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Poland Celebrates the Feast of the Engineering Forces – Joint Forces

Yesterday, 16 April, Poland celebrated the Feast of the Engineering Forces when the spotlight is trained on its elite military sappers.

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Press Release, Warsaw, 16 April 2024: [auto-translated] Every year, on 16 April, Poland celebrates the Feast of the Engineering Forces. For years, sappers have been an elite among the soldiers of the Armed Forces, they are characterized by their high competence and courage.

The Engineering Forces not only build, but also effectively deter and destroy the aggressors potential. They build fortifications and fortifications, cleanse areas of explosives and dangerous materials that threaten civilians and the military. Specialists who perform tasks even in the most extreme conditions, which they proved by helping in the flood-damaged Slovenia, where they rebuilt two bridges.

It is worth noting that sappers react not only to modern threats, but also effectively cope with the remains of previous armed conflicts. Every day, serving in 46 sapper patrols and groups, they risk their lives by taking up and transporting dangerous materials.

Any Allied training in which a crossing of a wide water obstacle (a river, a lake) is planned features a demonstration of engineering skills. The ferry crossing during the last DRAGON 24 exercise demonstrated the flexibility and mobility of the sappers, who efficiently and safely transported across several thousand soldiers and their equipment to the other side of the Vistula.

The Day of the Engineering Forces is a celebration of soldiers dedicated to the Homeland, determined and competent specialists without whom it is difficult to imagine the modern battlefield.

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Dear Sappers, Engineers: Todays holiday is a great opportunity to thank all those who, over the past years, often at the risk of life, have eliminated traces of war past in the country and abroad. I thank you soldiers and employees of the Ministry of National Defence for their commitment, great contribution to the implementation of many engineering specialised tasks aimed at ensuring the safety of the country.

I give thanks to all the supporters and friends of the Engineering Forces who support us every day. I wish you satisfaction, satisfaction with achievements, satisfaction and health to the veterans, to the remnant and a lot of health. May we always be guided by the sapper motto: Sometimes to destroy, often to build, always to serve.

Praise be to the Sappers!

Brig Gen. Marek WAWRZYNIAK, Head of the Military Engineering Board

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DeepMind CEO Announced Google’s Plan to Invest Over $100B in AI – Blockchain Council

In a groundbreaking announcement, Googles AI subsidiary DeepMinds CEO, Demis Hassabis, revealed the tech giants staggering commitment to revolutionize artificial intelligence with an investment surpassing $100 billion. Hassabis made this revelation during a recent TED conference, highlighting Googles determination to lead the charge in AI development.

Since its inception, DeepMind has been at the forefront of AI innovation, and Googles acquisition of the company in 2014 signaled its strategic focus on advancing AI capabilities. According to Hassabis, this monumental investment underscores Googles dedication to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), a concept denoting AI systems surpassing human intellect.

Hassabis emphasized that superior computing power is pivotal to realizing AGI, asserting Googles computational prowess over competitors like Microsoft. This assertion aligns with Googles strategic partnership with DeepMind, recognizing the need for extensive computational resources to propel AI research forward.

The announcement comes amidst reports of Googles potential introduction of premium GenAI features, marking a significant shift in its product monetization strategy. While the core search engine remains free, the prospect of premium features hints at Googles exploration of new revenue streams in the AI domain.

Meanwhile, Microsoft and OpenAI are also making waves with their ambitious plans for a $100 billion data center project, including the development of the Stargate supercomputer slated for 2028. This initiative reflects the escalating demand for advanced AI infrastructure to support increasingly complex workloads.

The global AI market is poised for exponential growth, with forecasts projecting a staggering worth of $909 billion by 2030. Revenue in the GenAI sector is expected to skyrocket from $1.8 billion in 2022 to $33 billion in 2027, underscoring the transformative potential of AI technology across industries.

Hassabis acknowledged the growing public interest in AI systems, epitomized by the widespread adoption of OpenAIs ChatGPT, despite inherent imperfections. This acknowledgment underscores the evolving societal acceptance of AI technologies, despite ongoing challenges and uncertainties.

