The Black Mirror series is known for its multi-layered approach to technology. Pretty much every episode showcases amazing technologies and what they can be capable of, both positively and negatively. The maker Charlie Brooker wanted to risk an experiment and actually have an episode of the anthology series written by an AI. But according to the series creator, the end result was completely useless.
Image: Video Game, Free Stock Picture, MorgueFile.com.
Brooker used ChatGPT as an experiment. But according to the author, the result was impressive at first glance, but the more closely you read the script, the more you noticed that it was nonsense. As it should be expected: ChatGPT took the plot summaries of all previous episodes of “Black Mirror” and “remixed” them into a new episode.
According to Brooker, the result was a screenplay that didn’t contain a single original idea. Sure, because ChatGPT can’t really work creatively. But I guess that’s also good news for writers in Hollywood who are on strike right now . They will not be replaced by artificial intelligence anytime soon.
Incidentally, the sixth season of “Black Mirror” starts on June 15, 2023 on Netflix. The cast includes Aaron Paul, Salma Hayek Pinault, Kate Mara and Michael Cera.
The recently released artificial inteligence software ChatGPT iOS app is getting a new update. The new version offers practical new functions for iPhones and is now also available for iPad users.
Image: Artificial Intelligence, AI (Inteligencia artificial), via: pixabay, by: geralt.
The recently released iOS app version of the artificial inteligence software ChatGPT is getting a new update. This new version will offer some practical new functions for Apples iPhones and is now also available for Apple iPad users.
The official iOS app for ChatGPT gets a new interesting update. Because with the latest version, users can now also use the app on their iPad devices. They will also be able to share content via drag and drop. This makes using the AI-based chat platform much easier and offers new possibilities for interaction.
ChatGPT for iOS: Verbal voice input with Siri is now also possible
A special highlight of the update is the Siri and Shortcuts support. With a predefined shortcut, users can now set custom commands to launch the ChatGPT app by their voice. Also they can instantly share their questions or concerns. This makes using the app very practical and intuitive.
The hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) has increased significantly in recent years. AI is also increasingly finding its way into everyday work. According to a report by Goldman Sachs, AI will finally hit the mainstream in 2023 and is now “too big to ignore”.
Companies like OpenAI have gained great popularity with AI tools like the now world-renowned chatbot ChatGPT or the image generator Dall-E. Content generated by a bot quickly became the norm.
No wonder, then, that the demand for AI-enabled chips has risen sharply recently. Chip manufacturers like Nvidia benefit from this boom, because AI programs like ChatGPT require a lot of computing power, and GPUs are ideal for these requirements.
Nvidia at the top
With a share of 80 percent, Nvidia dominates the world market for graphics card chips and offers a wide range of products specifically for machine learning. “If the AI trend proves sustainable, the immediate demand will be for chips and computing power, and that’s where Nvidia is the flagship at the moment,” Thomas Hayes, chairman of private equity firm Great Hill Capital, said of Nvidia’s strong gains, according to german news Tagesschau the past few weeks.
But not only Nvidia benefits from the AI hype. For example, AMD, a direct competitor of Nvidia, specializes in developing microprocessors and chipsets. The company has announced that it will make its AI accelerator business its top priority, which could soon rival Nvidia.
Contract manufacturers such as the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and software companies such as Service Now also work closely with Nvidia and are benefiting from the AI boom.
The stock markets are not unaffected by the hype surrounding artificial intelligence. Logically, the most popular stock among professional investors is Nvidia, but other AI-related stocks are also enjoying increasing popularity. Companies like Broadcom, TSMC, and Service Now have all rallied in recent months, significantly increasing their profits. ASML and Marvell were also able to post clearly recognizable growth.
Researchers at Binghamton University in New York have developed a new bio-battery that uses bacteria to generate electricity. The sustainable battery apparently has a performance of several weeks.
Scientists at New York’s Binghamton University have developed a new bio-battery that uses bacteria to generate electricity. This means that the batteries come without lithium or rare earths.
