It’s the end of July! I’m excited for August to come because it means my birthday is right around the corner. I love ending the month with a recap of some of my favorite news stories from the month. This month was full of awesome things, from LG making investments in smart homes to researchers prioritizing thinking in robots, there are so many innovations coming our way. On the note of robots, you can probably anticipate a post about them coming soon. I’ve been reading some crazy things and am excited to chat about them. Enough of my stream of consciousness, let’s dive into the July recap!
AI-lliance: Shanghai joins in on shaping the future of AI Governance
Shanghai has rolled out a big plan to shape the future of AI with the Shanghai Declaration on Global AI Governance, announced at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC). It’s a five-part pledge to push AI research in industries like healthcare, transportation, and agriculture while ensuring AI is used safely, especially to avoid spreading misinformation. The declaration also promotes the open sharing of AI technology and addresses how AI could impact jobs. On top of that, China teamed up with the UN to create an AI Center of Excellence in Shanghai, focused on helping developing countries get access to AI in industries. All in all, it’s a big step for China’s role in shaping the global AI landscape.
Outsmarting Bacteria
Researchers at the University of Cambridge developed a new tool that leverages AI technologies to identify drug-resistant Salmonella bacteria in a quarter of the time. Normally, figuring out which antibiotics will work can take 24 hours, but this tool can do it in just six hours.
It’s awesome to see news about how AI continues improving the healthcare system. In the last decade, we can see how AI has transformed how we tackle problems. My go-to example is predictive machine learning. It’s crazy to know that the ML algorithms behind many of the online platforms I use probably know me better than I do. They can push content that they think I want before I know it myself. I think there is magic in predictive ML, and if machines can help doctors identify health risks before signs begin to surface, this would be a big step in preventative care.
Reading about tech in healthcare is exciting. I love imagining the possibilities. While this new bacteria-identifying tool is not ready for widespread clinical use, this breakthrough is a sign that there is a lot more that AI can do for people.
Hello Rufus
On the note of predictive content suggesting, Amazon released Rufus to all US customers. This was a tool I didn’t know I wanted. Rufus is a chatbot that you can engage with to help you find the products you are looking for. I find Rufus to be most helpful when I am looking for something very specific. For example, I was looking for a reading lamp for my bedside. I could tell the bot I was looking for something very specific. However, while I’m excited about this shopping assistant, there is a lot to be desired. In my search for a wall sconce, I found that Rufus didn’t seem to be remembering our exchanges. A series of back and forth led me to realize that it was recommending the same products despite my attempt to look for different products. I think there is potential. It’s nice to have an assistant who can help you compare products, answer questions, and share customer reviews. I look forward to future updates and am excited to see how this transforms online shopping.
Changing How We Search
OpenAI has introduced a prototype search tool, SearchGPT, designed to provide faster and more conversational search results. This is a direct jab to traditional search engines like Google. This feature is not available to the general public, so little is known about it, but I am super stoked about its public release. This can revolutionize how people approach web searching. Having ChatGPT to answer questions random questions in my day-to-day has already moved my search for answers away from Google. Now, I find myself wanting to ask full-blown questions in my search for information rather than scavenge the web through keywords. For example, I recently changed my residence to a different state, and I wanted to know if this would impact my usual process for renewing my passport and travel visas. Rather than searching Google by querying for passport and visa information, I could send my question to ChatGPT for a more conversational response. While SearchGPT is still in its early stages, I see great potential; I am super excited about SearchGPT and look forward to using it.
These are some of my favorite stories from July. This month has been full of exciting new features, and there is much to anticipate in the future!