WednesdAI // Week 47

AI Pioneers of 2024 as Granny dAIsy Outsmarts Scammers, Robotaxis Gain Trust, and Innovation Shapes the Future!

Let’s get into it!
 
Welcome to WednesdAI – Pixel Dreams’ weekly update with top stories from the rapidly evolving world of Artificial Intelligence.

This Week’s News

Perplexity Takes on Google with AI Shopping Hub

 
Perplexity AI has introduced a new shopping feature integrated into its AI-powered search engine. This tool, available for Perplexity Pro subscribers in the U.S., enables users to find and purchase products directly on the platform with a “Buy with Pro” option. It combines product comparisons, reviews, and curated recommendations from trusted sources, offering free shipping and handling taxes seamlessly. This initiative positions Perplexity as a competitor to Google Shopping, which also recently launched AI-driven shopping features like dynamic filters and virtual try-ons.

Visit Finimize.

EU’s New AI Regulations

 
The EU AI Act, officially effective as of August 1, 2024, is the world’s first comprehensive legislation regulating artificial intelligence. It categorizes AI into four risk levels: unacceptable, high, limited, and minimal, with stricter rules for higher-risk applications. Systems deemed “unacceptable,” like social scoring or manipulative algorithms, are outright banned. High-risk AI, used in areas such as healthcare or law enforcement, faces stringent compliance measures, including transparency, human oversight, and robust security protocols. General-purpose AI, like ChatGPT, must meet disclosure and IP respect standards. The Act applies globally to any company offering AI products or services in the EU and introduces penalties of up to 7% of global annual revenue for non-compliance. This regulation, while initially targeting European markets, sets a precedent likely to influence AI governance worldwide, particularly as U.S. states and federal agencies also move toward similar rules.
 

For more, visit Tech Crunch, Tech Crunch, and AI News.

AI Granny ‘dAIsy’ Outsmarts Scammers

 
The U.K.’s largest mobile network operator, O2, has launched “dAIsy,” an AI-powered chatbot designed to frustrate phone scammers by mimicking an elderly woman who chats about mundane topics like knitting or her cat. This system uses advanced AI models to transcribe scammer voices, generate responses via a custom language model, and produce lifelike voice replies. Trained with insights from “scambait” expert Jim Browning, dAIsy aims to protect potential victims by occupying scammers’ time, a critical need as fraud targeting seniors increased to $3.4 billion in 2023.

 
For more details, Tech Crunch.
 
 

AI Data Centers Power Crisis

 
The AI boom is about to hit a power wall. By 2027, up to 40% of AI data centers could face operational constraints due to energy shortages. The explosive growth of generative AI and large language models is driving electricity demand up by 160%, with annual consumption expected to hit 500 terawatt-hours—2.6 times the 2023 level. Utilities are struggling to keep up, leading to potential limits on data center expansions and rising electricity costs that will inevitably trickle down to AI services. Sustainability goals are also at risk, as fossil fuel plants stay online longer to meet demand, delaying carbon-neutral transitions. For businesses, this means factoring higher energy costs into AI deployments, prioritizing efficiency with edge computing, and securing power through long-term contracts to manage volatile prices.

 
For more details, visit the full article Tech Crunch.
 
 

AI Powers Top Substack Newsletters

 
Around 10% of Substack’s top newsletters incorporate AI tools like ChatGPT for content creation, either partially or entirely. Some writers use AI to streamline brainstorming, draft initial versions of articles, or enhance productivity. However, the integration of AI raises concerns about content originality and the potential dilution of the personal voice that attracts readers to these platforms. Substack’s policies do not restrict the use of AI but emphasize transparency with readers if such tools are employed.

 
For the complete list and further details, check out Wired, Wired and, Wired.

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How Robotaxis Are Gaining Passenger Trust

 
Robotaxis are hitting the streets, but convincing passengers to hop in is another journey altogether. Companies are deploying various strategies to build trust in these autonomous vehicles. Some are adding human-like features, such as digital “faces” that mimic eye contact, aiming to make the experience less eerie. Others are focusing on transparency, providing real-time updates on the car’s decisions to reassure riders. Despite these efforts, many passengers remain skeptical, citing concerns over safety and the lack of human judgment in unexpected situations. The challenge for the industry is clear: without passenger trust, robotaxis may struggle to gain traction, potentially stalling a market projected to be worth billions.

 
Check out BBC.

Videos of the Week

What’s exciting, a short statement about what’s exciting. Just a short sentence or two about what’s most exciting.
 

The images accompanying the news items in this article were generated in Midjourney using the following prompts:

Futuristic pop-art explosion, Perplexity AI as a sleek, levitating shopping cart glowing with holographic screens displaying product reviews, comparisons, and dynamic try-ons. The setting is a vibrant, surreal market with gravity-defying products floating in multi-colored bubbles. Intense neon lighting casts reflections across mirrored surfaces, creating a kaleidoscopic shopping wonderland.

Renaissance-futuristic utopia, a sprawling European plaza filled with floating AI constructs designed as ethereal statues, each representing an aspect of the AI Act. Scholars and advocates debate below, their words materializing into holographic scrolls. Soft, golden sunlight bathes the scene, blending ancient architectural beauty with digital transparency.

Cyberpunk fairy tale, an AI granny seated under a neon-lit digital tree in a bustling virtual forest, holding a luminous, spinning yarn ball that unravels into scammer dialogues. Tiny holographic cats float around her as she smiles, weaving a web of tangled conversations that trap shadowy scammer avatars. The lighting is a mix of electric purples, greens, and silvers, casting a futuristic glow.

Surreal eco-futurism, AI data centers depicted as massive, crystalline trees rooted in a concrete jungle, their branches dripping glowing wires and leaking holographic energy waves. The ground is littered with broken solar panels and abandoned wind turbines, while the sky is dominated by dark clouds and a single beam of blinding white light piercing down. The lighting is ethereal, with soft greens and blues clashing with stark yellows.

Whimsical retro-futurism, a 1950s diner where humanoid robots sit at chrome-plated booths, typing Substack articles on vintage typewriters connected to sleek AI cores via glowing wires. The setting is bathed in pastel lighting with bursts of warm pinks and mint greens, while a jukebox emanates holographic text snippets that dissolve into sparkling confetti.

Playful animated surrealism, a whimsical robotaxi shaped like a friendly AI creature with smiling headlights and a welcoming aura, navigating through a floating city of colorful, oversized road signs. The interior feels like stepping into a cozy, cloud-like haven with floating, responsive cushions and screens that play soothing animations of the journey. Lighting is cheerful and cartoonish, radiating gentle rainbows that follow the vehicle.