AI News Digest: Dec. 5, 2024

Welcome to the third issue of the AI News Digest! We want to hear from you: Are these AI stories valuable? What else would you like to see in future editions? Let us know: send us an email or comment in our LinkedIn Group.

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GOVERNMENT

Fact sheet: U.S. Department of Commerce & U.S. Department of State launch the International Network of AI Safety Institutes at inaugural convening in San Francisco The U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of State convened the International Network of AI Safety Institutes to promote cooperation in AI risk, evaluation and more. National Institute of Standards and Technology

‍US government commission pushes Manhattan Project-style AI initiative A U.S. congressional commission proposed a major "Manhattan Project-style" initiative to develop advanced AI, aiming to keep the nation competitive against global rivals like China. Reuters

BUSINESS

Comment: Business leaders risk sleepwalking towards AI misuse New EU regulations and initiatives like the AI Governance Disclosure Initiative are striving for transparency to address ongoing concerns about AI misuse in corporate settings. Reuters

Infosys chair bets companies will develop their own AI models Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani expects global companies will increasingly build their own smaller-scale AI models. Nilekani was "not so sure” companies would want to shoulder the high costs, or the potential “black box” of data and copyright liabilities associated with LLMs behind popular applications, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Financial Times

AI RISK

AI’s hunger for electric power is threatening U.S. climate goals Some AI technologies are having increasingly negative impacts on climate change efforts, as highlighted at COP29. Washington Post

RESPONSIBLE AI

A question of ethics: AI faces its most important crossroad As key industries balance AI's benefits with ethical challenges like privacy invasion and discrimination, businesses are being urged to adopt Responsible AI practices. The Australian‍

‍Inescapable AI the ways AI decides how low-income people work, live, learn, and survive A TechTonic Justice report explores how AI negatively affects low-income communities in the US, outlining impacts on employment and housing as governments, landlords, and employers use AI to make decisions. Techtonic Justice

LIFE SCIENCES

‍AI is transforming life sciences but raising risk concerns, new benchmark report finds A new report highlights the rapid AI adoption in life sciences, with 74% of companies concerned about emerging intellectual property challenges. Arnold & Porter

AI TECH DEVELOPMENTS

OpenAI, Meta, Orange to train AI models on African languages Major tech companies such as Meta and OpenAI are joining forces to develop AI models pertaining to African languages, aiming to bridge language gaps. Bloomberg‍

‍OpenAI considers taking on Google with browser, the Information reports OpenAI is exploring the development of a web browser integrated with its AI capabilities, potentially positioning it as a direct competitor to Google. Reuters

GENERATIVE AI

What if AI is really good for Hollywood? The use of generative AI for Tom Hanks and Robin Wright's faces in the upcoming movie Here sparked curiosity about the impacts of AI in Hollywood as CGI continues to evolve. New York Times‍

‍Increase in spending on AI nationally Businesses in the US increased investments in generative AI by 500%, rising from $2.3B in 2023 to $13.8B in 2024. On average, companies are using three or more large language models, which many experts believe is not practical. CNBC‍

‍Current AI scaling laws are showing diminishing returns, forcing AI labs to change course AI labs are moving away from traditional scaling methods due to diminishing returns, exploring new techniques that enhance performance during inference and emulate human reasoning. TechCrunch

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ABOUT THE DIGEST

‍This newsletter is a special collaboration between Northeastern University students studying AI, data science, and computer science, and experts at The Institute for Experiential AI.
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Northeastern student curators include:

• Mihalis Koutouvos (PM), second-year, computer science
• Kaviarasu Annadurai, graduate student, robotics
• Mohammed Hussain Shariff, graduate student, applied machine intelligence
• Gabriella Hylton, third-year, computer science and economics
• Hayli Wynn, second-year, computer science and business
• Junxin Zheng, graduate student, computer science
• Yuxi Zhou, graduate student, computer science

Northeastern's Institute for Experiential AI review and editorial team includes:

• Ricardo Baeza-Yates, director of research
• Hamit Hamutcu, senior advisor, strategy & marketing
• Tim Weidinger, director of business development
• Digital marketing and content team