UK-built satellite to help combat the climate crisis from space

Nov21
by on November 21, 2023 at 2:57 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


Aiming to join Portugal and Spain as a member of the Atlantic Constellation project, the UK will help fund and build a new satellite designed to monitor and combat climate change. The Atlantic Constellation initiative will involve the development of a constellation of small satellites for Earth, ocean, and climate monitoring. Its mission is to provide data that can support early detection of climate change indicators and disaster relief action, while increasing agricultural productivity and improving energy use. Space tech startup Open Cosmos will build the UK satellite, a pathfinder craft, using the same design as three of Portugal’s satellites.…

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AI hallucinations pose ‘direct threat’ to science, Oxford study warns

Nov20
by on November 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized


Large Language Models (LLMs) — such as those used in chatbots — have an alarming tendency to hallucinate. That is, to generate false content that they present as accurate. These AI hallucinations pose, among other risks, a direct threat to science and scientific truth, researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute warn. According to their paper, published in Nature Human Behaviour, “LLMs are designed to produce helpful and convincing responses without any overriding guarantees regarding their accuracy or alignment with fact.” LLMs are currently treated as knowledge sources and generate information in response to questions or prompts. But the data they’re…

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UK won’t regulate AI anytime soon, minister says

Nov17
by on November 17, 2023 at 2:02 pm
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The UK doesn’t plan on introducing AI regulation anytime soon — in contrast to the EU’s and China’s strict legislation efforts. During a Financial Times conference on Thursday, the country’s first minister for AI and intellectual property, Viscount Jonathan Camrose, confirmed government concerns over regulation curbing growth and said that a UK law on artificial intelligence won’t be coming “in the short term.” While he refrained from critising other nations’ approaches, he noted that “there is always a risk of premature regulation,” which could do more harm than good by “stifling innovation.” The statements come as no surprise and are…

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World-first CRISPR gene-editing therapy approved in UK

Nov17
by on November 17, 2023 at 1:03 pm
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The UK has become the first country in the world to approve CRISPR gene-editing therapy. The landmark biotech decision involves the treatment of two specific blood dieseases, but also opens the door for the use of the technology in treating many other genetic disorders.  Regulators approved the use of CRISPR for the treatment of inherited diseases sickle-cell anaemia and β-thalassaemia on Thursday. The former affects the shape of red blood cells of 20 million people worldwide and can cause debilitating pain. People with the latter need to receive regular blood transfusions to counteract a reduced production of haemoglobin, which in…

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AI is transforming the English dictionary

Nov16
by on November 16, 2023 at 4:43 pm
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AI has made another assault on the English language. After taking the title of the Collins Dictionary word of the year, artificial intelligence this week assailed the Cambridge version. This time, the impact is more subtle — but deeper. The first example emerged from Cambridge’s word of the year for 2023: “hallucinate.” It’s an old word, but the award is due to a new meaning. In the latest versions of the Cambridge Dictionary, “hallucinate” has an extra definition: “When an artificial intelligence (= a computer system that has some of the qualities that the human brain has, such as the…

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