Through strategic investments and collaborative partnerships, Google aims to shape the future of AI, unlocking unprecedented possibilities and driving societal progress on a scale never before imagined. As the journey towards artificial general intelligence unfolds, the world watches with bated breath, eager to witness the transformative power of AI technology in reshaping our collective future.

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DeepMind CEO Announced Google's Plan to Invest Over $100B in AI - Blockchain Council

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NY Construction Central – Engineering News-Record

H2M, ENR New York's Design Firm of the Year, designed Station Yards, a mixed-use community built around the Ronkonkoma Long Island Rail Road Station.

Photo courtesy of H2M architects + engineers.

H2M has been named by ENR New York as its 2024 Design Firm of the Year and will be recognized in the May print issue. The firm has demonstrated regional success in its growth and revenue increase as well as in innovation, creativity and a commitment to giving back to its community.

During the last 90 years, H2M has become a leading professional service provider in the region and played a significant role in advancing engineering services. H2M uses cutting-edge technology to offer multiple quality services and sound judgement while adhering to its distinct core values.

The firms capabilities include the full range of professional engineering services such as civil, site, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, structural, water supply management, wastewater management, environmental management, industrial hygiene, solid and hazardous waste management, planning, survey and GIS/mapping.

H2M has engineered and designed projects of nearly every size, shape, scope and discipline for communities in Long Island, N.Y., and beyond. The firm has been instrumental in developing key infrastructure while protecting the Islands environmental resources. H2M has been the Engineer of Record for more than 30 public water suppliers and sewer districts, in some for as long as 70 consecutive years.

This past year, H2M has expanded to over 550 employees and opened four new office locations bringing its total to 15.

Part of that ongoing expansion results from the companys focus on professional development and employee empowerment, including supporting licensing and access to professional memberships, tuition assistance, and comprehensive training opportunities for leadership and supervisory roles to promote upward mobility. These initiatives have led the firm to train and employ 117 professional engineers, 45 engineers in training, 72 registered architects, 37 LEED accredited professionals and 12 LEED Green Associates.

H2M ranked atNo. 18 on last years ENR New York Top Design Firm list,reporting $93.44 million in 2022 revenue. The previous year, it wasNo. 22 with $86.90 million in revenue.To find out where H2M now ranks, check out the latest ENR New York Top Design Firm list appearing in the May issue of ENR New York.

Recent notable firm projects include: MEP Engineering for Stony Brook Clinical at Smith Haven Mall

Stony Brook Clinical is a cutting-edge healthcare hub that offers a "one-stop shop" for patients seeking a multitude of medical specialties. The 170,000-sq-ft space, previously occupied by Sears, was poised to reshape the way healthcare services are accessed and experienced, creating a seamless blend of medical expertise and retail convenience. The Advanced Specialty Care Facility at Smith Haven Mall stands as a testament to the power of innovation, collaboration, and engineering excellence in service of the community.

Hutchinson Valley Trunk Sewer Realignment

The Hutchinson Valley sewer trunk was a sewer pipe with push on joints that was at risk of contaminating a downstream nature preserve. H2M provided assistance during bidding, pre-construction and site meetings, traffic control plans, construction-related services, and the safe abandonment of the old pipe and manholes. Construction involved trenching along the Parkway shoulder, across the exit ramp, and onto a road island. There were no subconsultants on this project but a contractor conducted construction inspections. The final cost was approximately 10% under budget and two months ahead of schedule. West Nyack Revitalization Park and Environmental Impact Study

West Nyack Revitalization Park and Environmental Impact Study is a renovation and improvement of the degraded parks wetlands, as well as the aging amenities of the park. H2M proposed the following design features: a constructed wetlands area; naturalistic channels with improved riparian buffer; off-street parking; a new playground; an updated passive park; and an environmental education trail. H2M assisted the Town in obtaining a Green Innovation Grant from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation to offset costs from this project without using taxpayer dollars.

Justin Rice is Editor for ENR MidAtlantic and ENR New England

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Re-engineering the way the construction business works – Global Construction Review

In Australia, a voluntary alliance of tier 1 contractors, government agencies, specialist subcontractors, engineering firms, cost consultants, architects, and material manufacturers representing the whole construction supply chain are working together to find ways to drive carbon out of the construction process.

