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The US Congress is taking on AI —this computer scientist is helping

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The dome of the US Capitol is seen at dusk in Washington, DC.

Half a dozen AI scientists have moved to Washington DC to advise the US Congress.Credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty

Regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) is booming in the United States. Since 2016, federal lawmakers have passed 23 AI-related bills into law1, many more than any other country. Now AI scientists are joining the action, trading academia for Capitol Hill on a mission to feed technical advice into proposed laws on AI.

Among those scientists who have gone to Washington is Kiri Wagstaff, a computer scientist who temporarily left her teaching position at Oregon State University in Corvallis to work for a year in the office of Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat and former astronaut. Wagstaff is one of six AI researchers now serving in Congress through the Science & Technology Policy Fellowships programme run by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The fellows’ expertise is unlikely to go to waste. In 2023, 181 AI-related bills were proposed at the federal level — more than twice as many as in 2022.

Wagstaff spoke with Nature about US’s AI regulation boom as seen through a scientist’s eyes.

What’s your background in AI?

I spent about two decades at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory [JPL, in Pasadena, California], developing ways to apply AI and machine learning to space exploration. This was about analysing very large data sets, but also about what we could put on board our rovers and orbiters to help them be a little smarter. The Mars Science Laboratory rover, for example, has a laser spectrometer; it can point a laser at a rock metres away and get information about the composition of that rock. In 2016, JPL gave it a software update that allowed it to take images of a scene, rank all the rocks by science priorities and autonomously decide which ones it should aim the laser at. That was very, very productive because we typically only have an opportunity to talk to the rover and give it instructions a few times a day.

Portrait of Kiri Wagstaff.

Computer scientist Kiri Wagstaff.Credit: Dutch Slager

How did you come to this fellowship?

I’ve been working in applied machine learning for my whole career, so I care a lot about what happens when you try to solve real-world problems with these techniques. When this opportunity with Congress came through, I thought, this is perfect. I was super excited the instant I saw it.

The AAAS sent out the call in late July [2023], with a submission deadline of the first week of August. The six of us who were chosen to be AI fellows reported to Washington DC on September 1 of last year. It was a whirlwind. They [the fellowship organizers] don’t usually do things this way; it usually takes about a year. They realized they didn’t want to wait to bring in AI experts and get this ball rolling.

What do you do day-to-day?

If staffers or anyone in the congressional offices have ideas about ways to encourage AI innovation, or to regulate it or keep it safe, I’m able to assess that from a technical perspective and say, first of all, do these words make sense, and is that feasible, and what might be overlooked.

I get to review many bill proposals. AI is so broad: it’s touching on finance, jobs, education, copyright … everything. The ubiquity is such that asking if your topic touches on AI is getting to be like asking if you use a computer or electricity.

What has been the scope of legislative action?

There have been more than 300 AI-related proposed bills introduced in this congressional session [beginning in January 2023]. They range all over the place, from controlling misinformation to how can we stimulate AI innovation and research.

Does some of this legislation touch on things relevant to the upcoming election?

There’s a cluster of bills that have been proposed on what to do about misinformation.

Some of these bills suggest that if you have a campaign out there that uses generative AI in any way, whether it’s misinformation or not, that requires a label or disclaimer. Others straight out prohibit what they call deceptive AI: portraying something that didn’t actually happen or wasn’t actually said. They say that should be illegal and punishable.

Certain kinds of falsehoods are already illegal, of course, and if you use generative AI and it falls into that category, you can just use existing law to deal with that. The real question before us is: where does existing law fall short?

Where are those holes in the law that need to be patched?

There’s actually a bill that says we should find that out: the ASSESS AI Act says we should task a commission with going through all the relevant laws and identifying places where AI creates new issues that aren’t being covered.

One development that I think is important and exciting is a growing recognition that AI systems themselves have a pretty large environmental impact, in terms of energy use and also water consumption for cooling the data centres. There’s a bill out there to really measure those impacts.

Europe is usually seen as the leader in global AI regulation. What do you make of the European Union’s AI Act, which passed in March 2024?

This is an excellent opportunity for us in the United States, because we’re watching another entity charging forward trying to solve the same problems that we’re trying to solve, but being more on the proactive side. That means we get to see what are the points of disagreement that [EU countries] run into, and how does that play out. We reap a little benefit by not being the first adopter; we get to learn from their example.

But it’s really important to remember what’s different about our situation. The really big difference is the first amendment [which protects freedom of speech]; it pops up everywhere, and that’s not a constraint that most other countries work under. Take generative AI: if it offends someone, how much of that do we allow to just be as it is without restrictions? We have to draw that line carefully.

