AI Current Events: AI Specific Hardware and Federal Guidance

It’s time for your next AI news update and familiarization!

Below you will find summaries of important AI news as well as links to the original articles.

Teachers Using AI to Grade Papers

March 6th, 2024

• Educators in grades 3–12 are using Writable, a ChatGPT-powered grading tool acquired by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, to streamline the grading process.
• Writable allows teachers to submit student essays for analysis by ChatGPT, which provides feedback for teacher review before being passed on to students.
• The tool promises to make feedback actionable with AI suggestions, generate writing prompts, and help develop curriculum units.
• Drawbacks of AI grading include potential shortcuts by educators, decreased familiarity with teaching material over time, and privacy implications.
• Despite concerns, proponents argue that AI grading tools like Writable can free up time for teachers to focus on more creative teaching activities.
• There is a divide among parents regarding the use of AI in evaluating students' academic performance, with mixed opinions revealed in a recent poll.
• Writable is not the only AI-powered grading tool; others include Crowdmark, Gradescope, and EssayGrader, with McGraw Hill reportedly developing similar technology.

NVIDIA and HP Supercharge Data Science and Generative AI on Workstations
March 7th, 2024

• NVIDIA and HP Inc. announce integration of NVIDIA CUDA-X data processing libraries with HP AI workstation solutions to enhance data preparation and processing for generative AI development.
• CUDA-X libraries, including NVIDIA RAPIDS cuDF, accelerate data processing for various data types without code changes, offering up to 110x speedup compared to CPU-only systems.
• RAPIDS cuDF and other NVIDIA software will be available as part of Z by HP AI Studio on HP AI workstations, providing a full-stack development solution to speed data science workflows.
• The integration aims to empower data scientists by enabling faster data processing, manipulation, and analysis using GPUs, particularly benefiting from NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation GPUs with 48GB of memory per GPU.
• HP Z8 Fury workstation, equipped with up to four RTX 6000 GPUs, becomes one of the world's most powerful workstations for AI creation, facilitating local processing of large generative AI workloads.
• NVIDIA RAPIDS cuDF for accelerated pandas with zero code changes is expected to be available on HP AI workstations and PCs with NVIDIA RTX and GeForce RTX GPUs starting this month and on HP AI Studio later this year.

Microsoft Copilot for Security Is Generally Available On April 1st, 2024, With New Capabilities

March 13th, 2024

• Microsoft Copilot for Security will be generally available worldwide on April 1, 2024, offering the industry's first generative AI solution for security and IT professionals.
• The second Copilot for Security economic study reveals that experienced security analysts using Copilot were 22% faster, 7% more accurate, and 97% expressed a desire to continue using Copilot for future tasks.
• This study expands on a previous randomized controlled trial focusing on new-in-career security professionals, demonstrating that Copilot improves productivity across all levels of experience and expertise.
• Microsoft aims to break down barriers to entry and advancement in security, enhancing the work experience for all security professionals with Copilot.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Announces New AI Chips: "We need bigger GPUs

March 18th, 2024

• Nvidia announces a new generation of AI chips and software for running AI models during its developer's conference in San Jose.
• The new AI graphics processors are named Blackwell, with the first chip called GB200 scheduled to ship later this year.
• Nvidia aims to solidify its position as the leading supplier for AI companies, leveraging its high-end server GPUs essential for training and deploying large AI models.
• The company introduces revenue-generating software called NIM to simplify AI deployment, encouraging customers to stick with Nvidia chips.
• Nvidia transitions from being solely a chip provider to becoming more of a platform provider, akin to Microsoft or Apple, allowing other companies to build software on its platform.
• The new software will enable running programs on any Nvidia GPU, including older ones, facilitating wider adoption of AI models.

Apple Is In Talks To Let Google Gemini Power iPhone AI Features

March 18th, 2024

• Apple is reportedly in talks to integrate Google's Gemini artificial intelligence engine into the iPhone for new features in its software.
• Negotiations involve licensing Gemini, but terms, branding, or implementation details haven't been finalized yet.
• A potential deal could extend Google's AI services to over 2 billion Apple devices and help address concerns about Apple's slow AI app rollout.
• The partnership could face scrutiny from regulators due to Google's dominance in search and its previous dealings with Apple.
• Analysts view the partnership as strategic for both companies, potentially benefiting Google's access to Apple's ecosystem and generating significant license fees for Apple.
• Google has previously partnered with Samsung to deploy its AI technology, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has hinted at significant investments in generative AI.
• Apple plans to use its own AI models for some features in iOS 18 but seeks a partner for genAI features like image creation and essay writing based on prompts.

Microsoft's First AI PCs Are The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 For Businesses

March 21st, 2024

• Microsoft is introducing two new Surface devices, the Surface Pro 10 for Business and Surface Laptop 6 for Business, aimed exclusively at commercial customers.
• These devices feature Intel's latest Core Ultra processors, Microsoft's new Copilot key, and a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to accelerate AI-powered features in Windows 11.
• The Surface Pro 10 for Business resembles the Surface Pro 9 externally, while the Surface Laptop 6 for Business has minor updates such as an additional USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port and an optional smart card reader.
• Both devices will start shipping to commercial customers on April 9th.

Intel Unveils AI PC Program For Software Developers and Hardware Vendors

March 26th, 2024

• Intel unveils two key initiatives, the AI PC Developer Program and inclusion of Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs), under its AI PC Acceleration Program to foster innovation and collaboration in the software and hardware ecosystem.
• The AI PC Developer Program targets software developers and ISVs, offering tools, workflows, frameworks, and developer kits to streamline the adoption of AI technologies, featuring the latest Intel Core Ultra processor.
• IHVs joining the program gain access to Intel's Open Labs for early technical support and receive reference hardware to optimize their technology for efficient performance.
• Intel has already onboarded 150 hardware vendors worldwide into the AI PC Accelerator Program and aims to elevate the AI PC experience through collaboration with developers and hardware partners.
• The AI PC Acceleration Program, launched in October 2023, aims to unlock new possibilities in AI by providing resources such as toolchains, training, co-engineering support, and sales opportunities.
• Industry experts like Jaspreet Bindra highlight the trend of AI moving to the edge, citing benefits such as reduced costs, faster speeds, and focused Large Language Models (LLMs) on tasks.

Biden Administration Unveils New Rules For Federal Government's Use of Artificial Intelligence

March 28th, 2024

• The Biden administration introduces three new policies to guide the federal government's use of artificial intelligence, emphasizing transparency, safety, and accountability.
  • The White House's Office of Management and Budget will require that federal agencies ensure its use of AI does not endanger the "rights and safety" of Americans.
  • To improve transparency, federal agencies will have to publish online a list of AI systems they are using as well as an assessment of the risks those systems might pose and how the risks are being managed.
  • The White House is also directing all federal agencies to designate a chief AI officer with a background in the technology to oversee the use of AI technologies within the agency.
• Vice President Kamala Harris highlights the importance of these policies as a model for global action, emphasizing the moral duty to ensure AI adoption protects the public from harm while benefiting everyone.
• Examples of AI use by federal agencies include documenting war crimes, detecting COVID-19 through cough analysis, combating drug smuggling, and identifying illegal goods.
• Federal agencies must implement safeguards to assess AI safety, mitigate risks of algorithmic discrimination, and publicize AI usage by December, ensuring AI systems do not produce biased outcomes.
• The Biden administration's executive order invokes the Defense Production Act to require companies developing advanced AI platforms to notify the government and share safety test results through red-teaming.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology is creating standards for red-team testing to ensure AI safety prior to public release, aligning with Biden's AI executive order.