MongoDB 6.0 introduces encrypted queries and time-series data collection

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June 9, 2022

MongoDB introduces encrypted queries and time-series data

The creators of MongoDB and its commercial service counterpart MongoDB Atlas have made the document database more developer-friendly by introducing encrypted queries and time-series data collection in the upgraded MongoDB 6.0. MongoDB is a source-available cross-platform document-oriented database program.

The primary purpose behind MongoDB was to provide developers with an easier way to store, index, and retrieve documents as objects and not to translate the work to SQL. The due release of MongoDB has various news features for boosting developer productivity. All the latest developments will be discussed at the MongoDB World, a conference being held in New York this week.

According to MongoDB, the Queryable Encryption, now available in preview, provides the ability to query encrypted data, allowing the entire query transaction to be encrypted. Organizations with a vast amount of sensitive data, such as banks, hospitals, and government organizations, will be able to benefit from this development. This fact also eliminates the requirement for developers to be encryption experts, said Andrew Davidson, MongoDB vice president of cloud products.

The new end-to-end client-side encryption employs novel encrypted index data structures. The data being searched for stays encrypted on the database server, including in the CPU and the memory. The application never loses the keys, and the company maintains the query speed. Thus overall application performance is impacted by the latest advancements.

MongoDB will also consist of time series data collection, vital for monitoring physical systems, rapidly-changing financial data, and other temporary datasets. Time-series collections in MongoDB 6.0 have secondary indexes on measurements, and the optimized database system will sort time-based data more efficiently.

Google Cloud Marketplace Launches DataRobot AI Cloud

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Disha Chopra

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June 9, 2022

datarobot now available on google cloud marketplace

DataRobot AIX 2022: Cloud leader DataRobot announced its launch on Google Cloud Marketplace to make it easier for customers to thrive in the ever-evolving markets with the help of AI. The President and COO, Debanjan Saha, shared, “To thrive in today’s market, customers must have the ability to deliver AI where their data resides.”

The strategic expansion of the partnership between DataRobot and Google Cloud will enable the existing customers to avail services and meet the vendors where they are. This will make accelerating and innovating the industry across cloud platforms easier.

DataRobot customers can now benefit from Google Marketplace by streamlining the deployment phase, generating better business solutions, and constructing & training AI-based models. The cloud conjugation deploys such services in production on-premises and manages them from a single glass plane.

The partnership seems to be a great move because a growing market demands to utilize most of its data, no matter where it is stored. It allows customers to experience the following:

Enhanced time to value: DataRobot services can be conveniently purchased using the Marketplace and operated from that moment.
Complementary with Google Cloud Services: Several DataRobot services can seamlessly integrate with Google’s services like BigQuery, Looker, etc. They can also conveniently leverage the pool of vast libraries like Vertex AI.
Flexibility: The partnership offers the perks of a multi-cloud data source that can also incorporate third-party models.

As said by Dai Vu, MD, Marketplace & ISV GTM Programs, Google, “Enabling AI to be accessible to a broader set of users has become a key driver of growth for organizations today.” The unified platform will bring data together and suit nearly users, from IT experts and data scientists to business analysts.

Quantum computer Borealis achieves computational advantage using photonic machine

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 9, 2022

A group of researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, US, and Xanadu, Canada, claim that Borealis, their quantum computer, has successfully achieved computational advantage in taking boson sampling challenge using a photonic machine. A research paper published in Nature describes the quantum computer and its exceptional performance.

In a quest to create a perfectly usable quantum computer machine, researchers give more power to devices they work on before subjecting them to computational advantage tests. The desired output is that the devices can process the problem, which on the other hand, would take typical computers an impractical amount of time.

In a recent experiment, the team of researchers used a photonic machine, which uses photos to represent qubits, to take on the boson sampling challenge. The Gaussian boson sampling challenge involved the preparation of states of light and their direction through a beam splitters’ network and then counting the number of photons arriving at the detector.

