What does the China chip ban really mean?

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EUROPE ANNOUNCES AI “CRASH TEST” CENTERS 👊

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What’s new? The European Union is introducing AI "crash test" centers to ensure new innovations are safe before they hit the market. An investment of $240 million was made towards this initiative.

What does this look like? On Tuesday, the trade bloc inaugurated four permanent facilities in various locations across Europe. These centers, both physical and virtual in nature, will serve as testing and experimental spaces. They will enable technology providers to conduct real-world trials of AI and robotics applications in sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and food, as well as urban environments. The hope is that these “crash test” facilities will form a “safety filter” between unchecked AI innovations and public use. The EU also hopes that other governing bodies will follow suit, promoting safer AI development and implementation into the public sphere.

When will these centers be put to use? These facilities are currently under construction and will be available for use sometime early next year, though some virtual aspects of the centers will be available for utilization much sooner. 🙏

MORE CHIP RESTRICTIONS FOR CHINA 🇨🇳

The US government doesn’t know what to do about AI, so more bans it is!

What happened? The United States is considering the implementation of additional restrictions on the export of AI chips to China, restricting even more of the already restricted AI chips that can be sent to China. 💾

Why the further ban? The announcement of these bans cited concerns over potential military applications and technological advancements that might be harmful to the US. These proposed restrictions seek to curb China's access to cutting-edge AI technology that might threaten the US’ technological advancements.

What does this really mean? The US government has failed to make much progress putting regulatory measures in place for AI, and many experts believe that they are refusing to take seriously the threat of unchecked AI developments. So instead of implementing regulatory measures to ensure the safe development of AI domestically, the US is putting restrictions on AI development in other countries. It’s almost as if the government doesn’t want to deal with the growth of AI, but just wants it to stop. These restrictive measures could serve detrimental to American companies like chipmaker Nvidia, who will now face even more restrictions towards a massive Chinese market. These measures also give people a false sense of security that something is being done about AI development, when in reality the problem is just being deflected.

FIRST AI-GENERATED DRUG ENTERS HUMAN TRIALS 💊

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What’s up? Insilico Medicine announced that the first AI-generated drug has entered Phase 2 of clinical trials, with the first dose successfully administered to a human. This trial is expected to last 12 weeks. 🩺

What is the drug? Currently referred to as INS018_055, the AI-generated drug is being tested to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a rare, progressive type of chronic lung disease. The drug, INS018_055, got its name because it was the 55th molecule in the series. Insilico Medicine’s CEO Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD said, "This drug, which will be given orally, will undergo the same rigorous testing to ensure its effectiveness and safety, like traditionally discovered drugs, but the process of its discovery and design are incredibly new.”

How does AI help the process? AI has helped this drug develop much faster than traditional methods by automating analytic processes and doing so more effectively. AI also has the ability, through a program called PandaOmics, to formulate new combinations of molecules through a tool called Chemistry42 that might better attack disease-causing targets. Zhavoronkov said, “AI allows us to analyze massive quantities of data and find connections that human scientists might miss, and then ‘imagine’ entirely new molecules that can be turned into drugs."

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