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In April, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai took an unusual step: merging two large artificial intelligence teams -- with distinct cultures and code -- to catch up to and surpass OpenAI and other rivals. Now the test of that effort is coming, with hundreds of people scrambling to release a group of large machine-learning models -- one of the highest-stakes products the company has ever built -- this fall. The Information: The models, collectively known as Gemini, are expected to give Google the ability to build products its competitors can't, according to a person involved with Gemini's development. OpenAI's GPT-4 large-language model can understand and produce conversational text. Gemini will go beyond that, combining the text capabilities of LLMs like GPT-4 with the ability to create AI images based on a text description, similar to AI-image generators Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, this person said. Gemini's image capabilities haven't been previously reported.

Google employees have also discussed using Gemini to offer features like analyzing charts or creating graphics with text descriptions and controlling software using text or voice commands. Google is betting on Gemini to power services ranging from its Bard chatbot, which competes with OpenAI's ChatGPT, to enterprise apps like Google Docs and Slides. Google also wants to charge app developers for access to Gemini through its Google Cloud server-rental unit. Google Cloud currently sells access to more primitive Google-made AI models through a product called Vertex AI. Those new features could help Google catch up with Microsoft, which has raced ahead with new AI features for its Office 365 apps and has also been selling access to OpenAI's models to its app customers.

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How Google is Planning To Beat OpenAI - Slashdot

Tesla is hiring staff for the company's new "first of its kind" data centers. Electrek reports: Tesla has shared a new job posting for a "Sr. Engineering Program Manager, Data Center" role first spotted by Electrek last week. In the job posting, Tesla says that it will build "1st of its kind Data Centers": "This role will lead the end-to-end design and engineering of Tesla's 1st of its kind Data Centers and will be one of the key members of the factory engineering team." Tesla didn't explain how those data centers will be "1st of their kind," which is not something you'd expect in a job posting anyway.

But interestingly, the new effort comes as Tesla has been taking over data centers from Twitter. [...] The Information reported that Tesla has taken over one of the old Twitter data centers leased from NTT Data that the social media company was using in Sacramento. The report also mentions that Tesla is in talks with Prime Data Centers to use another data center that Twitter used to have in Sacramento.

Tesla is seeing its need for data processing increasing rapidly as it tries to take advantage of its growing fleet of millions of vehicles all equipped with cameras in order to improve the neural nets powering its self-driving effort. The automaker is also handling a growing number of connectivity features that it tries to sell to vehicle owners through a $10-a-month "Premium Connectivity" subscription service. On the energy side, Tesla is also handling a lot of data to operate its virtual power plant and its services to distributed energy assets, like Autobidder and Powerhub.

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Tesla Says It Will Build New 'First of Its Kind' Data Centers - Slashdot

Long lines have formed at ATMs around Ireland tonight as a cash machine glitch is allowing customers to withdraw more cash than they have in their accounts. Independent.ie reports: The fault with the online app allows people who have no money in their account to transfer up to 500 euros into a Revolut account. Some people claimed they were able to get access to 1,000 eros, but the bank insisted the daily withdrawal limit is 500 euros. Once people use their Bank of Ireland app to transfer the funds to Revolut they can then withdraw the cash from the Revoult account through any ATM.

Huge queues at ATMs in Dublin, Limerick, Dundalk and other parts of the country were reported this evening as people took advantage of the screw-up to withdraw cash from their Revolut accounts. There were reports in Dundalk of gardai (the state police force of the Irish Republic) having to control crowds at ATMs in the town. The frenzied withdrawal of cash was despite warnings on social media that there is no such thing as free cash and the money will have to be repaid. The bank said in a statement: "We are working on a technical issue that is impacting a number of our services including our mobile app and 365Online. We are working to fix this as quickly as possible and apologize to customers for any inconvenience caused."

"We would like to remind customers that if they transfer or withdraw funds -- including over their normal limits -- this money will be debited from their account," the bank added. "While we are conscious customers may not be able to check their balance at this time, they should not withdraw or transfer funds if they are likely to become overdrawn."

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Bank of Ireland IT Blunder Allows Customers To Withdraw More ... - Slashdot

Researchers seem to have solved the puzzle of LK-99. Scientific detective work has unearthed evidence that the material is not a superconductor, and clarified its actual properties. Nature: The conclusion dashes hopes that LK-99 -- a compound of copper, lead, phosphorus and oxygen -- marked the discovery of the first superconductor that works at room temperature and ambient pressure. Instead, studies have shown that impurities in the material -- in particular, copper sulfide -- were responsible for the sharp drops in electrical resistivity and partial levitation over a magnet, which looked similar to properties exhibited by superconductors. "I think things are pretty decisively settled at this point," says Inna Vishik, a condensed-matter experimentalist at the University of California, Davis.