The best conventional computers get quickly bogged down in an attempt to tackle the challenge, whereas theory suggests that a quantum computer should do the opposite. Previous endeavors to take on the challenge used 76 to 113 photons. One significant step is that the new machine built by the research team had access to up to 219 photons, averaging 125.

While attempting the challenge, Borealis was found to be able to perform a specified task in 36 microseconds. According to researchers, the best conventional computer would have taken about 9,000 years to finish the same job. This difference in time and efficiency has led the researchers to state the computational advantage.

The researchers further tested the output Borealis gave and proved that the computer could not be spoofed, thus acting as evidence that it gave the correct answers.

RStudio Workbench is Now Accessible on your Azure Working Environment

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Disha Chopra

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June 9, 2022

RStudio has collaborated with Azure ML to make RStudio Workbench available on the Azure ML environment. The president, Tareef Kawaf, briefed, “RStudio is very pleased to work with the Azure Machine Learning team on this release, as we collaborate to make it easier for organizations to move their open-source data science workloads to the cloud.”

RStudio Workbench offers an IDE (integrated development environment) for the R programming language. It provides open-source and ready-to-use professional software for research, technical communication, and data science.

On the other hand, Azure ML environments provide an encapsulation where users can train their ML scripts. They define the Python packages, software settings, and environment variables around your scoring scripts.

With Rstudio conjugating with the Azure ML environment, users can conveniently access, analyze, and develop better results. This offering allows one to begin as a single-user instance and effortlessly integrate RStudio benefits into analytics work within the Azure ML environment.

This will be possible with all three broad categories of environments-curated, user-managed and system-managed. Azure ML provides curated environments by default. To access RStudio in user-managed environments, one must set up and manually install all required packages. Lastly, conda will manage all python-based environments after being specified in system-managed environments.

The partnership allows one to use the following functions of RStudio: preferred IDE (VSCode/Jupyter Notebook/RStudio), open multiple Python sessions, access different versions of Python (and R), make use of pre-installed packages and run several scripts in the background.

All of the functions of RStudio Workbench, as mentioned above, are availed within the Azure Platform.

Amazon opens New Technology Hub In Boston

By

Dipayan Mitra

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June 9, 2022

Global eCommerce giant Amazon officially opens its new technology hub located in Boston, United States.

The new Tech Hub was inaugurated by Amazon and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, and developer WS Development. Amazon says that the tech hub has a capacity of nearly 2000 employees.

The Boston Tech Hub includes additional office space, innovation labs, and mixed-use common areas enabling teams to keep thinking and innovating for consumers.

Additionally, Amazon is collaborating with UMass Boston to guarantee students and alumni have the proper tools, training, and knowledge to effectively access jobs in computer-related professions at Amazon and other tech companies.

Senior Vice President and Head Scientist at Amazon Alexa, Rohit Prasad, said, “Our teams in the Boston area are working on exciting innovations for our global customers—from artificial intelligence and machine learning to cloud computing and robotics engineering.”

He further added that they would like to thank the city of Boston and Massachusetts for allowing them to build their future here, and they look forward to continuing to invest and generate employment throughout the Commonwealth.

At the Boston Tech Hub, Amazon presently offers over 1,000 tech and corporate positions available. Interested candidates can apply for the open positions from the official website of amazon.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said, “From jobs in operations to roles in engineering and machine learning, we are pleased that Amazon continues to create opportunities and expand across Massachusetts.”

Baker also mentioned that Amazon’s Boston Tech Hub and its new location in Boston Seaport would continue to generate excellent employment for the Commonwealth’s exceptional tech talent while also boosting investment in Massachusetts’ innovation economy.

Recently, Amazon Style also announced the launch of its first artificial intelligence (AI)-powered physical retail store in Los Angeles, United States. The newly launched store will sell men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories in sizes XS-XXL.

