Spotify to leave Russia, algorithm to gauge crypto profitability, and other AI news

We aim to inform readers not only about developments in the bitcoin industry but also about related technological spheres — cybersecurity and the world of artificial intelligence (AI).

ForkLog AI has gathered the most important AI news from the past week.

EU bans chip exports to Russia

The European Union has banned the export of semiconductors, quantum computers and high-tech equipment to Russia.

Latest sanctions follow the atrocities committed by Russian armed forces in Bucha and other places under Russian occupation.

The aim of our sanctions is to stop the reckless, inhuman and aggressive behaviour of #Russia‘s troops and the illegal aggression against #Ukraine. https://t.co/KJqRWwPJkK

— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 8, 2022

«The aim of our sanctions is to stop the reckless, inhumane and aggressive behaviour of Russia’s troops and the illegal aggression against Ukraine», said Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

The fifth package of sanctions will also block Russian companies from participating in EU public procurement and exclude any financial support.

Spotify to leave the Russian market

Spotify will become unavailable in Russia on 11 April 2022.

On 11 April, Spotify is suspending operations in Russia. This means that the services on the site and in the app will no longer be available. We have prepared a FAQ. We hope you will find answers to all questions there. You can also reach out to us on the support page. Your Spotify💚

— SpotifyRussia (@SpotifyRussia) April 7, 2022

The company is closing its local office and the operation of its service in the country. Russian users will lose access to the app and the web version of Spotify, and all Premium subscriptions will be cancelled.

Former DeepMind employees will create an AI investment adviser

A group of former DeepMind employees, who are developing a poker AI champion, founded Equilibre Technologies to “dominate” the stock market. They will apply artificial intelligence as an investment adviser when selecting stocks and cryptocurrencies.

The startup’s founders are known for creating complex algorithms that can solve tasks with little information. They combine game theory with artificial intuition to gain a theoretical edge over other computer- or human-based trading methodologies.

Epic Games unveiled a 3D modelling tool from a series of photographs

Epic Games announced a beta of the RealityScan mobile app for creating 3D models of objects from a series of photographs. The tool lets users bring real-world items into a game or project.

To generate a 3D model of an object, you need to move around it and take at least 20 photos. After scanning, users can send the 3D item to the Sketchfab modelling platform.

The app is currently available to the first 10,000 beta testers.

Snapchat added a lens for learning sign language

In the Snapchat social network, a lens for teaching users American Sign Language has appeared. Snap involved deaf employees in developing the lens.

The ASL Alphabet Lens system is based on artificial intelligence and SignAll computer‑vision technology. It tracks hand movements and translates signs into spoken language.

The AR lens will allow users to practice the ASL alphabet and play two games to test their knowledge.

AI features announced for Windows 11

Microsoft will add AI features to Windows 11 including background blur, gaze correction, framing and noise suppression during video calls. The options will appear in one of the next major OS updates.

The company said the features will operate at the system level, including third-party programs. They will appear only on devices with neural processing units (NPUs) found in some modern computers, smartphones and tablets.

There is no information on timelines for the rollout. It is also unclear which users will get access.

Google developed a language model that understands jokes

Google AI researchers introduced the Pathways (PaLM) language model with 540 billion parameters, capable of explaining jokes.

Developers evaluated the model on hundreds of language understanding and generation tasks. They found PaLM to deliver state-of-the-art performance, and in many cases even with a substantial lead over rivals.

The model tackles a wide range of tasks, including complex learning and reasoning. It also generates explicit explanations for scenarios that require multi‑step logical deduction, world knowledge and deep language understanding. The model can explain jokes that are not found on the internet.

Microsoft released an AI-powered notes app

Microsoft released a Windows application called Journal for AI-powered note-taking. It lets users capture thoughts and sketches on devices with stylus support.

Developers trained the AI to automatically recognise and classify notes, including headlines, starred items, keywords and sketches. For some drawings and text, the app creates a side panel hint that lets the user select the content area and then move or copy it.

Journal supports moving content to other pages and apps.

According to the company, AI helped improve search of old notes and sketches in the app, and implement new gestures such as “erase” and “instant lasso”.

EU certified the first AI chest X-ray analyser

The European regulator approved the autonomous ChestLink AI chest X-ray analyser from Oxipit. The tool received CE Class IIb certification, indicating compliance with EU safety standards.

The system scans chest X-ray images and automatically sends reports to patients whose results are normal. If potential issues are detected, the AI forwards the images with relevant regions highlighted to the radiologist for review. The company says ChestLink did not commit any clinically significant errors during testing.

Developers warned that before adopting the new technology, medical facilities should first audit existing image-processing software. Initially, the tool should be used under medical supervision before it operates autonomously, they added.

Oxipit said the company also plans to submit an FDA application.

Robot learned to peel a banana

Japanese researchers taught a robot to peel a banana without damaging the core.

The machine has two robotic arms. Scientists used a process of “deep imitation learning” during which the robot was shown the banana-peeling process hundreds of times until the system learned to replicate the demonstrated actions. In this experiment, the device took 13 hours to learn the data.

Although the robot successfully completed the task in only 57% of cases, the experiment points to a future of devices capable of subtler manipulations.

Researchers say the proposed method could train machines to perform a range of simple “human” tasks. In the future, robots could help address Japan’s labour shortage, they added.

The week’s most significant AI deals

From 3 to 9 April 2022, AI startups raised over $246m. Here are the most interesting deals.

• Lilt привлекла $55 million to support business-oriented AI translation software.
• Peeba собрала $4.2 million to expand the number of developers on a wholesale B2B online platform linking independent retailers in Asia with brands worldwide.
• Amplemarket получила $12 million to develop an AI sales platform.
• Coro, the provider of cybersecurity services for small and medium businesses, raised $60 million.
• LinkSquares raised $100 million to develop intelligent software helping brands close and manage new contracts.
• BeamUP, the creators of digital twins of corporate buildings, received $15 million.

Also on ForkLog:

• Elon Musk acquired 9.2% of Twitter and joined the company’s board of directors.
• OpenAI updated the image generator for texttoescription DALL-E.
• Intel suspended operations on Russian territory.
• Google Lens gained simultaneous image-and-text search.

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