Warp-Speed Wednesdays
Your Must-Read Weekly Tech Updates: Meta and Music AR, Power-up for Sports Games, Peter Theil Defense AI, Thoughts to Text
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Augmented Reality
Mark Zuckerberg unveils his dazzling toy Meta splurged their entire piggy bank on. Trust me, it's a sight for sore eyes, but boy, did it make their wallet cry! 📽
Zuckerberg is done playing the third wheel to Microsoft and Apple in the power race of industry domination. He's throwing big bucks into the metaverse infrastructure, and it's clear - he's challenging Apple for the crown. It's like Game of Thrones, but with nerdy tech giants instead of dragons!
This stunning visualization might give your computer a run for its money and runs at snail’s pace, but it provides a glimpse into the visually striking potential that the metaverse could bring to the realms of Augmented and Virtual Reality one day.
Jay-Z backed Spatial Labs presents Light Field — the AR tech for musicians on the go.📽
Witness how the dawn of music's future and the evolving creator economy are being sculpted by advancements in AI technology, Computer Vision, and Software Updates, all blended with harmonious hardware and software experiences.
With a few effortless taps on the Light Field touch-display, Iddris masterfully commands pianos, synths, microphones, and an entire orchestra of instruments typically demanding a full-fledged studio.
Sports & Gaming
Game, Set, Match: AI Learns to Ace Tennis from Broadcast Videos
Imagine a system that's been binge-watching tennis broadcasts like a dedicated fan, but instead of just enjoying the game, it's learning how to play like a pro. That's exactly what Nvidia scientists developed—a system that soaks up tennis skills from a plethora of broadcast videos, learning everything from a killer serve to a sneaky backhand slice.
Nvidia Toronto lab approaches this task like a cake with two layers. The bottom layer, the "imitation policy", mimics the movements it sees in the videos. The top layer, the "motion planning policy", uses these movements to plan out the character's actions on the tennis court.
Now, could this learning approach be translated for robot learning? Imagine a robot that watches hours of human activity and then learns to replicate it accurately. Who knows, maybe we're just a few code tweaks away from having our very own robotic tennis champions!
AI Weapons & Defense
While it's difficult for me to discuss or spread information about technology that can potentially cause harm, I've come to understand the importance of shedding light on both the positive and negative aspects of technology. This approach, I believe, is key to fostering a well-informed and conscious awareness about the tools we use and their potential implications.
Peter Thiel’s Palantir uses AI military intelligence - codename Gotham.
This powerful tool is designed to consolidate all military intelligence—from satellites and aircraft to drones, naval, and ground units—into a single hub. The gathered data is then leveraged to assist military strategists in devising comprehensive plans and deciding on the most effective course of action. This tool will save American lives, but I, maybe naively, wish for the day we use technology to conquer the stars instead of fight over ego wars and Earth's resources.
Medical
Scientists develop noninvasive AI system to communicate people’s thoughts into text
Imagine a sci-fi gadget that reads your brain and turns your thoughts into words. Sounds far-fetched? Scientists have been working on a real-life version of this, called a brain-computer interfaces.
It uses a technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which allows it to see what's going on in your brain when you think about words. But, these scientists used AI to decode these fMRI signals from your brain into text. It can even decipher the silent narratives you concoct when you watch a video, making it a universal translator for all things brain-related.
Their results show that this non-invasive brain-computer interface is not only feasible but also brings us one step closer to making science fiction a reality. So, be prepared, the next generation of brain-to-text (maybe even brain-to-movie) communication is knocking at the door!
Where do you see this technology going in the near and not-so-near future?