What direction does AI policy need to take next in the United States?

We’re all talking about AI, but there’s a rising parallel threat concerning data. Who owns your data? What is it worth? What should you have control over? What should you opt in or out of? That’s almost as important as the AI part.

Wagstaff declined the use of an AI-based service to transcribe this interview because of questions surrounding the subsequent use of that data. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

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A US supercomputer with 8,000 Intel Xeon CPUs and 300TB of RAM is being auctioned — 160th most powerful computer in the world has some maintenance issues though and will cost thousands per day to run

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The Cheyenne supercomputer, based at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC) in Cheyenne, Wyoming, was ranked as the 20th most powerful computer in the world in 2016 – but now it’s up for sale through the US General Services Administration (GSA).

By November 2023, the 5.34-petaflops system’s ranking had slipped to 160th in the world, but it’s still a monster, able to carry out 5.34 quadrillion calculations per second. It has been put to a number of noteworthy purposes in the past, including studying weather phenomena and predicting natural disasters.

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2PB SSD storage in your computer? Why not — storage firm debuts tech that can support up to 32 drives, perfect if you want to use 61.44TB Solidigm SSDs or even bigger PCIe 5.0 ones in the future

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HighPoint has unveiled the industry’s first 8-Channel PCIe Gen5 x16 NVMe Switch and NVMe RAID product lines. 

Powered by Broadcom’s PEX89048 IC, these are designed to cater to high-demand, data-intensive applications and integrate Broadcom’s Gen5 PCIe switching technology to utilize x16 lanes of Gen5 host bandwidth, direct from the CPU, across Intel and AMD platforms.

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Pixar Image Computer is discontinued: Today in Apple history

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April 25: Today in Apple history: Pixar stops selling computers April 25, 1990: Steve Jobs shuts down Pixar’s hardware division (yes, it used to have one!), ending production of the pricey Pixar Image Computer immediately.

Jobs sells the company’s hardware unit to Fremont, California-based imaging company Vicom Systems for a paltry $2 million.

Steve Jobs at Pixar

Pixar was Jobs’ “rebound” company after his acrimonious departure from Apple in 1985. In early 1986, he bought a majority interest in the animation studio from Star Wars creator George Lucas for just $5 million (and an extra $5 million in guaranteed funding).

The long-term dream of Pixar’s founders was to create feature-length computer-animated movies, which is exactly what happened. However, while they waited for Moore’s law to make this kind of computing power possible, Jobs thought the company could sell computers to pay its way.

Pixar Image Computer: Too expensive

Lucas led the company during the development of the Pixar Image Computer. The filmmaker found existing computers too weak to handle the graphics needed to produce Pixar’s work (or to meet the demands of Hollywood studios that hired the company).

The Pixar Image Computer launched three months after Jobs acquired a controlling interest in the company. It was an impressive piece of kit, but carried a $135,000 price tag (the equivalent of more than $380,000 today). It also needed a $35,000 Sun Microsystems or Silicon Graphics workstation to function.

A second-generation model called the Pixar Image Computer II (aka the P-II) followed in 1987, with a vastly reduced price tag of “just” $35,000.

However, the computers sold poorly — and to a relatively small number of buyers. By April 1990, fewer than 300 Pixar Image Computers had sold. The main buyers included The Walt Disney Company, universities, intelligence agencies and medical research labs.

When Pixar’s five-person Animation Group won an Oscar for its short film Tin Toy in 1989, Jobs’ interests switched to that team, which he previously planned to kill off due to its inability to turn a profit. He canned the hardware division instead.

Pixar Image Computer: When ditching hardware turns out well

This happened amid a bad few years for Jobs. Of the two companies he owned — Pixar and NeXT — neither sold hardware in the quantities necessary to reach sustainability. Three years after the Pixar Image Computer was discontinued, NeXT also quit making hardware — and laid off 330 of its 500 employees.

Fortunately, both events turned out to be for the best. A reconfigured version of NeXT’s operating system, called OpenStep, led to NeXT being sold to Apple in 1996. (This ultimately led to Jobs becoming Apple’s CEO.)

As for Pixar, the renewed focus on animation led to Toy Story. The success of that film triggered the IPO that made Jobs a billionaire.

Did you ever use a Pixar Image Computer? Are you a Steve Jobs completist who happens to own one? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.



