China-Russia AI alliance

December 22, 2023

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Today we will discuss-

  • 🤝China and Russia collaborate on AI development

  • 🕵🏻‍♂️ U.S. watchdog to review Defense Department's AI strategy

  •  🚀Midjourney brings photorealism to image generation with v6

  • 😱13 amazing AI tools you might not have heard of

All this and more - Let's dive in!

👩‍🍳What’s cooking in the newsroom?

China, Russia establish strategic AI partnership amid rising tensions with U.S.

👬News - China and Russia have decided to collaborate on the development of AI. This collaboration comes as part of a broader effort to expand their cooperation in various areas, particularly in response to tensions with the United States. 

The agreement emphasizes a "no-limits" strategic partnership, highlighting a commitment to strengthening ties in trade and technology. Additionally, they plan to engage in regular discussions on the adoption of AI and open-source technologies, emphasizing exploration of AI applications in areas such as medical science. 

🤔What motivated this collaboration? Both China and the U.S. have been at the forefront of AI research, leading to an escalating tech war between them. Earlier this year, the U.S. tightened its export controls, particularly affecting China's AI industry, which heavily relies on imported chips.

Meanwhile, Russia encountered a dual challenge – the war in Ukraine and attempts to mobilize combatants triggered a significant departure of educated Russians. Simultaneously, Western sanctions limited international cooperation with leading AI entities in the West. 

Faced with these challenges and recognizing a common adversary in the United States, China, and Russia strategically partnered to bolster their positions in AI development and address the technological and geopolitical pressures they collectively face.

U.S. government accountability office to review defense department’s AI strategy

☕News - In early 2024, officials from the U.S.  government accountability office will meet with Defense Department teams to formally review the agency's new strategy on Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence adoption. 

This meeting will assess how closely the Defense Department's latest strategy aligns with the recommendations laid out in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report from March 2022.

👨🏻‍🏫For context - The report published by the GAO last year recommended improvements for the DOD (Department of Defense), urging enhancements to frameworks, inventory processes, and official approaches in adopting the powerful and still-developing AI technology.

Earlier this week, Alissa Czyz, the Director for Defense Capabilities and Management at GAO, stated that all seven recommendations from that report are currently pending.

⭐What's the most important point here? As per a GAO review, there can be serious consequences if the DOD doesn't implement the seven suggestions. 

For example, Congress and DOD decision-makers still lack complete information about DOD's AI activities and investments. This can lead to issues like fragmentation (lack of cohesion) and duplication (unnecessary repetition) in the future. To avoid these problems, the report suggests that DOD should issue clear guidance and agreements, defining roles and responsibilities for collaboration on AI activities among military services and other DOD organizations.

MidJourney unveils version 6.0 of its image generation model to rival OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 

👨🏻‍💻News - MidJourney, the artificial intelligence image generator, has unveiled the sixth version of its widely-used tool. 

✨What's new? 

  • The latest version supports longer prompts.

  • The updated version allows users to enhance detail levels, giving more granular control over color, shading, and text.

  • It also provides the ability to fine-tune the output through a conversation, much like how ChatGPT allows you to refine DALL-E images.

  • A noteworthy improvement is how it understands prompts. With the new version, the bot can recognize the subtle differences in punctuation and grammar, like telling apart actions such as eating, shooting, and leaving.

🤓How to use the new version? The new version, like its predecessors, is accessible on Discord. After subscribing, you can use the /imagine command in messages to create the content of your choice.

To use this version, you can set it as the default model in settings or add -v 6 to the end of any prompt. This ensures the correct model is utilized while still retaining the option to default back to version 5.2.

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👩🏼‍💻What else is happening?

👨🏻‍🔬Cool AI inventions

  • Robot barista - ADAM, a highly adaptable robot, excels in creating a diverse selection of boba tea drinks, spanning from traditional milk tea to refreshing passion fruit varieties. Engineered to accommodate individual preferences, ADAM allows attendees to easily select their favorite beverages through user-friendly digital touch screens. Beyond its expertise in boba tea, ADAM functions as a skilled barista, providing automated efficiency while entertaining guests.

  • Furniture moving robot - Kachaka, a mobile furniture moving robot, can be controlled through an app or voice commands. Equipped with a position detector, 3D sensor, camera, and laser sensor, it navigates and overcomes obstacles. Its standout features are its 20kg carrying capacity and its ability to find the most efficient routes for transporting furniture by using AI algorithms.

  • Autonomous electric delivery vehicle - Developed by Udelv, the Udelv Transporter is a cab-less autonomous electric delivery vehicle that functions on advanced autonomous technology. Its self-driving system incorporates cameras, LiDARs, and radars. Navigation is facilitated by AV maps based on Road Experience Management (REM). Featuring a modular cargo pod (uPod), the Transporter can efficiently carry up to 2,000 pounds (907 kg) and handle up to 80 stops per cycle at highway speeds.

👩🏼‍🚒Discover mind-blowing AI tools

  1. Podpulse - A platform that provides podcast notes and takeaways, saving users time by extracting key insights

  2. Yoomter - An AI-powered tool designed to assist individuals in navigating and adapting to new cities

  3. Botsy Gifts - Helps users find gift ideas based on their loved one's social media accounts

  4. AI SuitUp - An AI-powered tool that generates professional headshots

  5. AlbertBro - A math assistant that helps with problem-solving and providing explanations

  6. Sage - An AI-powered health assistant accessible through popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram

  7. Frase - An AI-based SEO writing assistant that helps people create content quickly

  8. Lazyeyefix - A photo editing tool designed to fix lazy eye in pictures

  9. Tinyquiz - A tool that allows teachers to generate tests and quizzes quickly and easily

  10. Kaleido - A product management tool that helps development teams collect and organize user feedback

  11. Wized.AI - An AI-powered platform that helps users create optimized resumes for job applications

  12.  Crisp MagicReply- An AI assistant for customer service that works alongside humans to provide personalized answers

  13. PDF Candy - An online tool that allows users to convert files to and from PDF format

🤹‍♀️Prompt engineering tips

  • Encourage creativity - Being creative with your prompts can help you get more accurate results. For example, you can start your prompt with "Imagine a world where..." This can help the chatbot think outside the box and come up with more innovative ideas. This method can be particularly beneficial when you are looking for solutions to problems that have no easy answers, or when you are exploring futuristic concepts.

  • Avoid jargon - Avoid using complex technical terms in your prompts. If your topic does include such terms, consider explaining or defining them in your prompt. This will help the model understand the context of your request and deliver more accurate and error-free responses.

  • Limit unnecessary details - Avoid overloading the model with unnecessary details. While context is significant, it is also important to not overwhelm the model with excessive background information that might divert its focus.

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