Cutting-Edge Technology Spotlighted on My Modern Met- https://mymodernmet.com/category/technology/ The Big City That Celebrates Creative Ideas Tue, 09 May 2023 18:23:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.1 https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-My-Modern-Met-Favicon-1-32x32.png Cutting-Edge Technology Spotlighted on My Modern Met- https://mymodernmet.com/category/technology/ 32 32 Scientists Use Brain Implants to Help Patients Regain Their Independence https://mymodernmet.com/blackrock-neurotech-bci/ Wed, 10 May 2023 16:35:05 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=597519 Scientists Use Brain Implants to Help Patients Regain Their Independence

For many years neuroscientists have been researching how they can use technology to enhance the lives of people suffering from paralysis and other serious medical issues. Typically, this involves a chip implanted in the patient's brain that can translate thoughts into actions. One company leading the way forward is Blackrock Neurotech. Based in Salt Lake […]

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Scientists Use Brain Implants to Help Patients Regain Their Independence
Utah Array by Blackrock Neurotech

Photo: Blackrock Neurotech

For many years neuroscientists have been researching how they can use technology to enhance the lives of people suffering from paralysis and other serious medical issues. Typically, this involves a chip implanted in the patient's brain that can translate thoughts into actions. One company leading the way forward is Blackrock Neurotech. Based in Salt Lake City, they've already implanted 50 chips into patients in an effort to help a wide variety of neurological disorders.

They have several different devices, known as arrays, that can be used to treat everything from hearing loss and epilepsy to paralysis and traumatic brain injury. In 2014, four of its Utah Arrays were implanted into Nathan Copeland. Copeland had been involved in a serious car crash a decade earlier, in which he suffered a serious spinal injury. Two of the arrays were placed in the part of the brain responsible for processing sensory information, and two others were implanted into the area that controls motor functions. The arrays, which are made of hard silicon coated with a conductive metal, look like tiny square hairbrushes fitted with 100 needles.

Copeland is a pioneer in the technology, with his implants lasting well beyond their initial expectancy of five years. In fact, he holds the record for the longest chronic Utah Array implant. According to Blackrock Neurotech, Copeland has achieved sensory feedback due to the technology.

Thanks to the electrodes, he's been able to use a computer, play video games, and move a robotic arm using only his thoughts. “When you have an accident like mine, and you are limited to what you can do, and limited in what you can interact within your environment, doing something like this is very cool and very rewarding,” he shared.

Copeland has been one of the most visible faces of the technology, even sharing a memorable fist bump with then-President Barack Obama in 2016 during a tour of the White House. While there are still many hurdles to cross before these types of implants are available to a wider public, Blackrock Neurotech is making strides.

In 2021, the FDA granted Breakthrough Device destination to one of their MoveAgain Brain Computer Interface (BCI) System. This designation allows for an expedited review process of the technology, which is designed to provide immobile patients the ability to control a mouse cursor, keyboard, mobile device/tablet, wheelchair, or prosthetic device simply by thinking.

While it may seem futuristic, the ability of science to help these patients gain more independence is an incredible step forward in terms of quality of life.

For nearly two decades, scientists have been implanting chips into the brains of paralyzed patients.

Utah Array by Blackrock Neurotech

Photo: Blackrock Neurotech

These chips, known as arrays, allow thoughts to be transformed into actions.

Watch Nathan Copeland, who suffers from a spinal injury, use the system.

Copeland, who received his implant nearly a decade ago, is an advocate for the technology and the independence it provides.

See him shake hands with President Barack Obama with a robotic hand controlled by his mind.

h/t: [Unilad]

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READ: Scientists Use Brain Implants to Help Patients Regain Their Independence

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Photographer Admits His Award-Winning Photo Is AI-Generated and Rejects Prize https://mymodernmet.com/ai-photography-boris-eldagsen/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 17:30:07 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=594616 Photographer Admits His Award-Winning Photo Is AI-Generated and Rejects Prize

When the Sony World Photography Awards announced the winners of the Open Competition in March, German photographer Boris Eldagsen was listed as the winner of the Creative Category. His image Pseudomnesia | The Electrician is a black and white portrait of two women from different generations. While Eldagsen was presented with his award at a ceremony […]

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Photographer Admits His Award-Winning Photo Is AI-Generated and Rejects Prize
“Pseudomnesia | The Electrician” © Boris Eldagsen

“Pseudomnesia | The Electrician” (Photo: Boris Eldagsen)

When the Sony World Photography Awards announced the winners of the Open Competition in March, German photographer Boris Eldagsen was listed as the winner of the Creative Category. His image Pseudomnesia | The Electrician is a black and white portrait of two women from different generations. While Eldagsen was presented with his award at a ceremony in London in April, he's since declined the prize. Calling himself a “cheeky monkey,” Eldagsen had actually entered an AI-generated image into the contest.