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Deals on M1 iMacs could net you a colorful desktop computer

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deals on m1 imacs
Yellow is just one of several fun color choices.
Photo: Apple

Amazon budget website Woot! is a terrific resource for great deals on used, refurbished and new Apple gear. This week you can get a choice of deals on M1 iMacs. They’re “new,” as in apparently nobody bought them in the past few years. And they’re going for low prices you won’t see many, if any, other places.

The sale, which also includes a few other items, goes through Wednesday at 10 p.m. PT.

Woot! offers choice of deals on M1 iMacs

The 24-inch M1 iMac from 2021 is a great all-in-one desktop computer. And it comes in a choice of delightful colors — silver, green, pink and blue. It seems like an ideal computer for college students or young professionals working at home.

But if you want to grab Woot’s low prices, you must do so within a couple of days. The sale ends Wednesday.

And by the way, judging by Cult of Mac‘s review roundup back in mid 2021, critics found a lot to like about the machine.

Here are some of iMacs top features:

  • Immersive 24-inch 4.5K Retina display with P3 wide color gamut and 500 nits of brightness
  • Apple M1 chip delivers powerful performance with 8-core CPU and 7core/8-core GPU.
  • Strikingly thin 11.5 mm design comes in vibrant colors.
  • 1080p FaceTime HD camera with M1 ISP shoots high-quality video.
  • Studio-quality three-mic array offers clear calls and voice recordings.
  • Comes with keyboard, mouse and power cable.

Deals at Woot!:

Here are the deals on M1 iMacs offered at Woot!:

  • 24-inch M1 iMac, 4480 x 2520 Non-Touch Retina Display, Apple M1 8-Core CPU, DRAM, NVMe SSD, Apple 7-Core GPU, Wi-Fi 6, FaceTime HD 1080p Camera, macOS, choice of capacity, color, and keyboard — $799.99
  • 24-in M1 iMac, 4480 x 2520 Non-Touch Retina Display, Apple M1 8-Core CPU, DRAM, NVMe SSD, Apple 8-Core GPU, Wi-Fi 6, FaceTime HD 1080p Camera, macOS, choice of capacity, color and keyboard — $849.99–$999.99



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LG C2 smart TV tops user’s list of fave computer displays

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Today’s Mac Pro and smart TV setup is a rare find for two reasons. First, Mac Pro costs so much that we rarely see it in the wild. Second, while big smart TVs used as computer displays continue to gain popularity, we don’t often hear users saying they’re one of the best they’ve ever had. But that’s the case with this LG C2 smart TV setup, used by a photographer and musician. 

In it, a powerful cheese-grater Mac Pro drives a gargantuan 42-inch smart TV as an external display.

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42-inch LG C2 smart TV works beautifully in Mac Pro setup

Photographer and Redditor johnnyphotog showcased the impressive setup in a post entitled, “Mac Pro Creation Station.” John’s Mac Pro (96GB memory, 2TB plus 16GB fast internal storage, dual 6900XT graphics with afterburner) drives a massive 42-inch LG C2 Series OLED smart TV.

On Friday, we focused on the setup’s killer Mac Pro. On Monday we look a bit more closely at that display. 

Giant LG C2 smart TV as Mac Pro display

Commenters showed as much or more curiosity about the big display as they did about the Mac Pro.

“Do you find any weird issues with lag/latency when using the TV as a monitor?” asked a commenter. “That was something I read that deterred me from going this route, but I kinda wish I gave it another look.”

“Nope, in fact, the LG C2 42-inch works better than most monitors I’ve used in the past!” John replied.

He even posted a video review he taped about using the smart TV as a monitor (see above). He pointed out that MacBook Pro users got HDMI 2.1 recently, meaning they can view 120Hz 4K and take great advantage of smart TVs like the C2, with its 120Hz refresh rate and 3820 x 2160p ultra HD resolution.

And of course an OLED panel like this one achieves astonishingly high contrast, with a 1 million to 1 contrast ratio and remarkably deep-black tones. The TV also incorporates Cinema HDR technology with 100% color accuracy (1 billion colors in a wide gamut). For gaming, it features a low-latency mode, Nvidia GeForce Now and a less-than 1ms response time. It’s also HomeKit and AirPlay 2 compatible. See all C2 specs here.

John explained to another post commenter that he rests the big keyboard on a stand with sliders so he can tuck it under his desk.

Shop these items now:

Display:

Computers:

Input devices:

Camera:

Audio:

Toys:

If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected]. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.


