Top 10 in Tech – April 2024

1- AI Index Report 2024

The 2024 AI Index report, described as the most comprehensive yet, expands its focus to capture crucial trends in AI, including technical progress, public perception, and geopolitical impacts. This edition, featuring more original data and analyses, such as AI training costs and its influence on science and medicine, aims to enrich understanding for various stakeholders including policymakers and academics. This year’s report emphasizes AI’s increasing significance in everyday life and is celebrated globally for its depth and reliability. 

Source: Stanford University Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence

2- Amazon starts selling smart grocery carts to other retailers

Amazon is expanding its Dash Cart technology, offering smart grocery carts to third-party retailers after pulling back on its cashier-less “Just Walk Out” technology in its own stores. The Dash Carts, which use sensors and computer vision to tally items as customers shop, are being tested in Price Chopper and McKeever’s Market stores in Kansas and Missouri. Meanwhile, despite scaling back on its own use, Amazon continues to sell and refine its cashier-less system for smaller, curated stores, asserting a strong belief in its future application.

Source: CNBC

3- Generative AI Is Changing the Hiring Calculus at These Companies

Generative AI is increasingly influencing hiring strategies at various companies, showcasing its potential to streamline operations and reduce workforce sizes without necessarily leading to immediate layoffs. KeyBank and Oshkosh Corp are among those integrating AI to enhance productivity and manage growth without proportionally increasing their employee count. This shift in workforce dynamics is driven by the need to balance the costs of AI technologies against their benefits in operational efficiency and cost savings.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

4- US inches closer to a TikTok ban

The U.S. House has passed a bill with a 360-58 vote that would mandate TikTok’s Chinese owners, ByteDance, to sell the app within 270 days or face a ban, citing security concerns linked to the Chinese Communist Party. This bill, which also involves aid for Ukraine, now moves to the Senate for approval, where it has President Biden’s support. Amidst this, TikTok criticizes the move as a threat to free speech, while notable figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk have expressed opposition to the ban.

Source: Read Write 

5- Google partners with Bayer on new AI product for radiologists

Google Cloud and Bayer are developing an AI-powered platform to enhance radiologist efficiency by identifying anomalies in medical images and summarizing relevant patient history. This tool aims to support radiologists amid labor shortages and increasing caseloads by streamlining their workflow, allowing them to review more cases without replacing their expert judgment. This initiative is part of broader efforts in the medical industry to incorporate AI in diagnosing and managing patient care more effectively.

Source: CNBC

6- The Next Frontier for Brain Implants Is Artificial Vision

In February 2022, Brian Bussard, who lost his vision years earlier, became part of a study where 25 tiny chips were implanted in his brain to test a wireless device aimed at creating rudimentary vision for the blind. This visual prosthesis, using AI, generates simple visual perceptions from captured images, allowing Bussard to perceive basic shapes and navigate better. This is part of a broader effort with similar technologies being tested worldwide, aiming to improve independence and quality of life for blind individuals.

Source: Wired

7- Google Cloud Next 2024: The Conference That Wasn’t About The Cloud

At the Cloud Next 2024 conference, Google emphasized its commitment to generative AI, particularly through its Gemini platform. While traditionally focused on cloud services, this year’s event highlighted Gemini’s integration across Google’s products, enhancing Google Cloud’s strategic role within Alphabet Inc. Google also introduced consolidations and advancements in AI-driven technologies and services, positioning itself as a leader in AI innovation. This shift underscores Google’s aim to enhance efficiency and future growth through advanced AI applications.

Soruce: Forbes

8- How robots are taking over warehouse work

At an Ocado warehouse outside Luton, an advanced automation system is in action, featuring hundreds of robots that retrieve grocery items for online orders. This automation includes robotic arms that can identify and grab items like bags of rice or tea boxes, enhancing efficiency and reducing the need for human labor. While some items still require human handling, the system is evolving to handle a broader range of products. This technological shift reflects a broader trend towards increasing warehouse automation, promising efficiency but also raising questions about the future role of human workers in such environments.

Source: BBC

9- Smart motorways: How safe are they?

A BBC Panorama investigation has revealed frequent failures in the technology underpinning England’s smart motorways, leading to safety concerns. The system, intended to detect and respond to incidents like vehicle breakdowns, experienced hundreds of outages, raising doubts about its reliability. These failures compromise safety, especially on sections without a hard shoulder, increasing risks for stranded drivers. Despite these issues, National Highways maintains that smart motorways are among the safest roads and plans to continue enhancing them with new technologies and emergency features.

Source: BBC

10. Can AI help solve Japan’s labour shortages?

In response to a shrinking and aging population with a workforce shortfall projected to increase, Japan is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to boost productivity in various sectors. AI is being deployed across industries from agriculture—where it assists in diagnosing crop issues—to food production and education, significantly reducing labor demands. For instance, a high-tech dumpling factory utilizes AI to enhance production speed and precision, while AI-powered educational tools are helping to address teacher shortages, though they lack the nuanced interaction of human instructors. The overall aim is to alleviate labor shortages and modernize industries without fully replacing human workers.

Source: BBC