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- AI in Action: Transforming Agriculture, Accelerating Innovation, and Navigating New Regulatory Frontiers
AI in Action: Transforming Agriculture, Accelerating Innovation, and Navigating New Regulatory Frontiers
#AI,#AINews,#AIEDUCATION
Niel de Kock
July 18, 2024
Welcome to the latest news in AI and AI in educational news.
Education AI News
AI's Role in Tackling Superweeds Could Boost Agricultural Productivity
Amid rising challenges with superweeds resistant to conventional herbicides, AI technology is emerging as a potential game-changer in agriculture. Companies like Bayer are utilizing AI to expedite the development of new herbicides, promising a reduction in research time and an increase in the effectiveness of weed management solutions. Bayer's AI-assisted "CropKey" technology aims to identify effective molecules faster, enhancing the likelihood of success in field tests and potentially revolutionizing weed control strategies.
Universities Struggle to Keep Pace in AI Research
As private companies dominate AI research with superior resources, universities are focusing on less resource-intensive AI projects while striving to build more computing power. This approach includes sharing resources like New York's Empire AI Consortium and leveraging partnerships with national labs. Academia's role remains crucial in balancing industry and government in AI development, emphasizing ethical frameworks and diverse input in AI creation. Despite financial and resource constraints, universities aim to remain relevant and influential in shaping AI's future.
AI Revolutionizes Prediction of Material Thermal Properties
Researchers have developed an AI method that drastically accelerates the prediction of materials' thermal properties, which could significantly enhance the efficiency of energy-conversion systems and microelectronic devices. This new approach, utilizing a machine-learning framework, speeds up the prediction of phonon dispersion relations—a critical factor in understanding heat movement through materials—by up to 1,000 times faster than other AI methods, and even a million times faster than traditional methods. This breakthrough could lead to more effective management of waste heat, a major issue in power generation and electronics.
(https://news.mit.edu/2024/ai-method-radically-speeds-predictions-materials-thermal-properties-0716)
The Collapse of an AI Education Chatbot: Data Concerns at LAUSD
The abrupt shutdown of an AI chatbot, "Ed," by the Los Angeles Unified School District following the financial collapse of its developer, AllHere Education, raises significant concerns about data security and management. The project, initially launched with great enthusiasm, was aimed at integrating various educational technologies through AI. However, the company's sudden financial issues and subsequent staff furloughs have left the district and its stakeholders uncertain about the fate of the sensitive student data handled by the chatbot. This situation underscores the challenges of safeguarding educational data and the complexities involved in integrating such technologies in school systems.
AI News
AI's Potential £119 Billion Boost to UK Productivity
A new report by Workday suggests that AI could potentially increase UK productivity by £119 billion by saving millions of employee hours annually. This breakthrough comes as the UK faces a longstanding productivity slump. The study highlights that AI could save large businesses 7.9 billion employee hours each year, translating into substantial economic benefits. However, the report also emphasizes challenges like trust in AI, privacy concerns, and the need for more strategic AI implementation.
Meta and Apple Limit AI Model Releases in the EU
Meta has decided not to launch its new multimodal AI model in the European Union, following Apple's similar move to restrict its AI technology in the region due to regulatory uncertainties. This model, capable of processing various media types including video and text, was expected to enhance Meta's products like the Ray-Ban smart glasses. The decision could disadvantage EU companies in the global AI market as they face restrictions on using advanced AI technologies. This development highlights the ongoing tension between tech innovation and regulatory compliance in the EU.
AI's Controversial Training Tactics with YouTube Content
Several major tech firms, including Apple, Nvidia, and Anthropic, have been found to use content from YouTube videos without permission to train their AI models, an investigation by Proof News reveals. This practice, which involves extracting subtitles from videos for AI training, includes content from channels such as Khan Academy and popular YouTubers like MrBeast. This has raised significant ethical and legal concerns about the unauthorized use of copyrighted materials for AI development.
AI Tools:
Geleza
Geleza is an AI-driven educational platform tailored for high school and college students, providing a comprehensive suite of tools to enhance the learning experience. It features AI tools like homework assistance, exam preparation, and essay writing support, integrated into a user-friendly classroom portal. Unique offerings include Zeda Chat, PrepPal, and Zeda Writer for specialized tasks, alongside a tutor connection service. Geleza emphasizes personalized learning, aiming to save time and increase efficiency at an affordable cost, making it a versatile tool for academic support.
Goodgrade
Goodgrade is an AI-powered educational platform that enhances students' academic performance with features like rapid essay writing, AI text humanization to evade detection systems, and specialized AI chat for academic writing. It also offers text summarization and a browser extension for interacting with web content directly. While providing efficiency, Goodgradealso poses ethical questions concerning academic integrity and the development of authentic scholarly skills.