National Grid Invests $100 Million in AI Startups for Energy Efficiency
National Grid Partners, the venture capital and innovation arm of the UK utility firm, has unveiled plans to invest $100 million in the energy field. The investment division is exploring solutions that will help make the grid more efficient, resilient, and dynamic. This means improving efficiency, cutting customer costs, and ensuring energy security. The first funding pledge has been granted to Amperon, a provider of AI-powered energy forecasting and analytics solutions aimed at improving grid reliability, managing financial risk, and optimizing renewables.
AI Attacks on Email Users Warned
Email users have been warned for some time that AI attacks and hacks will ramp up this year, becoming ever harder to detect. A new video and blog from OpenAI has just shown how a new AI agent can be deployed to conduct a phishing attack. The security team has warned of this before, that “while existing Large Language Model (LLM) AIs are already being put to use by attackers, they are largely passive and could only assist in performing tasks such as creating phishing materials or generating malicious scripts.”
China Announces Generative AI Labeling to Cull Disinformation
China joined the EU and US in rolling out new regulation to control disinformation by requiring labeling of synthetic content online. The Cyberspace Administration of China together with three other agencies on Friday announced a new set of rules that will require service providers to label AI-generated material as such, either explicitly or via metadata encoded in each file.
AI Used to Enhance Medical Diagnostics
Researchers at Wake Forest Medical School's AI Research Team are developing AI software that can help doctors make better diagnoses by analyzing images and data. The software is designed to widen a doctor's scope into your eardrum, extracting bio information from images to help diagnose breast cancer.
AI Voice Technology Raises Concerns Over Voice Cloning Risks
AI startup Sesame has released CSM-1B, the base model behind its voice assistant Maya, raising concerns over voice cloning risks and safeguards. The model is built with 1 billion parameters and can produce “RVQ audio codes” from text and audio inputs. However, the company has implemented very few safeguards, urging developers and users to follow an honour system to prevent misuse.
AI Scientists Sceptical that Modern Models Will Lead to AGI
Many AI firms say their models are on the road to artificial general intelligence, but not everyone agrees. A survey of 475 AI researchers found that about 76 per cent of respondents said it was “unlikely” or “very unlikely” that scaling up current approaches will succeed in achieving AGI. The findings are part of a report by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, an international scientific society based in Washington DC.
Investors Try to Keep Pace with AI
A large amount of venture capital has been invested in companies developing large language models (LLMs), which power AI tools like ChatGPT. As it gets harder for AI tools to stand out, the focus is shifting towards digital 'agents' designed for specific tasks. 'There are tons of companies out there,' said Lauren Kolodny from Acrew Capital. 'The challenge is trying to read through the noise.'
China's New AI Agent Manus Calls Its Own Shots
China's new AI agent Manus calls its own shots, but can the rest of us trust it? Manus is a new AI agent that can make decisions on its own, without human intervention. The AI agent is part of China's efforts to develop more advanced AI technology.
Key Takeaways
- National Grid Partners is investing $100 million in AI startups to improve energy efficiency and security.
- AI attacks and hacks are becoming harder to detect, and email users are warned to be cautious.
- China is introducing new regulation to control disinformation by requiring labeling of synthetic content online.
- AI is being used to enhance medical diagnostics, particularly in the areas of ear and breast cancer detection.
- AI voice technology raises concerns over voice cloning risks and safeguards.
- AI scientists are sceptical that modern models will lead to artificial general intelligence.
- Investors are trying to keep pace with AI by focusing on digital 'agents' designed for specific tasks.
- China's new AI agent Manus calls its own shots, but can the rest of us trust it?
Sources
- National Grid investment wing backs AI startups to boost energy efficiency
- New Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail Warning—This Is How AI Attacks
- China Announces Generative AI Labeling to Cull Disinformation
- How Tech Leaders Are Using AI to Solve 10 Procurement Challenges
- AI Locks Down The Future Of Security With Smarter Solutions
- From Idea to Innovation: Get a BTS look into one Triad Medical School's AI Lab
- AI startup Sesame unveils base model for its voice assistant
- AI scientists are sceptical that modern models will lead to AGI
- "Read through the noise": Investors try to keep pace with AI
- China’s new AI agent Manus calls its own shots