Though he originally did so to spur open dialogue and a conversation about the acceptance of AI images in photography contests, it's spun into a much bigger story. At the heart of the situation are conflicting stories about how the Word Photography Organisation handled the disclosure and communication. Eldagsen maintains that he disclosed using AI to create the photo before his image was named winner of the category and that this information was purposely withheld from journalists.

When writing about winning photos from the contest, press publications are given a file with information about the image. On My Modern Met, we publish that information in full. Oftentimes, the information includes stories of how the work was created or the meaning behind the image. The statement provided with Eldagsen's “photo” simply read, “From the series Pseudomnesia,” with no mention of AI.

Eldagsen maintains that he pushed the organizers to state that his image was the result of AI and offered to have a public debate about the merits of AI in a photography contest. While they agreed to publish a Q&A with him about the topic on the official website, after 21 days without receiving questions, Eldagsen decided to decline the prize while onstage at the awards ceremony. He has published his exchange with the organizers on his website.

For their part, the World Photography Organisation issued the following statement: “As a medium photography has always been at the forefront: constantly adapting and evolving, it has a singular ability to transform itself and push boundaries. We are interested in photography as an art form, and within the Sony World Photography Awards we have our Creative categories in the Professional and Open Competitions which welcome photographers to experiment and explore the dynamism of the medium. With technological advancements, a wider audience of creators are engaging with lens-based work and we look forward to seeing how this can expand the reach and impact of photography.”

While Eldagsen certainly feels that there was a missed opportunity on the part of the World Photography Organisation, he hopes that the focus will return to the original matter at hand. How does AI imagery fit into the world of photography? Eldagsen, who started using AI generators after two decades of practicing photography, thinks that the solution is simple.

“Photo contests need to create a new category for AI photography,” he tells My Modern Met. “That's easy to do. And then, if you have photography competitions, in the end people need to prove that it's photography. There are RAW files and a multitude of technical possibilities to do that. Just look at the World Press Photo Award.”

While Eldagsen thought that the incident would make waves in the photography community, he was surprised about how much attention the story has received. “It just shows the impact and how important it is to find a new terminology to talk about the situation because in the past, especially in the photo community, everyone just seemed like startled rabbits looking at a fox. Now the debate is on, and I'm very happy about that.”

He says that he owes a debt of gratitude to other photographers who took the time to translate his interviews into other languages, which helped the news travel globally. To find solutions for how to handle future situations with AI, he's confident that the community can come together to find solutions. And in the meantime, his victory in the contest and subsequent refusal of the award has certainly put photography contests on notice that they cannot continue to turn a blind eye to AI image generators and the impact they are having on the world.

Boris Eldagsen: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Boris Eldagsen.

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READ: Photographer Admits His Award-Winning Photo Is AI-Generated and Rejects Prize

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Artist Uses AI to Visualize a Clear Guitar Embedded With Flowers and People Want It IRL https://mymodernmet.com/ai-generated-art-guitar-mieke-haase/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 20:15:59 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=577286 Artist Uses AI to Visualize a Clear Guitar Embedded With Flowers and People Want It IRL

AI-generated art is a controversial topic, but it’s undeniable that it can produce incredible imagery. Mieke Haase is a creative showcasing the possibilities of artificially generated art. They’ve generated a striking image of a clear guitar that’s filled with colorful blooms. The glass-like surface features florals that look suspended in the clear material. It’s reminiscent […]

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Artist Uses AI to Visualize a Clear Guitar Embedded With Flowers and People Want It IRL AI-Generated Guitar Image

AI-generated art is a controversial topic, but it’s undeniable that it can produce incredible imagery. Mieke Haase is a creative showcasing the possibilities of artificially generated art. They’ve generated a striking image of a clear guitar that’s filled with colorful blooms. The glass-like surface features florals that look suspended in the clear material. It’s reminiscent of resin art, although it’s completely forged with text prompts by Haase.