Initiated in 2022, it has 160 members, and its growing.

They think of themselves as a do tank, not a think tank, because Meclas 11 working groups ask what each bit of the sector can start doing this afternoon, tomorrow, and the next day to build momentum for change.

They know construction is a complex market system with carbon entrenched, and that they wont be able to build a low-carbon market unless everyone works together on it.

It has to be done now, they say. Theres no time for incremental change.

When that new market is functioning with as least carbon as possible, Mecla disappears.

In March, CIOBs head of environmental sustainability, Amanda Williams, interviewed Meclas chair, Hudson Worsley. What follows are some highlights of that conversation. More will follow on the 21CC podcast in June.

AW: So youve got this big goal of cutting embodied carbon in the built environment but, in your mind, what does the roadmap look like to getting there?

HW: Okay, weve got these 160 organisations. Were building critical mass at the tier 1 level of the Australian market, and with government agencies like Transport for New South Wales and Infrastructure Victoria.

The next step is tier 2 contractors and suppliers because outside the bubble of the leadership group, many industry participants still dont have embodied carbon on their radar. So, getting them conversant with the concepts and opportunities, understanding that government procurement is going to require this and that it will filter down to private procurement, thats key.

The next one is advocacy on government to keep the pressure up. We want headline projects like the Brisbane 2032 Summer Olympics to be carbon-zero, or low embodied carbon where we can. We want government to understand that their procurement role is an absolutely vital lever for this change.

We want to maintain pressure on suppliers. Its really hard, particularly steel and cement. We need to keep that pressure up. No resting on your laurels that youve done a good job so far, or youve made a breakthrough. Until were at zero, weve got to keep pushing.

We also want to influence designers and architects, so its not just about material substitution, its about better design. Its quite common in Australia to double the size of the girder, or the pillar, or the pile, because of risk aversion. Until climate came along, that was the safe thing to do, but now that carbon is a measure of success, we have to look at design as a big opportunity.

Finally, its supporting the ecosystem. So when theres a legal issue over how to specify a carbon clause, we get the relevant people onto it. When theres a change to the curriculum for architects at university level, lets see what we can do to help that.

Were penning the roadmap as we drive along, its not predefined. Opportunities come as we move; thats what rapid change looks like, and how it has to be.

AW: How close are we to low-emissions concrete, for example, and how important is cracking those individual material types?

Weve been using cement since the Romans, and its the most ubiquitous material, so we cant exactly go cold turkey.

Thereve been big strides. Some of the global cement makers can offer an off-the-shelf, 60%-reduced embodied carbon product. And thats fantastic: 60% is a big saving.

But even though its a saving, its still additional emissions because were building new things that werent there before, so there is a way to go.

There are alternatives, like geopolymer cement using substitute cementitious materials. The use case for those where are they best suited, where are they not thats still being hammered out. One of the barriers to entry can be very prescriptive specifications, rather than a performance-based specification.

But essentially, were still super-heating lime to develop clinker as the core component of cement and concrete. That last 40% is still hard, particularly where really high-performance concrete is required.

But we still need to encourage take-up of the lower-emissions alternatives already there. Weve heard that tier 2 contractors just flatly say theyre not taking the risk. If the foundations and floor of the warehouse fail, end of company. At the same time, tier 1 contractors say theyve been doing it for a couple of years and its absolutely fine. We want to bring those players together to talk and find a way through.

So its not just Thou shalt cut emissions, its hey, this is where it was done, this is how it worked, this is what was overcome.

We call ourselves a do tank rather than a think tank, and thats the doing: bringing those whove done it together to show those who are yet to do it that this is the way forward, so lets get on with it.

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Re-engineering the way the construction business works - Global Construction Review

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Social media revives chip art AKA silicon doodles and keeps its history alive – NPR

Kenton Smith designs circuit boards and has long been fascinated by computers. He was examining chips a few years ago when he found one smiling back up at him. Courtesy of Kenton Smith hide caption

Kenton Smith designs circuit boards and has long been fascinated by computers. He was examining chips a few years ago when he found one smiling back up at him.

