China is known for their most sophisticated surveillance systems in the world. Government uses a combination of facial recognition, biometrics, AI in order to monitor all the citizens and control them.
Face recognition software is already present in our lives, and is mainly used to unlock phones, authenticate users in mobile apps, or locate people in videos or photos.
Chinese companies are the world leaders in exporting face recognition systems. They already have 201 export deals of these biometric systems. China is also a leader in exporting AI technology in general, with 250 AI deals. These solutions can be used for various purposes: security, surveillance, identity verification.
China has huge investments in AI and biometric technologies. The government is spending billions of dollars on AI research and development. It focuses on creating new, innovative face recognition software.
The country’s advantage is also that it has a huge amount of data available for the analysis. With over 1.4 billion people, with vast access to the internet, and huge surveillance system, China has a great source to train and test their solutions. This allowed them to make very reliable face recognition algorithms, making them a leader in this field.
Here you can watch how the system works:
With that big dominance comes also a number of challenges when trying to expand to other markets. There is a huge concern about privacy, ethics, and protection of using biometrics for control and surveillance. The government actively promotes the use of biometrics as it improves national security and public safety, but also provides more efficient services to citizens.
Chinese surveillance system is a powerful tool with potential to enhance public safety. However, we should be mindful about the potential risks of using such systems, and we have to make sure that it is really used to protect human rights. Chinese government has to take steps to increase transparency of their solutions and ensure people that they use it responsibly.
In 2019, the whole world changed and was forced to move everything online, as we were heading to 2021, recovering from difficult months of lockdowns, people have felt the urge to go out and to meet others in person, while those others could prefer to stay at home. It was difficult to make some to go, for instance to the offices, so the solution was found – hybrid mode. It was considered to the helping hand and solution for people to be connected but staying at their comfortable space.
Now, we are at the beginning of 2023, and the new issue has been identified, the lack of feeling of being connected, some people can turn off their cameras, others can simply not answer. Logitech – a Swiss company that is concentrated on developing innovation products in the tech industry, recently they have announced a Telepresence Video Booth, which was called ‘Project Ghost’.
Life-size, eye-to-eye conversations are ensured by new mechanism of using a mirror to project the video chat. ‘Project Ghost’ – is a separated Video Booth, that assure people’s have ability to connect all over the world being secure and private during the call.
This novelty is a great step towards acquainting people closer to one another even for those that are not able to meet in person, it allows to have direct eye contact, which is impossible when it comes to Zoom, Skype or other similar platforms.
Sure, such inventions have drawbacks, in this case, the size and price. It is not possible to install a lot of such Video Booth even in big offices, as they require a lot of space. By putting them too close, we are taking some part of the privacy of the conversations, which was actually, one of the main advantages of the ‘Project Ghost’. What is more, the price can possible be not as huge as several hundred thousand, but more if instead of the mirror the glasses-free 3D part was used, which is taking some part of the quality of the video series.
So, there is a battle between practicality and neediness, connection, or convenience. The only thing left is to observe the changes, as we will eventually come to some better ways of connection rather than Zoom calls.
A Revolution in the Way We Consume and Share Resources
The sharing economy is a phenomenon that has changed the way people consume goods and services. It refers to a system of exchanging goods and services through a community-based platform. Instead of buying products and services, people use a shared resource, making the most of their own underutilized assets and resources.
The concept of the sharing economy is not new. People have been sharing resources for centuries, but technology has made it much easier to facilitate these transactions. With the rise of the internet and mobile devices, the sharing economy has exploded, creating new business models and opportunities for people to earn money and save money by sharing resources.
One of the most popular examples of the sharing economy is Airbnb, which allows people to rent out their homes or rooms to travelers. This has disrupted the traditional hotel industry and has given people a new way to earn money and save money on their travel expenses.
Another popular sharing economy platform is Uber, which allows people to connect with drivers who can provide rides. This has created a new transportation option for people and has given drivers a way to earn money.
