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Dmitry Kurouski, an associate professor of biomedical engineering in the department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, USA, recently spoke to Spectroscopy about Raman spectroscopy’s role in determining crop yield of key food items as the world population continues to increase. His paper on the subject, “Raman Spectroscopy and Machine Learning for Agricultural Applications: Chemometric Assessment of Spectroscopic Signatures of Plants as the Essential Step Toward Digital Farming,” co-authored by student Charles Farber, appeared in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science in April 2022 (1). The following is transcribed from an online video interview between Spectroscopy and Kurouski in January 2024 with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) software, and has been lightly edited for length and clarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apple is focusing on vision AI because it allows for understanding, contextualizing, decision-making, and altering the appearance of what is seen. This technology is already being used in various ways, such as text recognition, location identification, image descriptions, and translation. Apple's recent research paper describes a Multimodal Model for Text and Image Data, which combines text and images to train large language models and achieve strong context-learning capabilities. The company's vision for Generative Visual AI, particularly in the creation of digital replicas of spaces, has significant implications for industries like architecture, design, and health. This highly visual AI deployment surpasses the futuristic visions depicted in movies like Minority Report, making Apple an industry leader in this field. [Extracted from the article]

The article provides information on the 2024 annual meeting concluded by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Seattle, Washington with content and presentations that showed the level of innovation on the field of ophthalmology. Topics include number of posters and paper sessions featured in the event, mission of ARVO, and the meeting's focus on the impact of innovation, technology, and information on vision research.

Anil Ananthaswamy's book, "Why Machines Learn: The Elegant Math Behind Modern AI," attempts to explain how artificial intelligence (AI) works by scanning data for patterns and making predictions. However, the book's detailed breakdown of probability, principal component analysis, and eigenvectors may be difficult for readers without an advanced math degree to understand. While there are some interesting examples, such as how statisticians determined the authorship of the Federalist Papers, the book is primarily filled with complex equations and proofs. General readers may find it challenging to follow. [Extracted from the article]

Schumer's SAFE effort has a better chance of forcing AI companies to safeguard against misuse of their technology because Congress might, in fact, be able to pass laws that at least are enforceable and penalize those who violate them, according to Litan. White House promises on AI regulation called "vague" and "disappointing": US President Joe Biden's latest move to wrangle AI and keep Americans safe while also allowing innovation are not enforceable, meaning AI companies still have carte blanche to do what they want The "voluntary commitments" from seven leading AI tech companies to help address safety, security, and trust risks associated with their ever-evolving technologies aren't worth the paper they could have been written on, according to tech industry experts. [Extracted from the article]

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened an initial review into the market for artificial intelligence systems, looking at the underlying foundational large language models that power chatbots such as ChatGPT alongside the opportunities and risks that AI could present. The CMA added that the review is in line with the UK government's aim to support "open, competitive markets", as outlined in a white paper published in March. [Extracted from the article]

"As a result, the absence of an AI framework hasthe likely potential to create a more unequal and unjustsociety, enhancing the market and power asymmetries betweenthose who dominate digital tools and those who are impactedby AI technology." News In its white paper outlining its policy on AIregulation, the UK government has called for "responsibleuse" while avoiding the introduction of what it callsinnovation-stifling "heavy-handed legislation.". [Extracted from the article]

The article reports that National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other government agencies are using the Saildrone design for lengthy marine data gathering missions, and one became the first uncrewed vessel to successfully circumnavigate Antarctica. It mentions that Solar panels power scientific instruments and equipment with vessels are monitored on their voyages via satellite, but they operate independently through the course of their travels.

The article presents an interview with Chief Marketing Officer Jeff MacGregor of the scientific knowledge network and aggregator Meta. Topics include Meta's offering of artificial intelligence-enabled data services that help to make scientific papers more discoverable, the accuracy of its data services such as Bibliometric Intelligence, and Meta's business model of subscription, or data as a service.