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Weeknotes 267 - Gemini as AI-based digital twin

By Iskander Smit in weeknotes —

This week, a shorter edition due to parallel culminating deadlines :-) But with the usual mix of notions from the news on human-tech-relations.

Weeknotes 267 - Gemini as AI-based digital twin
an AI in a cloud-layer, representing the life as digital twin, Midjourney

Hi y’all! This will be a bit shorter newsletter than usual. As always the organisation of ThingsCon takes more time and mental space, so I did not keep track of all the news last week and also have less time than normal to catch up on the Monday preparing the newsletter.

Of course, I hope I see some of you at ThingsCon this Friday. We are very happy with the program, both with the mix of workshops and speakers, as well as the exhibition that might have more contributions than ever.

Check it out yourself via our program page. We already have a good crowd, even more than projected, but we have some tickets available.

(Other) events

It is getting quiet towards the Xmas break…

Notions from the news

Even when not paying all the attention, the news of Google introducing Gemini was not to be missed. It is their answer to OpenAI models, of course, and they try to play out multimodality as a unique selling point.

Introducing Gemini: our largest and most capable AI model
Gemini is our most capable and general model, built to be multimodal and optimized for three different sizes: Ultra, Pro and Nano.
GoogleSundar Pichai
Google unveils Gemini
CEO Sundar Pichai and DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis talk to Platformer about the promise — and product roadmap — of their answer to GPT-4
PlatformerCasey Newton

The notebook app gets a boost. And fake demos.

Be aware of what you wish for

Elon Musk’s AI assistant Grok roasts its creator
“Let’s not forget your greatest accomplishment: turning Twitter into a dumpster fire.”
MashableAnna Iovine

A nice example of how man and machine merge is this photography, as he calls it. And also in architecture.

How AI is fooling the photography world
Answering The Verge’s favorite question of the year: what is a photo?
The VergeVerge Staff
Harmonizing Architecture: From Renaissance Masters to Al-Driven Design
Discover the harmonious fusion of art and science in architecture. Learn how AI and algorithms are transforming the industry.
ArchDailyDity Ayalon

Matt Webb: “he appropriate approach is pathfinding which uses experiments to learn and, critically, artefacts to tell the organisation what to do next.”

A framework for exploring AI as a tech savvy org
Posted on Friday 8 Dec 2023. 1,073 words, 6 links. By Matt Webb.
Interconnected, a blog by Matt Webb

Steps towards AI regulation are becoming a reality. But not perfect yet. AI third-party scrutiny might become part of it.

EU reaches provisional agreement on AI Act, paving way for landmark law
It still likely won’t come into effect until 2025 at the earliest.
The Verge
Roundup: The EU AI Act has some big holes
Read to the end for a heartwarming thread
DisconnectParis Marx
Design sprint tools for third-party scrutiny |...
Cities increasingly use algorithms to govern daily life and support decision-making. At the same time, algorithmic decision-making can harm people’s…
Respnsible Sensing Lab

Hackernoon has always had straightforward, practical lenses on AI development and beyond. This time on the costs.

AI Is More Expensive Than You Think | HackerNoon
AI is everywhere, but it’s not for everyone. It’s smart, effective, but very expensive. See how you can calculate the cost of your next AI project.
Hackernoon logoOleg Kokorin

The P(doom) is around for some time, now adopted by bigger media.

No surprise. Will there be a new challenge to find compromising pictures from real persons. Or create realistic impersonators?

Meta’s new AI image generator was trained on 1.1 billion Instagram and Facebook photos
“Imagine with Meta AI” turns prompts into images, trained using public Facebook data.
Ars TechnicaBenj Edwards

Concept video; a sun collector

Solar bot is a smart device concept that makes solar power more accessible - Yanko Design
Solar power is something that is pretty important if we need to reduce our carbon footprint and our electricity consumption. But it’s still not something that’s easily accessible for everyone or something that’s portable and easy to use or access. A recent invention from Jackery, a portable power and green outdoor energy company, might be
Yanko DesignIda Torres

Combine with these new batteries.

Battery Breakthrough: Scientists Reveal the Mechanics of Solid-State Energy
When electricity flows through a battery, the materials inside it gradually wear down. The physical forces of stress and strain also play a role in this process, but their exact effects on the battery’s performance and lifespan are not completely known. A team led by researchers at the Department
SciTechDailyColin Collins

AI is not only about software of course, hardware is also a strong factor. Apple is developing open source

Apple Unveils Open-Source Path for AI Development on Its Silicon Chips - Decrypt
MLX speeds AI development on Apple hardware, connecting its users with the broader AI development community on other platforms.
DecryptJose Antonio Lanz

Paper for the week

Life-centered design explained: From human-centred to life-centred design: Considering environmental and ethical concerns in the design of interactive products

This article reviews emerging paradigms that provide a more holistic perspective, such as value-sensitive design, more-than-human participation and life-centred design. Based on this review, the article introduces a practical framework for life-centred design consisting of principles, actionable methods and a model for responsible innovation. The article discusses how interaction designers can use the framework to balance human-centred considerations with environmental and ethical concerns when designing interactive products.

Borthwick, M., Tomitsch, M., & Gaughwin, M. (2022). From human-centred to life-centred design: Considering environmental and ethical concerns in the design of interactive products. Journal of Responsible Technology, 10, 100032.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrt.2022.100032

See you’ll next week

Or earlier, of course…