Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: employment

Godfather of AI Predicts Total Breakdown of Society

Geoffrey Hinton, one of the three so-called “godfathers” of AI, never misses an opportunity to issue foreboding proclamations about the tech he helped create.

During an hour-long public conversation with Senator Bernie Sanders at Georgetown University last week, the British computer science laid out all the alarming ways that he forecasts AI will completely upend society for the worst, seemingly leaving little room for human contrivances like optimism. One of the reasons why is that AI’s rapid deployment will be completely unlike technological revolutions in the past, which created new classes of jobs, he said.

“The people who lose their jobs won’t have other jobs to go to,” Hinton said, as quoted by Business Insider. “If AI gets as smart as people — or smarter — any job they might do can be done by AI.”

Developer to build data center near Samsung in Taylor

TAYLOR, Texas (ABJ) — A Dallas-based developer is proposing to turn a 220-acre parcel directly northeast of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s rising factory in Taylor into a data center campus.

KDC will be considered by the Taylor Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 12 for an employment center plan for the site at 1,051 County Road 401 for what it’s calling “Project Comal.” Details are minimal, but it would have primary data center uses along with a small lot of space for commercial, civic and other uses, according to city documents.

KDC representatives declined to comment.

Japan’s vision for AI robots to empower humans

What if instead of replacing us in our jobs, AI-enabled robots were to help us become the best versions of ourselves? Prompted by the ageing crisis and a projected shortfall of carers, a research team in Japan is seeking to create a new robotic paradigm, where AI-enabled robots help us to help ourselves.

“By 2050, I’d like to realize a smarter, more inclusive society, where everyone will be able to use AI robots anytime and anywhere,” says Yasuhisa Hirata, a mechanical engineer at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan1. Hirata is the project manager on the ‘Adaptable AI-enabled Robots to Create a Vibrant Society’ project of the Japanese Government’s Moonshot Research and Development Program.

He envisages future AI-enabled robots functioning somewhere between a carer and a coach — a tool that can provide support, but which makes users feel as though they are performing tasks independently rather than being assisted by a robot. Such tasks might range from people standing up out of a chair, lifting a heavy object, or expressing themselves through dance.

Taiwan-based tech company to locate first US manufacturing facility in Georgetown

Pegatron officials will start construction on the Georgetown facility before the end of the year, the news release states. The company will invest a minimum of $35 million in capital in the city, and will hire at least 100 employees within the first three years of opening.

“The jobs and investment this corporation is bringing to Georgetown mark a milestone in our community’s economic growth,” Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said in the news release. “Their decision to put down roots here will have a lasting, positive impact on our community and the broader region for generations.”

Large language models prioritize helpfulness over accuracy in medical contexts, finds study

Large language models (LLMs) can store and recall vast quantities of medical information, but their ability to process this information in rational ways remains variable. A new study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham demonstrated a vulnerability in that LLMs are designed to be sycophantic, or excessively helpful and agreeable, which leads them to overwhelmingly fail to appropriately challenge illogical medical queries despite possessing the information necessary to do so.

Findings, published in npj Digital Medicine, demonstrate that targeted training and fine-tuning can improve LLMs’ abilities to respond to illogical prompts accurately.

“As a community, we need to work on training both patients and clinicians to be safe users of LLMs, and a key part of that is going to be bringing to the surface the types of errors that these models make,” said corresponding author Danielle Bitterman, MD, a faculty member in the Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (AIM) Program and Clinical Lead for Data Science/AI at Mass General Brigham.

Google is powering Belgium’s digital future with a two-year €5 billion investment in AI infrastructure

Google is investing an additional €5 billion in Belgium over the next two years to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure. This includes expansions of our data center campuses in Saint-Ghislain and will add another 300 full time jobs. We’ve also announced new agreements with Eneco, Luminus and Renner which will support the development of new onshore wind farms and support the grid with clean energy.

Our commitment goes beyond infrastructure. We’re also equipping Belgians with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven economy, at no cost and will fund non-profits to provide free, practical AI training for low-skilled workers.

This is an extraordinary time for European innovation and its digital and economic future. Google is deepening its roots in Belgium and investing in its residents to unlock significant economic opportunities for the country, helping to ensure it remains a leader in technology and AI.

/* */