The LK-99 saga began in late July, when a team led by Sukbae Lee and Ji-Hoon Kim at the Quantum Energy Research Centre, a start-up firm in Seoul, published preprints claiming that LK-99 is a superconductor at normal pressure and temperatures up to at least 127C (400 kelvin). All previously confirmed superconductors function only at extreme temperatures and pressures. The extraordinary claim quickly grabbed the attention of the science-interested public and researchers, some of whom tried to replicate LK-99. Initial attempts did not see signs of room-temperature superconductivity, but were not conclusive. Now, after dozens of replication efforts, many experts are confidently saying that the evidence shows LK-99 is not a room-temperature superconductor. The South Korean team based its claim on two of LK-99's properties: levitation above a magnet and abrupt drops in resistivity. But separate teams in Beijing, at Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), found mundane explanations for these phenomena.

Another study, by US and European researchers, combined experimental and theoretical evidence to demonstrate how LK-99's structure made superconductivity infeasible. And other experimenters synthesized and studied pure samples of LK-99, erasing doubts about the material's structure and confirming that it is not a superconductor, but an insulator. The only further confirmation would come from the Korean team sharing their samples, says Michael Fuhrer, a physicist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. "The burden's on them to convince everybody else," he says. Perhaps the most striking evidence for LK-99's superconductivity was a video taken by the Korean team that showed a coin-shaped sample of silvery material wobbling over a magnet. The team said the sample was levitating because of the Meissner effect -- a hallmark of superconductivity in which a material expels magnetic fields. Multiple unverified videos of LK-99 levitating subsequently circulated on social media, but none of the researchers who initially tried to replicate the findings observed any levitation.

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LK-99 Isn't a Superconductor - How Science Sleuths Solved the ... - Slashdot

(Washington, DC) Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and representatives from Hyundai Motor Company announced an anti-theft mobile clinic designed to increase vehicle security. The multi-day clinic will provide District motorists who own or lease certain Hyundai makes and models with the latest anti-theft technology. This technology, which will be installed by Hyundai technicians, will come at no cost to residents and will be available starting Thursday, July 27 through Monday, July 31 from 8:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m. The installations will be performed by on-site service technicians who will install and complete the software upgrade, which is expected to take less than an hour. The installations will take place at RFK Parking Lot 8, located at 2400 Independence Avenue SE, with no appointment necessary. We are encouraging all eligible DC residents to take advantage of this free software upgrade, said Mayor Bowser. We know that having your car stolen can be a frustrating, stressful, and costly experience. Earlier this year, we started distributing free wheel locks at our MPD district stations, and installing this anti-theft software is one more way for residents to protect their vehicles.

During the event, Hyundai also provided two simulated demos of the anti-theft technology. The anti-theft vehicle software upgrade is available for approximately 3.8 million vehicles. The upgrade will modify certain vehicle control modules on Hyundai vehicles equipped with standard turn-key-to-start ignition systems. As a result, locking the doors with the key fob will set the factory alarm and activate an ignition kill feature so the vehicle cannot be started when individuals try to steal the vehicle by using the popularized theft mode. Once the anti-theft software is updated in the affected vehicle, to further deter would-be thieves, Hyundai will also install anti-theft decals to the front windows of the vehicle. Engine immobilizers are now standard on all Hyundai vehicles produced as of November 2021. The updates became available for various models at the beginning of February 2023.

Residents with a Hyundai car that fits one of the makes and models below will be eligible to receive the free anti-theft technology installation:

The launch of our first mobile service center is an important next step in the series of comprehensive actions Hyundai has taken to assist customers and communities affected by vehicle thefts, said Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor America. Our dealers across the country are currently maximizing the number of anti-theft software installations that can be performed on a daily basis, and this mobile clinic will help further accelerate completion rates. Our goal is to get the software upgrade installed on every one of the affected vehicles.

In February, Mayor Bowser and MPD also rolled out a program to distribute free steering wheel locks to residents who own a 2011-2021 Kia or Hyundai to prevent vehicle thefts. The steering wheel locks are still being given to qualified residents on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents can check to see if their local District station has any wheel locks remaining by going to mpdc.dc.gov/autotheft.

It is unacceptable that criminals are targeting District residents and stealing their vehicles. In some cases, these vehicles are later used to commit acts of violent crime in our city, said Acting Chief of Police at the Metropolitan Police Department Pamela A. Smith. The Metropolitan Police Department will continue to take all crimes that are committed in our neighborhoods seriously. We are committed to public safety. We will continue to remove violent offenders and hold them accountable for their actions.

MPD also encourages residents and visitors to practice the following safety tips to prevent vehicle theft:

To learn more about the Hyundai Anti-Theft Technology, visit hyundaiantitheft.com.

Social Media: Mayor Bowser Twitter:@MayorBowser Mayor Bowser Instagram:@Mayor_Bowser Mayor Bowser Facebook:facebook.com/MayorMurielBowser Mayor Bowser YouTube:https://www.bit.ly/eomvideos

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Mayor Bowser Announces Hyundai Anti-Theft Mobile Clinic | mayormb - Executive Office of the Mayor