An owl. A sharky looking bullet. The Hindu deity Ganesh. The Yin and Yang sign. All painstakingly selected and etched onto a microchip that measures about an inch square. Each microscopic silicon doodle was the handiwork of engineers at Qualcomm Incorporated, a San Diego-based company that creates wireless technology-related products and services. The engineers slipped the drawings into Qualcomm's Q1650 data decoder with care not to disturb any of the chip's functions.

They were purposeless etchings, never meant to be uncovered.

These doodles, also known as silicon art, chip graffiti or chip art, and dozens others like it, are remnants of tech historyfrom Silicon Valley's infancy to the early 2000swhen innovation was rapid fire and the tech still had a very human touch. Engineers would add the sketches to their microchip designs in the techie equivalent of signing their artwork. They'd etch them on chips that may end up in your cellphone, laptop or calculator. They spent hours crafting them, even though they were frowned upon by those in the C Suite.

The existence of these doodles came to light decades ago, but social media is discovering them anew. And there is now a small but determined group of online hobbyists working to keep that history alive. They are still cataloguing the miniscule drawings many smaller than the width of a human hair and can't be seen without a microscope.

These devotees post glossy videos of themselves shucking chips like oysters to see their iridescent insides and the itsy bitsy sketches that may be hidden on them. And they are eagerly saving them from the scrap heap.

Richard Kerr spent 15 years at Qualcomm starting in the mid 1980s.

His first doodle was inspired by his then-4-year-old son, Jesse Kerr, who would ask to help with his chip designs.

"Well, he was into trucks at the time, so I designed a little '56 Chevy pickup truck," Kerr said.

Kerr only recently learned that others had discovered his decades-old doodles, from a friend who found a video on YouTube of the doodle packed Q1650 data decoder. "I was just blown away that somebody actually found it. And then it was like, you know, total memory lane," he said.

"Mine is the shark bullet. Because my son (Jesse) was a body boarder at that time. And so he decided that that was cool because he saw it on somebody's wetsuit," Kerr said.

Many of the doodles came from engineers who weren't doing it for an audience.

"We did it for ourselves," said Willy McAllister, a retired electrical engineer who worked for more than a decade at Hewlett-Packard (HP) and helped craft a chip with the sleek image of a cheetah on it. "Nobody ever expected it to be cracked open 10 years later and marveled at. That was never the point."

The cheetah was picked as a visual representation for an HP project code named after the world's fastest land animal.

McAllister's wife, Monica, sketched the cheetah, which was transferred to the chip. One of the big cat's spots is about 4 microns across far thinner than a sheet of paper.

So how did this tiny art make its debut? The late research scientist Michael W. Davidson who ran the optical microscopy laboratory at Florida State University for about decade until his retirement (and death) in 2015 had a microscope he used to photograph integrated circuits. One day in the late '90s while scanning a circuit, he found Waldo. Or at least, the etched outline of Waldo's head.

"Waldo is the first Silicon Creature that we discovered," reads the Silicon Zoo website. "And this led to an exhaustive search for more creatures and construction of the Silicon Zoo gallery."

Davidson built the Silicon Zoo website to record his findings and he was tireless in his search for this art.

"At one point, I would say in '99 it was that the word was out in Tallahassee that we were collecting (chips)," said Eric Clark, who helped Davidson build the site. "We had a mountain of just computer parts and chips."

The site has catalogued dozens of doodles, many that wink to the function of the integrated circuit, like an elephant on a memory chip, or a can o' worms nodding to the many problems a designer faced.

But there are still more out there.

That's where people like Kenton Smith come in. Smith designs circuit boards and has long been fascinated by computers. He was examining chips a few years ago when he found one smiling back up at him.

"I was just opening up a bunch of different types of chips," he said. "And eventually I came to one and it had a smiley face on it. And to find that was one of the best feelings I've ever had in the world."

The discovery led him deep into the world of silicon scribbles, and he now buys bulk chip lots on eBay and regularly posts videos showcasing his finds.

"One of the the driving forces, I think, to buying so much stuff on eBay is that there's always this feeling that if I don't get it, I may never see that chip again," Smith said. "And it's going to be recycled and we'll lose parts of our history."

