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CCI extends deadline of bidding for AI impact research to June 28

CCI extends deadline of bidding for AI impact research to June 28

by | May 26, 2024 | Technology


The new forms of collusion prompted by the use of AI such as self-learning algorithms and whether bias in AI algorithms can impact competition will be examined during the study.

2 min read Last Updated : May 26 2024 | 7:08 PM IST


Fair trade regulator CCI has issued clarifications on the bidding for conducting the study on artificial intelligence and its impact on competition, and has extended the deadline for submission of bids till June 18.


Earlier, the deadline for the bids was June 3.


In a set of clarifications, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said bids cannot be submitted through a consortium or a joint venture.


Among other eligibility requirements, the minimum annual turnover of Rs 50 crore has been retained for the bidders.


“The Request For Proposal (RFP) does not provide for submission of bids through a consortium or joint venture. Turnover of the group companies may, however, be included only to meet the eligibility criterion of Rs 50 crore,” the regulator said in a communication dated May 24.

 


The last date for submission of bids is June 18 and the financial bids will be opened on July 11. The study will cover various aspects, including the ways AI-driven personalised recommendations, services and pricing influence consumer choices.


It will also look at whether and in what manner can AI facilitate and/or implement anti-competitive strategies as well as the novel strategies aided by AI that can lead to anti-competitive outcomes.


The new forms of collusion prompted by the use of AI such as self-learning algorithms and whether bias in AI algorithms can impact competition will be examined during the study.


Other elements that will be covered include “how do AI-driven personalised recommendations, services and pricing influence consumer welfare and choice”, “what are the synergies and risks that may stem from M&As involving firms with AI capabilities” and “what are the specific factors/parameters that need to be considered in assessing competitive effects of such M&As”.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: May 26 2024 | 7:08 PM IST



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Google maps navigation leads Hyderabad-based tourists into stream in Kerala

Google maps navigation leads Hyderabad-based tourists into stream in Kerala

by | May 25, 2024 | Technology


1 min read Last Updated : May 25 2024 | 3:46 PM IST


Using Google maps to navigate resulted in a tourist group from Hyderabad driving into a stream swollen with water near Kuruppanthara in this south Kerala district, police said on Saturday.


The incident occurred late Friday night when the four-member group, including a woman, were going towards Alappuzha.


The road they were travelling on was covered by water overflowing from the stream due to the heavy rains and since the tourists were unfamiliar with the area, they drove right into the water body while navigating using Google maps, they said.

 


All four managed to escape unharmed due to the efforts of a nearby police patrolling unit and local residents, but their vehicle was completely submerged under the water.


“Efforts are on to pull it out,” an officer of Kaduthuruthy police station said.


This is not the first such incident reported in Kerala.


In October last year, two young doctors died in a car accident which occurred after they allegedly followed directions on Google Maps and fell into a river.


Following the incident, the Kerala police had issued cautionary guidelines for using the technology during the monsoon season.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: May 25 2024 | 3:46 PM IST



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Lava International restructures board, excludes former chairman Hari Om Rai

Lava International restructures board, excludes former chairman Hari Om Rai

by | May 24, 2024 | Technology


As per sources, Hari Om Rai individually holds 15.27 per cent stake in the company.

2 min read Last Updated : May 24 2024 | 11:22 PM IST


Homegrown mobile phone maker Lava International has restructured the company’s board in which it has excluded former chairman and managing director Hari Om Rai, according to a company statement.


Rai resigned from his position in February and does not hold any directorial position in the company. He is under judicial custody in an alleged money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate.


Lava has onboarded former BSNL chairman and managing director Anupam Shrivastava and former Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry, Ajay Kumar Singh as independent directors.


“We are happy to introduce the board members who shall be at the helm of driving the company’s vision and brand’s growth. Their rich industry experience, strategic insights, and passion for Lava will be instrumental for achieving operational excellence and growing its market share.

 


“The newly constituted board is a perfect blend of seasoned Lava leadership members, founders, and highly accomplished professionals with diverse backgrounds,” Lava International, Executive Director, Sunil Raina said.


The new board comprises Raina, Sanjeev Agarwal, Shailendra Nath Rai, Sunil Bhalla, Vishal Sehgal besides the two new independent directors.


As per sources, Hari Om Rai individually holds 15.27 per cent stake in the company.


As per the last disclosure made by the company in a regulatory filing in 2021, Rai held around 33 per cent stake in the company, Bhalla around 21 per cent, Sehgal around 16 per cent, SN Rai 8.68 per cent and Raina 0.13 per cent.


