Will AI play an important role in the Metaverse?

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July 24, 2022

artificial intelligence in the metaverse

The tech giant Facebook changed its name to Meta last year, demonstrating that the Metaverse is all set to become a dominant mainstream technology. With the simultaneous advancements in artificial intelligence and its increasing prevalence, the intersection of the Metaverse and artificial intelligence is inevitable.

Metaverse is a massively scaled, interoperable, and interactive real-time platform composed of interconnected virtual worlds where people can perform real-life activities. In its most complete form, Metaverse will be a series of decentralized, interconnected virtual worlds with a fully functioning economy like the physical world.

AI in Metaverse

There are several ways in which artificial intelligence is being employed in the Metaverse. In Metaverse, AI is used for supervised speech processing, content analysis, computer vision, and much more.

One of the most talked about concepts of the Metaverse is the use of avatars, which are virtual replicas of people in the virtual world. Artificial intelligence can analyze 2D user images or 3D scans to create realistic and accurate Avatars of people. People can change the hair color, style of clothing, etc., of their avatars according to their preference. Companies like Ready Player Me have been using artificial intelligence to help build avatars for the Metaverse.

In Metaverse, avatars have the ability to see and listen to other users to understand them. They can also use speech and body language to create human-like interactions. Digital humans are 3D chatbots that can react and respond to others’ actions just as an actual human would. These digital humans or avatars are purely built using artificial intelligence technology and are an essential element for the construction of the Metaverse.

With the use of artificial intelligence, users across the globe will be able to interact in the Metaverse freely. Natural Language Processing (NLP) which is a subfield of AI can help achieve this. NLP helps machines process and understand the human language to be able to automatically perform repetitive tasks. AI can break down natural languages such as English or Hindi and then transform them into a machine-readable format. After analysis, an output response is produced, which is then converted back into English and sent back to other users, creating a real-life effect.

One of the significant elements of AI is machine learning-based model training which requires training data. When an AI model is fed historical data, it analyses the previous outputs and suggests new outputs based on them. This function of artificial intelligence models is expected to eventually be able to perform tasks and provide the correct outputs just as human beings.

Considering some of the ways mentioned above in which artificial intelligence is being employed in the Metaverse, it is pretty evident that AI does and will continue to play an important role in the Metaverse. However, there are still certain questions about how artificial intelligence will be employed and looked after in the virtual world.

Challenges

The concept of the Metaverse is still very new, although a lot of research and operations have gone into it. Researchers are working on making Metaverse a full-fledged virtual world, and while this is happening, there are several questions about the use of Metaverse that need to be asked and answered. How will Metaverse distinguish if users interacting are AI generated virtual avatars and not actual humans? How will Metaverse identify deepfakes?

Furthermore, as of now, there are very few safety and fraud protocols in the virtual world, let alone anyone responsible for them. Therefore the question arises, will Metaverse allow users to implement artificial intelligence technology to use codes to gain illegally in the virtual world? The questions are many, and the answers are few.

Conclusion

According to experts, as research advances, Metaverse is expected to thrive with the assistance of artificial intelligence, and all the unanswered questions about the functionality and credibility of the virtual world are expected to be answered along with that.

Until the Metaverse becomes a popular concept and attracts a lot of users, the models will continue to lack data to learn from. Considering that, the Metaverse employees dedicated to solving issues will not be able to solve anything beforehand as they will need to wait for issues to arise and then go from there. For that reason, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the concept of Metaverse and its functionality. However, one thing is certain, the integral role of artificial intelligence in the Metaverse is of paramount importance.

Raspberry Pi recreates T-800 Terminator Skull using Machine Learning

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Sahil Pawar

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July 23, 2022

Raspberry Pi recreates T-800 Terminator Skull

Michael Darby, the maker of 314Reactor, has recreated the T-800 Terminator head with the help of Raspberry Pi 4 – a series of small single-board computers, and a slew of accessories.

The project is housed inside a replica prop of the skull of a T-800 Terminator that is big enough to accommodate a full-sized Pi. Along with Pi, Darby has installed a speaker in the skull for audio output and a camera in the eye. Besides, the skull uses machine learning to synthesize speech and recognize objects detected via the camera module.

The details for the project were shared in full at Hackster. According to the report, the parts of the project include a Raspberry Pi 4 – 8 GB, LEDs, an Adafruit Braincraft HAT, a camera module, and a speaker from Seeed Studio.