Smith posts about his finds across various social media, using his @Evilmonkeyzdesignz accounts that have hundreds of thousands of followers among them.

This is a hobby that takes dedication. First you have to find the chips. Then you have to snip them from their casings. Sometimes the chips shatter into pieces. Sometimes acid is needed to eat away at decades old adhesive.

"I go to flea markets almost every week," said the man behind the @CPU_Duke accounts. "I'm looking at boards and I get a feeling for this could be interesting, this is an interesting brand. Could have a doodle on it. An Easter egg." He didn't want to use his real name for privacy reasons.

The doodles represent an amusing a collision of technology and art.

Albert Folch, a professor at the University of Washington's bioengineering department, is an expert in the field. He has long merged science and art in a program he calls BAIT (Bringing Art Into Technology). The walls in his office are covered in colorful microfluid artwork, which blend scientific photography with artistic flourishes.

For Folch, the micro doodles are a joyful distraction.

"I think it's a lot of fun," he said. "When I was designing chips myself, I never did it. But I think it's something that if it had occurred to me, I probably would have done it, just for fun."

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Social media revives chip art AKA silicon doodles and keeps its history alive - NPR

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Kat Meme Coin: The new crypto sensation with a Vitalik Buterin endorsement – crypto.news

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

In the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrencies, a new player has entered the market, capturing both attention and intrigue.

Dubbed Kat Meme Coin, this new meme-based cryptocurrency has become a topic of considerable discussion, especially following an unexpected endorsement from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.

Kat Meme Coin emerged from the burgeoning trend of cryptocurrencies that leverage popular internet culture to gain rapid user adoption. Drawing inspiration from various internet memes featuring cats, the creators of Kat Meme Coin have cleverly combined the viral nature of memes with the robust, speculative dynamics of the crypto market. The result is a digital currency that not only appeals to crypto enthusiasts but also to a broader audience that enjoys internet humor.

The cryptocurrency community was taken by surprise when Vitalik Buterin, a well-known figure in the blockchain space, announced his investment in Kat Meme Coin. Buterin, whose endorsements are few and far between, praised the project for its innovative approach to community engagement and its potential to bring new users into the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

I am always excited to see new projects that challenge the conventional and bring about a wave of freshness to the blockchain space, Buterin said in a recent interview. Kat Meme Coin, with its unique blend of humor and serious technology, presents an intriguing proposition.

Despite its whimsical origins, Kat Meme Coin is built on a solid technological foundation. It operates on a decentralized blockchain platform that ensures security and transparency. The developers have implemented a unique deflationary mechanism where a small percentage of coins are burned with every transaction, potentially increasing the value of the remaining coins over time.

The future of Kat Meme Coin looks promising. With its community-driven approach, the project has outlined several upcoming initiatives, including partnerships with online content creators, merchandise stores, and possibly even adoption by e-commerce platforms to use Kat Meme as a legitimate form of payment.

Since its launch, Kat Meme Coin has seen a fluctuating yet positive market response. The coin experienced a significant surge in value following Buterins endorsement, demonstrating the impact of high-profile support in the cryptocurrency market.

However, the project is not without its challenges. Critics argue that the long-term viability of meme coins is uncertain, and their value can be highly volatile. The developers of Kat Meme Coin will need to maintain the momentum and ensure that the project continues to evolve to sustain interest and value.

Disclosure: This content is provided by a third party. crypto.news does not endorse any product mentioned on this page. Users must do their own research before taking any actions related to the company.

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Arkham’s top 5 doxed crypto hodlers own $3.5B, but 35% is untouchable – Cointelegraph

The top five identified crypto whales with publicly known wallet addresses hold around $3.5 billion in crypto, according to a dashboard from blockchain intelligence firm Arkham.

However, due to lost passwords and private keys, a large chunk of it is inaccessible.

On April 15, the on-chain intelligence platform announced the updated dashboard revealing the holdings of some of the worlds on-chain-verified richest crypto holders and whales, including Trons Justin Sun and Ethereums Vitalik Buterin.

