A "royal" AI Christmas card debacle

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A “ROYAL” AI CHRISTMAS CARD DEBACLE 👑

The Royal Family doesn’t play “musical chairs.” Instead, they call it “Game of Thrones.” 🫅

What’s going on? An AI-generated Christmas card featuring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s children—Prince Archie (age 5), and Princess Lilibet (age 3)—has gone viral, sparking backlash on social media.

Want the details? The card, allegedly posted by a royal fan on X, shows a black-and-white photo of the children, surrounded by festive branches, with the message, “Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.” After thousands of people thought the image was real, users began pointing out the image’s artificial origins. Many claimed it was created by editing older public photos of Archie and Lilibet to appear as a new portrait. Critics labeled the card as “fake,” “AI-looking,” and “pathetic fakery,” with some highlighting inconsistencies in the photo, such as mismatched eyes. Not to mention, Harry and Meghan had already shared their official Christmas card earlier in December, featuring candid family photos.

Why is this important? This viral moment serves as a reminder to verify online content and to always take it with a grain of salt. One person commented on the fabricated social media post, “I’m laughing at the fact [people] really believed this is a picture of the kids.” But as deepfake imagery and videos continue to improve in quality, those that are laughing now are likely the very same people that will soon be unknowingly deceived.

RUSSIA AND CHINA TEAM UP ON AI 🤝

Everyone is Russian to innovate! 🏃‍♀️

What happened? Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed his government and Sberbank, the country’s largest bank, to deepen collaboration with China on AI development. 

Why? This move comes just weeks after Putin revealed plans for Russia to partner with BRICS nations and other allies to advance AI technologies. Western sanctions, aimed at limiting Russia’s access to critical technologies amid the war in Ukraine, have hindered its AI progress. For example, major global chipmakers have stopped supplying Russia, creating challenges in obtaining essential GPUs for AI development.

Why is this significant? By teaming up with non-Western nations like China, Russia aims to counter U.S. dominance in AI. Despite these efforts, Russia currently ranks 31st on Tortoise Media’s Global AI Index, trailing significantly behind global leaders like the U.S. and China.

LIGHT + AI = ADVANCED BRAIN DIAGNOSTICS 🧠

Q: What do you call a dinosaur under stress?

A: A nervous “rex.” 🦖

What’s up? Researchers have developed a “molecular lantern,” a non-invasive tool that uses light to detect molecular changes in the brain. When paired with AI, this tool may provide a new method to diagnose and study neurological conditions without physically altering the brain.

How does it work? The molecular lantern uses Raman spectroscopy, a technique that analyzes how light interacts with molecules to produce a unique signal or “fingerprint” of their chemical composition. A probe, thinner than a human hair, is inserted into the brain, where it detects changes caused by tumors, injuries, or other pathologies. Unlike previous methods requiring genetic modifications, this approach works with natural tissue. Researchers plan to integrate AI to classify these molecular changes and identify diagnostic markers with greater accuracy. This approach has already shown promise in detecting brain trauma and metastases in animal models.

Why is this significant? It seems like every day, AI is being used to enhance the medical field. This innovation is significant because it allows scientists to study the brain in its natural state without messing with the original tissue, potentially leading to earlier and more precise diagnoses of conditions like cancer or trauma.

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