AI designs walking robot from scratch

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AI DESIGNS WALKING ROBOT FROM SCRATCH 🤖

AI in robotics is probably the nerdiest of nerd activities, and we are here to explore it! 🦾

What’s up? Researchers at Northwestern University have achieved a remarkable milestone: the creation of a robot designed entirely by AI itself.

What was the experiment? The experiment involved providing the AI with a simple prompt: "design a robot that can walk across a flat surface." What transpired next was nothing short of astonishing. Within mere seconds, the AI generated a design fleshed out in a 3D printer, resulting in what can be described as a peculiar-looking purple block. This seemingly unconventional outcome holds profound significance in the realm of AI and robotics. As lead researcher Sam Kriegman said, “When some people look at this robot, they see a useless gadget. But I see the birth of a brand new organism, and it’s a thrill to witness its genesis and see it wake up for the first time, stretch its legs and take its very awkward first steps.”

What was the design? The most intriguing aspect of this experiment is that the AI independently rediscovered the concept of legs for terrestrial movement, even though it was never explicitly instructed to do so. Kriegman said, "It's interesting because we didn't tell the AI that a robot should have legs … It rediscovered that legs are a good way to move around on land. Legged locomotion is, in fact, the most efficient form of terrestrial movement." The researchers are also not sure why the AI designed the robot to have fins and holes (which function as “air muscles”), but said that "they are important" because when removed, the robot no longer could walk.

TIKTOK DEEPFAKE UNDERSCORES LARGER PROBLEM 😐

Deepfakes continue to be a growing issue across social media! 😳

What happened? TikTok ran an ad which featured social media icon Jimmy Donaldson (AKA MrBeast) offering iPhone 15 Pros for $2.

How did this play out? While the ad appeared official with MrBeast's logo and a verification checkmark, it didn't take long for savvy internet users to spot the telltale signs of AI manipulation, from distorted voice to uncanny mouth movements. MrBeast promptly clarified that the ad was fake, highlighting the pressing issue of AI-generated deepfakes in social media. TikTok acted swiftly, removing the ad and the associated account for policy violations.

What is being done? TikTok is aware of this trending problem on their platform and is looking for ways to label videos edited with AI. The company stated, "AI enables incredible creative opportunities, but can potentially confuse or mislead viewers if they're not aware content was generated or edited with AI.”

SOFTBANK CEO SAYS AI WILL SURPASS HUMANS IN 10 YEARS 🤖

Wanna hear a great AI joke?: 011100010101. 🤣

What’s new? Business leader and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, speaking at a corporate conference in Tokyo, said “artificial general intelligence will surpass the total intelligence of humankind by 10 times in 10 years.”

Why did he say this? Son emphasized that the impact of AI will be far-reaching, spanning industries from transportation and pharmaceuticals to finance, manufacturing, and logistics. He believes those who embrace AI will lead the way in the next 10 to 20 years in almost every industry. His comments come at a time of regulatory uncertainty in Japan, and so he urged Japanese companies not to repeat the mistakes of the past by falling behind in the AI age as he believes they did with the internet. While acknowledging the legitimate concerns surrounding data security, disinformation, privacy, and copyright, Son stressed the importance of being on the “side of progress” and seizing the opportunities that AI presents.

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