymized by this third-party agent and become untraceable in any way…

We have presented a vision for 6G communications from a human-centric perspective that could serve as a research guide in the post-5G era. We suggest that high security, secrecy and privacy should be the key features of 6G, and should be given particular attention by the wireless research community’.

'The US should be proud of Huawei,' hackable humans and other top quotes from a Davos tech session

World Economic Forum 21.01.20

A Davos interview with Huawei chief and Yuval Noah Harari:

“From the geopolitical to the personal, the age of digital surveillance also threatens what it means to be human and free, Harari warned.  "The point is when you gather enough data on people, you get to know people better than they know yourself. Are we at the point where companies or governments can hack millions of people, that means they know my medical history, personal weaknesses?”

A Future Shaped by a Technology Arms Race (video)

World Economic Forum 21.01.20

The interview in full. Speakers: Zanny Minton Beddoes, Ren Zhengfei, Yuval Noah Harari.

‘Neither robot nor animal’: Scientists develop the ‘Xenobots,’ 1st robots constructed completely from LIVING CELLS (VIDEO)

RT 14.01.20

Nanobots created from living cells:

‘While the team acknowledges that there may be unintended consequences from developing such technology, such as the development of highly-targeted bioweapons, they argue that it is just another step toward cracking the “morphogenetic code,” which they believe governs how all living organisms in the universe are organized. If we could decipher this ‘code,’ it might lead to a giant leap forward in a vast array of fields, including environmental and medical research.’

A Harvard geneticist's goal: to protect humans from viruses, genetic diseases, and aging (video)

CBS News 08.12.19

Genetics - ‘60 Minutes’ documentary looks at how to edit out undesirable traits.

A Genetic Dating App Is a Horrifying Thing That Shouldn’t Exist

VICE 09.12.19

Vice article discusses the implication:

‘The app is being developed by a team of geneticists led by George Church, who, in the same interview, defended accepting money for his lab donated by convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Church’s lab is most famous for its work on the gene-editing technology CRISPR/Cas9, and its researchers are looking at ways to make humans immune to viruses, reverse the effects of aging, and de-extinct animals. “It’s 7,000 diseases, it’s about 5 percent of the population, [and] about $1 trillion a year worldwide” in medical expenses, Church told 60 Minutes.

But for anyone not white, cis, able-bodied, or male, it’s obvious where all this is going.’

"This Could Be a Tragedy For Humanity” (video)

05.12.19

Gregg Braden discusses Neuralink and talks about mirror neurons - how we could access them without computers or AI:

‘“I think the machines could useful as tools, my caution is not to use them as a crutch”’

Digital immortality: Transhumanism may hold key to eternal life, along with multiple caveats & ethical dilemmas

RT 02.12.19

‘This flavor of progress may in fact lead to widening social inequality, according to many experts, including Nidhal Guessoum, a professor at the American University of Sharjah, who has warned that only the richest among us will be able to afford to ‘upgrade’ themselves. This creates the frightening prospect of one class of highly technologically advanced humans being literally ‘superior’ to the rest – in technological function at least.   In the worst doomsday scenario, some warn that if our memories and consciousnesses are uploaded to devices – and connected to the internet – our brains could be hacked, the hackers gaining the ability to control our actions.  Another major concern of Guessoum’s is how exactly humanity will set “limits” in the field and determine what kinds of human modifications will be allowed “while still preserving ‘human’ nature.”   The big question is, once this Pandora’s box has been opened, how will society and governments decide how far is too far?’

AI DEEMED ‘TOO DANGEROUS TO RELEASE’ MAKES IT OUT INTO THE WORLD

Independent 07.11.19

AI writing text:

‘An AI that was deemed too dangerous to be released has now been released into the world.  Researchers had feared that the model, known as "GPT-2", was so powerful that it could be maliciously misused by everyone from politicians to scammers.’

A “brain-reading” headband for students is too much even for Chinese parents

QUARTZ 05.11.19

Brain waves headbands in Chinese school are attracting controversy:

‘“Who gave the two schools the right to use students as white rabbits to test the headbands? I also have some products that I’d like to test on the kids, will the schools agree?” asked another user, sdjnmxh’.

Scientists Demonstrate Direct Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans

Scientific American 29.10.19

Brain-to-brain interface:

‘Even though the methods used here are noninvasive and therefore appear far less ominous than if a DARPA neural interface had been used, the technology still raises ethical concerns, particularly because the associated technologies are advancing so rapidly. For example, could some future embodiment of a brain-to-brain network enable a sender to have a coercive effect on a receiver, altering the latter’s sense of agency? Could a brain recording from a sender contain information that might someday be extracted and infringe on that person’s privacy? Could these efforts, at some point, compromise an individual’s sense of personhood?’

A Tech Group Suggests Limits for the Pentagon’s Use of AI

WIRED 31.10.19

A set of AI principles was released in report to the Pentagon with Google, Microsoft…:

‘“Now is the time,” the board’s report says, “to hold serious discussions about norms of AI development and use in a military context—long before there has been an incident.” A section musing on potential problems from AI cites “unintended engagements leading to international instability,” or, put more plainly, war.’ 

