Lifeboat Foundation

Only a year ago, ChatGPT woke the world up to the power of foundation models. But this power is not about shiny, jaw-dropping demos. Foundation models will permeate every sector, every aspect of our lives, in much the same way that computing and the Internet transformed society in previous generations. Given the extent of this projected impact, we must ask not only what AI can do, but also how it is built. How is it governed? Who decides?

We don’t really know. This is because transparency in AI is on the decline. For much of the 2010s, openness was the default orientation: Researchers published papers, code, and datasets. In the last three years, transparency has waned. Very little is known publicly about the most advanced models (such as GPT-4, Gemini, and Claude): What data was used to train them? Who created this data and what were the labor practices? What values are these models aligned to? How are these models being used in practice? Without transparency, there is no accountability, and we have witnessed the problems that arise from the lack of transparency in previous generations of technologies such as social media.

To make assessments of transparency rigorous, the Center for Research on Foundation Models introduced the Foundation Model Transparency Index, which characterizes the transparency of foundation model developers. The good news is that many aspects of transparency (e.g., having proper documentation) are achievable and aligned with the incentives of companies. In 2024, maybe we can start to reverse the trend.

The tech giant has been accused of tracking user activities even in “private mode.”

In a recent development, Google has reached a preliminary settlement in a lawsuit alleging that the search engine provider tracked the internet usage of millions who believed their browsing activities were private.

Google has agreed to settle a lawsuit claiming it secretly tracked the internet use of millions of people who thought they were doing their browsing privately.

Continue reading “Private? Google’s $5 billion lawsuit settlement exposes incognito snooping” »

A research group from Tohoku University and RIKEN has developed a high-speed, high-sensitivity terahertz-wave detector operating at room temperature, paving the way for advancements in the development of next generation 6G/7G technology.

Details of their breakthrough were published in the journal Nanophotonics on November 9, 2023.

The enhancement of current communications speeds will rely on terahertz (THz) waves. THz waves are electromagnetic waves within the THz range, which falls between the microwave and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically spanning frequencies from 300 gigahertz to 3 THz.

The World Wide Web was first tested on Christmas Day in 1990. Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau set up successful communication between a web browser & server via the Internet.

Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, invented the World Wide Web (WWW) in 1989, while working at CERN. The Web was originally conceived and developed to meet the demand for automated information-sharing between scientists in universities and institutes around the world.

CERN is not an isolated laboratory, but rather the focal point for an extensive community that includes more than 17 000 scientists from over 100 countries. Although they typically spend some time on the CERN site, the scientists usually work at universities and national laboratories in their home countries. Reliable communication tools are therefore essential.

Continue reading “A short history of the Web” »

That’s in large part due to these tools’ ability to churn out content at much faster rates than human writers — and at a fraction of the cost.

Given the biblical flood of bottom-shelf AI-generated content polluting the internet today, it’s clear that everyday internet users are not going to benefit.

However, some entrepreneurs are hellbent on making a buck by repurposing existing content, laundering it through an AI algorithm, and passing it off as their own.

This week at Starbase Booster 10 joins Ship 28 at the launch site to begin its testing on the orbital launch mount, Ship 28 performs a static fire test, and SpaceX shows off its holiday spirit, while over at Cape Canaveral, Starlink launch and recovery operations continue as several tanks and a prefabricated tower section are shipped out to Brownsville.\
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Quantum technology is now at a point where practical work can begin on creating the quantum internet. However, numerous challenges must be overcome before this vision becomes a reality. A global-scale quantum internet requires the development of the quantum repeater, a device that stores and manipulates qubits while interacting with or emitting entangled photons. This review examines different approaches to quantum repeaters and networks, covering their conceptual frameworks, architectures, and current progress in experimental implementation.

Liftoff occurred at 12:33 a.m. EST on Saturday (Dec. 23).

HughesNet’s move to offer 100 Mbps speeds brings it closer to its industry rival, SpaceX’s Starlink, which ranges between 25 to 220 Mbps.

HughesNet’s Jupiter 3 satellite, although geostationary and considerably farther away, rivals Starlink with its size and capacity. The ultra-high-density satellite operates in Ka-band frequencies with 300 spot beams, efficiently allocating and directing signals for better coverage.

Hughes, a pioneer in satellite-delivered internet service since the 1990s, continues to earn recognition.