Welcome to the January 8, 2024 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for IT professionals three times a week.
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Tech Students in Africa Bolstered by 'Grassroots AI'
Inside Higher Ed
Susan D'Agostino
January 4, 2024
Africa's AI research is being fueled by a self-organized network of AI students, professors, researchers, industry practitioners, entrepreneurs, and others in what is being called "grassroots AI." The network has emerged to fill in gaps caused by limited university access, a lack of resources among some educational institutions, historical racial inequities, a large number of low-income students, and the quickly evolving global AI landscape. Vukosi Marivate of South Africa's University of Pretoria said it's important to help computer science students because "if we don't, only very privileged people make the choice to spend three, four, or five more years" to become AI leaders.
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Robotic Device Improves Walking for Parkinson's Patients
NBC Right Now
Imogen Howse
January 5, 2024
A wearable robotic device developed by researchers at Harvard University and Boston University could enable people with Parkinson's disease to walk without "freezing," which occurs when they lose the ability to move their feet mid-stride or shuffle as they walk. The robotic garment contains cable-driven sensors worn around the users' hips and thighs, which gently push their hips as their legs swing to enable a longer stride.
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Eye-Tracking Window Tech Tells Sightseers What They're Seeing
New Atlas
Ben Coxworth
January 5, 2024
The AR Interactive Vehicle Display developed by South Korea's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) combines a transparent microLED panel with eye-tracking and GPS data to inform tour bus passengers of the sights they are seeing. Debuting at CES, the technology could be incorporated into the windows of trains, tour boats, and other sightseeing vehicles. ITRI has utilized similar technology in the glass of public aquariums, which tells visitors about the fish they view.
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Scientists Say This Is the Probability AI Will Drive Humans to Extinction
Futurism
Victor Tangermann
January 4, 2024
A recent survey of 2,778 AI researchers found that slightly more than half believe there is a 5% chance AI could make humans extinct. In addition, 10% of respondents said they believe AI could outperform humans in all tasks by 2027, while 50% of those polled said that could occur by 2047. However, 68.3% of respondents believe good outcomes from AI will outnumber bad ones.
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Technology Enables Drones to Navigate Around Obstacles Autonomously
Interesting Engineering
Jijo Malayil
January 4, 2024
Carnegie Mellon University researchers developed technology that allows drones to predict potential collision points during flight and take proactive avoidance measures. Tested at a tunnel construction site in Japan, the drones compared real-time 3D shape data of the tunnel excavation site with planned design information and used a 3D hybrid map to account for stationary surroundings and track dynamic obstacles. The researchers found the drone system could monitor construction progress, identify areas in need of additional work, and improve site safety.
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Google Taps Asimov's Laws of Robotics for Robot Safety
PC Magazine
Michael Kan
January 4, 2024
Researchers at Google DeepMind created a "Robot Constitution" to ensure the safety of their newest robotic system. The AutoRT system can issue commands to more than 20 robots in various office settings at the same time. In a recent blog post, they wrote, "These rules are in part inspired by [science-fiction author] Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics – first and foremost that a robot 'may not injure a human being.' Further safety rules require that no robot attempts tasks involving humans, animals, sharp objects, or electrical appliances."
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Bug-Free Software Advances
University of Massachusetts Amherst
January 4, 2024
University of Massachusetts Amherst computer scientists used a large language model (LLM) to create a tool to prevent software bugs. In developing Baldur, the researchers fine-tuned the Minerva LLM on 118 GB of mathematical scientific papers and webpages with mathematical expressions, with additional fine-tuning on the Isabelle/HOL language used to write mathematical proofs. Baldur can generate a whole proof and check its work using a theorem prover. Errors are fed back into the LLM along with the proof to learn from the mistake before re-generating the proof.
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Face-Off in Britain Over Surveillance Tech
Yahoo! News (UK)
Stuart Graham
January 4, 2024
London police made 10 arrests near the Croydon railway station in December after installing an AI-powered camera that uses live facial recognition (LFR) technology. The technology runs biometric facial signatures from passersby through a watchlist of suspects. LFR also was used at King Charles III's coronation in May and the British Gran Prix in July, and its effectiveness has proponents calling for expanding its use. However, some lawmakers are calling for "assertive, regulatory action" by the U.K. government's privacy regulator, citing concerns about, among other things, 65 wrongful police interventions based on false matches.
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Data Stuffed into Diamond Cavities
IEEE Spectrum
Sarah Wells
January 3, 2024
Researchers at the City College of New York developed a technique that allows diamonds to be used for optical storage under cryogenic conditions, which could be useful in quantum technologies. They found that unique data can be stored in each of a diamond's color centers (small defects in its lattice of carbon atoms), with individual defects targeted using a special narrow laser. The technique enables data to be stored in 3D instead of 2D, allowing for data encoded within the defects to be erased and rewritten on demand.
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Museum World Hit by Cyberattack on Software
The New York Times
Zachary Small
January 3, 2024
A cyberattack affecting technological service provider Gallery Systems took several museums' online collections offline when the eMuseum tool went down. The software allows visitors to search online collections and museums to manage sensitive information. Gallery Systems reported its software became encrypted and ceased operating on Dec. 28. Cyberattacks against cultural groups are becoming more common, according to some security experts.
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High School Student Creates Website to Broaden Access to Mental Health Help
KMTV News Now Omaha
Maria Osnaya
January 2, 2024
Nebraska teen Diego Gutierrez developed a website to help improve access to mental health services for teens. The Mindlink site offers information on crisis lines, chat boxes for users to talk to others, online fidget spinners and cubes, and a calendar where users can log their feelings and share information with their doctors. The Omaha South senior's website won state honors in a competition hosted by the U.S. Congress that inspires students to pursue careers in STEM.
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