Neural network reconstructs human thoughts from brain waves in real time

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology has successfully transferred human thoughts via a neural network:

‘The brain-computer interface developed by MIPT and Neurobotics relies on artificial neural networks and electroencephalography, or EEG, a technique for recording brain waves via electrodes placed noninvasively on the scalp. By analyzing brain activity, the system reconstructs the images seen by a person undergoing EEG in real time.’ 

Chinese primary school halts trial of device that monitors pupils' brainwaves

Techxplore 30.10.19

China halts head monitoring device in classroom:

‘The u-shaped device, which sits across the forehead, was reportedly developed by US-based company BrainCo and local Chinese partner company Zhejiang BrainCo Technology Co Ltd, co-founded by Kong Xiaoxian, a former PhD student at the Harvard centre for brain sciences and a one-time student of the primary school’.

AI Wearables – a glimpse into the future

GadgetsandWearables 28.10.19

Ray Kurzweil’a predictions on wearables.

We Need AI That Is Explainable, Auditable, and Transparent

Harvard Business Review 28.10.19

Ai and its limitations:

‘Once you get on the wrong side of an algorithm, your life immediately becomes more difficult. Unable to get into a good school or to get a job, you earn less money and live in a worse neighborhood. Those facts get fed into new algorithms and your situation degrades even further. Each step of your descent is documented, measured, and evaluated.’

Avatars: Are we ready for our digital twins? (video)

BBC 28.10.19

‘BBC 100 Women's Amelia Hemphill goes to LA to make her own avatar, and enters the dystopian world occupied by our digital twins.’ 

How AI Will Go Out Of Control According To 52 Experts

CBInsights 19.02.19

The impact of AI from CB Insights:

‘Tim Cook, one of many, says “Advancing AI by collecting huge personal profiles is laziness, not efficiency. For artificial intelligence to be truly smart, it must respect human values, including privacy. If we get this wrong, the dangers are profound. We can achieve both great artificial intelligence and great privacy standards. It’s not only a possibility, it is a responsibility. In the pursuit of artificial intelligence, we should not sacrifice the humanity, creativity, and ingenuity that define our human intelligence.”’

Mind-reading tech? How private companies could gain access to our brains

The Guardian 24.10.19

‘While the management of this collateral data is heavily regulated in research institutes Haynes told me that no such regulations are in place for technology companies. Observing how some companies have, over the past decade, transformed troves of personal data into profit while displaying a wanton attitude to securing such data makes Haynes wary of the growing consumer BCI industry. “I’d be very careful about giving up our cognitive information to companies,” he said.’ 

The US military is trying to read minds

Technology Review 16.10.19

Different BCI brain computer interface methods:

‘It remains to be seen which, if any, of these approaches will succeed. Other N³ teams are using various combinations of light, electric, magnetic, and ultrasound waves to get signals in and out of the brain. The science is undoubtedly exciting. But that excitement can obscure how ill-equipped the Pentagon and corporations like Facebook, which are also developing BCIs, are to address the host of ethical, legal, and social questions a noninvasive BCI gives rise to. How might swarms of drones controlled directly by a human brain change the nature of warfare? Emondi, the head of N³, says that neural interfaces will be used however they are needed. But military necessity is a malleable criterion.’

Mark Zuckerberg says brain-reading wearables are coming, but certain functions may require implanted devices

CNBC 10.10.19

On Facebook brain implants:

‘“The goal is to eventually make it so that you can think something and control something in virtual or augmented reality,” said Zuckerberg… Facebook agreed to acquire CTRL-Labs last month for between $500 million and $1 billion, making it one of the social network’s biggest purchases.’

Art Project Shows Racial Biases in Artificial Intelligence System

Smithsonian Magazine 24.09.19

Discrimination is inherent in AI images:

“We want to show how layers of bias and racism and misogyny move from one system to the next,” Paglen tells the New York Times’ Cade Metz. “The point is to let people see the work that is being done behind the scenes, to see how we are being processed and categorized all the time.”

21 Neurotech Startups To Watch: Brain-Machine Interfaces, Implantables, And Neuroprosthetics

CBInsights 28.01.19

A CB Insight report on wearables.

AI equal with human experts in medical diagnosis, study finds

The Guardian 24.09.19

‘“This excellent review demonstrates that the massive hype over AI in medicine obscures the lamentable quality of almost all evaluation studies,” he said. “Deep learning can be a powerful and impressive technique, but clinicians and commissioners should be asking the crucial question: what does it actually add to clinical practice?”’ 

Technology was supposed to make us more capable. Instead it has made us scarily dependent

RT 24.09.19

‘The unquestioning embrace of technology will ultimately rob us of our humanity - a feature, not a bug, according to those AI evangelists eager to “merge” with the machines. Is this a tradeoff we want to make?” ‘Technology has promised to make things easier and elevate the species. But much technology emerging today has only increased our dependence on technology by rendering obsolete many of the skills we once relied upon …  The internet began as a surveillance technology, and it’s important to remember this whenever we cede control of some aspect of our lives to it. A government looking to implement a technological control grid would be wise to convince those who are to be controlled that they need it, want it, can’t live without it - and this process is even easier if they truly can’t live without it. The unquestioning embrace of technology will ultimately rob us of our humanity - a feature, not a bug, according to those AI evangelists eager to “merge” with the machines. Is this a tradeoff we want to make?’ 

