The Power of AI Agents in Different Industries
Make your own custom GPTs. Generative AI, explained. Takeaways from the Global AI Safety Summit. Google's digital AI tools in Mexico. AI and sustainable farming.
The latest news and trends in the Latin American AI startup scene.
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AI is about to completely change how you use computers
The article discusses the future of software and the emergence of AI-powered agents. These agents, which respond to natural language, will be able to perform a wide range of tasks and have a deep understanding of the user's life. They will be proactive, making suggestions before being asked, and will improve over time by learning the user's preferences and behavior.
Bill Gates highlights the potential impact of agents in healthcare, education, productivity, entertainment, and shopping. In healthcare, agents can help with basic triage and provide advice, benefiting those who have limited access to medical care. In education, agents can personalize learning experiences and provide supplemental instruction. In productivity, agents can assist with various tasks and even generate content.
The article emphasizes the democratizing effect of agents, making services more accessible and affordable for everyone. (Gates Notes).
Is AI the answer to sustainable farming?
Zordi, an agricultural startup founded by a robotics expert and a farmer, is using AI and robotics to grow strawberries in greenhouses in the Northeast. The company uses AI and machine learning to monitor the growing process and control the environment inside the greenhouses, and robots are used to plant and harvest the strawberries.
The founders believe that controlled environment agriculture can help feed the world with sustainably grown local fresh produce. The integration of AI and machine learning in agriculture is becoming more common, as farmers seek ways to improve yields and become more sustainable.
AI can help farmers make better decisions about resource usage and optimize crop production. With the global population expected to reach over 9 billion by 2050, AI and ML will play a crucial role in meeting the growing demand for food in a sustainable manner. (The Verge)
Quick News
Open Finance, AI, Super-Apps Reshape Digital Financial Landscape
Experts at the STP Summit in Mexico discussed how open finance, AI adoption, and the rise of super-apps are reshaping the digital financial sector.
They highlighted the importance of striking a balance between regulations and innovative financial models.
Technology infusion in finance can reduce costs, drive innovation, and combat fraud. The need for updated regulatory frameworks, such as open banking, was emphasized. (Mexico Business News)
Google Designs AI-Powered Tools to Drive Social Change
Google has unveiled AI-powered tools in Mexico aimed at driving social change, reducing environmental impact, combating misinformation, and democratizing culture.
The tools include Manglar AI and Flood Hub AI, which monitor endangered ecosystems and forecast floods to prevent potential disasters.
Google is also addressing the spread of AI-powered misinformation through the "Transparencia Mexico" initiative, which provides a guide to detect fake news. (Mexico Business News)
The Brazilian National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has launched a public consultation process for its pilot regulatory sandbox program.
The program aims to test artificial intelligence technologies in a controlled environment to ensure compliance with data protection laws.
The ANPD has also published a technical study on the regulatory sandbox, which will last up to 24 months. This initiative aims to foster research on AI and data privacy in Brazil. (JDSupra)
Bonavero Institute - UNESCO International Judicial Symposium on Freedom of Expression
The Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and UNESCO organized an International Judicial Symposium on Freedom of Expression, which brought together Chief Justices, Justices, and high-level judges from around the world.
The symposium aimed to strengthen the rule of law and freedom of expression, particularly in the face of challenges posed by the digital environment.
Participants expressed support for the UNESCO Judges' Initiative, highlighting the importance of capacity building and inter-jurisprudence dialogue. The Judges' Initiative, which began in Latin America in 2013, has now become a global program with the engagement of 35,000 judicial actors from 160 countries. (UNESCO)
South American Division Creates Statement of Ethical Guidelines for Use of Artificial Intelligence
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South American Division (SAD) has released a document titled "Ethical Principles for the Use of Artificial Intelligence" to integrate AI into its operations while maintaining ethical standards.
The document addresses transparency, justice, reliability, responsibility, security, privacy, and sustainability.
It emphasizes the role of human oversight in AI applications and the Church's commitment to ethical considerations in technology. (Adventist Today)
AI Is Helping Indigenous Teens in Brazil Keep Their Mother Tongue Alive
A group of Brazilian teenagers from the Guarani Indigenous community are using an app developed by IBM to help preserve their native language, Guarani Mbya. The app, called the Linguistic Assistant, assists the teenagers in writing in Guarani Mbya by providing autocorrect and text suggestions.
The project is part of IBM's AI for Indigenous languages initiative, which aims to preserve and expand the use of Indigenous languages in Brazil.
Guarani Mbya is classified as a vulnerable language, with 190 Indigenous languages in Brazil considered at risk of dying out. The project has shown promising results, with the teenagers making progress in writing longer sentences in their native language. (Reasons to be Cheerful)
Is artificial intelligence worth it for developing markets?