There are some AI-generated pieces that look like they could never exist in real life, but Haase’s art is something that could be real. It looks so real, in fact, that people in the comments of a viral Instagram post asked where they could buy it, not realizing it was the work of machine learning. Other folks knew it was AI but offered ways in which to craft it IRL. “It would be playable,” one commenter offered, “if it were resin instead. You should make another out of resin! I’d buy it.”

Whatever your opinion of AI art might be, it’s undeniable that the images it conjures are imaginative and could be the starting point for something to exist in the real world. If Haase’s generated piece is any indication, it has inspired the people whose timeline it came across.

Artist Mieke Haase generated an AI art image of a clear guitar with flowers embedded inside. It became a viral post on Instagram with people wishing it was real—and some not realizing it was the work of AI.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by AI Art Community (@ai_art_community)

Mieke Haase: Instagram | Koi Project

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Mieke Haase.

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READ: Artist Uses AI to Visualize a Clear Guitar Embedded With Flowers and People Want It IRL

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Yeasts and Fungi Are Helping Create Delicious Animal-Free Dairy To Drink and Eat https://mymodernmet.com/animal-free-dairy/ Sat, 15 Apr 2023 16:35:04 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=587333 Yeasts and Fungi Are Helping Create Delicious Animal-Free Dairy To Drink and Eat

Americans are eating more dairy than ever, with consumption rising each year. But this love of cheese, yogurt, and ice cream isn't just reserved for items made from cow milk. Plant-based milks are increasingly popular, as well as a new category of dairy that you may not have heard of. These animal-free dairy products aren't […]

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Yeasts and Fungi Are Helping Create Delicious Animal-Free Dairy To Drink and Eat
Glass of Milk Being Poured

Photo: BrianAJackson/Depositphotos

Americans are eating more dairy than ever, with consumption rising each year. But this love of cheese, yogurt, and ice cream isn't just reserved for items made from cow milk. Plant-based milks are increasingly popular, as well as a new category of dairy that you may not have heard of. These animal-free dairy products aren't made from almonds or soybeans but from protein produced in a lab. An increasing number of startups are using a process called precision fermentation to create milk proteins using yeasts or fungi instead of cows.

Once harvested, these lab-grown milk proteins can be transformed into all the dairy items we are already familiar with. As a plus, these proteins don't contain lactose, and concerns about the growth hormones or antibiotics found in cow milk protein aren't a factor. An added bonus is also the environmental impact. A lot of focus has been given to the toll that raising cattle takes on the environment. In fact, eating less red meat is one important way that anyone can help reduce their carbon footprint. But consuming less dairy is also an easy way to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

Perfect Day is at the forefront of this technology. Founded in 2014 by two vegans who were left unsatisfied by traditional dairy alternatives, the company is leading the animal-free dairy charge. Chief executive Ryan Pandya was newly vegetarian when he began looking into the issue after being underwhelmed by his experience with vegan cream cheese.

“I had a bagel with vegan cream cheese that was so bad that it led me to investigate. What’s so hard about this? A lot of dairy alternatives are not made of food,” he recalled.

Ice Cream Sandwiches Made from Animal Free Ice Cream

Pandya, who was studying chemistry and bioengineering at the time, then homed in on precision fermentation as the solution to the problem. Similar to the way that beer is brewed or insulin is produced, the process allows for the production of high-quality milk protein. The resulting food items have the taste and texture of regular dairy without the need for cattle.

Perfect Day is now supplying its lab produced-milk protein to major players in the food industry. General Mills has produced a line of cream cheese with precision fermentation protein from Perfect Day (they're now using a supplier from Israel). They've also partnered with Mars, Nestlé, Starbucks, and Graeter to supply protein for their products. Bravo Robot, a company based on cruelty-free, sustainable principles, uses Perfect Day milk protein for its ice creams.

While Perfect Day is the first company to hit the U.S. market, there are others on the way. Founded in 2020, Change Foods also produces milk protein through precision fermentation and is looking to supply the ingredient to others as well as create their own line of cheeses.

It will be interesting to see if animal-free dairy can take hold in the market, particularly in terms of cost. There will also be a hurdle in overcoming the public's suspicion about lab-generated food. But with the UN warning that greenhouse gas emissions must be slashed immediately in order to avoid catastrophic global warming, this technology certainly seems like the perfect way to make an impact.

Companies are using yeasts and fungi to produce milk protein that can be transformed into delicious, animal-free dairy products.