The top five crypto holders on its list currently own an aggregate of $3.47 billion in digital assets, according to the data. However, around 35% or $1.21 billion of that total has been flagged as inaccessible.

Justin Sun tops the list with a reported $1.06 billion in his crypto wallet. The Tron network founders wallet is heavy on his own stablecoin, Decentralized USD (USDD), with $275 million in holdings, followed by the networks native token, Tron (TRX), of which he holds $237 million worth.

Rain Lhmus, the founder of Estonia-based LHV Bank, is second on Arkhams list with $769 million worth of Ether. However, it has been flagged as inaccessible, as it was reported in November that he lost access to his private key.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin comes third with a wallet containing $757 million, primarily in ETH, of which he holds 245,425 tokens.

The Bitcoin wallet of the former chief technology officer at Ripple, Stefan Thomas, shows up as fourth on the list. However, his $442 million worth of Bitcoin (BTC) has also been flagged inaccessible.

Thomas lost access to more than 7,000 Bitcoin in 2011 after losing the password to the encrypted hard drive holding the details of his cryptocurrency.

In October, crypto recovery firm Unciphered offered to unlock the IronKey hard drive.

Related: Ethereums next hard fork could make lost private keys a thing of the past

Crypto venture capitalist James Fickel rounds out the top five with $436 million worth of digital assets in his wallet, according to Arkham.

Other notable crypto wallets in the top ten include early adopter Patricio Worthalter, who holds $219 million worth, primarily in ETH. General Partner at Cluster Capital, Winslow Strong, is listed as holding $27.5 million worth of digital assets.

For those included, the dashboard displays public wallets tagged by Arkham, their current token holdings and balance history, a breakdown of portfolios across chains and historical daily balances, and recent activity.

However, the list doesnt contain whale wallets that are linked to unknown or pseudonymous owners, such as Bitcoins creator Satoshi Nakamoto whose BTC holdings are estimated to be worth tens of billions across multiple addresses, or other crypto titans that currently arent linked to a particular wallet address.

Magazine: 1 in 6 new Base meme coins are scams, 91% have vulnerabilities

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Arkham's top 5 doxed crypto hodlers own $3.5B, but 35% is untouchable - Cointelegraph

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Church of Africa: An interview with Fr Joel Nkongolo – Vatican News – English

Congolese national and Claretian priest Fr Joel Nkongolo recently spoke to Fr Paul Samasumo of Vatican News about AIs implications or possible impact on the African Church. Fr Nkongolo is currently based in Nigeria.

Fr Paul Samasumo Vatican City.

How would you define or describe Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

Artificial Intelligence encompasses a wide range of technologies and techniques that enable machines to mimic human cognitive functions. Machine learning, a subset of AI, allows systems to learn from data without being explicitly programmed. For example, streaming platforms like Netflix use recommendation algorithms to analyze users viewing history and suggest relevant content. Computer vision technology, another aspect of AI, powers facial recognition systems used in security and authentication applications.

Should we be worried and afraid of Artificial Intelligence?

While AI offers numerous benefits, such as improved efficiency, productivity, and innovation, it also raises legitimate concerns. One concern is job displacement, as automation could replace certain tasks traditionally performed by humans. For instance, a study by the McKinsey Global Institute suggests that up to 800 million jobs could be automated by 2030. Additionally, there are ethical concerns surrounding AI, such as algorithmic bias, which can perpetuate discrimination and inequality. For example, facial recognition systems have been found to exhibit higher error rates for people with darker skin tones, leading to unfair treatment in areas like law enforcement.

Africas journey towards embracing AI seems relatively slow. Is this a good or bad thing?

Africas adoption of AI has been relatively slow compared to other regions, attributed to factors such as limited infrastructure, digital literacy, and funding. However, this cautious approach can also be viewed as an opportunity to address underlying challenges and prioritize ethical considerations. For example, Ghana recently established two AI Centres to develop AI capabilities while ensuring ethical AI deployment. By taking a deliberate approach, African countries can tailor AI solutions to address local needs and minimize potential negative impacts.

How do you see Artificial Intelligence affecting or impacting the Church in Africa and elsewhere? Should the Church be worried about Artificial Intelligence?