The sharing economy has many benefits, including cost savings, increased access to resources, and reduced waste. By sharing resources, people can make the most of what they already have and reduce their need to purchase new items. This can lead to cost savings, as people can share the cost of items, such as tools or appliances, rather than buying them outright.
In addition, the sharing economy provides access to resources that may not be available otherwise. For example, people who live in areas with limited public transportation options may be able to use Uber to get around. This can increase access to resources and improve quality of life for people in these areas.
The sharing economy also helps to reduce waste. When people share resources, they are making the most of what they already have, rather than constantly buying new items. This can lead to a reduction in waste, as people are able to reuse and repurpose resources, rather than throwing them away.
Despite its many benefits, the sharing economy is not without its challenges. One of the biggest challenges is regulation. Governments are grappling with how to regulate sharing economy platforms, as they often fall into a regulatory grey area. In addition, there are concerns about the impact the sharing economy is having on traditional businesses and industries, as well as the potential for exploitation of workers in the sharing economy.
Despite these challenges, the sharing economy is here to stay. It has changed the way we consume goods and services and has created new business models and opportunities for people. As technology continues to advance and new platforms emerge, the sharing economy will continue to grow and evolve, offering people new and innovative ways to share resources and earn money.
In conclusion, the sharing economy is a revolution in the way we consume and share resources. With its many benefits and challenges, it is sure to have a significant impact on our economy and the way we live our lives.
link to article: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/the-dark-side-of-the-sharing-economy/
Music has been an integral part of human culture for centuries, and its creation has undergone a massive transformation over the years. With advancements in technology, we have now seen the rise of AI-powered music composers. One such example is AIVA, an artificial intelligence-based music composer that is revolutionizing the music industry.
AIVA, which stands for “Artificial Intelligence Virtual Artist,” uses deep learning algorithms to compose original pieces of music. It was created by Pierre Barreau and is backed by a team of engineers and musicologists. AIVA is trained in over 30,000 pieces of classical music and can create music in various genres, including classical, jazz, and rock.
One of the standout features of AIVA is its ability to generate unique pieces of music that are entirely on their own. It can even adapt to different styles, creating pieces that are similar in feel to those of well-known composers like Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. This makes AIVA an ideal tool for music producers, filmmakers, game developers, and other creatives who need high-quality, original music.
At this point, we should ask if AIVA or any other AI tool could steal musicans job?
For now and close future … No! Music is not just about technical proficiency, but also about creativity, emotion, and cultural context, which are elements that AI still struggles to replicate. Therefore, while AI may change the way music is created and produced, it is unlikely to completely replace human musicians shortly. But if AI learns how to perceive things excatly like human being basically every human job is in danger… so no stress 🙂
Another notable aspect of AIVA is its ease of use. With just a few clicks, users can input the desired mood, genre, and length of the composition, and AIVA will generate a piece of music to match. The output is then available for immediate download, making it easy to incorporate into projects.
AIVA has been praised for its ability to generate high-quality music that is comparable to that created by human composers. It has even been used in several films, commercials, and video games, demonstrating its versatility and potential as a creative tool.
In conclusion, AIVA is a game-changing technology in the world of music composition. With its deep learning algorithms and ability to generate unique pieces of music, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about music creation. Whether you’re a filmmaker, game developer, or simply a music lover, AIVA is worth to check out!
Navigating everyday routines can be difficult for those with physical limitations. However, breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), offer enormous promise to make life simpler for persons with disabilities and improve their quality of life. People with disabilities can obtain the assistance they require to live more autonomous and satisfying lives by using the appropriate data sets and AI algorithms. AI has the potential to profoundly and meaningfully alter the lives of individuals with disabilities, from smart homes that react to their unique requirements to assistive technology that simplifies daily activities. By investigating these fascinating breakthroughs in AI and their applicability to people with disabilities, we may obtain a better grasp of this powerful technology’s boundless potential.
How AI may benefit those with disabilities?
