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WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) — The Department of Energy said on Thursday it is accepting applications from states and territories for $8.5 billion in rebate programs for upgrades in U.S. homes that aim to lower energy bills and increase energy efficiency.

The rebates for items including insulation, heat pumps, and efficient appliances will be available to consumers after states and territories apply for and get funds from the department. The two rebate programs were funded by President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act that fellow Democrats in Congress passed last year without a single Republican vote.

The rebate programs will save up to $1 billion a year in energy costs and support about 50,000 jobs in construction, manufacturing and other businesses, the department said.

In software application development environments, the consensus is gravitating towards the use of AI as a helping and testing mechanism, rather than it being wholly offered the chance to create software code in and of itself. The concept here is that if so-called citizen developer business laypeople start creating code with software robots, they will never be able to wield the customization power (and ability to cover security risks) that hard-core software developers have.

As we now grow with AI and start to become more assured in terms of where its impact should be felt, we may now logically look to the whole spectrum of automation that it offers. This involves the concept of so-called hypermodal AI i.e. intelligence capable of working in different ‘modes’, some of which will predict, some of which will help determine and some of which will generate.

Today describing itself as unified observability and security platform company (IT vendors are fond of changing their opening ‘elevator sell’ line every few years), Dynatrace has now expanded its Davis AI engine to create hypermodal AI that converges fact-based predictive AI, with causal AI insights with new generative AI capabilities.

Duke University professor Sultan Meghji joined ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss artificial intelligence and scientists’ latest efforts to combine the technology with brain cells. #foxnews.

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Continue reading “GAME CHANGER: Scientists to combine AI with human brain cells” »

Generative AI has been front and centre of the news for the last nine months and attention is often on existential risks, copyright claims or suspicions around deepfakes. However, there are a growing number of more positive ways it can be integrated into businesses.

One of those areas is customer service. The Samsung Neon people were a good example of what could be achieved with embodied AI. Samsung created an impressive suite of customer service agents whose profiles could match those of customers in need of help.

I wanted an avatar that was a bit ‘uncanny’, so that it had some resemblance to my real physical self but looked quite artificial too.

Continue reading “I Used Generative AI To Create A Synthetic Self And You Can Too” »

I hope this isn’t been posted before especially by me. I do have a bit of pre dementia but it’s not too bad. It’s from my TBI but they’re working on weeding out bias from AI and making it so it’s not bad for us or to us.

Thought-provoking TED Talk on how AI can unintentionally reinforce societal prejudices, perpetuate discrimination, and amplify toxic behaviors online. This talk is a call to action for individuals, tech companies, and policymakers alike. By addressing AI bias and toxicity head-on, we can pave the way for a future where AI systems are truly unbiased, fostering inclusivity and equality for all.

Continue reading “AI Future — unbiased, fostering inclusivity & equality | Priya Bhasin | TEDxBoston” »

Microsoft will expand access to important security log data after being criticized for locking detailed audit logs behind a Microsoft 365 enterprise plan that costs $57 per user per month. The logging updates will start rolling out “in September 2023 to all government and commercial customers,” the company said.

“Over the coming months, we will include access to wider cloud security logs for our worldwide customers at no additional cost. As these changes take effect, customers can use Microsoft Purview Audit to centrally visualize more types of cloud log data generated across their enterprise,” Microsoft announced yesterday.

Microsoft Purview Audit Premium is available on the $57-per-user Microsoft 365 E5 plan for businesses as well as the similar A5 education plan and G5 government plan. There’s also a Purview Audit Standard service that comes with a much wider range of plans, including the Microsoft 365 Business Basic tier that costs $6 per user per month.

Artificial intelligence today is spreading like wildfire. New and more powerful applications are emerging almost daily, and people are interacting with AI more in their everyday lives.

All of this is very exciting for modern enterprises, which have reinvented themselves as digital powerhouses post-pandemic. Still, digital transformations don’t happen overnight, and tech companies—and SaaS models in particular—were the saving grace of businesses sprinting to align their customer experiences with new consumer expectations and data-driven capabilities.

But AI is a different animal. Not only does it require huge sums of data, but it also requires a new approach to how that data is obtained and managed within the enterprise. Businesses expecting a simple “build it and leave it” experience with AI are in for a shock, and many will undoubtedly ask, “Can SaaS deliver AI at speed and scale?”

Research on “micro-nature” — the incorporation of small, affordable natural elements into workplaces — demonstrates its positive impact on employee performance and well-being. Studies show exposure to nature at work boosted productivity, helpfulness, and creativity, with no evidence of negative effects. Recommendations include both real and artificial nature, extending beyond the office environment, utilizing underused spaces, and encouraging nature exposure outside work hours. The integration of nature in workplaces enhances overall business performance.

Page-utils class= article-utils—vertical hide-for-print data-js-target= page-utils data-id= tag: blogs.harvardbusiness.org, 2007/03/31:999.360409 data-title= Research: A Little Nature in the Office Boosts Morale and Productivity data-url=/2023/07/research-a-little-nature-in-the-office-boosts-morale-and-productivity data-topic= Workspaces design data-authors= Anthony Klotz; Shawn McClean; Pok Man Tang data-content-type= Digital Article data-content-image=/resources/images/article_assets/2023/07/Jul23_19_MaryHaasdykVooys-383x215.jpg data-summary=

Simple acts like adding flowers to the break room or landscaping the area outside employees’ windows can foster a healthier work environment.

Generative AI is gaining momentum across various sectors due to its potential to streamline workflows, automate creative processes and unlock new opportunities. From art and entertainment to healthcare and manufacturing, industries are recognizing its transformative capabilities.

It’s clear that generative AI is on the path to becoming a commodity. However, not all generative AI is the same, and it’s expected to split into two distinct categories: horizontal and vertical. Horizontal AI models, such as ChatGPT and Google Bard, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous—finding applications across various industries due to their generalized capabilities. On the other hand, vertical AI models are designed to be more specialized and tailored to specific industries—offering significant and more immediate ROI.

This distinction between horizontal and vertical AI models highlights the growing need for industry-specific solutions as businesses seek to leverage the power of AI to optimize their operations and unlock new opportunities for growth.