AI can enhance various aspects of Church operations, such as automating administrative tasks, analyzing congregation demographics for targeted outreach, and providing personalized spiritual guidance through chatbots. However, there are ethical considerations, such as ensuring data privacy and maintaining human connection amid technological advancements. For example, sections of the Church of England utilize AI-powered chatbots to engage with congregants online, offering pastoral support and prayer. While AI can augment the Churchs outreach efforts, its essential to maintain human oversight and uphold ethical standards in its use.

How can the Church influence ethical behaviour and good social media conduct?

The Church can leverage its moral authority to promote ethical behaviour and responsible social media use. For instance, Pope Francis has spoken out against the spread of fake news and social media polarisation, emphasizing the importance of truth and dialogue. Additionally, initiatives like Digital Catholicism involve leveraging online media technologies as tools for evangelization while simultaneously spreading the message of faith in cyberspace itself. So, by modelling ethical behaviour and offering guidance on digital citizenship, the Church can foster a culture of respect, empathy, and truthfulness in online interactions.

How can parents, guardians, teachers, parish priests, or pastors help young people avoid becoming enslaved by these technologies?

Adults play a crucial role in guiding young peoples use of technology and promoting healthy digital habits. For example, parents and teachers can educate children about the risks of excessive screen time and the importance of balance in their online and offline activities. They can also set limits on device usage, encourage outdoor play, and foster face-to-face social interactions. Moreover, religious leaders can incorporate teachings on mindfulness, self-discipline, and responsible stewardship of technology into their spiritual guidance, helping young people cultivate a healthy relationship with digital media.

Can individuals and society do anything to protect themselves from potential AI harm or abuse by non-democratic governments?

Individuals and civil society organizations can take proactive measures to safeguard against AI abuse by authoritarian regimes. For example, they can advocate for legislation and regulations that protect digital rights, privacy, and freedom of expression. Tools like virtual private networks (VPNs) and encrypted messaging apps can help individuals circumvent government surveillance and censorship. Moreover, international collaboration and solidarity among democratic nations can amplify efforts to hold oppressive regimes accountable for AI misuse and human rights violations.

What would your advice be to those working in education or schools regarding teaching about AI?

Educators have a vital role in preparing students for the AI-driven future by fostering critical thinking, creativity, and ethical decision-making skills. For example, integrating AI literacy into the curriculum can help students understand how AI works, its societal impacts, and ethical considerations. Projects like Googles AI for Social Good initiative provide educational resources and tools for teaching AI concepts in schools. By empowering students to become responsible AI users and innovators, educators can effectively equip them to navigate the opportunities and challenges of the digital age.

Fr Nkongolo, thank you for your time and help in navigating these issues.

Fr. Paul Samasumo, these examples, comparisons, and statistics illustrate the multifaceted nature of AI and its implications for society, including the Church and education. I hope they provide a comprehensive perspective on these complex issues.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Church of Africa: An interview with Fr Joel Nkongolo - Vatican News - English

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A.I. Has a Measurement Problem – The New York Times

Theres a problem with leading artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude: We dont really know how smart they are.

Thats because, unlike companies that make cars or drugs or baby formula, A.I. companies arent required to submit their products for testing before releasing them to the public. Theres no Good Housekeeping seal for A.I. chatbots, and few independent groups are putting these tools through their paces in a rigorous way.

Instead, were left to rely on the claims of A.I. companies, which often use vague, fuzzy phrases like improved capabilities to describe how their models differ from one version to the next. And while there are some standard tests given to A.I. models to assess how good they are at, say, math or logical reasoning, many experts have doubts about how reliable those tests really are.

This might sound like a petty gripe. But Ive become convinced that a lack of good measurement and evaluation for A.I. systems is a major problem.

For starters, without reliable information about A.I. products, how are people supposed to know what to do with them?

I cant count the number of times Ive been asked in the past year, by a friend or a colleague, which A.I. tool they should use for a certain task. Does ChatGPT or Gemini write better Python code? Is DALL-E 3 or Midjourney better at generating realistic images of people?

