Australian Watchdog sues Meta over Scam Celebrity Crypto advertisements

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March 22, 2022

The Australian consumer watchdog sues Meta over a scam that involves fake celebrity crypto advertisements.

The watchdog alleged that Meta’s social media platform Facebook is engaged in spreading false, misleading, or deceptive behavior by distributing scam advertisements depicting famous Australian public personalities.

According to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), the advertisements encouraged cryptocurrency or money-making schemes and may have caused Facebook users to believe they were promoted by celebrities including businessman Dick Smith, former NSW Premier Mike Baird, andTV presenter David Koch.

Recently, Facebook was also condemned by the UN for allowing its users to throw malevolent remarks against Russians and calling for violent actions against the Russian armed forces amidst the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Chair Rod Sims said in a statement, “The essence of our case is that Meta is responsible for these ads that it publishes on its platform.”

The ads included links to a false news item with statements that the public figure featured in the advertisement advocates a cryptocurrency or money-making scheme. It then would ask users to signup, after which they were contacted by scammers who used high-pressure methods like frequent phone calls to persuade them to deposit money into the scam.

Sims said, “It is a key part of Meta’s business to enable advertisers to target users who are most likely to click on the link in an ad to visit the ad’s landing page, using Facebook algorithms.”

Meta was allegedly aware that celebrity endorsement cryptocurrency fraud advertising was being published on its platform but failed to take necessary action to address the problem. Meta has not yet shared any official remarks regarding this episode.

Russia may be using AI-powered Killer Drones against Ukraine

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Dipayan Mitra

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March 21, 2022

In the past week, several images emerged on social media platforms showing that Russia is using artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Killer Drones in its war against Ukraine.

This new development raises many concerns regarding AI warfare, which the world has yet not witnessed. The emerged photographs seem to be of the KUB-BLA, a drone described as a “loitering munition.”

The deadly and highly capable drones are sold by a Russian armaments manufacturer, Kalashnikov’s subsidiary, ZALA Aero. KUB-BLAs are miniature drones launched from a portable launch tube and crash into their target to detonate a bomb.

It can drive at 130 km/h for 30 minutes before purposefully colliding with a target and detonating a 3-kilo bomb. However, authorities have not yet confirmed whether Russia is employing KUB-BLA drones in its bombardment of various Ukrainian cities.

Experts are criticizing this move of Russia across the globe, claiming that the employment of “killer robots” such as these violates globally agreed-upon laws on what may and cannot be employed on the battlefield.

Though Russia has a vast number of artificial intelligence weaponry and technological systems, they do not appear to have been practically utilized in a full-scale war.

Zachary Kallenborn, a research affiliate with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, said, The notion of a killer robot — where you have artificial intelligence fused with weapons — that technology is here, and it’s being used.”

The main concern with these autonomous weapons is that there is no human conscience involved in how to kill as the decisions are made using artificial intelligence algorithms.

Additionally, experts suggest that Putin could also launch an AI attack on the UK if he feels threatened in the Ukraine war.

SAS India and IIT Kanpur launches Certification Course in Applied AI ML for Business Decision Analysis

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Dipayan Mitra

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March 21, 2022

Advanced business analytics and intelligence software providing company SAS India has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to launch a new one-year certification course in applied AI ML for business decision analysis.

The Applied AI&ML for Business Decision Analysis course will provide the relevant knowledge and skills from top IIT Kanpur faculty and SAS.

As analytics skills are in high demand, this new course designed by IIT Kanpur and SAS is designed to add value to help learners gain knowledge and open doors to a brighter future.

Working professionals along with external candidates from institutions and universities other than IIT Kanpur are eligible for the certification course.

Participants will have access to >190 hours of eLearning and 215 hours of recorded live instructor-led training for one year, including video tutorials.

Raghu Nandan Sengupta, professor at IIT Kanpur, said, “The Applied Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning for Business & Decision Analysis program is meant for candidates willing to build a career in Data Science.”