Darby found the T-800 skull prop at a UK-based online shop called The Cave. He said that this was his 3rd attempt at creating a working T-800 skull. Previous attempts involved using methods like 3D printing to replicate the prop.

This project is an open source project which means the code used to drive the T-800 skull is available for anyone to use for free. The source code can be found on Michael Darby’s official GitHub profile.

To know how to recreate this Raspberry Pi project or to get a closer look at how it works, visit the complete build guide at Hackster. Also, check out the demo video shared on YouTube to know more.

IBM announces Db2 operator on AWS for Kubernetes

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Sahil Pawar

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July 22, 2022

IBM has announced the launch of the Db2 operator on AWS Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) for Kubernetes. The tech corporation has promised the same would be available on Azure AKS during the second half of 2022.

Db2 was first launched as a way to get a cloud-native version of the database in the cloud. However, it was only available on RedHat OpenShift.

IBM has now ported Db2u universal container services to Amazon EKS. The same is expected to be done for Azure AKS. Db2 database administrator Ember Crooks has written about the backstory of Db2u. IBM also released a tutorial introducing the product.

According to Scott Konash, Db2 director at Datavail, a database support and services company, IBM’s support for Db2 in Kubernetes on AWS and Azure was well received by users looking for a cloud migration path for their on-prem databases.

In the earlier days of the development of cloud services, IBM struggled to persuade users that the optimal way to transfer Db2 to the new infrastructure was to use its cloud services.

With no fully managed relational database service for Db2 on AWS, there was no feasible way to get Db2 onto Amazon’s platform, which is still dominant in the market. IBM is now starting to become more open with Db2u containerization. The company is a game changer in keeping existing customers on the database while offering a route to the cloud.

AI system helps assess severity of Psoriasis

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Sahil Pawar

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July 22, 2022

AI system helps assess severity of Psoriasis

An artificial intelligence (AI) system developed at the University of Yamanashi, Japan, can now help medical professionals assess the severity of Psoriasis. The study was published online in the form of a short report in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Takashi Okamoto and their colleagues from the University of Yamanashi have created a simplified Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) system (Single-Shot PASI) by associating AI models capable of assessing psoriasis severity.

During the model development, the team used 705 psoriasis images of the front and back of patients. 10 images were used to validate the deep learning system.

Thirteen board-certified dermatologists and nine medical students scored the test sets without any assistance from AI. Subsequently, they referred to the scores of AI and then reevaluated their own previous scores.

With the assistance of artificial intelligence, standard deviation among evaluators and mean absolute differences from AI scores were significantly reduced.

The Single-Shot PASI system decreases the pressure of scoring psoriasis severity for dermatologists. Even when the AI scores from the Single-Shot PASI system are not used directly, referencing them later reduces deviations in the evaluation between dermatologists.

Moreover, the AI application and Single-Shot PASI system can be an instant tool to check psoriasis severity for patients with Psoriasis objectively. The Single-Shot PASI system is hoped to be used by many dermatologists and patients to address Psoriasis.

MeetKai Unveils World’s First Publicly Available AI-Powered Metaverse at Times Square

By

Preetipadma K

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July 21, 2022

MeetKai Unveils the World’s First Publicly Available AI-Powered Metaverse at Times Square — Image Credit: MeetKai

Recently, MeetKai announced opening the first publicly accessible AI-powered metaverse, which can be accessed through VR and any smart device.

An authentic metaverse is a digitally replicated environment where users may engage in various social, recreational, and artistic activities. It can be considered a virtual parallel universe to our analog reality. While we are chasing the idea of having an interactive virtual twin, we can expect real-world elements to populate the virtual environments too. Expanding on this concept is MeetKai, a conversational AI and metaverse startup with more than 20 million users and deployments in more than 30 countries.

An actual billboard at the intersection of 7th Avenue and 47th Street has been transformed into an anamorphic gateway to MeetKai’s metaverse, a virtual version of Times Square in New York City, and is free and available to the public. Users can concurrently explore the same place physically and digitally after scanning a QR code, engage in player interaction, and travel to different realms inside MeetKai’s metaverse.

