AI reads 2,000-year-old scroll...

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NYC MAYOR USES AI TO SPEAK LANGUAGES HE DOESN’T SPEAK 🗽

Q: Where do math teachers go on vacation?

A: Times Square. 🏙️

What’s new? New York City law requires public documents and announcements be made available in a wide range of languages, and mayor Eric Adams has landed on an AI solution called, “MyCity Chatbot” which allows this information to be distributed in multiple languages that appear to be in his voice.

What is the public response? While the intentions behind this initiative are commendable, some experts find it deeply unsettling. Surveillance and privacy advocates argue that creating the illusion that the mayor is multilingual through AI-generated calls is unethical. Not to mention, many pointed out that the translations were riddled with errors.

U.S. EXTENDS CHIP BAN ON CHINA 🙅‍♂️

The United States Government continues to do nothing substantial about the safe development of AI, but instead continues to restrict other countries from advancing the technology. 🤨

What’s up? The U.S. Department of Commerce plans to curb the sale of more advanced AI chips to China. These new rules aim to close loopholes that emerged after last year's restrictions on AI chip exports were put in place.

What are the new restrictions? Shares of major chip manufacturers like Nvidia, Broadcom, Marvell, AMD, and Intel experienced a dip in value following this announcement. The previous restrictions had banned the sale of Nvidia's H100, a preferred processor for U.S.-based AI firms. Chinese companies were able to purchase a slightly slower version called the H800 or A800 to comply with U.S. restrictions. However, the new regulations will also ban these alternative chips.

Why? The primary objective of these restrictions is to prevent Chinese access to advanced semiconductors that could potentially advance AI, particularly in military applications. U.S. officials emphasize that these measures are not intended to harm Chinese economic growth but rather to protect national interests. The rules establish thresholds for performance, and companies wishing to export AI chips to China must notify the U.S. government.

AI HELPS READ “UNREADABLE” ANCIENT SCROLL 📜

Could you imagine if we could read ancient scrolls? With the help of AI, this is becoming possible. 😳

What happened? Luke Farritor, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has made a breakthrough by employing a machine learning algorithm to read a 2,000-year-old burnt Roman scroll.

Some context? The Herculaneum papyri, an intriguing collection of more than 1,800 charred papyrus scrolls and hidden beneath the ashes of Mount Vesuvius's catastrophic eruption in 79 AD, have long baffled scholars. These scrolls, resembling lumps of coal, were believed to be unreadable due to their fragile state. Farritor's ingenious algorithm, however, leverages subtle surface texture variations to detect Greek letters on the ancient scrolls, leading to the deciphering of words like "πορϕυρας," which translates to "purple." This achievement has earned him the "first letters" prize of $40,000 in the Vesuvius Challenge, a competition designed to unlock the secrets of these historical artifacts.

Why is this significant? The significance of this breakthrough cannot be overstated, as these papyri hold valuable insights into one of the most critical philosophical periods of human history. The preservation of even one scroll opens the door to unlocking a treasure trove of knowledge lost for centuries. This remarkable discovery offers a glimmer of hope in unraveling the mysteries concealed within these ancient texts and sheds new light on our understanding of the past.

”WATCH THIS” WEDNESDAY 👀

We spoke with Harald Schäfer, CTO at Comma.ai, about their driver assistance car system called Comma 3X. This system allows drivers to equip their own cars with AI technology to allow for hands-free highway driving which mimics human driving behaviors.

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