Google Research’s RAWNeRF, a constituent of the multiNeRF research, promises results that can put it ahead of any other noise-reduction tool. The RawNeRF tool uses artificial intelligence to read images and add higher levels of detail to photos taken in darker and low-light conditions.
According to a Cornell University paper, NeRF produces a scene representation so accurate when optimized over many noisy raw inputs that its rendered novel views perform better than dedicated single and multi-image deep raw denoisers that run on the same wide baseline input images.
NeRF is a neural network tool that is capable of reconstructing accurate 3D renders from a group of images. As per Ben Mildenhall, a researcher at Google, the NeRF is built to work best with well-lit scenarios.
However, when tried with images that are taken in low-light conditions, the results compromise on details and are noisier. The issue can be solved with denoising tools, further losing details.
Meanwhile, the algorithms are run on RAW images in the RAWNeRF, and AI is tasked to decrease the noise captured by the sensors while maintaining the detail, letting us see in the dark.
Google said that the RAWNeRF is more capable of reducing noise than any other technology. It can change the camera position to show the scene from different angles, or change tone map, exposure, and focus with accurate bokeh effects.
CAE Inc. and AirAsia India have collaborated to integrate the CAE Rise AI Training System into the airline’s simulator training program to train pilots. AirAsia India is the very first airline in India to use a data-driven training program using CAE Rise.
CAE Rise enchance analytics to deliver a higher quality of training by providing real-time data during training sessions and giving instructors insights that enable them to assess a pilot’s technical competencies and performance objectively. AirAsia and CAE have been working together since 2014 on pilot training at CAE network training centers as long-time collaborators.
Manish Uppal, Head of Operations, AirAsia India, said that this collaboration incorporates CAE’s distinct features, which enable a robust data-driven training program for our pilots. He added that AirAsia India continues to be at the forefront of integrating technology and ensuring that safety is crucial in every aspect of their training and operations.
Arun Nair, Chief Pilot Training & Standard, AirAsia India, said that CAE Rise would be a vital tool in gathering data to support a smooth EBT implementation and practice, with the Indian regulator DGCA planning to make Evidence-Based Training (EBT) implementation mandatory.
the CAE Rise training system, launched in 2018, is a technological innovation that allows the translation of simulator training data into important insights for training managers and instructors. This new training system compares independent sources in order to increase confidence in grading data quality.
In addition to monitoring SOP compliance, CAE Rise augments capability of each instructor to identify pilot proficiency gaps and transform training programs to the most advanced aviation safety standards, including ATQP, AQP, and EBT methodologies.
If you are a photography enthusiast, you must be aware of the hassles of shooting in low-light settings. Despite spending hours in post-processing, the photographs do end up having distracting noise. Now, Google promises an answer to such woes! Photographers can now successfully see in the dark thanks to an innovative new technology from Google Research that employs artificial intelligence to reduce image noise in dim settings.
The best part of this AI denoising feature is that using this results in causing a minimal loss in the quality of the photograph when compared to existing tools.
This new tool, known as RawNeRF, is a part of the MultiNeRF open source project. Google RawNeRF can specifically help photographers capture darker subjects. In a Cornell paper, Google researcher Ben Mildenhall explains that NeRF (Neural Radiance Fields) is a view synthesizer, a technology that can scan millions of images to recreate precise 3D renders.
It employs tone-mapped low dynamic range (LDR) photos as input, similar to most view synthesis techniques. These images have passed through a lossy camera pipeline that obfuscates the basic noise distribution of the raw sensor data and smooths out detail and highlights.
According to Mildenhall, NeRF was designed for daytime shooting. Hence it works best with well-lit photos and low noise levels. However, nighttime and low-light shooting presented challenges while shooting since they concealed features in shadow or made noise when the brightness was increased in post. Mildenhall and his team concluded that while denoising technologies can considerably reduce noise, they do so at the expense of image quality.
Mildenhall reveals that Google RawNeRF leverages a combination of pictures from various camera viewpoints to collectively denoise and reconstruct a scene. It can therefore be used to change the camera position and see the picture from various perspectives in addition to being a denoiser. Scenes are reconstructed in a linear HDR color space, which allows it to work out subtleties such as shifting exposure, tone mapping, and changing the focus.