Let’s look at some practical AI applications in this area and see how they might help people with impairments live better lives in many ways.
Human interaction and communication
The way that people with disabilities engage and communicate with others has been completely transformed by artificial intelligence. People with impairments are now more able to access information by speaking to their devices thanks to voice-assisted technologies like Google Home, Amazon’s Alexa, and the Echo.
For the benefit of those with speech impairments, text-to-speech, and speech-to-text technologies have also been created. For instance, Voiceitt employs AI to gradually learn a speaker’s pronunciation to transform their words into clear, regular speech, while Google’s Parrotron can convert stuttering speech patterns into fluent speech.
AI-powered solutions like GnoSys have been developed to instantly convert hand gestures or sign language into text and voice for those who have hearing impairments. Additionally, Google’s DeepMind has created an AI system that uses lip-reading algorithms to precisely decode full words.
The lives of those who have poor vision have been significantly impacted by AI. By identifying faces, emotions, and language, Microsoft’s Seeing AI, for instance, employs picture recognition technology to communicate the world to vision-impaired people. Another technology that gives voice-activated visual information and increases the independence of blind and visually impaired persons is the OrCam. This gadget can detect objects, recognize people, read aloud messages, and more.
Enabling Independent Living with Smart Home Technology for People with Disabilities
Smart home technology that is driven by artificial intelligence gives people with disabilities several advantages and can significantly improve their freedom and quality of life. These solutions, which range from voice-controlled gadgets like Amazon Alexa to smart doorbells and home automation systems, make it easier for individuals with disabilities to manage their homes and do daily activities. For instance, smart doorbells provide remote door entry and monitoring, while Alexa provides hands-free voice control for music playback, reminders, and real-time information. Smart lights, curtains, garage openers, and thermostats are other useful smart home appliances that can all be operated from a smartphone for enhanced convenience.
Expanding accessibility
By tackling the physical and cognitive difficulties that people with disabilities face daily, artificial intelligence has the potential to significantly enhance their quality of life. The AI for Accessibility program from Microsoft aims to create tools that will help people with impairments be more productive, independent, and included in society. Additionally, for those who would otherwise be housebound, self-driving automobiles and other autonomous vehicles powered by AI can provide an unmatched level of freedom of mobility. This will remove physical obstacles, encourage a social lifestyle, and increase accessibility for everybody while being customized to meet the specific requirements and capabilities of each person.
Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve the lives of people with disabilities by assisting them with daily tasks and assisting them in the development of new skills. The incorporation of AI technology is improving the lives of people with disabilities by increasing accessibility, creating chances for social inclusion, and paving the way for independent life. With the continuous development of AI, it will be feasible to develop more creative solutions that solve the particular problems experienced by those with disabilities and raise the degree of participation in society.
In October 2022, US Commerce Department issued a set of prohibitions, banning China from exporting advanced chip technology from the country. Some experts said that it is one of the year’s most important policies But why has the USA taken this action and why did the Netherlands and Japan follow?
Japan and the Netherlands are both major producers of photolithography equipment used in the manufacturing of chips. The governments of these countries want to make it more difficult for China to develop very advanced military weapons using new chip technology. Perhaps the main reason to take these legal actions was to hinder China’s development of semiconductors for use in super-computers, along with other military-related applications.
National security issues are the main risks associated with the export of chip technology and semiconductors to China. The Chinese government may be able to improve its military capabilities or engage in activities that endanger the security interests of other nations if semiconductors and chip technologies are transferred to China. These technologies are widely used in the military, aerospace, and other critical applications. Concerns also exist regarding the potential for intellectual property theft and the transfer of sensitive technologies to organizations that might be connected closely to the Chinese government.
Additionally, there are more general geopolitical and economic issues at hand, such as the growing rivalry between the US and China for technological supremacy and the impact of technology on the global power structure.
So, how could China misuse this technology in practice?