42-inch LG C2 Series OLED evo Smart TV

OLED displays like LG’s 42-inch AI-Powered 4K TV are capable of accurate color and very high contrast (OLED42C2PUA, 2022).


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03/08/2024 12:22 am GMT



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New Android 15 feature could turn your smartphone into a desktop computer

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Did you know that Android OS has had a desktop mode similar to Samsung Dex for the past five years or so? It’s true. The mode first came out back in 2019 on Android 10.  It allowed you to connect your smartphone to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard setup turning it into a mini-desktop. No one can blame you for not knowing it existed in the first place. It was primarily meant for developers to use as a testing ground for their apps. It was as barebones as a system can be. However, recent evidence suggests Google is expanding the feature to be more friendly for the everyday user.

News site Android Authority dove into the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1 update and with some technical know-how, activated desktop mode “to see how the… system has evolved.” As it turns out, it’s advanced quite a bit since 2019. 

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Apple founded to sell Apple-1 computer: Today in Apple history

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April 1: Today in Apple history: Apple founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne April 1, 1976: The Apple Computer Company is founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The trio sets out to sell the $666 Apple-1 computer.

Apple will not officially become a corporation until January 3 the following year. By that time, Wayne is no longer a part of the business.

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Apple founded to turn Apple-1 from hobby to ‘real computer’

Apple’s initial ambitions were quite modest. Wozniak started working on the Apple-1 as a hobby, with no goal beyond showing it off to peers at the Homebrew Computer Club in Menlo Park, California.

“I did this computer … to show the people at Homebrew that it was possible to build a very affordable computer — a real computer you could program for the price of the Altair — with just a few chips,” Wozniak recalled in his autobiography, iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It.

Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne found Apple Computer Co.

Jobs convinced Woz that they would find more success building and selling the Apple-1 rather than giving away the designs. This led to Jobs, Woz and the older Wayne — who the Steves met at pioneering video game and computer company Atari — going into business together. And thus Apple was founded on April Fools’ Day in 1976.

Jobs and Wozniak were the main drivers behind Apple. They each received a 45% stake in the new company, while Wayne held the remaining 10%.

Less than two weeks after the company’s founding, Wayne cashed in his Apple shares for $800. He eventually received an additional $1,500 to seal the deal.

The original contract that founded Apple.
The original contract by which Apple was founded.
Photo: Apple

Apple II computer becomes a breakthrough

By early 1977, Apple was ready to release its breakthrough Apple II. And the company lined up venture funding to fuel expansion far beyond its humble origins.

When Apple went public in 1980, both Woz and Jobs became instant multimillionaires. (Despite missing out on that windfall, Wayne remains remarkably upbeat about stepping away from Apple.)

Today, Apple is a company valued at more than $2.6 trillion. That’s quite the success story! Now if only we’d invested in Apple way back when it was founded …



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A new kind of PC is coming: from personal computer to innovation enabler

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We have entered a new era. Until recently, AI has largely been operating in the background – quietly automating processes and improving performance. Yet the unprecedented adoption curve of generative AI that we saw in 2023 represents a widespread change in how humans interact with technology. This fundamental shift will have a lasting impact on how we live and work.

If AI is adopted to its full potential, a study of the economic potential of generative artificial intelligence estimated that the technology could add more than $4 trillion dollars annually to the global economy, and add £31 billion in GDP to the UK economy over the next decade. These figures are in addition to the extra $11 trillion that nongenerative AI and other forms of automation are forecast to contribute, globally.

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OpenAI AI Agent 2.0 being developed to control your computer

OpenAI AI Agent 2.0 being developed to control your computer

OpenAI is reportedly developing a new AI agent capable of directly controlling personal computers to automate a variety of tasks. This latest AI agent represents a significant shift from traditional AI agents, which are limited by predefined tasks and functions. The new OpenAI agent is apparently being designed to learn fundamental computer interaction skills, such as clicking, scrolling, and typing, enabling it to perform tasks on any website without the need for additional tools or APIs. This approach could potentially handle a vast array of use cases and provide a more versatile and efficient means of automating personal and work-related tasks, let’s take a closer look at what we can expect from this new OpenAI AI Agent 2.0 when it arrives.

At the heart of this advancement is the agent’s ability to perform fundamental computer operations such as clicking, scrolling, and typing. Unlike traditional agents, OpenAI’s AI can navigate any website and carry out tasks without relying on specialized tools or application programming interfaces (APIs). This capability sets it apart as a universal solution for automating computer tasks.

