Tag: artificial intelligence

Ethical questions abound as wartime AI ramps up

By Didier LAURAS PARIS, April 10, 2024 (AFP) – Artificial intelligence’s move into modern warfare is raising concerns about the risks of escalation and the role of humans in decision making. AI has shown itself to be faster but not necessarily safer or more ethical. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Friday that he was “profoundly disturbed” by Israeli media reports that Israel has used AI to identify targets in Gaza, causing many civilian casualties. […]

AI giant Nvidia unveils higher performing ‘superchip’

By Glenn CHAPMAN SAN JOSÉ, United States, March 18, 2024 (AFP) – Nvidia on Monday unveiled its latest family of chips for powering artificial intelligence, as it seeks to consolidate its position as the major supplier to the AI frenzy. “We need bigger GPUs. So ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to a very, very big GPU,” said CEO Jensen Huang at a developers conference in California, referring to the graphics processors […]

Will AI save humanity? US tech fest offers reality check

By Julie JAMMOT AUSTIN, March 15, 2024 (AFP) – Artificial intelligence aficionados are betting that the technology will help solve humanity’s biggest problems, from wars to global warming, but in practice, these may be unrealistic ambitions for now. “It’s not about asking AI ‘Hey, this is a sticky problem. What would you do?’ and AI is like, ‘well, you need to completely restructure this part of the economy’,” said Michael Littman, a Brown University professor […]

Nvidia quarterly profit soars on demand for AI chips

Nvidia on Wednesday said its profit soared to $12.3 billion in the recently ended quarter on record high revenue driven by demand for its chips to power artificial intelligence. The Silicon Valley chip titan reported record revenue of $22.1 billion in the quarter than ended late January and record high revenue of $60.9 billion for the fiscal year. Profit in the same quarter a year ago was $1.4 billion, while revenue in the same three […]

Microsoft, Google ride AI wave as revenues surge

By Glenn CHAPMAN Microsoft and Google delivered solid corporate earnings on Tuesday as the tech giants said demand for artificial intelligence services stoked revenue. The tech titans have made big bets on generative AI, with their cloud computing divisions seeing a boost in demand as clients seek the hefty — and more expensive – computing power that drives the technology. Microsoft has moved the fastest and furthest into the AI space, investing in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI […]

Memory chip giant SK Hynix returns to profit on strong AI demand

The world’s second-largest memory chip maker, South Korea’s SK Hynix, said on Thursday it had returned to profit after four consecutive quarters of losses driven by demand for chips used in artificial intelligence. SK Hynix posted an operating profit of 346 billion won ($259.4 million) for the October-December period, compared with a loss of 1.9 trillion won in the same period a year earlier, with strong sales of its flagship products DDR5 and HBM3. Those […]

Mac computers could ride AI wave or be left behind

By Glenn CHAPMAN Forty years after igniting a PC revolution, Apple’s Mac is stronger than ever and could reach new glory due to AI computing — or be left behind. Apple launched the Macintosh in 1984 with a history-making television ad pitching the machine as an anti-establishment blow against a dystopian future. The computer, referred to simply as a Mac, won fans with user-friendly features such as a graphical interface, clickable icons, and a mouse. […]

At CES tech show, seeking robots neither too human nor too machine

By Julie JAMMOT LAS VEGAS, Jan 17, 2024 (AFP) – With big, expressive eyes, elfin ears and adorable cooing, Miroka and Miroki could be an apparition from your favorite cartoon. But behind their cute facade, these robots are all sensors and engineering, and designed to perform the drudgery of logistical support in hospitals or hotels. “Why live with ugly machines,” says Jerome Monceaux, head of Paris-based start-up Enchanted Tools, who was on hand to present […]

IMF chief says AI holds risks, ‘tremendous opportunity’ for global economy

By Daniel AVIS WASHINGTON, Jan 14, 2024 (AFP) – Artificial intelligence poses risks to job security around the world but also offers a “tremendous opportunity” to boost flagging productivity levels and fuel global growth, the IMF chief told AFP. AI will affect 60 percent of jobs in advanced economies, the International Monetary Fund’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said in an interview in Washington, shortly before departing for the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. […]

UN panel to recommend how to govern use of AI

The UN secretary-general on Thursday set up a panel of experts to make recommendations in the field of artificial intelligence, a technology with “transformative potential” yet also great risks to democracy and human rights. “The last year has seen an extraordinary advance in the capabilities and use of artificial intelligence (AI), through chatbots, voice cloning, image generators, video apps and more,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. He called on the panel to race “against the clock” […]

Chip giant Nvidia rides AI wave as profits soar

By Glenn Chapman with Alex PIGMAN in Washington DC US chip giant Nvidia, whose products play a crucial role in artificial intelligence systems, crushed expectations on Wednesday, as the post-ChatGPT AI frenzy continues to lift the tech sector. The Silicon Valley-based company said sales doubled year-on-year to $13.5 billion in the latest completed quarter, leaving a net profit of $6.2 billion — an eye-watering 843 percent higher than a year before. Signaling that the boom […]

AI likely to augment rather than destroy jobs: UN study

GENEVA, Aug 21, 2023 (AFP) – Artificial Intelligence is more likely to augment jobs than to destroy them, a UN study indicated on Monday, at a time of growing anxiety over the potential impact of the technology. The launch in November of the generative AI platform ChatGPT, which is capable of handling complex tasks on command, was seen as a tech landmark foreshadowing a potentially dramatic transformation of the workplace. But a fresh study from […]