The Hitchhiker’s Guide to AI

Farewell to the week, faithful Hitchhiker!

As you prepare to flip the switch on your work week, let's indulge in one more frolic through the AI fields. In today's fry-up: fresh, finger-on-the-pulse AI facts. Grab your fav Friday snack, and let's finish the week with some futuristic fun.

In today’s Tracker:

Sip & scroll: 5 mins

• 🧪 Research highlights: AI Shines New Light on Electronics Manufacturing

• 🚨 Industry news: Samsung Grapples with Historic Profit Plunge

• ⚖️ Policy and regulation: The United Nation's Technological Turn

• 🌐 AI and society: When Siri Runs for Office

• 🧰 Snippets

🏭 Its Crystal Clear When AI Shines New Light on Electronics Manufacturing

In collaboration with RIKEN, researchers at Nagoya University, Japan, have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-based method that precisely predicts the orientation of crystal grains in polycrystalline materials, a crucial factor in the performance of many electronic devices.

By analyzing photographs taken from different angles of the surface of polycrystalline silicon, the team could train its machine learning model to predict the particle orientation distribution accurately.

This innovative technique significantly improves time efficiency and sample size over conventional methods, reducing measurement time from approximately 14 hours to 1.5.

The team anticipates that industries utilizing polycrystalline materials will extensively adopt this technology to optimize material development.

In essence, the artificial intelligence-based technique for predicting crystal orientation in polycrystalline materials could revolutionize the production of electronic devices by making them more efficient.

Our Two-Cents: Researchers have developed a quicker, more innovative way to analyze the structure of vital electronic materials. Using AI, they can predict the arrangement of tiny crystals within these materials in just 1.5 hours - a task that used to take 14. We hope this could make electronics manufacturing faster and more efficient, not to mention cheaper.

📈 Samsung Grapples with Historic Profit Plunge Amidst a Chip Glut

Samsung Electronics, the world's largest producer of memory chips, smartphones, and televisions, is likely experiencing its lowest profit in over 14 years due to a persistent memory chip surplus.

The company's operating profit is anticipated to have decreased 96% year-over-year to 555 billion won ($427 million) in the April-June quarter.

According to reports, declining memory chip prices and diminishing inventory values have resulted in quarterly losses of approximately 3 to 4 trillion won in the chip division, which is typically Samsung's most profitable segment.

Despite these obstacles, Samsung is attempting to increase its market share in the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence semiconductor market. At the same time, its mobile business likely recorded an operating profit of approximately 3,300 trillion won due to decreased marketing expenses.

The ongoing semiconductor surplus continues to significantly impact Samsung's profitability, which has reached a decade-low low.

Perspective: Samsung, the tech giant, is facing its lowest profits in 14 years, mainly due to a glut in memory chips. Despite a slump in the chip division, it's turning towards the growing AI chip market for a rebound. This matters as it shows even industry leaders can face significant challenges. A year and a half back, there was a global chip shortage. Sus!

🇺🇳 AI-mpressive! The UN's Technological Turn to Reach Global Goals

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the technology agency of the United Nations, is counting on machines and artificial intelligence (AI) to help achieve the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015 for human and planetary improvement by 2030.

At a conference in Switzerland, robots such as 'Nadine,' a social automaton with caregiving capabilities, are exhibited to demonstrate the potential of robotics and artificial intelligence in addressing global challenges.

UN agencies have already begun implementing AI, such as the World Food Programme's HungerMap project, which uses data to identify areas at risk of starvation, and the World Health Organization's work on an AI-based disease diagnosis system.

As stated by Frederic Werner, head of strategic engagement for the ITU Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, advances in material science, battery life, network connectivity, and machine learning will make robotics more accessible in the near future. AI and robotics could play a crucial role in achieving the UN's SDGs, which are presently struggling to meet their targets, according to the ITU.

Insight: The United Nations is turning to AI and robots to help achieve its ambitious goals for global improvement by 2030. This includes using robots for caregiving and AI for predicting hunger hotspots. This matters because it underscores the potential of technology in solving global issues.

👾 When Siri Runs for Office

In his essay titled When Intelligent Machines Enter Politics, Nathan Gardels examines the potentially transformative function of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the political arena.

He examines the potential benefits and dangers of integrating artificial intelligence and digital systems into the political process.

Gardels suggests that artificial intelligence, capable of aggregating preferences and recognizing patterns better than humans, could enhance deliberation through data, improve the quality of elections, guarantee equitable electoral districts, and increase the efficacy of public administration.

Nonetheless, he cautions against risks such as the amplification of inauthentic voices, threats to the integrity of public discourse, and the possibility of exploitation by powerful entities.

He investigates further how digital systems have begun to irrevocably alter the nature of our collective existence, alluding to the possibility of a political revolution analogous to those sparked by the development of communication technologies.

Gardels argues that the manner in which AI systems are developed, who owns and controls them, and how they are utilized will have a significant impact on the future of democracy.

My Thoughts: Author Jamie Susskind explores the intersection of digital systems and governance, noting that careful regulation and consideration are required to ensure AI's utilization benefits society rather than deepening divisions and inequities. With the potential to revolutionize deliberation and decision-making, AI's role in politics necessitates comprehensive understanding and thoughtful policy-making to mitigate associated risks.

                       Snippets

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