He further added that the program’s case study-based methodology will produce industry-ready participants who will be able to explore a wide range of professional jobs in data science that have opened up as a result of the ongoing global digital transformation that companies are experiencing.

The course curriculum has been meticulously designed to provide learners with technical and application-oriented training in the fields of AI, ML, Business, and Decision Making. A notable advantage of the program is that SAS will provide each participant with a thorough hands-on project, which addresses essential data analysis requirements in an industry setting across various business disciplines.

Interested candidates can visit the official website of SAS to apply for this program. Learners need to pay two installments worth INR 249,999.5 each to take part in the program. However, eligible candidates can also receive financial assistance to pursue the course.

IIT Madras and Northwestern University Researchers develop AI algorithm to Improve 3D Effects in Phone Videos

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Dipayan Mitra

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March 21, 2022

IIT Madras Northwestern University AI algorithm 3D phone video

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and United States-based Northwestern University have developed a novel artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithm that can be used to improve the 3D effects of phone videos.

The newly developed AI algorithm can considerably enhance the depth perception and 3D effects in videos captured by smartphone cameras.

Officials claim that the algorithms will prevent flat mobile phone photographs and give them a true 3D sense.

Users do not have to install any specialized equipment or lenses on their smartphones to enjoy the benefits of this technology, making it very accessible.

Additionally, as it is a software-based technology, it might be available at a reasonable price compared to hardware solutions. The research has been published in the ‘Proceedings of International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV), 2021’.

Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras, Kaushik Mitra, said, “It is a common complaint, especially among amateur and professional photographers, that photographs and videos shot using smartphone cameras have a flat, two-dimensional look.”

He further added that aside from the flat appearance, several 3D characteristics, such as the Bokeh Effect, an aesthetic blurring of the background that is simple with DSLR cameras, are challenging to achieve with smartphone cameras.

The researchers investigated the problem and developed a deep learning method that converts stereo photos shot on a smartphone into LF (Light Field) images.

The algorithm begins by simultaneously capturing two videos (known as a stereo pair) with the two adjacent cameras found in many modern smartphones.

Deep learning models are then used to take these stereo pairs through a series of phases. The stereo pairs are turned into a 7X7 grid of photos, simulating a 7X7 array of cameras, and the LF image is created.

“In addition to providing depth, our algorithm enables us to view the same video from not just one point of view but from any of the 7×7 grid of viewpoints,” added Mitra.

Aster and IISc Bengaluru launches Artificial Intelligence Lab

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Dipayan Mitra

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March 21, 2022

Aster CMI Hospital has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru to launch a new artificial intelligence lab to carry out research for the betterment of the healthcare industry.

The primary focus of the newly established artificial intelligence lab will be to understand disease patterns and improve treatment outcomes with the help of AI-powered tools.

It is a collaborative lab with the goal of developing cutting-edge AI solutions in the healthcare domain and teaching healthcare professionals in AI to bridge the gap between clinical medicine and technology.

The launch event was attended by Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director, Aster DM Healthcare, Dr. Lokesh B, Consultant Neurology, Aster CMI Hospital, and Dr. Phaneendra K Yalavarthy, Professor of Medical Imaging, Department of Computational and Data Sciences, IISc.

According to officials, the hospital will work with Dr. Phaneendra K Yalavarthy and his team on deep learning algorithms for automatic nerve monitoring and segmentation in ultrasound pictures.

Prof. Phanendra K Yalavarthi said, “The initial focus of this collaborative laboratory will be in neurology and will later be expanded to other clinical specialties. We are setting up this laboratory in our hospital to enable the co-development of some of these AI technologies for healthcare. Aster CMI for providing the space to do this.”

He further added that with an emphasis on translation at the bedside, this collaborative laboratory would enable the creation of highly significant research and technologies.

IISc has been a suitable partner for Aster CMI, which has clinical knowledge to facilitate, translate, and validate artificial intelligence algorithms for clinical usage because of its competence in creating AI methods.