How the world will change as computers spread into everyday objects

The Economist 12.09.19

The Economist ‘Predicting the consequences of any technology is hard—especially one as universal as computing. The advent of the consumer internet, 25 years ago, was met with starry-eyed optimism.’:

‘It can also become obsolete quite quickly ‘Predicting the consequences of any technology is hard—especially one as universal as computing. The advent of the consumer internet, 25 years ago, was met with starry-eyed optimism. These days it is the internet’s defects, from monopoly power to corporate snooping and online radicalisation, that dominate the headlines. The trick with the iot, as with anything, will be to maximise the benefits while minimising the harms. That will not be easy.’

iHuman perspective: Neural interfaces

Royal Society 10.09.19

The report from the Royal Society:

‘These technologies could transform medicine and fundamentally change how we interact with technology and each other. At the same time, neural interfaces raise critical ethical concerns over issues such as privacy, autonomy, human rights and equality of access.‘

BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE WILL MAKE PEOPLE TELEPATHIC, SCIENTISTS SAY

Independent 10.09.19

‘The report calls on the government to launch a national investigation into this emerging field in order to shape the development of the technology. It outlines the ethical concerns of the technology, such as protecting privacy and preventing it from being used as a tool for surveillance.’ 

Mind-reading AI may spell end to humanity as we know it, but not because it will enslave us – Zizek

RT 07.09.19

Slavoj Zizek on mind-reading:

‘We are entering a post-human era if computers can identify & share a person’s thoughts.  We as human beings are precisely what we are, free individuals as far as we can be sure that you do not know what I am thinking. I think what I think, I am free in my mind. What happens if I cannot be sure even of this?  If I think about something and computer can identify what I am thinking and then share it with others, we are really entering a post-human era. I believe that we should not be just fascinated about what it means technologically.  Do you not agree that we should worry about who will control these digital machines?  I do not have fears about the machines controlling us. We are not there yet. However, who will control this, who will use this? What remains of our freedom? Private companies, like Google or Facebook, are already developing similar technologies.’ 

Brain-reading tech is coming. The law is not ready to protect us

VOX 20.12.19

Brain reading tech in Vox article:

‘One of the main people pushing for these new human rights is neuroethicist Marcello Ienca, a researcher at ETH Zurich, one of Europe’s top science and technology universities. In 2017, he released a paper outlining four specific rights for the neurotechnology age he believes we should enshrine in law. I reached out to ask what he thought of the recent revelations from Facebook and Neuralink.  “I’m very concerned about the commercialization of brain data in the consumer market,” he said. “And I’m not talking about a farfetched future. We already have consumer neurotech, with people trading their brain data for services from private companies.” He mentioned neurogaming, where you control your movements in a video game using your brain activity rather than a traditional controller, and self-tracking, where you use wearable devices to, say, monitor your sleep. “I’m tempted to call it neurocapitalism.”’

U.S. Unleashes Military to Fight Fake News, Disinformation

Bloomberg 31.08.19

DARPA to monitor deep fakes:

‘False news stories and so-called deepfakes are increasingly sophisticated and making it more difficult for data-driven software to spot. AI imagery has advanced in recent years and is now used by Hollywood, the fashion industry and facial recognition systems. Researchers have shown that these generative adversarial networks -- or GANs -- can be used to create fake videos’.

This DIY Implant Lets You Stream Movies From Inside Your Leg

WIRED 30.08.19

‘PegLeg doesn’t connect to the internet backbone that you’re using to read this article. Instead, it creates a local wireless network that anyone in the same room can access. The implant can store hundreds of gigabytes of data, stream movies or music to connected phones or computers, act as a server for an anonymized chat room or forum, and smuggle encrypted files across international borders. PegLeg was designed so that anyone who connects to the device’s network can upload or download files to the hard drive anonymously, but this radical openness raises thorny legal questions about who is responsible for the data stored in another person’s body.’ 

Wireless Technology: Ultra Convenient. But Not for Survival

Activist Post 22.04.19

‘This article is an extreme distillation of a comprehensive (13,000 words), fully referenced one (70 references, over half in print format)—Wireless Technology: Ultra Convenient. Endlessly Entertaining. Criminally Instigated. Terminally Pathological.—but with the hope that people will invest in the main one, or at least sections of interest, for the essential whole truth about wireless in – one place.’

Paging Dr. Robot: How Robotics Is Changing The Face Of Medicine

CB Insights 24.07.19

The rise of robotics report by CBInsights.

Imagining a new interface: Hands-free communication without saying a word

Facebook blog 30.07.19

Facebook’s details its BCI work:

‘Thanks to the commercialization of optical technologies for smartphones and LiDAR, we think we can create small, convenient BCI (Brain Computer Interface) devices that will let us measure neural signals closer to those we currently record with implanted electrodes — and maybe even decode silent speech one day.’