Why China-Russia military AI alliance is problematic💣

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Today we will discuss-

• 🪖China, Russia team up on military AI

• 💰Japan pours $56M into GenAI development

• 🚀AI to boost Portugal's economy by €61B

• 🤴🏼9 fantastic AI tools you might not have heard of

All this and more - Let's dive in!

👩‍🍳What’s cooking in the newsroom?

China and Russia to collaborate on strategic use of AI in military

♨️News - China and Russia have agreed to work together on using artificial intelligence for military purposes, adding a new dimension to their rivalry with Washington.

In a recent statement, the Russian foreign ministry stated that during talks in Beijing last week, departmental officials from both countries extensively discussed and exchanged assessments on the use of AI technology for military purposes.

💂🏻‍♂️What's their plan? Both countries have decided to work together more closely within the UN-backed Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). The group focuses on creating guidelines for the responsible development and use of such advanced weapons. 

In this context, the agreement between Russia and China confirms that they have a similar approach to such weapons.

😵‍💫Why is this problematic? The rapid growth of AI has sparked concerns about lethal autonomous weapons systems. This is due to major powers like the U.S., China, and Russia investing heavily in AI without any agreed-upon rules for the technology, particularly its military use. 

It is also worth noting that last year, Washington launched the Political Declaration on the Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy, aiming to set global norms. This was supported by 46 countries, mainly U.S. allies like Australia, Britain, Canada, Singapore, and South Korea. However, China and Russia chose to not join this effort.

Japan commits over $56M for generative AI development to rival U.S.'s ChatGPT

🏦News - The Japanese government plans to allocate 8.4 billion yen (equivalent to over 56 million dollars) to support the local development of generative AI software. 

The move is driven by the increasing competition in the field, with the government aiming to enhance Japan's technological capabilities to match those of rivals like ChatGPT in the United States.

🤔Who will benefit from this initiative? The funding will support AI projects at seven institutions in Japan, including the University of Tokyo and Sakana AI, a Tokyo-based company founded by former Google researchers.

The recipients will get six months of free access to Google's cloud services, allowing companies and research institutes to use equipment, such as Google's supercomputer, without any charge. This is especially important as the growing competition in AI development has led to increased usage fees for essential Supercomputers, making them nearly out of reach for companies and institutions with limited financial resources.

🤓What's more? The initiative will Also help companies and institutions in accessing the substantial data needed to train large language models (LLMs) for generative AI systems. Ultimately, such AI technology is expected to have various industrial applications in Japan, including its use in fully automated driving.

AI to contribute €61 billion to Portugal's economy by 2030, study finds 

🤑News - A recent study conducted by Strand Partners for AWS suggests that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could contribute €61 billion to Portugal's economy by 2030. 

🤨How did they reach this conclusion though? 

• The study found that AI adoption in Portugal has risen by 25% since 2022, with 35% of companies now using the technology.

• It noted that if this trend continues, the projected Gross Value Added (GVA) economic impact could reach 61 billion euros in six years or by 2030. 

• The study also revealed  a clear positive economic impact of AI on Portuguese companies, with 70% of those using AI experiencing increased revenue and productivity. 

• However, the adoption of AI was found to be more prevalent among larger companies, accounting for 45%, compared to just 32% among small and medium-sized enterprises.

• In line with this, the study concluded that to achieve the projected economic growth by 2030, Portugal needs to address three crucial challenges: (1) establish an innovation-friendly environment, (2) address the digital skills gap within the country, and (3) ensure that companies of all sizes have access to the latest technologies.

👩🏼‍💻What else is happening?

• UK arts union 'ready' to strike if AI agreements aren’t reached

• Google’s Bard AI chatbot will soon be called Gemini

• Foxconn sees 'slightly better' 2024, warns on AI chip shortage

• OnePlus adds AI features to its flagship phones, but only in China

• Hong Kong firm loses over $25mn after scammers stage deepfake video meeting with CFO, others 

👨🏻‍💻Prompt engineering tips

• Use keywords - When constructing prompts for a chatbot, using keywords can significantly enhance the model's understanding of your desired output. For example when asking questions, incorporate question-related keywords (like "explain," "describe," "define," etc.) to indicate the type of response you're looking for.

• Start simple - When crafting prompts for any chatbot, start with a general question or instruction to the chatbot and subsequently provide additional details or context to achieve the best outcomes. This technique capitalizes on the chatbot's ability to refine its output as it receives more specific information.

• Use follow-up questions - When crafting prompts for ChatGPT, using follow up questions in your conversation can help you get more detailed responses. This method guides the conversation and ensures you gather specific and useful insights on complex subjects.

👩🏼‍🚒Discover mind-blowing AI tools

1. Whybug - An AI-powered bug diagnosis and solution tool that helps developers fix code errors quickly and efficiently

2. Colorize - An AI-powered service that brings black and white photos to life by adding color to them

3. Intentional AI - A tool designed to help individuals apply what they read and watch by setting goals and habits

4. Luxa - A product analytics tool that helps B2B product managers gather insights from customer sales calls

5. Vidiofy - An AI-powered tool that converts written content into engaging, short-form videos for social media

6. Docu.review - An AI-powered contract review tool that simplifies complex legal language into plain English

7. Hotjar AI - A tool that helps website owners understand user behavior and optimize their websites

8. Elite-AI-Write - A tool that helps users generate SEO-optimized and plagiarism-free content for blogs, ads, emails, and websites

9. VideoMyListing - An AI-powered tool that creates engaging videos to promote listings on various platforms like Airbnb, Etsy, and more

✨Technical jargon simplified

• Parameter - A parameter is a variable that is used to control the behavior of an AI model. It is like a knob or dial that you can turn to adjust the model's performance.

• Diffusion - It is a technique that uses a computer program to create images, text, or other creative content. It works by starting with a random image or text and then gradually adding more detail to it.

• Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) - A type of neural network that is specifically designed for image recognition. Have you ever seen a security camera that can automatically detect people or cars? Or a phone app that can identify different objects in a picture? These are all examples of CNNs in action.