Telecom operators in developing markets are turning to AI to improve operational efficiency and increase profitability, despite the high cost of deploying AI.
AI is being used to streamline surface-level operations such as marketing and customer service, with the goal of reducing expenses and delivering new use cases. However, the high cost of AI infrastructure remains a barrier for operators in developing markets.
While AI can deliver cost savings, its main objective should be finding new use cases for growth. Ecosystem players are creating AI solutions that target telco transformation, but it's important for emerging market operators to effectively train and leverage AI software and upgrade back office systems. (Developing Telecoms)
Artificial Intelligence to Remain Deregulated in 2024 Elections
Experts have warned that the use of AI in the 2024 presidential candidates' campaigns in Mexico poses a risk to the country's democracy. Mexico currently lacks regulation of AI in electoral politics, leaving the country vulnerable to the spread of disinformation.
While AI is being used for advertising and propaganda purposes by candidates, it is also being used to misinform and create fake news.
The lack of regulation makes Mexicans vulnerable to content that may not be true, and the use of AI technology could exacerbate social inequality. (Mexico Business News)
Key Takeaways from the Global AI Safety Summit
The Global AI Safety Summit recently took place at Bletchley Park in the UK. Representatives from over 28 countries, including major AI nations like the US, China, and the UK, reached an agreement on the risks and opportunities of "frontier AI."
They emphasized the need for international cooperation and collaboration in understanding and regulating these risks.
However, some critics highlighted the need for more focus on issues like energy consumption, algorithmic bias, and safety concerns for women. (Mayer Brown)
UK regulators consider application of AI in nuclear sector
The UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency have conducted a project to explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the nuclear industry.
The project aimed to develop a regulatory approach to AI in the sector, as there is limited established good practice for regulating AI in nuclear applications. The project involved expert panels and regulatory sandboxing sessions to explore the deployment of AI in plant maintenance and robot operations.
The pilot project found that the benefits and risks of AI should be clearly articulated and understood and that the reliability of AI systems is crucial. (World Nuclear News)
AI Education
VideoCrafter1: Open Diffusion Models for High-Quality Video Generation
VideoCrafter1 is an open-source toolbox for video generation and editing. It includes models for text-to-video and image-to-video generation. The toolbox has released high-quality video generation models and provides checkpoints for different resolutions.
Python and Pandas for Data Engineering
The course covers topics such as setting up a Python project environment, using libraries like Pandas to read and write data, and writing Python code in editors like Vim and Visual Studio Code. It also includes modules on creating and manipulating data structures in Python, loading data into a Pandas DataFrame, and selecting and filtering data.
ColumbiaX: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
This course on AI provides a comprehensive understanding of the techniques used to build intelligent computer systems. It covers topics such as intelligent agents, search algorithms, game playing, machine learning, and applications of AI. The course requires basic knowledge of Python programming and probability.
Food for Thought
Tutorial: How to make and share custom GPTs
OpenAI has introduced a new feature called GPTs, which are custom versions of ChatGPT that combine instructions, extra knowledge, and various skills. GPTs are like apps or personas that bundle together settings, capabilities, and tools.
They are an evolution of plugins, offering more capability and flexibility. Users can choose a GPT at the start of a conversation based on their specific needs. GPTs can do almost everything plugins can do and will likely replace them in the future. OpenAI is launching the GPT Store, which will be a marketplace for GPTs.
Users can create their own GPTs by having a conversation with ChatGPT and customizing the settings. GPTs can be published privately or publicly. The article provides examples of GPTs, such as an AI avatar generator and a GPT based on the writing style of Paul Graham. (Artificial Ignorance)
Explained: Generative AI
Generative AI refers to machine-learning models that are trained to create new data rather than make predictions based on existing data. It has been around for several years but has gained attention recently with the development of more complex models. These models, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, have billions of parameters and are trained on massive datasets, enabling them to generate more realistic and complex outputs.
Generative AI has various applications, including image synthesis, protein structure design, and content creation. However, there are concerns about biases, plagiarism, and worker displacement.
Nonetheless, generative AI has the potential to empower artists and change the economics in various fields. It may also contribute to the development of more intelligent AI agents in the future. (MIT News)
Why Big Tech Companies should copy Xs Grok ASAP
The article discusses the potential impact of Grok, a new AI model developed by X, on the profitability of big tech companies. It highlights the dilemma faced by these companies in expanding into new markets after dominating their primary niches.
Grok's ability to access and interact with valuable data, such as tweets, opens up new avenues for monetization. The article suggests various ways in which companies can leverage Grok, including selling access to data, providing reports and insights, and offering consulting services. These ideas have high margins, low operational costs, and can be implemented quickly to boost investor confidence.
The article also touches on the technical considerations of building retrieval augmented generation systems like Grok. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of context size and quality in generating relevant information. (Artificial Intelligence Made Simple)
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