Original (L) vs RawNeRF (R) Image credit: Google Research
In a video demonstration for NeRF in the Dark, which was first released in May 2022 but was mostly overlooked at the time, Mildenhall a smartphone photo of a candlelit table to demonstrate the capability of the new AI technology. Though the image is more detailed due to modest post-processing and brightness, it included a significant amount of sensor noise. With a cutting-edge deep denoiser, Mildenhall demonstrates how the image is left with unappealing distortions, but after using RawNeRF, the results are astounding, especially considering the image quality and lack of imperfections. Because the AI was trained on raw image data rather than JPEGs that had been edited afterward, it performed so well. As a result, RawNeRF is able to merge pictures from various camera angles in order to jointly denoise and reconstruct the scene.
RawNeRF provides an enticing glimpse of how AI could aid creative people in more accurately reflecting the reality around them, despite being in the research stage and not officially approved by Google (yet).
Saudi Arabia will host the second Global Artificial Intelligence Summit from September 13 to 15 in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
The summit, named ‘Artificial Intelligence for the Good of Humanity,’ will be organized by the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence. It is being held under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been the chairman of the board of directors of SDAIA. The conference will be conducted at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center.
The summit will discuss everything related to artificial intelligence technologies and includes participants such as experts, specialists, the largest international technology companies, and senior officials from government agencies. Various presentations will be conducted highlighting the latest research and technologies, allowing participants to exchange expertise and discover investment opportunities.
The Global Artificial Intelligence Summit also poses an opportunity for experts and interested parties to benefit from the gathering, which will host more than 100 speakers from around the world under one roof in Riyadh who specialize in artificial intelligence.
The summit will discuss several topics that depict the implications of artificial intelligence on the most critical sectors, including health care, smart cities, energy, human capacity development, transportation, culture and heritage, environment, and economic mobility. The discussion will aim at finding solutions to current challenges and maximizing AI technologies’ use.
Phantom, a Solana-based wallet provider, has introduced a new burn functionality that enables users to delete spam nonfungible tokens (NFTs) supplied by con artists. This development comes only weeks after the Solana blockchain was the target of the most recent cryptocurrency theft, in which thousands of users reported having their cash secretly taken from them. After breaking into over 8,000 Solana-based cryptocurrency wallets, predominantly Phantom wallets, thieves took about US$5.2 million worth of cryptocurrency.
The new feature, which allows users to get a little ‘rent’ deposit of Solana (SOL) each time they use it, is available via the Burn Token button in the Phantom wallet app, according to a blog post from the Phantom team. The blog mentions, “We’re still in the Wild West days of Web3. As the crypto ecosystem grows, so have the number of bad actors looking for ways to steal users’ funds. The rapid growth in popularity of NFTs has led to an increasingly prevalent method of attack for scammers – Spam NFTs.” Phantom pointed out that the problem has been particularly prominent on Solana because of its low transaction fees and that unscrupulous parties frequently airdrop allegedly free NFTs that include malicious links in large quantities.
For the cyber-theft attack to work, cybercriminals exploit the NFT airdrop feature, which allows users to get free NFT. When users click on the URL provided by the scammers in the description, they are usually sent to a fraudulent website instead of receiving the free NFTs they were promised.
Criminals employ one of two methods to steal money. Either they ask the user to accept a transaction in order to “mint” or “claim” free NFT. But, after the operation is completed, the user’s wallet is depleted of all cash. Alternatively, the link directs the user to enter their seed phase, resulting in a similar consequence.
Phantom reveals that such scams are growing more advanced. For instance, fraudsters might modify an NFT’s metadata once a contract address and domain are discovered to be bad to avoid being blacklisted.
1/ Today, NFT burning is launching on Phantom across all devices! 🔥
Safely remove spam and clean up your Collectibles tab, all from right inside the wallet.
As an added bonus, when you burn those unwanted NFTs, you even make some SOL in the process. pic.twitter.com/aHHAyUqldP
The new feature will boost the Phantom Wallet’s security. It offers users the authority to report NFT spam, which enables Phantom’s staff to block the domains and addresses when a specific scam NFT is detected. This process will assist in removing the spam or fraudulent NFTs from the wallet. By compiling and disseminating a list of spam and phishing NFTs, Phantom intends to reduce the number of hacking attempts. It is also working with NFT API provider SimpleHash to establish an internal reporting system for detecting spam NFTs.
