✨ Amazon's Found A New Way To Use AI
PLUS: Nightshade, the University of Chicago's innovative tool counters AI scraping and data poisoning, and more!
Casey Clifton
October 25, 2023
Hello readers, today we're looking at:
Case Study: How Amazon's using AI cameras to conduct instant van inspections, identifying vehicle damage and maintenance needs.
Funding: Microsoft invests $5 billion in Australia to expand AI infrastructure and cloud computing capabilities.
PLUS: Nightshade, the University of Chicago's innovative tool counters AI scraping and data poisoning, new tools, and more!
Here we go!
News & Insights
🚚 Amazon’s AI-Powered Van Inspections Give It A Powerful New Data Feed
Amazon's venture into AI-powered van inspections is not only a game changer in efficiency but also a significant data gold mine. By implementing AVI (automated vehicle inspection) technology at hundreds of its worldwide distribution centers, Amazon is gleaning valuable insights into the health of its fleet. High-res cameras focus on undercarriage, tire quality, and exterior vehicle conditions, compiling data into a 3D image. Any nail, leak, dent or crack is identified, leading to early maintenance interventions. The result? Safer vehicles and a speedier inspection process.
This data-driven approach also informs wider company decisions. Amazon can identify consistent damage patterns on certain routes, providing feedback to city officials about potential infrastructure issues like potholes or overgrown trees. Future vehicle purchases and terrain-specific feedback to manufacturers will also be influenced by this data. This strategic use of AI is more than just maintenance - it's a tool for operational optimization and decision-making. wired
Why does this matter?
As Amazon leverages AI for vehicle maintenance, imagine the potential ripple effect across other industries. What if public transportation systems adopted similar technology to proactively address maintenance issues, enhancing passenger safety and fleet longevity? Or if waste management services used AI to monitor the state of their vehicles, prompting timely repairs and thus avoiding service disruptions? This is AI in action, not just for efficiency, but for wider societal impact.
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💰 Microsoft To Invest A$5bn In Australia To Boost AI Tech
Microsoft's A$5bn investment in Australia, the largest in its 40-year history, marks a significant stride in expanding its cloud computing and AI infrastructure. Over the next two years, this infusion will grow the company's local data centre footprint from 20 to 29, spanning Canberra, Melbourne, and Sydney. A noteworthy component of this move is the collaboration with Australia's higher education provider, TAFE NSW, to establish a Data Centre Academy. This endeavor, coupled with the extension of global skills programs, aims to equip over 300,000 Australians with the capabilities necessary to flourish in a cloud and AI-driven economy.
In addition to boosting AI tech, the investment is part of a broader initiative to fortify Australia's cybersecurity measures. The tech giant plans to work closely with the Australian Signals Directorate, a government cybersecurity and intelligence agency, to safeguard Australian residents, businesses, and government entities from cyber threats. Brad Smith, Microsoft's vice-chair and president, emphasized that the investment would couple computing capacity and AI capabilities to strengthen the nation's cyber defence. siliconrepublic
Why does this matter?
This move by Microsoft could potentially set a precedent for other tech giants to invest heavily in bolstering AI and cybersecurity infrastructures in regions outside their home countries, fostering a global, cooperative approach towards tackling cyber threats and advancing AI capabilities.
Mastering AI
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🤖 Practical AI
From Limitations To Hallucinations: The Hardest Parts Of Working In AI
Generative AI, while it's now as common as your morning coffee, still has its challenges. Robert McCullough, a seasoned solutions architect at Liberty IT, acknowledges the potent blend of accessibility and complexity this tech brews.
Navigating this world isn't always smooth sailing. McCullough highlights the intricacies of building robust governance processes, balancing scalability and cost, and the notorious 'hallucinations' - when generative AI convincingly gets things wrong. He says, "Solving this starts with education, but techniques in prompt engineering and future automation will likely lead to safer outcomes going forward." siliconrepublic
What Else Is Happening
🗞️ More News
Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite processor promises to increase AI capabilities in upcoming PC models.
Digital health startup Signos secures $20M funding to implement AI technology in the weight-loss industry.
AMD integrates support for widely-used open source AI tool Stable Diffusion into its most potent GPU.
📈 Trending Today
🚨 BIG LEAK: Google's secret AI tool codenamed 'Stubbs' was just exposed.
Plus, huge announcements from NVIDIA, Etsy, Nightshade, YouTube, 3 new AI jobs, and 10 new AI tools.
Here's the rundown of everything going on in AI right now:
— Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung)
Oct 25, 2023
🔭 Research Review
Data Poisoning Tool Lets Artists Fight Back Against AI Scraping.
AI scraping, a widespread practice, pilfers online content for AI model training. A new tool, Nightshade, developed by University of Chicago researchers, offers a novel counter. Artists can now subtly alter their digital art's pixels, undetectable to human eyes but throwing generative AI models into a tailspin. These models, fed 'poisoned' data, yield chaotic outputs, blurring subjects like dogs with cats, rendering the AI's creations nonsensical.
Nightshade's 'data poisoning' can taint a Stable Diffusion prompt within 100 samples, impacting not just the direct term but also associated terms and phrases. The tool presents a new challenge for AI trainers attempting to filter or remove the corrupted data. Nightshade, thus, could potentially deter AI companies from unauthorized data utilization, advocating for more cautious use of generative AI models. techradar
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Written by Isaac R. Ward, Casey Clifton, and Alex Brogan.
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