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FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THE LATEST ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY & NEWS RELATED TO CYBERSECURITY & ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)

Google's MedGemma AI Models Could Transform Healthcare

The new Google open-source healthcare AI models are called MedGemma 27B Multimodal and MedSigLIP. Hospitals, researchers, and developers can download them, modify them, and run them however they see fit. The MedGemma 27B can look at medical images and understand them. When it was tested on MedQA, a standard medical knowledge benchmark, it scored 87.7%, making it close to larger, more expensive models while costing much less to run. Google also released MedSigLIP, which can understand medical images and spot patterns and features in ways that general-purpose models cannot.

Comet, the New AI Web Browser

Perplexity has launched Comet, a web browser predominantly powered by AI, to advance their competition with Google. The purpose of Comet is to greatly aid users with any task. The most prominent functions of the browser are its ability to summarize web pages users are on and to answer questions about the content. However, users reported that Comet is only good at automating small tasks, such as to do lists and emails. It's also been noted that Comet needs copious permissions, making users uncomfortable.

Apple loses key AI leader to Meta

Ruoming Pang had overseen Apple Intelligence, but has recently decided to switch to Meta joining their Superintelligence Labs. Pang was also know for helping Apple create the new models which summarize text, genmoji etc. A month before Pang left his "right-hand man, Tom Gunter, had already packed his bags and left" said AINews. Many say Apple is slowly losing the AI talent they need.

AI Used to Impersonate Marco Rubio

Recently, the State Department caught an imposter impersonating Secretary of State Marco Rubio using AI. The imposter used AI to contact foreign ministers and US officials through text and voice messages. These attempts aren't the first of them though. The rise of AI's competency has made it imperative to find countermeasures, such as programming AI to detect imposters and criminal penalties.

AI and Robotics Improving Industrial Enzymes

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, researchers have started utilizing AI for industrial enzyme production and modification. The AI proposes sequence changes based on researchers' needs and datasets provided by iBioFoundry. Afterwords, the enzymes are created and tested using robots. This process greatly increases enzyme production since numerous enzyme mutations exist and thus make it challenging to pinpoint the necessary ones.

AI Spots Deadly Heart Risk Most Doctors Can't See

The Johns Hopkins University-developed MAARS an AI model which detects hidden scar patterns that indicate sudden cardiac death by analyzing MRI scans and medical records. This development has the potential to save lives and while also making it easier for patients to get the answers they need.

Microsoft to Lay Off 9,000 Employees

Microsoft plans to lay off about 4 percent of its work force, or 9,000 people, due to the tightening job market at big technology companies. Despite the shaky economy, Microsoft's last earnings report showed investors have driven its market valuation up to almost $3.7 trillion. However, Microsoft is in the middle of an expensive investment in A.I., including spending billions to lease and build data centers to support the demand for cloud computing and A.I. The job cuts are a sign that Microsoft’s A.I. development are having an impact on the size of its work force.

AI Tool, StateViewer, Helps Identify Dementia

AI is now being used to help identify nine types of dementia more efficiently and accurately. StateViewer, the AI program, analyzes and compares a FDG-PET scan amongst other brains scans with confirmed dementia. It then explains its findings to clinicians by color-coding parts of the scan that show unique brain activity. With this new technology, the extensive testing required to diagnose dementia can be expedited greatly.

AMP Saves Recycling Costs Using AI and Robotics

With each American creating an average of five pounds of waste a day, recycling has been an important concern. AMP, Matanya Horowitz's startup, has aimed to solve the issue using AI and robotics. They've created robots that use cameras to scan waste and pick out recyclable materials, doing so with over 90% accuracy. With the advancement of AI, such as ChatGPT, his robots have significantly improved as well. He hopes to implement his robots in more waste sites, and possibly even other areas like reverse logistics, to significantly cut costs for businesses and people.

New AI Features Added to Amazon's Ring Raises Privacy Concerns

Amazon's Ring doorbell, equipped with cameras and microphones, grants home users with an unprecedented level of home security. Their most recent feature called Video Descriptions utilizes AI video analysis to provide descriptive summaries of the events happening on the user's porch. These notifications are sent based on deviations from typical behavior, with Ring's AI learning the normal routines of the resident's property in order to distinguish anomalies. This has some users worried that their information could be used for thieves or stalkers, but Ring's spokesperson asserted that the generated video descriptions do not get stored for long term.

AI has Learned to Find Hidden Heart Risks In CT Scans

By examining CT scans, researchers from Mass General Brigham and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have created an artificial intelligence (AI) tool called AI-CAC that can identify hidden heart disease risk. With almost 90% accuracy, it can detect coronary artery calcium (CAC), a significant factor in heart attack risk and long-term mortality. After being trained on a sizable dataset of CT scans from veterans, the tool discovered a strong correlation between high CAC scores and an elevated risk of death over a ten-year period. AI-CAC may assist physicians in identifying at-risk patients early and directing care toward prevention by repurposing existing scans that were initially obtained for other purposes, such as lung cancer screening.

Tesla Sued Over Model S Crash That Killed Three in New Jersey

Tesla is being sued over a fatal crash in New Jersey involving a 2024 Model S with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. The accident killed David and Michele Dryerman and their daughter Brooke when the car veered off the road and hit a bridge support in September 2024. The lawsuit, filed by their surviving son, alleges Tesla’s driver-assistance system was defective and dangerously misleading. Plaintiffs seek damages, citing Elon Musk’s claims about Autopilot’s safety. Tesla has not yet responded, leading to doubts over Tesla's autonomous driving technology.

Tesla Launches Robotaxi in Austin, Texas

Tesla launched the Robotaxi on Sunday in Austin, Texas. It is meant to be a driverless cab and Tesla hopes to turn it into a ride-hailing service. However, there are still doubts and serious questions over whether Tesla can safely implement this self driving fleet. The Robotaxi's competitor, Alphabet’s Waymo, took many years to build their large robotaxi fleet. Despite this, Elon Musk predicts millions of Tesla robotaxis will roam the streets by the end of 2026.

All3 Launches AI and Robotics for Housing Construction

All3 recently released its new construction system, which integrates artificial intelligence and robotics. The company claimed that its technology will make housing faster to develop, decrease building costs, and make properties less expensive. The construction industry has lagged behind other industries in adopting new technology. As a result, builders continue to use outdated processes that rely on manual labor, which is becoming increasingly scarce. All3's system will significantly boost productivity, with minimal human input.

NVIDIA and Germany's AI Manufacturing Race

Germany and NVIDIA are currently trying to build the first industrial AI cloud in Europe. It will progress European technology by improving manufacturing through the use of AI. Specifically, the AI cloud will progress design and robotics at a rapid pace. However, this technology is only a stepping stone towards creating an AI gigafactory in Europe.