This is how the sustainable bio battery works
The bio-battery from the Seokheun Choi Electronics and Computers Laboratory uses three bacteria to generate energy. They are located in three separate, vertical chambers. They are square and about three centimeters in size.
“A photosynthetic bacterium produces organic food that is used as a nutrient for the other bacterial cells below. At the bottom is the electricity-producing bacterium, and the middle bacterium makes some chemicals to enhance electron transfer,” explains Choi.
In addition, the bio-battery can supply electricity for weeks. The sustainable battery is based on a so-called “plug and play” principle. This means that multiple bio batteries can be stacked and wired together.
Bio-battery powers small devices for weeks
Above all, Choi’s sustainable battery is intended to be an answer to how electricity can also reach remote places. In addition, small electronic devices and AIs require an autonomous energy supply around the clock.
That’s why Chois’ goal is to keep the battery small. “We call this intelligent dust and a few bacterial cells can generate enough energy to run it,” says the professor. The dust can then be scattered anywhere as needed.
In the future, Choi also wants to develop a battery pack that can float on water and manage itself. So if damage occurs in harsh environments, they will receive automatic repair.
According to forecasts by the Green Software Foundation, information and communication technology will account for around 20 percent of all electricity consumption by 2030. Emissions from digital technologies will double by 2025 compared to 2019 levels.
But the technology industry is becoming increasingly aware of its carbon footprint. Last but not least, against the background of the energy crisis, the importance of green IT is becoming increasingly apparent.
Green IT summarizes all measures that combine technological progress with environmental protection. A distinction is made between Green by IT and Green in IT. Green by IT are technologies that actively help to achieve sustainability goals. Such as software that makes consumption measurable and shows potential for optimization. Green in IT, on the other hand, aims to optimize IT processes. So that they have the least possible negative or even positive impact on the environment and resources.
This is not primarily about limitations, but about responsible and resource-saving use of technology. The greatest possible benefit should be obtained from every gram of CO₂ emitted into the atmosphere. This enables the demand shaping principle in software development.
Demand shaping
Demand shaping is a strategy to influence demand to match existing supply. Accordingly, when supply is low, demand is reduced and increases with supply accordingly. An example of this is video conferencing. When the user has low bandwidth, the video quality is reduced while the essential audio quality remains high. Demand (video quality) is adjusted to match supply (bandwidth).
Another example of demand adaptation is progressive enhancement in web design. The most basic form of a website is made available for older browsers and with low bandwidth. The more resources and bandwidth a user has available on their device, the more features are provided. But these are optional.
This principle can also be used to achieve energy efficiency. The energy requirements of applications are matched to availability. Demand shaping is therefore opposed to the widespread over-provisioning principle of providing more resources than are necessary to cover peak loads or increasing demand.
Through demand shaping, so-called “eco modes” can be built into software applications. Similar to those in cars and household appliances. The application can be used in an emissions-friendly way at the expense of performance or at full power with higher energy consumption. Applications can either be set to eco mode by default, or users can choose. Based on the nudging principle.
Another example of sustainable applications are applications optimized for edge computing. Data and process steps or complete applications are brought closer to the users instead of being processed in remote data centers. This not only reduces latency, but also CO₂ emissions, since less energy is required to transmit the data.
Renewable energy
Applications can also be programmed in such a way that the respective mode – energy saving or maximum performance – is made dependent on the availability of renewable energies.
Demand shaping is thus related to the principle of demand shifting, i.e. the shifting of demand. Here the demand for computing, storage or network resources is shifted to other regions or to times when the availability of renewable energies is higher. Companies should rely on solutions that automatically move computing, storage and network resources to where the carbon footprint is lowest.
Both demand shaping and demand shifting are important to reduce CO₂ consumption in IT. Depending on the application, developers should determine whether the computing power of applications should be reduced or relocated if the CO₂ intensity is high.