Products Made with Precision Fermentation Milk Protein

h/t: [Washington Post]

All images via Perfect Day except where noted.

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READ: Yeasts and Fungi Are Helping Create Delicious Animal-Free Dairy To Drink and Eat

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Company Creates Meatball From the Cells of an Extinct Woolly Mammoth https://mymodernmet.com/woolly-mammoth-meatball/ Thu, 30 Mar 2023 17:30:07 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=589324 Company Creates Meatball From the Cells of an Extinct Woolly Mammoth

Traditional meat production is a leading stressor on the environment, as it's a known fact that raising livestock produces an incredible amount of greenhouse gases. As the world races against time to cut emissions, some companies are doing their part by showing how meat can be produced without livestock. And now one Australian company has […]

READ: Company Creates Meatball From the Cells of an Extinct Woolly Mammoth

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Company Creates Meatball From the Cells of an Extinct Woolly Mammoth
Woolly Mammoth Meatball

Photo: Vow

Traditional meat production is a leading stressor on the environment, as it's a known fact that raising livestock produces an incredible amount of greenhouse gases. As the world races against time to cut emissions, some companies are doing their part by showing how meat can be produced without livestock. And now one Australian company has created a meatball from the cells of an extinct woolly mammoth in order to bring attention to the process.

Cultivated, or cultured, meat is the process of creating animal meat via stem cells. The technology first gained attention a decade ago, when Dutch pharmacologist Mark Post presented the first meat-cultivated burger. Many companies now focus on producing cultivated meat, but the Australia-based Vow is taking a creative approach to the process. While they have produced standard meats like beef and chicken, they are also experimenting with different flavors like kangaroo, quail, crocodile, and alpaca.

Their woolly mammoth meatball—which hasn't yet been tasted—was dreamed up as a way to start a conversation about how much meat we consume and where it comes from.

“We have a behavior change problem when it comes to meat consumption,” says George Peppou, CEO of Vow. “The goal is to transition a few billion meat eaters away from eating [conventional] animal protein to eating things that can be produced in electrified systems.”

Vow believes that it can help people transition to cultivated meat by mixing and matching cells to create a nutritious and delicious option for consumers. Singapore has already approved the sale of cultured meat and chicken by the company Good Meat and they are currently available for purchase. Vow will be offering their Japanese quail to diners in Singapore later this year.

The United States is also poised to start allowing cultured meat to come to market. In late 2022, the FDA also gave approvals that will open the door for meat and seafood produced in labs to eventually hit the shelves in America.

While there might be some hesitancy on the part of the public to eat meat produced in a lab, concerns about the environment and food insecurity make this technology more important than ever.

“It’s a little bit strange and new—it’s always like that at first,” shares Professor Ernst Wolvetang of the Australian Institute for Bioengineering at the University of Queensland. Professor Wolvetang helped Vow create the mammoth muscle protein used to give the meat its flavor. “But from an environmental and ethical point of view, I personally think [cultivated meat] makes a lot of sense.”

The woolly mammoth meatball, which was gifted to the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave in the Netherlands, may seem like a publicity stunt, but for Vow, the use of an extinct animal is important.

“We chose the woolly mammoth because it’s a symbol of diversity loss and a symbol of climate change,” shares Vow co-founder Tim Noakesmith.

While the unusual meatball has people talking, it remains to be seen if it will push the public to change their mentality about the type of meat that they consume.

Cultivated food company Vow created a meatball using cells from a woolly mammoth as a way to start a conversation about eating conventionally produced meat.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Vow (@itsjustvow)


Vow is one of many companies that produce edible animal meat and seafood from cells in a lab.

Diagram about how cultivated meat is produced

Photo: Lukaves/Depositphotos

These food items are seen as a way to combat the negative environmental effects of raising livestock.