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BrightNight Unveils PowerAlpha Artificial Intelligence Software Platform at the "AI: Powering the New Energy Era … – PR Newswire

Trailblazing integrated AI platform ushers in an era of firm, affordable, clean energy.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BrightNight, the next-generation global renewable power producer built to deliver clean and dispatchable solutions, today introduced PowerAlpha, the proprietary software platform that uses cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence, data analytics, and cloud computing to design, optimize, and operate renewable power plants with industry-leading economics.

PowerAlpha was unveiled today at the "AI: Powering the New Energy Era"summit in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by BrightNight and hosted by the Foundation for American Science and Technology, it is the first independent industry summit in North America exclusively dedicated to exploring the influence of Artificial Intelligence on the energy sector. The summit brought together senior public officials, policymakers, energy industry leaders, experts, academia, and investors, including co-sponsors NVIDIA, IBM, C3.ai and Qcells, and representatives from the Department of Energy, U.S. Congress, Intel, Alphabet (Google), EEI, Bank of America, KPMG, EPRI, and other organizations.

BrightNight's PowerAlpha platform accelerates the global clean energy transition and decarbonization by ensuring the generation of reliable power at the lowest cost attainable in various geographies and power grids globally. Its benefits as realized in the design, optimize, and operate stages within the project's lifecycle include:

PowerAlpha's unique dispatch hybrid controls interface can also be integrated with utilities' Energy Management Systems for even more operational efficiency and integrated asset management solutions. Also, with the increasing demand for more power to support the growing use of AI applications and corresponding data centers, PowerAlpha is leveraging AI capabilities to drive greater efficiencies, better designs, and higher capacity renewable projects.

Martin Hermann, CEO of BrightNight, said: "Through relentless innovation, the dream of a sustainable clean energy transition, where renewable power is affordable and reliable, is now within reach. The integration of Artificial Intelligence with renewable energy offers solutions to numerous challenges, from demand forecasting and smart grid management to labor shortages and the design of efficient power projects. I am proud that BrightNight is at the forefront of this technological revolution, bringing the clean energy transition closer to reality than ever before."

Kiran Kumaraswamy, CTO of BrightNight, said: "PowerAlpha provides a fully integrated platform that is highly differentiated in the marketplace in its ability to design, optimize, and operate hybrid renewable power projects with cutting edge capabilities enabled by AI and utilizing patent-pending algorithms. Our team is redefining industry standards, optimizing renewable projects globally to integrate new load like data centers and increase utilization of existing infrastructure."

BrightNight has delivered a number of PowerAlpha projects and use cases in the U.S. and globally, where it is helping customers optimize existing transmissions infrastructure, integrate long and short duration storage solutions, increase capacity, and improve dispatchability of renewable assets, as well as repower existing projects.

BrightNight's is also using PowerAlpha to develop projects with its partner in India and the Philippines, ACEN, one of Asia's leading renewable companies. ACEN Group CIO Patrice Clausse said, "PowerAlpha has been an important enabler for our investment decision-making. We feel confident leveraging its capabilities to simulate the performance of numerous hybrid renewable power plant configurations incorporating solar, wind, and energy storage and identify the most efficient configuration. This has enabled us to optimize our plant configuration and was a critical component in our recent tenderwins."

For more information about PowerAlpha and BrightNight's 37 GW renewable power portfolio, please see http://www.brightnightpower.com/poweralpha or contact [emailprotected].

About BrightNight

BrightNight is the first global renewable integrated power company designed to provide utility and commercial and industrial customers with clean, dispatchable renewable power solutions. BrightNight works with customers across the U.S. and Asia Pacific to design, develop, and operate safe, reliable, large-scale renewable power projects optimized through its proprietary software platform PowerAlpha to better manage the intermittent nature of renewable energy. Its deep customer engagement process, team of proven power experts, and industry-leading solutions enable customers to overcome challenging energy sustainability standards, rapidly changing grid dynamics, and the transition away from fossil fuel generation. To learn more, please visit:www.brightnightpower.com

SOURCE BrightNight

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BrightNight Unveils PowerAlpha Artificial Intelligence Software Platform at the "AI: Powering the New Energy Era ... - PR Newswire

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