Sources without disclosing the actual details however said that the shareholding composition of board members has changed after 2021.

 

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: May 24 2024 | 11:22 PM IST



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China's latest AI chatbot trained on Xi Jinping's political ideology

China's latest AI chatbot trained on Xi Jinping's political ideology

by | May 24, 2024 | Technology


The AI model will also be able to create reports, summarize information and provide translations in Chinese or English for users who have access to it.

3 min read Last Updated : May 24 2024 | 11:06 PM IST


China’s latest artificial intelligence chatbot is trained on President Xi Jinping’s doctrine, in a stark reminder of the ideological parameters that Chinese AI models should abide by.

China’s cyberspace academy earlier this week announced the chatbot trained on Xi Jinping Thought, a doctrine which promotes socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

The chatbot was trained on seven databases, six of which were mostly related to information technologies provided by China’s internet watchdog, the Cyberspace Administration of China, or CAC.


Xi Jinping Thought was the seventh database that the chatbot was trained on, according to a WeChat messaging service post by CAC’s magazine about the AI model.


The Xi-trained large language model is the latest effort by authorities to spread the Chinese leader’s ideology and ideas. Students have had to take classes on Xi Jinping Thought in schools, and an app called Study Xi Strong Nation was also rolled out in 2019 to allow users to learn and take quizzes about his ideologies.


Xi Jinping Thought also known as Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is made up of 14 principles, including ensuring the absolute power of the Chinese Communist Party, strengthening national security and socialist values, as well as improving people’s livelihoods and well-being.


The chatbot was created primarily to demonstrate the development and practical applications in cybersecurity and IT research, according to the China Institute of Cybersecurity Affairs, which had launched the AI model for internal use.


The AI model would be able to generate report outlines on topics like AI development and productivity, according to the CAC magazine’s WeChat post.


Users can choose different categories of knowledge bases for intelligent question and answer. The professionalism and authority of the corpus ensure the professionalism of the generated content, the post said.


The AI model will also be able to create reports, summarize information and provide translations in Chinese or English for users who have access to it.


However, it’s not clear if the Xi-trained chatbot will be meant for public use.


The unveiling of the chatbot comes as the U.S. and China are locked in a race for AI supremacy.


Though San Francisco-based OpenAI’s generative AI model ChatGPT has been widely credited as one of the most important developments in the field, China too has ambitions to become the global leader in AI by 2030.


China’s access to a population of 1.4 billion also allows the country to amass troves of data to train systems for facial recognition and autonomous driving.


Technology firms such as Alibaba and Baidu have already rolled out primarily Chinese-language AI models similar to ChatGPT for public and commercial use.


However, these AI models tend to be more restricted as they have to abide by China’s strict censorship rules. This means that Chinese AI models will often not answer any politically sensitive questions posed to them.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: May 24 2024 | 11:06 PM IST



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Tech wrap May 24: WhatsApp's AI profile pics, X to make likes private, more

Tech wrap May 24: WhatsApp's AI profile pics, X to make likes private, more

by | May 24, 2024 | Technology


4 min read Last Updated : May 24 2024 | 8:03 PM IST


WhatsApp is reportedly getting artificial intelligence-powered image generation tools incorporated within several features. After testing AI-generated stickers, WhatsApp is testing a feature that would allow users to generate AI-powered profile photos – according to WhatsApp’s update tracking platform WABetaInfo.


Intel has scheduled the launch of Lunar Lake processors for AI PCs for Q3. The US-based semiconductor maker announced that the first wave of PCs powered by Lunar Lake processors will see over 80 new laptops from more than 20 PC makers. Additionally, Intel confirmed the Lunar Lake chips will support Microsoft’s Copilot+ AI experience.


X, formerly known as Twitter, will soon make likes private in order to help users protect their public image. Haofei Wang, Director of Engineering at X, has confirmed the move stating public likes are incentivising wrong behaviour on the platform. According to Wang, “many people feel discouraged from liking content that might be “edgy” in fear of retaliation from trolls, or to protect their public image”.


China’s OPPO has unveiled the Reno 12 series smartphones in its home country. This India-bound series comprises two identical looking models – Reno 12 and Reno 12 Pro – that are powered by different processors and feature different camera systems. Both the smartphones, however, boast premium construction and artificial intelligence-powered features.


Apple has released iOS 17.5.1 software update, addressing an issue that caused deleted images to resurface for users after they updated their iPhone to iOS 17.5. In the release note for the new update, Apple said that the “rare issue” was caused as a few deleted pictures “experienced database corruption”, making them reaper in the Photos library.