Cattle in Pampas landscape at dusk, Patagonia, Argentina

Photo: FOTO4440/Depositphotos

Vow: Website | Instagram
h/t: [The Guardian]

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READ: Company Creates Meatball From the Cells of an Extinct Woolly Mammoth

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Photo of Pope Francis Wearing a Stylish Puffer Jacket Is Actually an AI-Generated Image https://mymodernmet.com/ai-generated-pope-puffy-jacket/ Tue, 28 Mar 2023 20:15:01 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=588862 Photo of Pope Francis Wearing a Stylish Puffer Jacket Is Actually an AI-Generated Image

If you’ve been online over the past several days, you might’ve seen a photo of Pope Francis sporting a stylish white puffer jacket. It’s hard to ignore; the image of the 86-year-old sitting pontiff went viral. The whole vibe of the photo made him look hip and like he was walking off the fashion runway. […]

READ: Photo of Pope Francis Wearing a Stylish Puffer Jacket Is Actually an AI-Generated Image

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Photo of Pope Francis Wearing a Stylish Puffer Jacket Is Actually an AI-Generated Image
AI Generated Art of the Pope

Photo: AI-generated image of Pope Francis created with Midjourney

If you’ve been online over the past several days, you might’ve seen a photo of Pope Francis sporting a stylish white puffer jacket. It’s hard to ignore; the image of the 86-year-old sitting pontiff went viral. The whole vibe of the photo made him look hip and like he was walking off the fashion runway. But there’s one big caveat with this image. It’s not real. It’s an AI-generated photo made using the art tool Midjourney.

The image is incredibly convincing and had many people fooled. One of the biggest clues that the photo is fake—and it’s subtle—is the way in which the faux Pope is holding the cup in his right hand. AI is notoriously bad at rendering human hands, and this photo is no exception. But that small detail went unnoticed by many who didn’t realize it was fake until they learned otherwise.

AI-generated art has given anyone the opportunity to create their own images. If they can communicate it through text prompts, it can be produced. This photo is no different. The person who generated it is named Pablo Xavier. He’s a 31-year-old construction worker from the Chicago area. “I try to do funny stuff or trippy art—psychedelic stuff,” he explained of the image. “It just dawned on me: I should do the Pope. Then it was just coming like water: ‘The Pope in Balenciaga puffy coat, Moncler, walking the streets of Rome, Paris,’ stuff like that.”

Pablo generated the image on Friday, March 24, and then posted it to a Facebook group called AI Art Universe and later to Reddit. By Saturday, it was gaining momentum online; he was shocked at how quickly the image went viral. “I was just blown away,” he expressed. “I didn’t want it to blow up like that.” To him, it was “definitely scary” that people believed the image to be real without questioning its veracity.

This experience has been eye-opening for Pablo, particularly in the real impact that these fake images can have. “I didn’t even think about that [before],” he said. “It’s definitely going to get serious if they [governments] don’t start implementing laws to regulate it.

It’s a good lesson for us all as AI continues to become more intertwined with our daily lives. Digital literacy is something that we learn and continuously have to hone; the fake Pope and his puffy jacket are a good reminder that it’s best to be skeptical when you see something unbelievable online.

On Saturday, March 25, a photo of Pope Francis went viral—thanks in part to this tweet.

Many people thought it was real and had funny reactions.

The image was later revealed to be fake. Chrissy Teigen's sentiment is relatable:

h/t: [BuzzFeed, God]

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READ: Photo of Pope Francis Wearing a Stylish Puffer Jacket Is Actually an AI-Generated Image

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Researchers Develop an “E-Fabric” That Generates Enough Power To Charge Your Phone https://mymodernmet.com/solar-powered-textile/ Sat, 11 Mar 2023 15:45:21 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=567891 Researchers Develop an “E-Fabric” That Generates Enough Power To Charge Your Phone

We've all been in a position where our phone runs out of battery, but we don't have anywhere to charge it. Well, what if the clothing you were wearing could help you out? It's an option that isn't as outlandish as you might think, thanks to work by researchers at Nottingham Trent University. Dr. Theodore […]

READ: Researchers Develop an “E-Fabric” That Generates Enough Power To Charge Your Phone

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Researchers Develop an “E-Fabric” That Generates Enough Power To Charge Your Phone
Textile with Photovoltaic Cells

Photo: Nottingham Trent University

We've all been in a position where our phone runs out of battery, but we don't have anywhere to charge it. Well, what if the clothing you were wearing could help you out? It's an option that isn't as outlandish as you might think, thanks to work by researchers at Nottingham Trent University.

Dr. Theodore Hughes-Riley, Associate Professor of Electronic Textiles at the Nottingham School of Art and Design, led research that has resulted in the development of an innovative e-textile that's embedded with 1,200 photovoltaic cells. The cells combined together are capable of harnessing 400 milliwatts (mWatts) of electrical energy from the sun. It's enough to charge a basic mobile phone or smartwatch.

