AI is Compared to Nuclear Weapons and a Chip Supplier’s Trillion-Dollar Success
Welcome to The Prime View weekly news, where we bring you the most significant events in the tech industry. Our goal is to keep you updated on the latest trends in information technology, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and exciting new releases.
This week, AI continues to dominate the news, as anticipated. Despite the Center for AI Safety’s warnings about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence surpassing nuclear weapons, this field is rapidly gaining momentum. Nvidia’s remarkable ascent to a $1 trillion valuation is a testament to the AI boom. Additionally, the demand for AI-driven servers is exceeding expectations. New AI-powered apps are hitting the market, and Chinese search giant Baidu has recently launched a substantial $145 million venture capital AI fund.
Let us delve deeper into the key highlights of the week.
Artificial intelligence could lead to extinction, experts warn
With the rise of ChatGPT, Bard, and other large language models (LLMs), we have been hearing warnings about the risks posed by AI. A group of high-profile industry leaders has issued a one-sentence statement that effectively confirms those fears.
Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war, warns the Center for AI Safety, an organization with the mission “to reduce societal-scale risks from artificial intelligence.” The list of signatories of this statement includes OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Google DeepMind head Demis Hassabis. Turing Award-winning researchers Geoffrey Hinton and Yoshua Bengio, considered by many as the godfathers of modern AI, also put their names to it.
Nvidia became a $1 trillion company due to the AI boom
Nvidia, a key chip supplier for businesses that create products using artificial intelligence, achieved a significant milestone on Tuesday morning by briefly attaining a $1 trillion valuation.
The impressive growth is attributed to the ongoing AI boom, with numerous tech companies, both large and small, eagerly integrating generative AI tools into their offerings.
AI drives strong server demand faster than expected
Foxconn, a major supplier for Apple Inc, predicts that the demand for server business will be significantly propelled by AI applications this year. With a substantial 40% global market share in servers, the Taiwanese company remains ambitious in its goals. Despite acknowledging the potential economic challenges for 2023, Foxconn foresees a remarkable surge in the AI server market due to the increasing adoption of ChatGPT and similar technologies. The company’s projections surpass earlier expectations anticipating an unexpected three-digit increase in the second half of this year.
Twitter is adding crowdsourced fact-checks to images
In response to a recent incident where a fake image depicting an alleged “explosion” near the Pentagon went viral, Twitter has announced an expansion of its crowdsourced fact-checking program to now encompass images.
The dissemination of the image of the explosion near the Pentagon by several verified Twitter accounts resulted in widespread confusion and even caused a brief decline in the stock market.
MyHeritage debuts an AI app for scanning and even animating old photos
The genealogy company MyHeritage debuts Reimagine, an AI app for scanning and fixing old photos. The new mobile app’s primary focus is to help users easily import printed photos stored in albums, then touch them up by improving their resolution, fixing scratches and creases, and even restoring color in black-and-white photographs and animating faces.
The photo enhancement tools leverage exclusively licensed technology created by deep learning experts, including restoring faded colors, repairing scratches, and enhancing resolution.
China’s Baidu Launches $145 million venture capital AI Fund
Chinese search giant Baidu Inc will set up a venture capital fund of 1 billion yuan ($145 million) to back start-ups focused on content generated by artificial intelligence applications.
Also, the company will launch a competition for developers to build applications off its ERNIE large language model or integrate the model into their existing products.
Engadget ranged the best VPNs for 2023
Engadget, a renowned multilingual technology network operated by Yahoo!, has recently compiled a comprehensive list of the top Virtual private network (VPN) services for 2023. The carefully curated selection includes industry-leading providers such as ProtonVPN, Windscribe, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Surfshark.
VPNs have gained significant popularity in recent times. What was once a niche method of safeguarding online activities has now experienced a surge in adoption, partly driven by extensive marketing campaigns and influencer partnerships that portray VPNs as the ultimate solution to security concerns. Therefore, Engadget’s list is very appropriate now.
Upcoming Event to Prepare for: Apple WWDC 2023
Mark your calendars for June 5th as Apple WWDC 2023 kicks off! Apple’s highly anticipated annual Worldwide Developers Conference will commence at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Although this year’s event will have limited in-person attendance like last year, one positive outcome of the global pandemic is that Apple now streams and archives the sessions online for later viewing.
During the conference, it is likely that Apple will unveil a long-awaited product that has been the talk of Silicon Valley: an Apple AR/VR/MR headset. Rumored to have been in development for approximately eight years, this highly anticipated device will debut at the conference.