“With the use of AI, doctors and medical providers will now be able to deliver a more accurate diagnosis in the fastest possible time, which can aid the treatment journey. Also, AI would be a big leap towards predictive and proactive data analytics, which will improve preventive care recommendations for patients,” said Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare.

He also mentioned that they are excited to collaborate with IISc, which will allow healthcare professionals to conduct research and better leverage AI tools to better understand their patients’ disease patterns and considerably enhance treatment outcomes.

PicsArt Launches Artificial intelligence Generated Fonts

By

Dipayan Mitra

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March 21, 2022

Picsart Artificial intelligence Generated Fonts

World’s leading digital creation platform PicsArt announces the launch of its new end-to-end artificial intelligence-powered generated fonts.

According to the company, PicsArt AI Research (PAIR) uses AI to produce new fonts by training models on a vast dataset of selected typefaces, allowing the models to create letters, symbols, and numbers.

The development comes just after the company introduced its API, making its world-class creative tools available to businesses. This new project started in 2021 as a part PicsArt’s hackathon, which later evolved into a full-fledged AI-generated font solution.

PicsArt Gold subscribers already have access to and can use over 30 of these unique intelligence-generated fonts. The company claims that users get access to multiple new fonts on a monthly basis.

Director of AI and Machine Learning at PicsArt, Anush Ghambaryam, said that over the last ten years, they had seen a change in written communication to become more visual.

“As the demand for visual communication increases, so does the need for new and unlimited options for creation. Fonts are one of the most popular features in our entire content library, and this new technology opens the door for infinite font creation,” he added.

PicsArt claims that its technology generates hundreds of glyphs, converts them to a vectorized image, passes further quality control checks, and generates a font file in the most common font file-formats, including TTF and OTF.

Chief Scientist at PicsArt and Founder of PAIR, Humphrey Shi, said, “At PAIR, we’re on an exciting mission to innovate and develop the best AI tools and products to empower creative communication for everyone.”

United States-based all-in-one photo and video editing application PicsArt was founded by Artavazd Mehrabyan and Karim xaki Xaki in 2011. It is the world’s largest digital creation platform and a top 20 most downloaded application.

To date, the company has raised $195 million from investors like Tribe Capital, Graph Ventures, Siguler Guff & Company, and many others over five funding rounds.

Microsoft Researchers Build AI Device to help Blind Children interact

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Dipayan Mitra

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March 20, 2022

Microsoft AI Device Blind Children interact

Researchers from Microsoft have built a novel wearable artificial intelligence-powered device named PeopleLens that can help blind children interact with others easily while simultaneously boosting their confidence.

It is especially difficult for children who are born blind to interact with others as they face the challenge of raising their voice in the direction of the person they wish to interact with.

Therefore, Microsoft’s new AI device can considerably help those children get along with others.

They will be able to better understand their immediate social surroundings, communicate with others, and build confidence.

Principal Research Manager at Microsoft Research Lab located in Cambridge, Cecily Morrison, said, “The PeopleLens helps learners build a People Map, a mental map of those around them needed to effectively signal communicative intent.”

Morrison further added that the new technology informs the learner’s peers when they have been seen and can interact – a replacement for the eye contact that typically initiates a human connection.

PeopleLens comes with multiple features like identifying individuals, attention notifications from the direction of other individuals, following capability, orientation guide, and many more.

The highly competent technology uses augmented reality glasses, which get connected to mobile devices.

Users then need to register faces in the device with whom they wish to connect, as the system can only identify people whose inputs have been registered.

The AI-powered system then receives the photos and processes them using computer vision algorithms to continuously locate, identify, track, and capture the gaze directions of persons in the area.

Microsoft is looking for students aged 5 to 11 in the United Kingdom who are interested in exploring technology as part of a multistage research study.

Meta takes down deepfake of Ukraine’s President surrendering

By

Osheen Jain

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March 20, 2022

Meta Takes Down DeepFake Ukraine President

A deepfake and heavily manipulated video showing Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy surrendering has been removed by Meta. It was first placed on a Ukrainian news website by hackers Wednesday before it was debunked and removed. The one-minute-long deepfake shows the Ukrainian president appealing to his soldiers to lay down their arms in the fight against Russia and surrender.

