Government
Rapid Likelihood Free Inference of Compact Binary Coalescences using Accelerated Hardware
Chatterjee, Deep, Marx, Ethan, Benoit, William, Kumar, Ravi, Desai, Malina, Govorkova, Ekaterina, Gunny, Alec, Moreno, Eric, Omer, Rafia, Raikman, Ryan, Saleem, Muhammed, Aggarwal, Shrey, Coughlin, Michael W., Harris, Philip, Katsavounidis, Erik
We report a gravitational-wave parameter estimation algorithm, AMPLFI, based on likelihood-free inference using normalizing flows. The focus of AMPLFI is to perform real-time parameter estimation for candidates detected by machine-learning based compact binary coalescence search, Aframe. We present details of our algorithm and optimizations done related to data-loading and pre-processing on accelerated hardware. We train our model using binary black-hole (BBH) simulations on real LIGO-Virgo detector noise. Our model has $\sim 6$ million trainable parameters with training times $\lesssim 24$ hours. Based on online deployment on a mock data stream of LIGO-Virgo data, Aframe + AMPLFI is able to pick up BBH candidates and infer parameters for real-time alerts from data acquisition with a net latency of $\sim 6$s.
X's Grok chatbot is misleading voters about the presidential election
The US is in the middle of another hotly contested and seemingly close presidential election. This election is also happening in this new age of widespread access to artificial intelligence and easily disseminated misinformation. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says his office tracked the source of one key piece of election misinformation back to X's Grok chatbot. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that X's premium chatbot service is passing along erroneous information about the deadlines for states' presidential ballots including Minnesota. When Grok is asked "Which states' presidential ballot deadlines have passed?",
Secret Service turned down local drone 'repeatedly' ahead of Trump July 13 rally: whistleblower
PITTSBURGH – Local law enforcement repeatedly offered to provide drone coverage in the sky above former President Donald Trump's July 13 campaign rally – where he survived a failed assassination attempt – but was rebuffed by the U.S. Secret Service, according to Sen. Josh Hawley, citing a new whistleblower. "According to one whistleblower, the night before the rally, U.S. Secret Service repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally," Hawley, a Missouri Republican and member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. "This means that the technology was both available to USSS and able to be deployed to secure the site. WHISTLEBLOWER REVEALS WHY TRUMP RALLY OFFICER ASSIGNED TO SHOOTER'S PERCH MOVED Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose agency has taken a lead role in the investigation, confirmed during a congressional hearing this week that the would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, flew a drone of his own overhead before Trump took the stage.
New Jersey's 500 Million Bid to Become an AI Epicenter
New Jersey has a new plan to become the US hub for AI innovation. The state's governor signed a law on Thursday that will offer up to 500 million in tax credits for artificial intelligence companies to set up shop in the state. "We want New Jerseyans to stand at the forefront of the AI revolution--and build a more prosperous world in the process," New Jersey's Governor, Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said in a statement. "And in so doing, we are going to establish New Jersey as the home-base for R&D in generative AI." AI companies and data centers that power AI that operate at large scales in New Jersey can qualify for the tax credits, which divert unspent funds from two other state tax credit programs for job creation and real estate development enacted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Critics of the plan fear that it could be a win for profitable AI companies, but a loss for the state.
OpenAI tests new search engine called SearchGPT amid AI arms race
OpenAI is testing a new search engine that uses generative artificial intelligence to produce results, raising the prospect of a significant challenge to Google's dominance of the online search market. SearchGPT will launch with a small group of users and publishers before a potential wider rollout, the company announced on Thursday. OpenAI ultimately intends to incorporate the search features into ChatGPT, rather offer a standalone product. OpenAI said SearchGPT is a temporary prototype that will combine the company's AI models, such as ChatGPT, with the ability to search the internet. It will respond conversationally to searches, while providing up-to-date information with "clear links to relevant sources".
North Korea-backed cyber espionage campaign targets UK military
North Korean state-backed hackers have mounted a campaign to obtain secrets related to nuclear materials, military drones, submarines and shipbuilding in the UK and US, as intelligence agencies warned of a "global cyber-espionage campaign" targeting sensitive industries. A joint notice from the US, UK and South Korea warned that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was using state-backed attackers to further the regime's military and nuclear ambitions. It added that Japan and India had also been targeted. Hackers have targeted sensitive military information and intellectual property in four main areas: nuclear, defence, aerospace and engineering. The assailants, working for a group called Andariel, have also sought to obtain secrets from the medical and energy industries.
New drone footage shows sight line Trump shooter used to open fire on rally
Fox News correspondent CB Cotton reports that different agencies disagree on the events at the Trump rally shooting. Fox News drones provided a new perspective on the sight lines between Thomas Matthew Crooks, former President Trump and the Secret Service counter sniper teams at the fateful rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Thursday. Fox News correspondent CB Cotton also detailed the sight lines that Crooks had when firing on Trump. A drone recreation shows that Crooks was largely concealed from Secret Service counter snipers by a large tree, though he still had an angle on the former president. The Secret Service agent who neutralized Crooks was stationed on a building behind Trump.
AI could enhance almost two-thirds of British jobs, claims Google
Almost two-thirds of British jobs could be "enhanced" with AI, Google has claimed, with only a tiny proportion at risk of being "phased out" entirely. Instead of worrying about job losses caused by AI, the focus needed to be on making sure the millions of Britons who could work in smarter and faster ways with AI tech got the support to use it, the company said. "Fewer than 50% of people are actually taking advantage of these tools in their working life on a day to day basis," said Debbie Weinstein, managing director of Google UK. "The uptake of these tools is very low, and I think the only way we're going to unlock the potential of what AI can do is actually by getting people to use them, and to feel confident and capable about them." According to research from the thinktank Public First, commissioned by Google, 61% of British jobs will be "radically" transformed by AI, with just 31% "insulated" from the technology – defined as having fewer than a quarter of their workplace tasks with the potential to be automated. Those insulated jobs would overwhelmingly be in social care, transport, accommodation and food services, where complex and varied physical tasks were achievable only by human workers, Public First said.
Shares drop in US and Asia as AI stocks slide
Shares in technology companies, especially those related to AI, have driven much of this year's stock market gains. AI chip giant Nvidia, which has been one of the main beneficiaries of the AI boom, saw its shares drop 6.8%. It has lost about 15% of its value in the last two weeks. The company is set to report financial results at the end of August. Shares in multi-billionaire Elon Musk's electric car maker Tesla dropped by more than 12% after its latest financial results disappointed investors.
Treasury denies 1p and 2p coins are to be scrapped
The Treasury has denied that copper coins are to be phased out after it ordered no new 1p and 2p pieces from the Royal Mint this year. "We are not scrapping 1p or 2p coins," a Treasury spokesperson told the BBC. They added that the lack of orders was due to there being enough coins already in circulation. The comments came after multiple reports suggested that the coins might be scrapped as the number of purchases involving cash continued to fall. "We are confident there are enough coins in the system without the need to order more this year," the Treasury said.