These are all only speculations, however if we want to understand, why the United States, the Netherlands and Japan took action in this matter, it is important to think about the possible reasons.
Apart from incorporating semiconductors and chips into military equipment and systems, this technology could possibly allow Chinese government Intellectual Property Theft. China may utilize its access to these technologies to steal trade secrets and other intellectual property from other nations, undermining their ability to compete while advancing its own technological industry. Futhermore, Chinese monitoring systems may use semiconductors and chips, which could violate its citizens’ civil rights and privacy and possibly target political dissidents.
This technology can also be used to launch cyberattacks against other nations or vital infrastructure, which may have a significant negative impact on national security and the global economy.
While this decision was taken out of security concerns, it could also have negative effects.
A ban on the export of chips and semiconductors to China could affect the global semiconductor industry and the economies of countries that are major exporters of these technologies. China is a large market for semiconductors, and a ban could reduce demand for these products and adversely affect the earnings of companies involved in their production.
Moreover, it could exacerbate geopolitical tensions between the countries concerned and affect bilateral relations.
In the times of the digital transformation, users can find and read the news from many different sources. Beginning from the digital newspapers and magazines like CNN or BBC, through platforms like Twitter or Facebook, or by scrolling news aggregators like Google News or Apple News. But now, a new player is entering the news market, namely, Artifact.
Artifact which name merges articles, facts and artificial intelligence was introduced by the co-founders of Instagram, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, however the application is an individual venture, as they had both departed Facebook in 2018. Artifact is a personalized news provider which uses machine learning to understand your preferences and interests and will enable you to discuss particular articles with your friends. It was even named a TikTok for text, because “The app opens to a feed of popular articles chosen from a curated list of publishers ranging from leading news organizations like The New York Times to small-scale blogs about niche topics. Tap on articles that interest you, and Artifact will serve you similar posts and stories in the future, just as watching videos on TikTok’s For You page tunes its algorithm over time.” as The Verge[1] described the app. The user will be able to publish articles in the feed page and discuss them with friends in public or via private chat. Artifact is based on a different model in comparison with Twitter and Facebook as in their feed the content of people we follow is being shown, and Artifact will provide the staff by only using machine learning regardless of who followed and who your friends are.
Source: The Verge
While the app’s premise of presenting news in a visually appealing way is intriguing, there are some critical concerns about its functioning.
First, there is the issue of credibility. With the current amount of misinformation and fake news spreading rapidly online, it’s crucial for a news app to have a strong vetting process for the articles it showcases. While Artifact claims to use advanced algorithms, we will be able to see in the future, how effective this process really is in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the presented news.
Secondly, there is the question of impartiality. With the app being created by two individuals with a background in social media, there is the risk that their personal biases and ideologies may influence the types of news being presented. Moreover, it raises concerns about the access to the data, and in this instance, it can make significant influence in the political environment.
Thirdly, by using machine learning and creating very personalized feed it can put users in the information bubbles what can lead to creation of extreme orientations and even stronger polarizations of societies.
Last but not least, I would like to mention the possible business model. Artifact plans to enable the advertising function obviously but also considers revenue sharing deals with publishers. It’s a very interesting aspect of providing the news from various platforms and publishers as it may raise concerns about the copyright rights and licenses.
Please let me know, what do you think about this app, and maybe you have any ideas and solutions for the possible problems.
Mutalk is a new device developed by Shiftall looking like a VR headset, but it is not to be worn on your eyes – in fact it is a microphone thats prevents voice leakage.
https://en.shiftall.net/products/mutalk
Probably the first thing that comes into your mind is “Why would anyone use this?”. The company suggests a couple of reasons why somebogy would be interested in a product like this. First of all it is advertised as a microphone which can be used in Metaverse (But who really uses Metaverse?). Next practical use of this device would be while gaming, so nobody hears your screams in heated moments of gamplay. This one is more valid, but I still don’t see a reason to spend $200 on a microphone when you can just try to be quiet. The last situation that the company states the microphone might be useful is when you engage in a meeting in a loud, crowded place and don’t want others to hear what you are saying and don’t want the people you are talking with to hear noises from the surroundings.
