Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: internet

All manner of companies and tech leaders have been predicting when AGI will be achieved, but we might have one of the surest signs that it’s already here — or is just around the corner.

Google Deepmind is hiring a Post-AGI researcher for its London office. As per a job listing on internet boards, Google Deepmind is looking for a “Research Scientist, Post-AGI Research”. “We are seeking a Research Scientist to explore the profound impact of what comes after AGI,” the job listing says.

“At Google DeepMind, we’ve built a unique culture and work environment where long-term ambitious research can flourish. We are seeking a highly motivated Research Scientist to join our team and contribute to groundbreaking research that will focus on what comes after Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Key questions include the trajectory of AGI to artificial superintelligence (ASI), machine consciousness, the impact of AGI on the foundations of human society,” says the job listing.

Read more | >

To ensure that information maintains a high quality and isn’t overwhelmed by noise, optical amplifiers are essential. The data transmission capacity of an optical communication system is largely determined by the amplifier’s bandwidth, which refers to the range of light wavelengths it can handle.

“The amplifiers currently used in optical communication systems have a bandwidth of approximately 30 nanometers. Our amplifier, however, boasts a bandwidth of 300 nanometers, enabling it to transmit ten times more data per second than those of existing systems,” explains Peter Andrekson, Professor of Photonics at Chalmers and lead author of the study published in Nature.

The rapidly increasing data traffic is placing ever greater demands on the capacity of communication systems. In an article published in the prestigious journal Nature, a research team from Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, introduces a new amplifier that enables the transmission of ten times more data per second than those of current fiber-optic systems. This amplifier, which fits on a small chip, holds significant potential for various critical laser systems, including those used in medical diagnostics and treatment.

The advancement of AI technology, the growing popularity of streaming services, and the proliferation of new smart devices are among the factors driving the expected doubling of data traffic by 2030. This surge is heightening the demand for communication systems capable of managing vast amounts of information.

Currently, optical communication systems are employed for the internet, telecommunications, and other data-intensive services. These systems utilise light to transmit information over long distances. The data is conveyed through laser pulses that travel at high speeds through optical fibers, which are composed of thin strands of glass.

Read more | >

On TikTok there are exceptional “testimonials” like Nikola Tesla or Marie Curie delivering short science-related messages that have garnered millions of views. This is just one of many examples where AI-generated avatars are used to communicate science—a strategy that might also have its drawbacks.

The generation of images and animations through is a rapidly growing field, constantly improving in quality. Yet many , though realistic, still present minor flaws—glitches, delays, inconsistent facial expressions or lip-syncing—sometimes barely noticeable, but still easily picked up by a human observer.

Jasmin Baake, researcher at the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), Bochum, Germany, and the other authors of a study in the Journal of Science Communication realized that these avatars could trigger a phenomenon known in as the “uncanny valley.”

Read more | >

A novel paper led by Dr. Ulrich Brose of the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena is widening the understanding of how species interact within ecosystems via the so-called “Internet of Nature.”

Published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the paper reveals that species not only exchange matter and energy but also share vital information that influences behavior, interactions, and ecosystem dynamics—revealing previously hidden characteristics of .

Traditionally, ecological studies have concentrated on material interactions, such as feeding, pollination, and seed dispersal. However, this new paper shines a light on the essential role of information exchange between species.

Read more | >

When it comes to upgrading electrical and broadband infrastructure, new research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that a “dig once” approach is nearly 40% more cost effective than replacing them separately.

The study, published in the journal Cell Reports Sustainability, also found that the greatest benefit comes from proactively undergrounding lines that are currently above ground, even if lines haven’t reached the end of their usefulness.

Co-undergrounding is the practice of burying both electric and broadband internet lines together.

Read more | >

A recent study published in ACM Transactions on the Web by researchers at Queen Mary University of London sheds new light on one of the most significant collapses in cryptocurrency history: the crash of the TerraUSD stablecoin and its sister token, LUNA. The research team uncovered evidence of suspicious, large-scale trading activity that may point to a coordinated effort to destabilize the ecosystem, triggering a rapid $3.5 billion loss in market value.

Led by Dr. Richard Clegg, the study uses temporal multilayer graph analysis, an advanced method for tracking dynamic and interconnected systems over time. By applying this technique to transaction data from the Ethereum blockchain, the researchers were able to trace complex relationships between cryptocurrencies and pinpoint how TerraUSD was systematically undermined through a series of calculated trades.

Stablecoins like TerraUSD are designed to maintain a steady value, typically pegged to a fiat currency like the US dollar. However, in May 2022, TerraUSD and its sister currency, LUNA, experienced a catastrophic collapse. Dr. Clegg’s research sheds light on how this happened, uncovering evidence of a coordinated attack by traders who were betting against the system, a practice known as “shorting.”

Read more | >

In February 2024, Reddit struck a $60 million deal with Google to let the search giant use data on the platform to train its artificial intelligence models. Notably absent from the discussions were Reddit users, whose data were being sold.

The deal reflected the reality of the modern internet: Big tech companies own virtually all our online data and get to decide what to do with that data. Unsurprisingly, many platforms monetize their data, and the fastest-growing way to accomplish that today is to sell it to AI companies, who are themselves massive tech companies using the data to train ever more powerful models.

The decentralized platform Vana, which started as a class project at MIT, is on a mission to give power back to the users. The company has created a fully user-owned network that allows individuals to upload their data and govern how they are used. AI developers can pitch users on ideas for new models, and if the users agree to contribute their data for training, they get proportional ownership in the models.

Read more | >