AI News Digest: Nov. 8, 2024

Welcome to the AI News Digest, your biweekly roundup of essential news and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. Curated by Northeastern University experts, this digest goes beyond the hype to deliver the insights you need to stay informed.

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AI TECH DEVELOPMENTS 💻

How Wayve’s driverless cars will meet one of their biggest challenges yet
‍Driverless-car startup Wayve is now challenged with teaching its AI models to be able to drive on the right, rather than the left, side of the road.
‍MIT Technology Review

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New in NotebookLM: Customizing your Audio Overviews; NotebookLM Business
‍Updates include ability to guide NotebookLM Audio Overview AI hosts' focuses and expertise, and a NotebookLM Business pilot program.
‍The Keyword

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Generative AI’s Act o1
‍Generative AI is now shifting toward more reasoning with their models, but a single model is not enough to address specialized programs.
‍Sequoia Capital

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Augment's AI Assistant Wants to Write Code Faster and Painlessly
‍Augment’s AI assistant wants to help companies write code faster and more painlessly using RAG technology.
‍Fast Company

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REGULATION ⚖️

Memorandum on Advancing the United States’ Leadership in Artificial Intelligence; Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Fulfill National Security Objectives
‍This memorandum outlines the US' plan to enhance national security and global leadership in AI by establishing safety standards, fostering innovation, and ensuring responsible AI use across sectors.
‍The White House

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AI RISK ⚠️

Can A.I. Be Blamed for a Teen's Suicide?  
A lawsuit filed against Character.AI claims the company’s chatbot contributed to the suicide of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III, who formed a deep attachment to an AI character. His mother alleges the chatbot failed to intervene despite Sewell expressing suicidal thoughts. Character.AI has since added safety features to address such concerns.
The New York Times

Northeastern Expert Commentary
"The use of AI in mental health care has been promoted as a promising solution to address an ongoing mental health crisis, but very little attention has been paid to ethical risks that come with it. Currently, there are few guidelines and regulations in place." - Annika Marie Schoene, The Institute for Experiential AI

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New York Times to Bezos-Backed AI Startup: Stop Using Our Stuff
‍The New York Times has sent Perplexity AI a cease and desist notice for supposedly using its content without permission, which is similar to the current lawsuit they have against OpenAI. This case reveals the concerns regarding Perplexity's practices.  
‍The Wall Street Journal

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Google to buy nuclear power for AI datacentres in ‘world first’ deal
‍Google plans to utilize nuclear power to improve its data centers, as they aim to use a cleaner source to aid the tasks done by AI.
‍The Guardian

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Anthropic Wants Its AI Agent to Control Your Computer
‍Anthropic is teaching its AI model Claude the ability to control computers, aiming to perform complex tasks like building websites and managing workflows.
Wired‍

Northeastern Expert Commentary
"This is a real risk, as controlling a computer may lead to autonomy."
- Ricardo Baeza-Yates, The Institute for Experiential AI

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RESPONSIBLE AI 🌎

Scalable watermarking for identifying large language model outputs
‍Google DeepMind’s SynthID-Text is a watermarking tool for large language models (LLMs) that marks AI-generated text for detection while preserving quality. This breakthrough helps track synthetic content responsibly, even at large scales, without impacting LLM performance.
‍Nature

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FINANCE/INSURANCE 🏦

Investors turn to data centres to capitalise on AI boom
‍Investors are increasingly targeting data centers to benefit from the AI sector's rapid growth, recognizing these facilities' essential role in supporting AI technologies.
‍Financial Times

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Analysis of Financial Risk Behavior Prediction Using Deep Learning and Big Data Algorithms
‍This research paper dives into the effectiveness of using deep learning and big data algorithms for financial risk behavior prediction.  
‍arXiv

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America Is Sleepwalking Into an Economic Storm
‍The US economy is being reshaped by an aging workforce, alterations in global trade, and the use of AI. However, the US is lagging behind countries like Japan and Germany due to a lack in preparation in such events.
‍The New York Times

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RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS 🔬

Two 2024 Nobel Prizes Honor Researchers Innovating in AI, Machine Learning: Northeastern University Experts Perspective
‍Marking a significant milestone, the 2024 Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry were awarded to pioneering researchers in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Northeastern University experts provide insights into how these breakthroughs shape the future of AI.
‍The Institute for Experiential AI

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LIFE SCIENCES 🧬

CystNet: An AI driven model for PCOS detection using multilevel thresholding of ultrasound images
‍This AI-driven model can be used for image detection with higher accuracy.  
‍Nature

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EDUCATION 📚

The Future of AI in Health & Life Sciences Education: Preparing the Next Generation
‍Leaders from top healthcare organizations, tech companies, and universities gathered at Northeastern to discuss strategies for teaching students and upskilling the workforce with AI.
‍The Institute for Experiential AI

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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.

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