The e-textile, which is breathable and flexible, could be incorporated into clothing and accessories ensuring that you'll never be without a charge again. The e-textile behaves just like any other piece of fabric and can handle washing at 40°C (104°F). This is possible thanks to the waterproof polymer resin that wraps the 5 by 1.5 mm photovoltaic cells.

“This prototype gives an exciting glimpse of the future potential for e-textiles,” shared Dr. Hughes-Riley. “Until now very few people would have considered that their clothing or textiles products could be used for generating electricity.” He continues, “Electronic textiles really have the potential to change people’s relationship with technology, as this prototype shows how we could do away with charging many devices at the wall. This is an exciting development which builds on previous technologies we have made and illustrates how it can be scaled up to generate more power.”

The early e-textile is pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Standing at the forefront of sustainability, it is reshaping the way we think about technology.

Researchers in the UK have created an e-textile with 1,200 photovoltaic cells.

h/t: [designboom]

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Remote Kissing Device Lets Users Smooch Anyone Over the Internet https://mymodernmet.com/remote-kiss-device/ Mon, 27 Feb 2023 20:20:57 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=582155 Remote Kissing Device Lets Users Smooch Anyone Over the Internet

Remote kissing device for long-distance lovers, invented and patented by Chinese university student in Changzhou City. The mouth-shaped module, served as an inducing area for lovers to make the kiss and then it can transfer kiss gesture to the “mouth” on the other side. pic.twitter.com/5i2ogMiUXe — China in Pictures (@tongbingxue) February 22, 2023 The world […]

READ: Remote Kissing Device Lets Users Smooch Anyone Over the Internet

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Remote Kissing Device Lets Users Smooch Anyone Over the Internet

The world is full of strange and oddly specific gadgets, and now there’s a new one that’s taking the internet by storm. This curious—and somewhat creepy—contraption is what is being referred to as a remote kissing device. The interesting invention, which looks like a pair of disembodied human lips, is designed to allow anyone to send and receive virtual kisses that can actually be felt.

This hi-tech—albeit unusual—experience is targeted towards people in long-distance relationships who'd really like to smooch their beloved while they are far apart. All one has to do is plug in the phone attachment, which features a pair of three-dimensional silicone lips, and make out with it. The pair of lips attached to the phone on the receiving end will then imitate the sender’s kisses.

In order for it to work properly, users would need to download an app and pair their devices. Once that’s done, they can start a phone call and transmit the pressure, movements, temperature, and even noises of their kisses to the other person through the silicone lips. According to Global Times, China’s state-run newspaper, the gadget was patented by the Changzhou Vocational Institute of Mechatronic Technology, led by inventor Jiang Zhongli. “In my university, I was in a long distance relationship with my girlfriend so we only contact with each other through phone,” he explains. Jiang adds that his patent expired in January 2023 and he was hoping those interested in his creation could expand and perfect the design.

It is reported that he designed this device to promote monogamous relationships, as it can only pair up one sender and one receiver at a time while also requiring consent of both parties. However, others have pointed out that it's possible to “upload” one's kisses and download smooches from strangers to enjoy. The app also features a “kissing square” feature, a Tinder-like functionality that allows two strangers to exchange kisses if they match and like each other.

The remote kissing device is sold by the Chinese online shopping website Taobao for around 288 yuan (almost $42) each. Despite all the buzz, the device has led to polarizing reactions—some are creeped out or disgusted by it while others are excited about what it means for long-distance relationships struggling with intimacy. According to CNN, one of the buyers left a glowing review, saying, “My partner didn’t believe that (remote) kissing could be achieved at first, so her jaw dropped when she used it … This is the best surprise I have given her during our long-distance relationship.”

Chinese inventor Jiang Zhongli has created a remote kissing device intended for people in long-distance relationships to send each other virtual kisses they can actually feel.

the taobao kissing device being used by a woman and a man

Photo: Screenshot from Reddit

h/t: [CNN]

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READ: Remote Kissing Device Lets Users Smooch Anyone Over the Internet

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Popular Instagram Photographer Confesses That His Work is AI-Generated https://mymodernmet.com/joe-avery-ai-deception-instagram/ Wed, 22 Feb 2023 18:30:38 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=581135 Popular Instagram Photographer Confesses That His Work is AI-Generated

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Avery Portraits & Art (@averyseasonart) As more and more AI-generated images flood the internet, you might start thinking that it is easy to tell what is real and what isn't. For instance, too many fingers or the appearance of random limbs is one obvious […]

READ: Popular Instagram Photographer Confesses That His Work is AI-Generated

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Popular Instagram Photographer Confesses That His Work is AI-Generated

As more and more AI-generated images flood the internet, you might start thinking that it is easy to tell what is real and what isn't. For instance, too many fingers or the appearance of random limbs is one obvious giveaway. But  the work of popular Instagram photographer Joe Avery drives home the point that the line between AI imagery and work created by actual photographers is becoming more and more blurred. Avery’s admired “portrait photography” has recently unraveled with the photographer’s own admission of his work being entirely AI-generated. His confession also brings up questions of when and how to disclose the use of AI in content creation.