Although at the first glance these purposes might make sense I have some issues with this device.
First of all – Nobody really uses metaverse, as I stated before, and even if does why would he need to mute himself while using it? I see no practical use in this situation.
Second of all – While gaming, if you are a human being, you are able to control your voice. You don’t need a special device that will mute you. Especially not for $200. Maybe if you have walls as thin as paper it may make sense but still the market is absolutely small.
Next problem that I have with this device is keeeping it clean. While you use it it must get really moist. This would allow germs to spread and in the end ruin your device. A microphone in a moist environment isnt going to last for too long.
Summing up, this produc in my opinion is an absolute waste of time for the company that developed it and is aimed at people who have too much money to spend and still, these people will not be happy with the stuff that this microphone provides. I’ve seen in the past other products like this for example HushMe which never was a true breakthrough
For many years, the Indian agriculture has been lagging behind an don’t adapting to changing world and technology. In India, the agriculture sector plays a vital role in the society as it contributes to 18% of Indian GDP and is a primary source of livelihood for around 58% of the country’s population mainly due to large percentage of people living in rural areas. In the era of globalisation and new innovations, Indian tech start-ups became to mushroom especially in the agriculture sector to come up with idea of optimising this branch of the economy, catching up with rest of the world and increasing the efficiency of this farms. They invented drones-helpers who fly above the farm spreading the pesticides hanged below them in a container. It is incredibly efficient as it is affordable, easier accessible than many workers and it takes a third of a time of a human worker to finish the job. The Indian innovators say that this is not the end of their work and that in the future the robots would be able to make crop analysis like crop growth, plant seeds or water the plants.
In a developed country, the agriculture sector should remain a small fraction of the total GDP – most of it should consist of services. People working in the agriculture usually spend their whole lives there and do not contribute to moving the nation’s innovation and progress forward – therefore do not bring any higher change to the nation. If a larger proportion of a society works in this sector it means that many people would not only not contribute much to the society but also that their primary source of income and wellbeing would depend on how much crops would grow or how the job market looks like at the moment. To combat this problem, Indian star-ups came up with idea of using drones as helpers, to help the Indian farmers save the time, maxims profits, allow them to potentially increase their farms due to more time and most importantly to save unnecessary cheap labour used in farm help in watering plants or collecting crops.
But how the drone works? Well, first of all it has to analyse the whole area of a farm to set the boundaries where it should fly – therefore there has to be some visible point as the limits of the farm so the drone don’t get lost. Then, when the data is uploaded to the system and GPS, the drone can began to be autonomous and fly using patterns from the analysis. And lastly through collected data It can 3D map the whole farm and perform a task.
In terms of what the drone can do there are some things for now. Firstly, it can monitor the irrigation. By using thermal, hyper spectral and multispectral sensors it can recognise whether a plant is too dry and then report the status to the farmer. By this the water efficiency can be improved as a farmer would know which crop needs water the most or which crop should one get rid of, as it is dying. As I mentioned before, the drone can see the health of a plant by different scanners. First, it can detect bacterial of fungal plagues in the early stage and the general appearance of a plant that might suggest its poor condition. This might be especially useful for farmers with thousands or hundred thousand plant, as they don’t have time to check every plant. After finding a dying plant, the drone can adapt this knowledge to the database making it more accurate every other time. More importantly, the drone can do agricultural spraying which limits human contact with harmful chemicals to a minimum. As it is stated in the article
– ‘Professionals say that aerial spraying is five times faster with drones when compared to other methods.’
This technology can undoubtedly help not only Indian economy but also the whole agricultural sector as it speeds up work and maximise the efficiency. More people would then have time and resources to increase their education level and therefore to be able to work in many services related jobs, which is an integral part of advanced societies – large GDP proportion consist of services. It would also limit the poverty and increase the wealth of the citizens. The projects could also bring more investors and this prototype could be used by a base by Indian scientist and technicians for more advanced drones that could one day be doctors or builders.