James Kaplan, the CEO, and Weili Dai, the former president and co-founder of Marvell Technology Group, are the architects behind MeetKai. They built the fundamental AI technology at MeetKai during their formative years, and they are now fusing it with the metaverse. With over 83 percent of the world’s population owning a smartphone, MeetKai Metaverse not only develops VR-based experiences for headsets but is also open, simple to use, and ultimately intended to be available to all browser-compatible devices, including tablets and PCs, with no installation required. Such initiatives can go a long way in reducing the digital divide as the metaverse goes mainstream.

Additionally, MeetKai’s AI ensures that communication replicates actual human conversation rather than forcing users to modify their dialogue to fit how computers absorb information.

This “Phase 1 Beta” activation is the first move in MeetKai’s larger vision to map the entire world, improve reality rather than attempt to replace it, and use AI and VR to make activities like shopping, working together, or learning simpler and more pleasant.

Users will have the chance to collect rare “Key to the City – NYC Edition” non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which can authenticate exclusive digital assets. NFTs will enable users to access gift cards and exclusive features on MeetKai. Additionally, the owner of one of the keys will have the opportunity to have a metaverse street named after them based on their hobbies. The company also intends to conduct a scavenger hunt in New York using NFTs.

The icing on top is all users, regardless of location, will be able to claim a MeetKai Metaverse citizenship and visit an alternative Louvre metaverse which is also created by MeetKai. In the Louvre metaverse, users can explore the Louvre, see the Mona Lisa without the crowds and even have a quick talk to a non-player character version of Leonardo Da Vinci. The gateway and billboard in Time Square will be open until August 11, 2022.

IIT Palakkad offers free online course on AI through NPTEL

By

Sahil Pawar

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July 21, 2022

IIT Palakkad offers free online course on AI

IIT Palakkad is offering a free online course on artificial intelligence (AI) through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) platform. The duration of the course is 12 weeks.

Titled Applied Accelerated Artificial Intelligence, the course will teach students the basics of system software and computer capabilities that are necessary to implement AI-based solutions for industry use.

The course will teach students how to use state-of-the-art AI Software Development Kits (SDKs) to solve complex problems along with demonstrations. Students will also discuss the end-to-end deployment of two industrial use cases. Companies working in the domain of machine learning will provide industry support to the students.

The free online course will be most beneficial for:

Ph.D. scholars (any stream of science or engineering)
Postgraduate students (any stream of science or engineering)
3rd and 4th year UG students (any stream of Engineering)
Non-students and working professionals

Ideally, learners are expected to have prior knowledge of computer organization, machine learning, deep learning, and high-performance.

The instructors for the AI course are:

Professor Satyajit Das from IIT Palakkad
Professor Satyadhyan Chickerur from KLE Technological University
Professor Bharatkumar Sharma from NVIDIA
Professor Adesuyi Tosin from Kumoh National Institute of Technology
Professor Ashrut Ambastha from NVIDIA

For more information on the course modules and to apply for the course, visit the NPTEL website.

The free online course on AI offered by IIT Palakkad is free when it comes to accessing the learning content. However, learners must appear for a proctored exam at any of the designated study centers to receive a certificate.

Microsoft launches Cloud for Sovereignty at Microsoft Inspire 2022

By

Sahil Pawar

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July 21, 2022

Microsoft launches Cloud for Sovereignty

At Microsoft Inspire 2022 conference, the company has announced the launch of the Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty, which is a new solution for public sector customers who need the ability to guarantee that data of their users is processed and stored in a given region.

With the use of Microsoft Cloud for Sovereignty, public sector customers will have greater control over their data and increased transparency during the operational and governance processes of the cloud. Users will be able to run workloads in any of Azure’s 60+ data center regions and access all the standard Microsoft Cloud services such as Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and the Azure platform.

Microsoft will also offer a Sovereign Landing Zone to recommend and enforce compliance options by employing the same infrastructure-as-code and policy-as-code features as its Azure Landing Zone. This will make it easier for its public sector customers to get up and running and give them the flexibility to tailor these policies to their needs.

The other major cloud providers also offer systems to ensure data sovereignty regulations compliance. Google recently announced its Sovereign Controls for its workspace product. AWS offers all the primitives to build these features but also bets on its network of third-party consultants and vendors to enable these capabilities for its customers.

However, very few cloud providers have put the same emphasis on data governance as Azure, which may pay off in its quest to bring more lucrative public sector customers on board.

Microsoft Inspire 2022: What to expect?