In July, Entrust, a Minneapolis-based cybersecurity behemoth, acknowledged becoming the target of a cyberattack that happened in the previous month. On June 18, an “unauthorized entity” gained access to Entrust’s system that is utilized for internal operations and stole data from its network.
The breach was discovered when on July 6, cybersecurity researcher Dominic Alvieri disclosed a letter addressed to Entrust clients informing them that some files were stolen from its internal servers. The letter was unclear whether the stolen files had anything to do with Entrust or one of its clients. The company claimed at the time that such goods and services were operated in distinct environments, air-gapped from its internal systems.
Now, in a shocking turn of events, while LockBit ransomware claimed responsibility for the cyberattack, it is also accusing Entrust of a counterattack. According to Azim Shukuhi, a researcher at Cisco Talos, the DDoS attack on LockBit’s servers had “400 requests per second from over 1000 servers.”
LockBit ransomware came clean last week and began leaking the stolen data. This leak from the intrusion purportedly comprised 30 screenshots of data from Entrust, including spreadsheets for marketing, legal papers, and financial information. However, soon the Tor data leak websites belonging to the LockBit ransomware operation were taken down over the weekend as a result of a DDoS assault ordering them to delete purportedly stolen data from Entrust. Security research organization VX-Underground soon learned that the Tor sites were being attacked by someone they thought to be affiliated with Entrust from LockBitSupp, the public-facing representative of the LockBit ransomware campaign. This claim was supported when the attacker appended a message to LockBit in the user agent field of the browser, instructing it to erase Entrust’s data as referenced in the HTTPS requests.
In response to the attack, LockBit’s data leak sites now display a statement warning that the ransomware gang intends to upload all Entrust’s data as a torrent, making it nearly impossible to remove. In addition, the cyber attackers told security researcher Soufiane Tahiri about the alleged conversations between Entrust and the ransomware group. According to this communication, the ransom demand was first set at $8 million but eventually decreased to $6.8 million. Initially, the gang set the ransom payment deadline on August 19.
According to a report from Digital Shadows, with 231 victims, LockBit was one of the most active ransomware organizations this year, accounting for 32.77% of all instances in the second quarter involving data being shared to ransomware leak sites. More than three times as many victims than any other group were suffered by LockBit. Among the most recent victims were the French mobile phone provider La Poste Mobile and the electronics giant Foxconn.
LockBit first appeared in September 2019 and was known as the “.abcd virus.” The nickname referred to the name of the file extension that was used to encrypt a victim’s data. In June, the group published LockBit 3.0, the most recent iteration of its ransomware. The most recent incarnation includes a bug bounty program, giving payments ranging from $1,000 to $1,000,000 to anybody who provides exploits, personal information on potential victims, knowledge about high-value targets, or suggestions for enhancing the gang’s activities. LockBit revealed that some of its dark web stores now accept Zcash payment. The group also added anybody can now purchase the stolen data, and victims can pay the gang to delete the data or extend the ransom payment date in exchange for compensation. LockBit has unveiled a new strategy in which targets would be attacked utilizing a triple extortion model, which builds on the double extortion method that has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Capitol Music Group (CMG) faces a backlash for being racist after signing FN Meka, an artificial intelligence musician who was given the appearance of a black male cyborg. CMG apologized to the black community for their insensitivity, announcing they had severed ties with the singer.
FN Meka has more than 1 billion views on its TikTok account and more than 500,000 monthly Spotify subscribers. Its Instagram account has more than 220,000 followers and has now been made private.
According to Anthony Martini, one of the co-founders of Factory New – a company responsible for artificial intelligence – songs of FN Meka are performed by an anonymous black man.
In an interview in 2021, Martini said that a human voice does the vocals, but they are working towards enabling the computer to develop and perform its own words and even collaborate with other computers as co-writers.
Black activist group Industry Blackout sent CMG an open letter saying FN Meka was offensive and directly insulted the Black community and their culture. They said it was an amalgamation of gross stereotypes and appropriative mannerisms that derive from Black artists, complete with slurs infused in lyrics. After that, CMG dropped the rapper.