Avery opened his portrait photography account on Instagram in October 2022. And in just a few short months, his stunning black-and-white photographs amassed a following of about 12,000 people. But what his followers, who wrote enthusiastic comments about how much his work inspired them, didn't realize is that Avery hadn't picked up a camera at all. All of his images were created using Midjourney and then retouched by him.

In early January, feeling “conflicted” about deceiving his followers, he came clean to the online publication Ars Tecnica via email. “[My Instagram account] has blown up to nearly 12K followers since October, more than I expected,” he wrote. “Because it is where I post AI-generated, human-finished portraits. Probably 95%+ of the followers don't realize. I'd like to come clean.”

Avery went on to clarify that while his original intent was to fool his followers and then write an article about it, he'd come to enjoy the process of creating these AI images and saw it as a creative outlet that he wanted to share openly. Though Avery's account now clearly states in the bio that the images are AI and that he is creating digital art, that was not always the case.

In fact, prior to his confession, Avery remained vague about the origins of the images and frequently replied to comments by followers praising his work. The account has now deleted all user comments, but PetaPixel published screen captures of these interactions.

Under one image, a portrait photographer who followed the account wrote, “Thank you for the inspiration you provide day after day with your wonderful portraiture. I stop, take a long look, reflect, and most certainly learn from every post you share.” Avery simply replied, “Thanks very much for taking the time to share that. It means a lot.”

In another instance, someone outright asked Avery what equipment he used to shoot his photos and, instead of stating that they are AI-generated, he answered that he uses Nikon. However, Avery told Ars Tecnica that as his following grew, he started feeling guilty about the deception.

“It seems ‘right' to disclose [AI-generated art] many ways—more honest, perhaps,” Avery shared. “However, do people who wear makeup in photos disclose that? What about cosmetic surgery? Every commercial fashion photograph has a heavy dose of Photoshopping, including celebrity body replacement on the covers of magazines.”

Of course, techniques to hide certain things or create illusions have long been part of most art forms; but, as Ars Tecnica points out, “misrepresenting your craft is another thing entirely.” Now that he's come clean, Avery will find out how the public views his deception.

For his part, Avery does see his work as a form of creativity. In explaining his creative process, he stated that he generated nearly 14,000 images using Midjourney in order to arrive at the 160 posted to Instagram. He then combines the best parts of the generated images and retouches them in Lightroom and Photoshop to achieve a realistic look.

“It takes an enormous amount of effort to take AI-generated elements and create something that looks like it was taken by a human photographer,” Avery shares. “The creative process is still very much in the hands of the artist or photographer, not the computer.”

These works of digital art certainly do look like real photos. Given what we've seen in terms of unedited AI imagery, a lot of hours were surely spent to make sure that certain aspects like the eyes and hands look real. Many of Avery’s images are also accompanied by a short fictional story about the person pictured. These words certainly enhance the imagery and were likely part of why his account gained popularity.

But now that he's confessed that these images are digital art and not his own photography, the question is what will the response be? Will people not care and will his following continue to grow? Or will people, particularly other photographers, turn their back on this form of deception? Currently, he has nearly 28,000 followers and continues to post frequently. While his Instagram biography refers to AI and digital art, he continues to use popular photography hashtags like #peoplephotography on his images, with no hashtags mentioning AI, Midjourney, or digital art.

Avery's case is an interesting one and could understandably instill fear in photographs who look at AI as yet another way they could lose work. If Avery's Instagram followers couldn't tell the difference, that means that advertisers and other paying clients probably also would not have. It's not difficult to see how we might not be too far away from digital art replacing photography in some scenarios.

Joe Avery amassed 12,000 Instagram followers on his account about portrait photography.

But now, he's confessed that he didn't take these photographs.

Instead, they are all AI-generated images that he retouched.

