Julie Shah, a highly decorated robotics and AI expert, has been appointed as the new head of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro) at MIT, effective from May 1. Shah's various accolades in the field, as well as her pioneering work in integrating AI into various sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and defense,…
Every spring, tornado season returns to the Northern Hemisphere. While the twisted funnel of a tornado may seem like an easily recognizable sight, it remains difficult for radar -- the primary tool of meteorologists -- to detect as they form. Predicting tornadoes also remains challenging, due to an unclear understanding of why they form. Over…
Large Language Models (LLMs) are pivotal for advancing machines' interactions with human language, performing tasks such as translation, summarization, and question-answering. However, evaluating their performance can be daunting due to the need for substantial computational resources.
A major issue encountered while evaluating LLMs is the significant cost of using large benchmark datasets. Conventional benchmarks like HELM…
LyzrCore debuted Lyzr Automata, a novel low-code framework aimed at streamlining complex workflows related to process automation. The system is innovative in that it incorporates a Human-in-Loop mechanism that allows users to guide digital agents' behavior with predetermined rules. These agents employ rule-based techniques to verify whether actions coincide with user-set parameters. This standout offering…
Israeli tech startup aiOla has launched Whisper-Medusa, a significant development in speech recognition tech relying on artificial intelligence (AI). Whisper-Medusa expands on the Whisper model developed by international AI research lab OpenAI and delivers a 50% boost to processing speed, pushing the boundaries of automatic speech recognition (ASR). Whisper-Medusa differs from the original Whisper in…
Researchers at MIT and the University of Washington have developed a method to effectively model human behavior, accounting for the computational constraints that limit our decision-making abilities. This model, known as the "inference budget," enables predictions of an individual’s future actions based on their past behaviors. This is particularly useful in AI development, allowing machines…
Researchers from MIT and the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab have developed a machine-learning accelerator that provides strong data protection while allowing massive AI models to run effectively on individual devices. The innovations applied in developing the chip help protect sensitive information such as health records or financial data against common cyber-attacks, without negatively affecting the…
Julie Shah ’04, SM ’06, PhD ’11 has been appointed as the new head of MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro). An MIT alumnus, Shah holds the prestigious role of H.N. Slater Professor in the department.
Shah's appointment is primarily due to her robust record of providing forward-thinking and cross-disciplinary leadership. Her contributions to robotics…
Data privacy and security have become significant concerns in today's digital era, especially with the increasing use of cloud services. Traditionally, encrypted data must be decrypted before processing, posing a potential security risk. Apple is introducing a solution to this problem with the open-source Swift package called swift-homomorphic-encryption. Homomorphic encryption allows computations on encrypted data…
Reinforcement learning (RL), a field that focuses on shaping agent decision-making through hypothesizing environment interactions, has the challenge of large data requirements and the complexities of incorporating sparse or non-existant rewards in real-world scenarios. Major challenges include data scarcity in embodied AI where agents are called to interact with physical environments, and the significant amount…
In a groundbreaking move, Black Forest Labs has burst onto the generative AI scene with an intent to redefine the sphere of generative deep learning models. Black Forest Labs aims in particular to push innovations in the media realm, focusing on the creation of images and videos. Their vision is to redefine creativity, efficiency, and…