For everyday users, the benefits of this agent are significant. It can independently manage web-based activities, including gathering data, creating alerts, and making travel arrangements, often with minimal human input. The agent’s ability to interact in a human-like manner suggests that it could eventually serve as a true personal assistant.

OpenAI AI Agent 2.0

One of the most impressive aspects of OpenAI’s agent is its adaptability. Traditional AI agents often need new tools to be developed for each different website they encounter. However, OpenAI’s agent learns and adapts to new environments, which means it can handle a wider variety of web applications without constant updates to its software. Learn more about what we can expect from the OpenAI AI Agent 2.0 with AI Jason.

Here are some other articles you may find of interest on the subject of developing and creating artificial intelligent agents for different applications :

Autonomous AI agents

The potential of this technology is particularly exciting for web scraping, a process that involves extracting data from websites. While existing initiatives like WebQL have demonstrated the advantages of automation in this area, OpenAI’s agent could simplify even the most complex tasks and workflows. This hints at a future where AI web agents are an integral part of our everyday digital tasks.

Despite the promise of this technology, there are challenges to overcome. Ensuring that the agent can complete tasks with speed, accuracy, and reliability is still a work in progress. Other projects, such as Hyper RDE’s personal assistant and Taxi AI’s Chrome extension, have explored similar concepts, but OpenAI’s agent aims to take the idea to new heights.

OpenAI’s AI agent represents a significant step forward in the field of automation technology. By giving the agent essential computer skills and eliminating the need for extra software, it offers a more adaptable and efficient approach to automating tasks. As this technology continues to develop, it is poised to transform the way we interact with our digital world, boosting productivity and reducing the time we spend on online tasks.

AI Agent Workforce

The implications of such an agent are far-reaching. In the workplace, for example, it could automate repetitive tasks, freeing up employees to focus on more creative and strategic work. For individuals, it could manage personal schedules, sort emails, and even help with online shopping, making everyday life a little easier.

Moreover, the agent’s ability to learn and adapt means that it could become more personalized over time. It could learn a user’s preferences and habits, tailoring its actions to provide a more customized experience. This level of personalization could redefine the relationship between humans and computers, making our interactions with digital devices more intuitive and natural.

As we look to the future, the role of AI in personal computing is only set to grow. OpenAI’s agent is just the beginning of what could be a new wave of intelligent technology that works seamlessly alongside us. It’s an exciting time for both developers and users, as we stand on the cusp of a new era in personal computing.

Possible features AI Agent 2.0 may include :

  • Direct Personal Computer Device Control: The agent might have the capability to directly control personal computing devices for task automation.
  • Web-based Task Handling: It could potentially automate web-based tasks such as data gathering, alert creation, and ticket booking without requiring detailed oversight.
  • Complex Task Management: The agent may be designed to manage more intricate personal and professional tasks, offering a wider scope of automation beyond simple tasks.
  • Generic Interaction with Websites: Unlike traditional agents, this new agent could learn basic computing operations (like mouse clicks, scrolling, typing) to interact with any website, eliminating the need for website-specific development.
  • Versatile Use Case Adaptability: It might handle a broad spectrum of tasks without the need for direct API integrations, particularly for websites that lack dedicated APIs.
  • Simulation of Human Web Interactions: The agent may simulate human-like interactions with computer devices, potentially making it useful for a variety of everyday tasks.
  • Adaptive Learning Capability: Instead of functioning based on predefined scripts for specific tasks, the agent might adapt and learn how to perform tasks on new websites.
  • Enhanced Performance: Demonstrations could suggest improved speed and accuracy in task performance compared to earlier agents, indicating advancements in the technology’s effectiveness.
  • Advanced Web Scraping and Data Operations: The agent might be capable of scripting through websites, manipulating data in applications like Google Sheets, and performing complex actions such as data formatting and automated communications.
  • Utilization of Open Source Projects: Features could include the use of open-source projects like WebQL for building versatile agents capable of accurately interacting with diverse web interfaces.

While there is excitement around this second-generation AI agents from OpenAI, it’s important to consider the ethical and privacy implications of AI agents. As they become more integrated into our lives, ensuring that they operate with respect for user privacy and data security will be crucial. Developers and regulators will need to work together to establish guidelines that protect users while fostering innovation.

In the end, OpenAI’s AI agent is not just about automating tasks; it’s about enhancing the human experience with technology. It’s about creating tools that understand us and help us navigate the digital world more effortlessly. As this technology matures, it will undoubtedly become a cornerstone of our digital lives, redefining what it means to interact with our personal computers.

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