AI & Robotics News and Discussions

[spryfusion]

Google nears release of AI software Gemini, The Information reports
Source: Reuters

Google has given a small group of companies access to an early version of Gemini, its conversational artificial intelligence software, The Information reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Gemini is intended to compete with OpenAI's GPT-4 model, according to the report.

For Google, the stakes of Gemini's launch are high. Google has intensified investments in generative AI this year as it plays catch-up after Microsoft-backed OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT last year took the tech world by storm.

Gemini is a collection of large-language models that power everything from chatbots to features that either summarize text or generate original text based on what users want to read like email drafts, music lyrics, or news stories, the report said.

It is also expected to help software engineers write code and generate original images based on what users ask to see.

Google is currently giving developers access to a relatively large version of Gemini, but not the largest version it is developing which would be more on par with GPT-4, the report said.

The search and advertising giant plans to make Gemini available to companies through its Google Cloud Vertex AI service.

[caltrek]

In The Throes Of A Hurricane, An Uncrewed Vehicle Just Smashed A World Record
by Rachael Funnell
September 15, 2023
Introduction:

(IFL Science) An ocean drone coursing through the eyewall of Category 4 Hurricane Sam on September 30, 2021, has broken a Guinness World Record for reaching the highest wind speed ever recorded by an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV). Named Saildrone Explorer SD 1045, it was designed in collaboration with Saildrone and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, also known as: the discoverers of a mysterious golden orb) to monitor environmental conditions.

The autonomous vehicle doesn’t require a crew to navigate the 7-meter (23-foot) Saildrone through the high seas. Its explorations can last up to a year, and they are powered by a 5-meter (15-foot) rigid sail. Such data collection tools are vital because they can improve our capacity to forecast the weather, meaning that if we can better predict when storms and hurricanes are coming, we can better prepare for them.

“This record is a testament to the unique endurance of the Saildrone platform. We are proud to have engineered a vehicle capable of operating in the most extreme weather conditions on earth, to deliver data that can help to advance understanding of these powerful storms and protect our coastal communities,” said Saildrone Founder and CEO Richard Jenkins in a statement.

Endurance seems a choice word when you get a look at the conditions Saildrone Explorer SD 1045 had to contend with on that momentous day.

The record-breaking weather event makes for a thrilling watch, and it had researchers equally excited over the data.

Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/in-the-thro ... d-70705



caltrek’s comment: I start to get seasick just watching the video.

[spryfusion]

[spryfusion]

[weatheriscool]

Toyota upends robot learning: New AI masters complex tasks in hours
By Loz Blain
September 19, 2023

"We've had a bit of a breakthrough." Toyota, MIT and Columbia Engineering have shown off wild results from a new AI learning approach that massively accelerates how quickly robots can acquire new skills. It looks like a ChatGPT moment for robotics.

We are living at the dawn of the general-purpose robotics age. Dozens of companies have now decided that it's time to invest big in humanoid robots that can autonomously navigate their way around existing workspaces and begin taking over tasks from human workers.

Most of the early use cases, though, fall into what I'd call the Planet Fitness category: the robots will lift things up, and put them down. That'll be great for warehouse-style logistics, loading and unloading trucks and pallets and whatnot, and moving things around factories. But it's not all that glamorous, and it certainly doesn't approach the usefulness of a human worker.

https://newatlas.com/robotics/toyota-la ... -training/

[spryfusion]

[wjfox]

Announcing Microsoft Copilot, your everyday AI companion

Sep 21, 2023

We are entering a new era of AI, one that is fundamentally changing how we relate to and benefit from technology. With the convergence of chat interfaces and large language models you can now ask for what you want in natural language and the technology is smart enough to answer, create it or take action. At Microsoft, we think about this as having a copilot to help navigate any task. We have been building AI-powered copilots into our most used and loved products – making coding more efficient with GitHub, transforming productivity at work with Microsoft 365, redefining search with Bing and Edge and delivering contextual value that works across your apps and PC with Windows.

Today we take the next step to unify these capabilities into a single experience we call Microsoft Copilot, your everyday AI companion. Copilot will uniquely incorporate the context and intelligence of the web, your work data and what you are doing in the moment on your PC to provide better assistance – with your privacy and security at the forefront. It will be a simple and seamless experience, available in Windows 11, Microsoft 365, and in our web browser with Edge and Bing. It will work as an app or reveal itself when you need it with a right click. We will continue to add capabilities and connections to Copilot across to our most-used applications over time in service of our vision to have one experience that works across your whole life.

Copilot will begin to roll out in its early form as part of our free update to Windows 11, starting Sept. 26 — and across Bing, Edge, and Microsoft 365 Copilot this fall. We’re also announcing some exciting new experiences and devices to help you be more productive, spark your creativity, and to meet the everyday needs of people and businesses.

https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2023/0 ... companion/

[raklian]

This is incredible.

[weatheriscool]

Agility Robotics Will Mass Produce 10,000 Humanoid Robots Per Year
September 24, 2023 by Brian Wang
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2023/09/a ... -year.html

Agility Robotics is making a 70,000 square foot factory to mass produce 10,000 humanoid Digit robots per year. The factory is about half the size of a Costco. They will use the humanoid robots in their own warehouses and factories. They are focused on warehouse and delivery robots.

They have switched to large language model AI for robot control.

Each of Tesla’s gigafactories for building cars is about 10 million square feet of factory floor space. If Agility Robotics or other humanoid robot makers have demand to enable scaling a factory to 10 million square feet then such a factory would make 1.5 million humanoid robots per year.

[weatheriscool]

NYPD Rolls Out New Type of Robot Cop
Six months after bringing back state-owned robot dogs, the mayor of NYC is introducing a massive, wheeled robot that will patrol subway stations.
By Adrianna Nine September 25, 2023

The New York Police Department is bringing a new type of robot cop to city streets. K5, a stout “outdoor security robot” on wheels, is about to kick off a two-month stint in the Times Square subway station, where it’ll help human officers conduct surveillance and take reports.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the robot’s debut Friday at a press conference and on social media. “We must use every available method to keep New Yorkers safe — including state-of-the-art technologies like the Knightscope K5 security robot,” he posted on X. “These devices will serve as an important, innovative deterrent to crime so we can keep NYC the safest big city in America.”

https://www.extremetech.com/science/nyp ... -robot-cop