Nathaniel Gleicher, the Head of Security Policy at Meta, explained that they have removed the content for breaking the company’s rules against “manipulated media.” It’s a form of multimedia misinformation in which a public figure is seen saying something they never actually said.

According to the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, the same video is circulating widely on Meta’s Russian counterpart, VKontakte. The same lab has also observed that a pro-Russia Telegram channel published a deepfake on Wednesday depicting Zelensky calling the country to surrender.

It is unclear who created the deepfake or where it was generated. The Ukraine government officials have been warning the country about the possibility of Russia spreading manipulated videos as part of its information warfare.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency released a video about how state-sponsored deepfakes could be used to sow panic and confusion. The video shows a passable lip-sync. However, the viewers pointed out that Zelenskyy’s accent was off and that his facial movements did not appear authentic upon quick inspection.

Zelenskyy quickly counteracted the disinformation with his own messaging on Telegram, which was shot in the same selfie video style that’s characterized Zelensky’s communications. Zelenskyy also posted a video on his official Instagram account debunking the video. “As for the latest childish provocation with advice to lay down arms, I only advise that the troops of the Russian Federation lay down their arms and return home,” he said. “We are at home and defending Ukraine.”

Intel plans to Invest $36 billion for Chip Manufacturing in Europe

By

Dipayan Mitra

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March 19, 2022

Global semiconductor manufacturing giant Intel announces its plan to invest $36 billion for microchip manufacturing in Europe.

This new development is a move towards making the European Union more self-reliant for manufacturing semiconductors.

According to the plan, Intel aims to establish two semiconductor facilities in Germany to boost chip manufacturing in the region.

The newly announced German fabrication facilities, according to Intel, will build chips with the company’s most advanced capabilities, and the plants are expected to open in 2027.

The plants will employ cutting-edge chip manufacturing technologies in an endeavor to develop chips with a width of two nanometers or less.

Intel’s fabs will help rebalance global silicon capacity and create a more resilient supply chain, mentioned Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz.

Over the last few years, Intel has pledged to transform itself into a chip manufacturer for the world, opening its factories to manufacture chips designed by anybody willing to pay.

CEO of Intel, Pat Gelsinger, said, “This broad initiative will boost Europe’s R&D innovation and bring leading-edge manufacturing to the region for the benefit of our customers and partners around the world.”

He further added that they are committed to playing a key role in shaping Europe’s digital future over the next many decades. Along with Intel, TSMC, another semiconductor manufacturing giant, also expressed its intentions to enter the European market by opening facilities in the region.

Additionally, Intel also plans to establish R&D, manufacturing, and foundry services in Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Spain, along with a new R&D and design center in France.

Ukraine’s president just signed a law to legalize crypto

By

Osheen Jain

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March 19, 2022

Last month, Ukraine’s parliament passed a bill called “On Virtual Assets” to legalize cryptocurrency. And now, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky has signed the bill to legalize crypto in the country. The decision comes after Ukraine received million in crypto.

Since Russia’s invasion, individuals and groups from around the world have sent an estimated $100 million in crypto donations to Ukraine, including aid groups, the Ukrainian military, hacktivists, and everyday citizens.

In a post shared on Telegram, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, said the law would “bring the crypto sector out of the shadows.”

Ukraine has been preparing a framework for regulating and managing cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. This bill will legalize crypto in Ukraine and provides a legal framework for the country to operate in a regulated crypto market.

According to Cointelegraph, Coindesk, and other digital asset-focused outlets, crypto exchanges and firms will now have to register with the government to operate legally in Ukraine. Also, the banks will be allowed to open accounts for crypto firms.

The law also empowers Ukraine’s Stock Market Commission and National Securities to determine the country’s policies on digital assets, act as a financial watchdog, and issue licenses to businesses dealing with crypto.