US Copyright Office sued over rejection to grant authorship to AI model

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 9, 2022

US Copyright Office rejects AI authorship

Stephen Thaler, founder and board chairman of Imagination Engines, has sued the US Copyright Office, including its director Shira Perlmutter for rejecting Thaler’s plea to register his artificial intelligence software as the author of an image created by it.

According to Thaler’s request, his AI software, Creativity Machine, should be legally recognized as the author of ‘A Recent Entrance to Paradise’, an image generated by the software, thus granting it copyright. Moreover, Thaler demands that he should be registered as the owner of the copyrighted image.

After his application to register his AI model as the author and him as the owner of the same was rejected twice in a row, Thaler decided to sue the Copyright Office. In a court document, he claimed that the defendants refused to register claims to the copyrighted work, which is contrary to law.

In this case, Ryan Abbott, Thaler’s lawyer, believes that the officials should set aside the refusal to register the copyright claim and reinstate the application.

However, in the latest rejection of the request by the Copyright Office, the officials reiterated that the current copyright laws do not apply to content created by artificial intelligence or any other non-human entities of that sort.

Further, the officials added that today’s copyright laws protect only the fruits of intellectual labor rooted in the creative powers of the human mind. Since the work must be created by a human being to be copyrighted, the US Copyright Office refused to register works produced by mere mechanical processes without any creative inputs from a human being.

Thaler, however, insists that the claims he made are logical and must be admitted by the US Copyright Office, even if it comes at the cost of suing them.
In the year 2020, the India Copyright Office granted co-authorship to artificial intelligence and a human author, Ankit Sahni for the now copyright-protected work of painting, Suryast. This co-authorship has set a precedent and paved the way for full AI authorship recognition.

New AI system to detect presence of Elephants in Kerala

By

Dipayan Mitra

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June 9, 2022

The forest department has deployed an artificial intelligence (AI)-aided system along the highways near Thumboormuzhi, Kerala, to alert and warn travelers.

The newly developed artificial intelligence system is deployed on the Chalakudy-Athirapally-Malakkappara route to help in saving wildlife.

According to officials, the forest department and the United Nations Development Program would work together to implement the early warning system.

The system contains numerous artificial intelligence-powered cameras and a sensor-based early warning system that sends an alarm to forest department rangers’ mobile phones when wild elephants invade human habitats. This one-of-a-kind technology has been developed in partnership with Kochi-based Invendo I Technologies.

Chalakudy DFO Sambudha Majumdar said, “Presently, we are using high-definition cameras installed by the department. Only the AI software was purchased from the company. A control unit and response team to manage the wild elephant issue are already in place.”

He further added that if the camera captures images of wild jumbos within 100 meters of the Athirappilly road, the LED screen will display a red alarm.

The forest department spent 2 lakh on the trial experiment, whereas AI technology will be more expensive. Following successful testing, the agency intends to put similar warning signs in strategic areas around the Athirapilly region, where vehicle traffic is heavy due to the tourist influx.

“Once the elephant reaches near the road, warning messages will appear on the LED board in English and Malayalam with red light,” said an official. Moreover, the official added that they could also send WhatsApp messages to alert forest officers.

Earlier, a similar kind of warning system had been deployed in two-state districts, but it turned out to be ineffective.

Uber and Waymo to Deploy AI-powered self-driving trucks on the US Highways

By

Disha Chopra

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June 9, 2022

Uber Inc’s Freight and Alphabet’s self-driving trucking unit Waymo Via to enter a long-term partnership to deploy AI-powered freight trucks. The companies announced the collaboration to retrofit Waymo’s AI-powered self-driving software on Uber’s logistics and infrastructure.

For years, both companies have competed over self-driving technologies. The clashes also went to trial over Uber’s misappropriated use of Waymo’s tech. The case was soon closed in light of the giants’ settlement and license agreement. This strategic collaboration would allow companies to seek benefits from each other’s tech and logistics. Their future clientele could deploy autonomous trucks by tapping into Uber Freight services and connecting with truckers.