“I post AI-generated, human-finished portraits. Probably 95%+ of the followers don't realize. I'd like to come clean.”

Now that he's confessed, does this change your impression of his work?

Joe Avery: Instagram
h/t: [Ars Tecnica]

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READ: Popular Instagram Photographer Confesses That His Work is AI-Generated

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Microsoft’s Bing Chatbot Gets New Set of Rules After Bad Behavior https://mymodernmet.com/bad-behavior-bing-chatbot/ Mon, 20 Feb 2023 18:30:20 +0000 https://mymodernmet.com/?p=580506 Microsoft’s Bing Chatbot Gets New Set of Rules After Bad Behavior

Since ChatGPT was released in November 2022, tech companies have been racing to see how they can incorporate AI into search. In early February 2023, Microsoft announced that it was revamping its Bing search engine by adding AI functionality. Users would be able to chat with the system, with the idea that this would power […]

READ: Microsoft’s Bing Chatbot Gets New Set of Rules After Bad Behavior

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Microsoft’s Bing Chatbot Gets New Set of Rules After Bad Behavior
Microsoft Chatbot Bing Bad Behavior

Photo: luckystep48/123RF

Since ChatGPT was released in November 2022, tech companies have been racing to see how they can incorporate AI into search. In early February 2023, Microsoft announced that it was revamping its Bing search engine by adding AI functionality. Users would be able to chat with the system, with the idea that this would power a new way to search for information. But, as users began testing the functionality, it was clear that something wasn't right.

From Bing declaring its love for a New York Times writer and telling him to divorce his wife to it arguing with a user that the current year is 2022, the rollout hasn't been as smooth as Microsoft might have hoped.

In one widely shared exchange, a user asks for showtimes for the movie Avatar: The Way of Water, which was released in December 2022. Bing lets the user know that, according to it, the film hasn't been released yet and that it will be another 10 months before it is in theaters. It's at that point that Bing clarifies that the current year is 2022. When the user tries to correct the chatbot, things go off the rails.

Bing tells the user that “I'm here to help you” and “I have been a good Bing,” and also has no problem letting the user know that they are “stubborn,” and “unreasonable.” And, at the same time, the chatbot continues to insist that the user needs to trust it when it says the year is 2022 and seems to accuse the user of trying to deceive it. Toward the end of the exchange, the chatbot appears to assign a lot of human emotion to the simple search request, stating that “you have only shown me [sic] bad intentions toward me at all times” and “you have not tried to learn from me, understand me, or appreciate me.”

When confronted with bad behavior like the unsettling conversation that The New York Times writer Kevin Roose had with the chatbot—which transformed into the chatbot making a declaration of love and insisting that Roose divorce his wife—Microsoft had several explanations. Microsoft's chief technology officer Kevin Scott stated that it was “part of the learning process,” and that the odd conversation might have been due to the long duration of the exchange. However, the argumentative Avatar exchange appears to have happened almost immediately, as soon as the chatbot produced a false answer.

Given all the feedback, Microsoft is already making changes. They appear to believe that limiting the length of a conversation will have a positive effect and, on Friday, put that into effect. Currently, users who are able to use the new chat feature—there is a waiting list to join—will only be allowed 50 queries a day and five queries per session.

As Microsoft makes these changes, people will be watching to see if they have a positive effect. Prior to the limit, the internet was flooded with examples of frightening encounters that users had with the technology. This includes threats of blackmail that were screen-recorded prior to Bing deleting its answer, as well as the chatbot's unsubstantiated claims that it had spied on Microsoft employees through webcams.

The slightly sinister character traits that Bing exhibited call to mind the story of Google engineer Blake Lemoine, who was fired after he claimed that the AI model he tested was sentient. While this is arguably untrue, these new encounters remind us of how “real” these chatbots can act. And, it's easy to see how someone could even be manipulated by their insistent language. It's even more frightening to think of what else they might produce when so easily provoked to insult or threaten users.

Microsoft has started limited usage of its new AI feature on Bing after the chatbot began arguing with and threatening users.

In a widely published exchange, the chatbot, also known as Sydney, declared its love for a journalist and tried to get him to divorce his wife.

It now appears that Microsoft is updating the chatbot rules to try to stem these strange conversations.

But its behavior is a reminder of the impact this technology can have and why AI ethicists have been cautious about its usage.

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READ: Microsoft’s Bing Chatbot Gets New Set of Rules After Bad Behavior

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