Voice Engine AI

The Science Behind the Baltimore Bridge Collapse

A great tragedy has occurred this week. Unless you’ve been under a rock, a ship in the Port of Baltimore rammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, ultimately causing the entire bridge to collapse with civilians on it. But why did the bridge collapse so easily? Well, according to Scientific American, no bridge could withstand the total removal of a critical support point, as seen in the bridge collapse. They emphasize that the old bridge design and the aging infrastructure were also significant factors in the collapse.

Climate Change & Timekeeping

Climate change is a major issue affecting our generation for several reasons such as rising global sea levels and the heating of the atmosphere. However, it might also affect our timekeeping. According to The Washington Post, climate change affects Earth's rotation, thus potentially impacting precision timekeeping. As polar ice melts due to global warming, the distribution of mass on the planet shifts, altering its shape and rotational speed. This complicates the synchronization between atomic time and astronomical time, which is crucial for technologies like GPS. According to the same article, we’ve traditionally added leap seconds to maintain this synchronization, but recent changes in Earth's rotation may cause a "negative leap second" to be needed.

Autonomous Semi-Trucks

According to The Washington Post, the upcoming introduction of self-driving semi-trucks in the US is imminent, with companies like Aurora Innovation and Kodiak Robotics advancing the space. Despite concerns about safety and job loss, these autonomous trucks are likely to revolutionize the transportation industry. While regulations may delay the release of these vehicles, the companies claim to ensure safety measures are met. However, this isn't met with all sunshine and rainbows. According to the same article, many truck drivers are expressing concerns about losing their jobs.

OpenAI Voice AI

AI, AI, AI, it seems to be what’s on everyone’s minds nowadays, and for good reason. According to The New York Times, OpenAI has just unveiled Voice Engine, an AI technology that can recreate human voices from a 15-second recording, even in different languages. According to the same article, OpenAI is currently being cautious about potential misuse, such as spreading disinformation or impersonation. OpenAI claims that they are exploring safeguards such as watermarking to address these concerns. Despite its potential risks, Voice Engine could also have positive impacts, such as helping individuals regain their ability to speak.

Apple & AI

According to CNN, Apple is boosting its AI efforts with the development of multimodal models called MM1, potentially coming to future products in existing lineups. In addition, Apple is also considering a partnership with Google to license its Gemini AI engine for iOS features, providing mutual benefits for both companies. Why is this a big deal? Well, Apple and Google have been direct competitors almost since the start of smartphones. Android, Google’s mobile operating system is the main competitor of Apple’s IOS and is used by almost every single major smartphone manufacturer (such as Samsung, OPPO, Xiaomi, Motorola, Nokia, and Google themselves).