Trucks running with Waymo’s self-driving software would be able to cover the journey autonomously. These trucks will still require human presence because the software only covers part of the journey.

The idea is to cater to highway driving initially. An official from Waymo briefed, “It’s a natural environment to start this deployment due to the large number of highway miles, which are often the most tiring stretches for humans to drive, and which are a large opportunity to improve efficiency in the industry.”

Uber Freight’s drivers in its delivery network cover thousands of miles daily. Under the collaboration, Waymo Via will schedule billions of miles from the Uber Freight network only for its good-only capacity. They will also work together on programs such as Uber’s Powerloop, which will enable exchanges between autonomous trucks and human drivers.

Both firms emphasized the importance of a hybrid network, in which self-driving freight vehicles still require human intervention.

Bengaluru Airport introduces 10 AI-powered Robots

By

Dipayan Mitra

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June 8, 2022

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru introduces 10 new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered assistance robots to enhance the passenger experience.

Ten robots are now being tested to help guide visitors around the airport and answer basic questions. The AI robots were developed in partnership with Artiligent Solutions, which specializes in AI and robotics, to model the robots and also create customized passenger services software.

According to officials, after evaluating user input, the robot count will be adjusted and subsequently enhanced over time in terms of usefulness and capabilities.

Officials said that the default communication language of the robots would be English. However, they plan to include several other languages over time.

The official release mentioned, “The robots will provide a variety of services, which include providing information on the flight status, passenger convenience services, directional assistance, retail, and F&B information.”

It further added that the robots would navigate the terminal automatically and accompany travelers to their destinations. If the robot is unable to answer questions for any reason, travelers will be promptly linked to the airport support desk via video call, which will be displayed on the robot’s screen.

The robots will provide various services such as flight status information, passenger convenience services, navigational aid, retail and F&B information, and so on.

“Pre-empting passenger requirements and complementing new-age technology with a focused customer-centric team approach has been our winning combination,” said Bangalore International Airport Limited Chief Operating Officer Jayaraj Shanmugam.

Startup India Launches the NavIC Grand Challenge

By

Disha Chopra

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June 8, 2022

Startup India launches the NavIC Grand Challenge, accepting applications from 17 May 2022. It envisions the challenge to leverage NavIC services and give India a kickstart towards mapping and enhanced navigation capabilities. The NavIC Grand Challenge is a step forward to promote, encourage, and nurture innovations in indigenous geospatial offerings.

Startup India is a one-stop destination for all stakeholders to enter the startup ecosystem, interact with other venturers, exchange knowledge and learn collaborations. With this event, it aims to invite proposals to use indigenous NavIC-enabled technologies in drones. The drones shall be responsible for capturing data on possible damage to farm field topography. The technology should also be able to process the captured data and make it commercially viable.

The program is open only to relevant stakeholders and industries. All DPIIT-recognized startups, irrespective of the stage, are strongly encouraged to apply. Ideation, Validation, Early Traction, and Scaling Stage startups can apply until 31 July 2022. The relevant sectors are spanning, including areas like AI, Analytics, Automotive, Finance Tech, Design, Nanotech, Social Impact, Sports, Healthcare & Lifesciences, and many more.

The application should not only successfully design NavIC-enabled drones but also deploy them across all types of terrain. Startup India will consider all novel approaches if they offer a flexible, easily deployable, scalable, and affordable solution.

The NavIC challenge also brings several incentives for the applicants other than exposure and experience. The panel will select seven startups for Phase I, offering a grant of Rs 50 Lakhs each for six months. These startups will have to present their prototypes for further validation. In Phase II, three out of the seven startups will be shortlisted and granted Rs 100 Lakhs each for six months. This grant should cater to developing a fully functional product that can be combined with the PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bina Yojana) infrastructure.