Catch up on this week’s round-up of the latest hosting and tech news. Here’s what we’ve uncovered since our last edition.
Bing Gets Brains
Microsoft has updated its Bing search engine with the latest artificial intelligence, OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. ChatGPT uses deep learning to produce human-like responses to search queries. According to Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, the new technology will revolutionise not just online search but our interactions with many other types of software.
The update means Bing can now provide searchers not just with links to websites, but with highly detailed, contextualised answers. These will be displayed on the right-hand side of desktop search pages. What’s more, queries do not need to be typed, users can verbally chat with the software to give more specific queries. Although Bing’s Chat GTP is now live, at present, users will only be able to use it a limited number of times.
Perfect Pints
Finding the perfect pint when there are so many varieties of craft beers to choose from can be a bit of a challenge. To make things easier for bars and consumers, the Silicon Valley-based company, Aromyx, has used AI to come up with an ingenious solution.
The process starts by asking a consumer to sample three very different kinds of beers. This is done in front of a camera that analyses the facial expressions of the person drinking the samples. That analysis enables the company’s software to understand the types of beers the person would like best. The next stage is to find the perfect beer for the person to drink. To do this, the company has tested a wide range of beers on cells in the laboratory, digitising their tastes and smells and recording their similarities and differences. This data is then fed into the AI algorithm, enabling the system to match a consumer’s personal flavour and smell preferences with the samples of beers it has analysed. The outcome is that drinkers can find beers they’ll like but might not have tried before and bars can stock the variety that their customers prefer.
NHS Drones
With multiple sites spread over a very large area, Northumbria Healthcare needs effective logistics capabilities to send medicines and other clinical supplies between its hospitals and centres. To assist with this, it is now trialling the use of drones that can fly at up to 70mph to carry blood samples, chemotherapy medicines, mail and other equipment.
With up to 15 flights a day, it is hoped the drones will cut delivery times, increase efficiency and help reduce the trust’s carbon footprint. The uncrewed drones fly automatically and are monitored during flight by a trained drone pilot who can take control if needed. Each can transport up to 3kg of cargo, which is held safely in robust internal storage to keep it safe should the drone have an accident. The trial lasts until May.
Metaverse Cops
As more people start to make use of the various metaverses, the police are looking for ways to ensure they are not being exploited by criminals. Potentially, a metaverse can be used for a wide range of illegal activities, including sexual harassment, theft, fraud, drug and weapon trafficking and money laundering. The fact that users use avatars in metaverses also makes it difficult to track culprits in the real world.
As part of its anti-cybercrime operations, Interpol has now developed its own metaverse so that its officers can train how to operate in these virtual worlds. The virtual environment developed by Interpol allows law enforcement officers from participating countries to understand what the metaverse is, how it works and how criminals can exploit it for their own purposes. Through international collaboration, this will enable agencies to better understand how metaverses can be policed as well as how illegal activities can be closed down and criminals caught.
Belfast Cyber-AI Hub
A new Cyber-AI Hub is to be created in Belfast as part of a £19 million investment in Northern Ireland’s cyber security sector. The hub will support research and development in AI-enabled cybersecurity projects while creating new jobs across the sector. The hub will be made up of a group of eight organisations, including leading companies within the global market, like Nvidia.
The use of AI tools to fight cybercrime has risen steadily over the last few years, however, criminal gangs are now using AI themselves and even offering cybercrime as a service. It is hoped the work taking place in Belfast can help develop the sophisticated tools needed to counter the most advanced criminal activities. Visit the WHUK website for more news, knowledge base articles, blog posts and information on our wide range of services.
