Welcome to the January 17, 2024 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals three times a week.

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• AI-Driven Misinformation 'Biggest Short-Term Threat to Global Economy'
• Breath 'Fingerprint' Could Be Used to Unlock Phones
• Drones in Rio in High-Tech Reforestation Push
• At Sam's Club, a Human Will No Longer Check Your Receipt at the Door
• How Lightning Flashes Help Predict Storms
• Wearable Detects Obstructive Sleep Apnea Symptoms at Home
• Seeking Robots Not Too Human, Not Too Machine
• Network-Connected Torque Wrench Is Vulnerable to Ransomware
• Open-Source Tool Helps Tackle Debris in Space
• First Unhackable Shopping Transactions Carried Out on Quantum Internet
• Will Chatbots Teach Your Children?
• Our Fingerprints May Not Be Unique
• AI Has a Trust Problem. Can Blockchain Help?

AI-Driven Misinformation 'Biggest Short-Term Threat to Global Economy'

The World Economic Forum's annual risks report, based on a survey of 1,300 experts, revealed that respondents believe the biggest short-term threat to the global economy will come from AI-driven misinformation and disinformation. This is a major concern, given that elections will be held this year in countries accounting for 60% of global gross domestic product. Other short-term risks cited by respondents include extreme weather events, societal polarization, cyber insecurity, and interstate armed conflict.
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Breath 'Fingerprint' Could Be Used to Unlock Phones

Indian Institute of Technology Madras researchers found breathing data can be used as a biometric test for unlocking devices. They fed air velocity sensor readings of 10 breaths from each of 94 participants into an AI model, which detects an individual's unique patterns of breath turbulence created by the shape of their nasal and oral passages, pharynx, and larynx. After analyzing the breath of a particular individual, the model was more than 97% accurate in determining whether or not a breath came from that person.
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Drones in Rio in High-Tech Reforestation Push

Aerial drones are being used to accelerate reforestation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, through a partnership between city government and startup Morfo. The drones spread seeds of local native species in areas that traditional methods of seeding would have trouble reaching. AI-powered computers identify target areas and the number of seeds to be dispersed via drone. The drones can drop 180 seed capsules per minute, about 100 times faster than spreading seeds by hand.
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At Sam's Club, a Human Will No Longer Check Your Receipt at the Door

AI is being rolled out at Walmart-owned Sam's Club stores to scan shoppers' carts as an alternative to showing a receipt when exiting. Customers at Sam's Club will move through a gate-like portal that verifies purchases using computer vision and digital technology. The AI system has been deployed at 10 Sam's Club stores so far, with implementation at the remainder of its approximately 600 locations expected by the end of this year.
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How Lightning Flashes Help Predict Storms

A framework developed by researchers at the University of Oklahoma allows lightning-flash data collected via cameras attached to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites to be incorporated into thunderstorm forecasting models. The Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation ensemble-variational hybrid data assimilation framework runs the same calculation multiple times while assuming slightly different initial conditions; the different answers shed light on overall uncertainty.
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Wearable Detects Obstructive Sleep Apnea Symptoms at Home

Researchers at the U.K.'s Imperial College London developed a non-invasive device that could be used to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea. The pebble-sized, adhesive-backed device, called AcuPebble, is placed on the patient's throat, where it records the user's respiratory sounds during sleep, along with their heart rate, breathing rate, and oxygen levels, to their smartphone. The data is uploaded to a secure platform and made accessible to the patient's physician, with the goal of accelerating diagnosis and treatment.
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Seeking Robots Not Too Human, Not Too Machine

Many of the robots showcased at CES were designed to make people feel comfortable and safe interacting with them. They have some human facial features and are more interactive thanks to generative AI. However, Enchanted Tools' Jerome Monceaux said robots should not look too human, noting, "It creates an expectation of behavior similar to our own, and therefore a risk of disappointment, because the robot doesn't see and understand the world as we do, and won't for years to come." Even so, Agility's Jonathan Hurst said its Digit robot will keep its head, even if it lacks a technical purpose.
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Network-Connected Torque Wrench Is Vulnerable to Ransomware

Researchers at the IT security firm Nozomi Networks identified 25 vulnerabilities in Wi-Fi-enabled pneumatic torque wrenches featuring a Bosch Rexroth Linux-based NEXO-OS operating system. The researchers were able to install ransomware on the Bosch wrenches, then alter the graphical user interface (GUI) to display a message requesting a ransom payment. It also is possible to change the wrenches' configuration settings while displaying a normal value on the GUI. Bosch Rexroth said it will provide an official fix by the end of the month.
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Open-Source Tool Helps Tackle Debris in Space

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have developed an open-source tool that addresses concerns about increased congestion in low Earth orbit and space debris. The MIT Orbital Capacity Assessment Tool (MOCAT) allows for long-term space modeling to predict the growth of space debris and assess debris-prevention and mitigation strategies. With MOCAT, users can model individual objects, diverse parameters, orbital characteristics, fragmentation scenarios, and collision probabilities.
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First Unhackable Shopping Transactions Carried Out on Quantum Internet

Researchers at China's Renmin University demonstrated the first unhackable shopping transactions on a network of five quantum computers. Each of the quantum computers played a role, with one serving as the merchant, two serving as buyers, and two serving as neutral mediators. They communicated via quantum encryption keys (sequences of quantum light signals). The merchant produced an e-commerce contract that it and a buyer verified and signed, with their communications first going through a third-party mediator.
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Will Chatbots Teach Your Children?

Khan Academy and Duolingo are among the online learning platforms that have rolled out AI chatbot tutors based on OpenAI's large language model GPT-4. The rise of generative AI tools has pushed the idea of automated instruction to the forefront, with some tech executives hopeful that bot teachers would be able to engage with individual students like human teachers while providing customized instruction. However, some education researchers stress that AI chatbots can be biased and provide false information, and there is little transparency when it comes to how they formulate answers.
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Our Fingerprints May Not Be Unique

Columbia University researchers developed an AI tool that can determine whether prints from different fingers came from a single person. The tool analyzed 60,000 fingerprints and was 75% to 90% accurate. Though uncertain how the AI makes its determinations, the researchers believe it concentrates on the orientation of the ridges in the center of a finger; traditional forensic methods look at how the individual ridges end and fork.
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AI Has a Trust Problem. Can Blockchain Help?

Researchers at the data-analytics firm FICO and the blockchain-focused startup Casper Labs are among those developing and training AI algorithms using blockchain technology. FICO's Scott Zoldi explained that blockchain can track the data used to train the algorithm and the various steps taken to vet and verify the data. Meanwhile, Casper is collaborating with IBM on a tool that would allow companies to revert to an earlier version of a model if bias or inaccuracies are identified.
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