ASUS’ next-generation handheld gaming console, the ROG Ally X, is launching on June 2. While the company has already confirmed a few specification details about the ASUS ROG Ally X such as display size and processor, more details from other sources have surfaced on the web ahead of the launch.


Nothing is reportedly working on its next-generation smartphone, the Phone 3. While the smartphone’s name or existence has not been officially confirmed, there is a reason to believe that the phone is in the works. The UK-based consumer technology startup’s CEO, Carl Pei, has posted a smartphone picture on X, formerly Twitter, revealing the redesigned Quick Setting panel of the Nothing OS. The smartphone image appeared on the post is reportedly of the Phone 3.


During a startup and tech event in Paris on Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made headlines by asserting that artificial intelligence (AI) will ultimately eliminate all jobs. Despite this forecast, Musk expressed a rather unconventional view, suggesting that this development might not necessarily be bad.


Insolvency appellate tribunal NCLAT on Friday deferred hearing to July 5 on the petitions filed against tech giant Google over its Play Store billing policy. A two-member National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) bench, after a brief hearing over the petitions, directed listing the matter after summer vacations on July 5.


Samsung Electronics’ latest high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips have yet to pass Nvidia’s tests for use in the US firm’s AI processors due to heat and power consumption problems, three people briefed on the issues said.

First Published: May 24 2024 | 8:03 PM IST



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Elon Musk on AI: Elon Musk predicts AI to eradicate all jobs, says it may not be a bad thing

Elon Musk on AI: Elon Musk predicts AI to eradicate all jobs, says it may not be a bad thing

by | May 24, 2024 | Technology


Elon musk.(Photo: Reuters)

3 min read Last Updated : May 24 2024 | 4:56 PM IST

During a startup and tech event in Paris on Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made headlines by asserting that artificial intelligence (AI) will ultimately eliminate all jobs. Despite this forecast, Musk expressed a rather unconventional view, suggesting that this development might not necessarily be bad.


“Probably none of us will have a job,” Musk said during his remote appearance via webcam at the Viva Tech event. Envisioning a future where employment becomes ‘optional’, he suggested that AI robots would fulfill the majority of roles, leaving individuals to pursue jobs as a ‘hobby’.


“If you want to do a job as a hobby, you can do a job. But otherwise, AI and robots will provide any goods and services that you want,” he said.


In his hour-long address, the 52-year-old forecasted a positive future with universal high income, while also highlighting the challenge of finding purpose in a world where AI handles most tasks. 


However, he clarified that this should not be confused with universal basic income, though he did not elaborate much on the concept. 


Universal basic income (UBI) involves the government providing a certain amount of money to everyone, regardless of their earnings. 


Musk emphasised there would be no shortage of goods or services, noting the rapid advancement of AI technology. 


Musk on AI’s role and challenges


Musk reiterated the importance of AI being maximally truth-seeking and curious to ensure it benefits humanity. He expressed concerns about major AI programs being trained to adhere to political correctness rather than seeking truth. Stressing the need for training AI to be honest and transparent, he questioned whether people would feel emotionally fulfilled in a future without jobs. 


“The question will really be one of meaning – if the computer and robots can do everything better than you, does your life have meaning?” he asked. He suggested that humans might give AI meaning.


‘My biggest fear’: Musk on AI


Musk’s comments are not entirely new. He has previously expressed concerns about the rapid advancement of AI, referring to it as his “biggest fear.” In his keynote, he mentioned the ‘Culture Book Series’ by Ian Banks, which portrays a society governed by advanced technology, as a plausible vision of an AI-dominated future.

 


Elon Musk’s Neuralink advancements


Musk advised parents to control and limit their children’s social media consumption, noting that social media platforms “are being programmed by a dopamine-maximising AI”. 


He also discussed Neuralink, showing a video of a patient moving a cursor by thinking. He explained that with an implantable device, almost any brain or spine injury could be addressed. 


“The first product, telepathy, enables you to use your phone or computer by thinking. The next product, blindsight, will enable people who have lost their eyesight to see by interfacing with the optical processing areas of the brain,” he said.


Long-term vision for SpaceX


Lastly, Musk mentioned his long-term vision for SpaceX, aiming to establish human colonies on other planets. He sees Starlink, his satellite internet venture, as a step towards this goal, enabling even remote villages to participate in the global economy. For Musk, the ultimate goal is to ensure humanity becomes a multi-planetary species.

First Published: May 24 2024 | 4:56 PM IST



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