Quantum computing is an exciting new field that is rapidly gaining attention from scientists and researchers around the world. Unlike classical computers, which use binary digits (bits) to represent information, quantum computers use quantum bits, or qubits, which can be made from quantum mechanical systems with two states (I’ll explain that in a moment). For example, the spin of electrons can be measured up or down, or individual photons are polarized vertically or horizontally. This new type of computing promises to revolutionize the way we process information, making it possible to solve problems that are currently impossible for classical computers to solve.
The fundamental difference between classical computers and quantum computers is the way they store and manipulate information. In classical computers, information is stored in binary form, as either a 0 or a 1. In quantum ones, information is stored as quantum states, which are superpositions of 0s and 1s. This means that a quantum bit can be both a 0 and a 1 at the same time, making them much more powerful than classical computers. “Let’s look at example that shows how quantum computers can succeed where classical computers fail:
A supercomputer might be great at difficult tasks like sorting through a big database of protein sequences, but it will struggle to see the subtle patterns in that data that determine how those proteins behave.
Proteins are long strings of amino acids that become useful biological machines when they fold into complex shapes. Figuring out how proteins will fold is a problem with important implications for biology and medicine.
A classical supercomputer might try to fold a protein with brute force, leveraging its many processors to check every possible way of bending the chemical chain before arriving at an answer. As the protein sequences get longer and more complex, the supercomputer stalls. A chain of 100 amino acids could theoretically fold in any one of many trillions of ways. No computer has the working memory to handle all the possible combinations of individual folds.
Quantum algorithms take a new approach to these sorts of complex problems — creating multidimensional spaces where the patterns linking individual data points emerge. In the case of a protein folding problem, that pattern might be the combination of folds requiring the least energy to produce. That combination of folds is the solution to the problem. (IBM, “What is quantum computing?”)
Quantum computers have the potential to solve complex problems much faster than classical ones. For example, they can quickly find the prime factors of large numbers, which is a critical operation in cryptography. This makes quantum computing a potential game-changer in the field of cryptography, as they could break encryption codes that are currently considered unbreakable.
An interesting application of this computing type is in the field of machine learning. They can perform machine learning algorithms faster and more accurately than classical computers, which could lead to significant advancements in fields like speech recognition, natural language processing, and computer vision.
They can be used also to study complex chemical reactions, which could lead to the development of new medicines and materials. Simulating these reactions, can help researchers understand how these processes work and how they can be improved.
Despite the exciting potential, quantum computing is still a developing field, thus there are also some challenges that need to be addressed. One of the biggest challenges is maintaining the coherence of quantum states, which is necessary for quantum computers to function correctly. This is because these states are highly sensitive to their environment, external noise and even small perturbations can cause the states to collapse. Furthermore, their complexity makes them difficult to design, build and maintain. Currently, there are only a few them available and the hardware is expensive and difficult to access. Another challenge is the lack of scalability, meaning that they can only solve very specific problems and are not yet capable of general-purpose computing. The number of available quantum algorithms is also limited, and developing new algorithms is a challenging and ongoing process. Additionally, because quantum computers are very expensive to build and maintain, limiting their accessibility to only well-funded research institutions and large corporations.
What do we have to focus on in this area? The development of algorithms that can be run on quantum computers!
While there have been some advances in this area, there is still much work to be done to develop algorithms that can take full advantage of the power of quantum computing.
We can all agree that despite all challenges that this relatively new technology has to overcome, its future looks bright. With continued research and development, it is likely that we will see significant advancements in this field in the coming years. From cryptography to machine learning, it has the potential to revolutionize the way we process information and solve problems. It is definitely a very exciting field with the potential of changing the world as we know it. As research continues, we can expect to see more and more applications of it in fields like cryptography, machine learning, and chemistry.