They pointed out that FN Meka released a song with the rapper Gunna, who is now awaiting trial on criminal charges in the US, with lyrics and social media posts used as evidence of racism. He is currently imprisoned for rapping the same type of lyrics this robot mimics. The difference is that the artificial rapper will not be subject to federal charges for the same.
A Tesla owner named Brandon Dalaly has implanted a small contactless chip into his right hand to unlock his car. Taking to social media, Dalaly shared a video that shows him getting a tiny VivoKey Apex chip implanted in his right hand and using the device to unlock his vehicle.
In the clip, Dalaly is seen waving his right hand against his Tesla for a few moments before it unlocks. The video has gone viral since being shared.
Dalaly also addressed the misconceptions he heard from viewers of the video. While clearing up the misinformation, he said the chip could also store data, access control, OTP two-factor authentication, secure crypto wallet, and initiate credit card transactions. It is not just a Tesla key, he added.
According to the New York Post, the implant was made possible by a chip called VivoKey Apex, which uses the same technology, known as near-field communication (NFC) protocol, that makes Apple Pay and keyless entry at hotels work.
Dalaly told Teslarati that he had the chip implanted into his right hand by a professional piercer for $400. He also stated that he is part of a beta group of about 100 people testing the chips before being released to the public.
He said that the company that put this together has its own app store where one can wirelessly install apps into one’s body with these chips. One of the apps just happened to be a Tesla key card, and that was the first app he installed on it as he has a tesla.
Tesla has announced that its second AI Day will be held in Palo Alto. Many speculated that it would be held in Austin due to all the hard work employees have put into making Gigafactory Texas.
Tesla dropped a late-night tweet on Twitter with the caption ‘AI Day 2022 on September 30’. The image included Palo Alto and a tiny robot emoji pointing to the fact that Tesla’s plans to reveal a working Optimus prototype are on track.
Tesla explained that the robot would be operated by artificial intelligence systems similar to that of Tesla’s electric vehicles, which are currently under development. Optimus will be almost 173 cm, i.e., 5ft 8 inches tall, weigh about 57 kgs, and can carry up to 20 kgs of weight.
Earlier this year, CEO of Tesla Elon Musk announced that the company had pushed its second Tesla AI Dat to September 30, 2022. This decision was made as the company was still working on its humanoid robot Optimus. Earlier, Tesla had announced hosting the second Tesla AI day on August 19, 2022.
According to officials, the scheduled event would reveal several impressive updates for the customers. Many upcoming products or projects in the pipeline are expected to be revealed during Tesla’s AI Day event.
Besides the reveal of Optimus Bot, the second Tesla AI day is expected to disclose more about Occupancy Networks that enable the Tesla car to perceive the space around it as a human or animal would. Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Autopilot Software Director, recently shared a deep dive into Occupancy Networks.
According to the recent news coverage on the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection, Google AI has transformed nearly 10,000 BAYC NFTs into machine-made art. These can be perceived as abstract paintings at first glance. However, they have an exciting feature, resembling the Yuga collection when closely viewed.
This Google AI project was christened “Artsy Monkey.” The AI programmed itself to apply the necessary changes for the transformation and changed loose abstract paintings into machine art.
According to the data, the collection was not only transformed as per the formation but was also more painted and added to a proper collectible form. The artificial intelligence used more than fourteen million images to understand the circumstances of BAYC’s non-fungible token. It then used the knowledge to turn the collection into machine-made art. It was created using Google’s collaborative Notebook service, Colab.
Twitter was packed with various hashtags related to science meeting art, showing that the collection is well-received by the consumers. It was also placed for sale on the OpenSea platform and was sold out as soon as it was placed. The initial bidding started from 0.001 ETH. The Artsy Monkey project has been a bridge connecting to future Artsy games, and people can earn money through it.
The platform was well versed in the information related to painting on a canvas. The artificial intelligence was taught twenty distinct art styles, and different servers ran for several weeks to get this result of 10,000 amazing-looking BAYC NFTs. The purpose behind this collection’s creation is still unclear. However, NFTs from the original BAYC can be coupled with these machine-art-based ones to make parallel intricacies.
The work it took for artificial intelligence to do this task was incredibly intricate. It was highly appreciated on the internet. Some of the Artsy Monkey pieces even had multiple microworlds, which the Google AI painted into a prominent vague figure. Futuristic elements that have been added to the NFT asset make it much more valuable per crypto demand.