By

Sahil Pawar

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July 20, 2022

Microsoft Inspire, formerly known as the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, is a conference held annually by Microsoft Corporation for its partner community. At Microsoft Inspire 2022, which is being held on July 19-20, partners will learn about Microsoft’s roadmap for the upcoming year.

Besides, Inspire 2022 will act as a platform for partners to network and build connections, share best practices, learn new skills and techniques, and experience the latest product innovations.

The conference also consists of keynote addresses from Microsoft executives and featured speakers, apart from having business-track-specific offerings.

The event also plays host to the Partner of the Year Awards, which celebrate successes related to partner competencies, cloud technology, and entrepreneurial spirit. The awards also highlight the great work done by partners in various industries and in driving social impact. The Country or Region Partner of the Year Awards recognize partner successes in over 100 countries and regions worldwide.

This year, Microsoft Inspire 2022 has added two new awards:

The Operational Excellence Award is for partners committed to recognizing the importance of operational excellence to drive partner profitability, consumption, digital transformation, and customer loyalty.
The Compliance Award is for partners enabling customer success by delivering expertise through the Microsoft Compliance product portfolio technologies and advising customers as they navigate through today’s compliance challenges.

At Microsoft Inspire 2022, Partner of the Year Award finalists and winners will receive recognition from Microsoft and the partner community. This year Microsoft Inspire is again being held virtually, allowing partners from around the globe to attend.

HCL awarded Microsoft Partner of the Year 2022 in the healthcare and life sciences category.

By

Sahil Pawar

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July 20, 2022

HCL awarded Microsoft Partner of the Year 2022

HCL Technologies was recognized as the Microsoft Partner of the Year at Microsoft Inspire 2022 for innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology.

HCL received the Microsoft Partner of the Year Award in the category of Healthcare and Life Sciences. The company was also one of the domain finalists in the Microsoft Partner of the Year Award 2022 for the Internet of Things.

Kalyan Kumar, CTO and Head of Ecosystems at HCL Technologies, said that the awards and nominations are a testament to the company’s commitment to the CloudSMART strategy, which is a key pillar of the HCL ecosystem.

He added that HCL’s partnership with Microsoft aims to deliver value to their clients through industry-leading innovation and transformation on the Microsoft cloud.

The HCL Microsoft Ecosystem Unit assists organizations in transforming into more agile and adaptive enterprises with a focus on maximizing business value from the industry, leading to innovation and transformation on the Microsoft cloud.

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize partners that have developed and delivered outstanding Microsoft-based applications, services, and devices during the preceding year. More than 3,900 nominations were registered from about 100+ countries worldwide for the awards.

The awards are announced every year at the global partner conference of the company, Microsoft Inspire, which is taking place from July 19 to 20 this year.

Microsoft announces Azure Space Partner Community

By

Sahil Pawar

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July 20, 2022

Microsoft announces Azure Space partner community

Microsoft has announced that its Azure Space portfolio of cloud products has evolved to become a full-fledged partner community, with its members receiving access to multiple benefits. The announcement came yesterday at Microsoft Inspire 2022.

Azure Space is a platform and ecosystem of cloud-based products aimed at the needs of the space community and beyond. It is centered around Microsoft’s Azure Orbital service, which provides satellite operators with terrestrial antennas and ground stations that allow them to communicate with their space-faring craft.

In a blog post, Microsoft said that through the offerings related to Azure Space, the company has established meaningful partnerships across the space industry, including systems integrators, space operators, data providers, and many more. These partners provide various services with ground infrastructure, earth observation, virtualization, data processing, etc., that are in high demand among companies working in the space sector.

Microsoft believes it is the right time for the Azure Space ecosystem to evolve into an official and mutually beneficial community of partners. As part of the community, companies will benefit from Microsoft’s support in go-to-market strategy and co-engineering.

For example, Azure Space Partner Community members will gain direct access to Microsoft’s engineering resources. They will also be able to participate in Azure Space training, access quarterly Azure Space roadmap reviews and newsletters, and collaborate with Microsoft’s engineering and sales teams on proof of concepts.

The Azure Space Partner Community will further benefit from go-to-market support with benefits like first-party product integration in offerings such as Power BI and Microsoft Teams. On the marketing side, there will be opportunities for partners to be showcased in customer presentations and sales training. Partners will also be able to participate in space and spectrum-focused Microsoft events such as Build and Inspire.