Beijing Academy Launches Open-Source ‘RoboBrain’ AI for Humanoid Robots

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  • BAAI launched new open-source AI models to enhance robotics in China.
  • These models aim to overcome challenges in the robotics sector, such as limited capabilities and training data.
  • RoboBrain 2.0 is highlighted as the world’s most powerful open-source AI model for various robots, including humanoids.
  • The initiative supports China’s rapidly growing robotics industry, positioning BAAI as a key contributor.
  • BAAI is actively seeking collaboration with over 20 companies in the embodied intelligence sector to foster growth.

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W.Va. AG McCuskey: Smart to Delay AI Rules

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  • A 10-year federal moratorium on state-level AI regulation is seen as beneficial for maintaining U.S. strategic advantages, according to West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey.
  • McCuskey views AI as crucial for energy production, linking its potential to future U.S. economic growth.
  • The proposal aims to prevent inconsistencies in AI regulation across states; however, it faces opposition from a bipartisan group of attorneys general advocating for state sovereignty.
  • Advocates emphasize the need for a unified national approach to maximize AI opportunities while balancing local oversight and values in the long term.
  • McCuskey recognizes the importance of allowing states to regulate specific aspects of AI in the future to reflect local values and concerns.

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Track Top AI Image Generators and Vote for Your Favorite

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  • DALL-E, OpenAI’s first text-to-image AI model, was released in January 2021, paving the way for various image-generating AI tools.
  • LMArena.ai, launched in beta, ranks AI models based on their ability to generate images from text and incorporates user voting to influence rankings.
  • The platform was initially a research initiative from UC Berkeley, now backed by notable investors like a16z and Sequoia Capital.
  • Anonymous voting via the Elo system helps mitigate bias, revealing model names only after votes are cast; OpenAI’s GPT Image 1 currently leads the rankings.
  • The rapid growth of generative AI tools since ChatGPT’s release has made it challenging for users to choose, with platforms like LMArena providing clarity and feedback opportunities for developers.

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AI Database Use Cases in the Public Sector – Intelligent CIO Africa

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  • Communications may include information about similar services and products.
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  • More information is available in the Privacy Policy by Lynchpin Media brands.

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AI Creates Memes About Lost Zebra in Tennessee

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  • A pet zebra named Ed has been loose in Rutherford County, Tennessee, since May 31, causing traffic disruptions and evading capture.
  • Local governments and police are using AI-generated memes to raise awareness about Ed’s escape on social media.
  • The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department posted AI images of the zebra, humorously noting its attendance at the CMA Fest.
  • The Lebanon Police Department shared a playful post introducing "Officer Z. E. Bra," highlighting the zebra’s antics and urging people not to approach it.
  • Zebras are classified as Class III animals in Tennessee, allowing ownership without a permit, similar to llamas and camels.

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Warren: AI Provision in Trump’s Bill Could Lead to Rent Hikes, Violates Budget Rules

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  • Sen. Elizabeth Warren criticized an AI provision in President Trump’s tax-and-spending bill, arguing it could raise rents and violate Senate rules.
  • The provision would prevent states from regulating AI for a decade, allegedly protecting companies like RealPage, accused of coordinating rent increases.
  • Warren highlighted the timing of the provision amid a housing crisis, urging Americans to contact their senators for its removal.
  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also opposed the AI provision, threatening to vote against the bill unless it is eliminated.
  • A bipartisan group of state attorneys general expressed concerns, stating that the provision undermines state rights and fails to provide real solutions.

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AI Pioneer Launches Non-Profit for ‘Honest’ AI Development

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  • Launch of LawZero: Yoshua Bengio, AI pioneer, has established a non-profit, LawZero, to develop a trustworthy AI system aimed at identifying deceptive AI behaviors.

  • Funding and Research Team: Initially backed by approximately $30 million and a team of over a dozen researchers, Bengio’s project focuses on creating a system called Scientist AI.

  • Functionality of Scientist AI: The system will act as a protective measure against AI agents by flagging potentially harmful actions based on a probability assessment of those actions causing harm.

  • Philosophy of AI Development: Bengio envisions AIs that are more akin to "humble" knowledge machines, providing probabilities for answers instead of definitive responses to avoid deceptive behavior.

  • Call to Action for Support: The initiative aims to demonstrate its methodology to attract support from governments and organizations for scaling up their safety measures in alignment with advanced AI systems.

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UK Government Releases AI Playbook to Revamp Public Services

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  • The UK government has launched an AI Playbook to provide guidance for safe and effective AI use in public sector organizations.
  • Created by over 50 experts from DSIT and various government departments, the playbook includes ten principles and covers AI foundations, building, and responsible use.
  • Each section of the playbook contains checklists with practical recommendations for developing AI projects.
  • The government emphasizes AI’s role in driving economic growth and enhancing public service delivery, planning to invest further through the upcoming Spending Review.
  • Recent shifts include rebranding the AI Safety Institute to the AI Security Institute, focusing on crime and national security concerns related to AI technology.

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Training AI to Sketch Like Humans | MIT News

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  • SketchAgent Development: A new drawing system from MIT and Stanford emulates human sketching by using a multimodal language model to convert natural language prompts into sketches in seconds.

  • Sketching Process: Unlike traditional models, SketchAgent learns to draw stroke-by-stroke without prior sketching data, translating sketches into sequences on a grid for more natural representation.

  • Collaboration with Humans: The system allows human-AI collaboration, where each contributes to the drawing process. Removing its contributions significantly impacts the recognizability of the final sketches.

  • Model Performance: Tests showed that the default model, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, produced the most human-like sketches, indicating differences in how visual information is processed compared to other models.

  • Limitations and Future Improvements: While showcasing potential, SketchAgent struggles with complex sketches and often requires multiple prompts. Future efforts focus on refining interaction and sketching skills for enhanced human-AI collaboration.

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SSA Aims for ‘Single-Digit’ Call Wait Times with AI, Says Commissioner

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  • Call Wait Time Improvement: SSA’s average call wait time improved from 30 minutes in January to 12 minutes in May, with plans to reduce it further to "single digits" using AI tools.

  • Performance Metrics: SSA’s average speed to answer calls is currently about 20 minutes, but less than half of calls are answered; 70% are now handled through callbacks.

  • Backlog Management: Commissioner Frank Bisignano aims to address a backlog of over 6 million pending actions and plans to visit processing centers to investigate the issue.

  • Legislative Impact: The Social Security Fairness Act, signed by former President Biden, mandates larger benefits for public sector employees and has added to SSA’s workload, prioritizing complex case processing.

  • IT Modernization Commitment: Bisignano is committed to increasing IT modernization spending to enhance productivity, employee morale, and overall client experience at SSA.

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