AIR#158 - August 10, 2024

Good morning, AI aficionados! As you sip your morning coffee, get ready to dive into today's edition of AIR: The AI Recon. Leading the buzz is the groundbreaking enhancement of Tesseract OCR with LLM corrections, promising ultra-accurate, readable text for all your PDF needs. If you're a developer looking to boost your OCR game, this GitHub project is a must-see. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Copilot is under fire as Zenity's CTO warns about insecure defaults that could expose enterprise secrets. It's a wake-up call for anyone relying on AI for coding assistance—time to double-check those settings!

But that's not all! AI-driven drone surveillance is causing unexpected home insurance cancellations over minor issues, frustrating homeowners and raising privacy concerns. This story highlights the double-edged sword of AI advancements in everyday life. And speaking of AI's societal impact, AI-generated song "Zo Zomer" has hit the Dutch Top 25 charts, showcasing the creative potential of artificial intelligence in the music industry. If you're curious about how AI is reshaping art and entertainment, this one's a hit.

And for a touch of the uncanny, Boston is implementing AI-driven traffic flow changes with Google's Project Green Light, slashing stop-and-go traffic by 50% and significantly reducing emissions. This initiative is a compelling example of how AI can contribute to sustainability and improve urban living. Whether you're here for groundbreaking tech updates, ethical debates, or the latest industry buzz, today's edition is packed with stories that will both intrigue and challenge you. So, sit back, sip your coffee, and let's delve into the dynamic world of artificial intelligence together!

Business

AI-Driven Drone Surveillance Causing Home Insurance Cancellations
AI-driven drone surveillance leads to unexpected home insurance cancellations due to minor issues, leaving homeowners frustrated and uninsured.

Robocars Improve Traffic Even in Human-Driven Environments
Robocars can improve traffic flow even with human drivers around, reducing jams and boosting efficiency, a new study reveals.

AI-Generated Song "Zo Zomer" Hits Dutch Top 25 Charts
AI-generated song "Zo Zomer" by John De Koning breaks into Dutch Top 25 charts! 🎶

The FCC wants AI robocalls to disclose they're deepfakes
FCC proposes AI robocalls must disclose they're deepfakes to combat scams and enhance consumer protection.

Why Google, Microsoft, and Amazon Avoid Acquiring A.I. Startups
Big tech avoids buying A.I. startups to dodge regulatory scrutiny, opting for licensing deals and hiring talent instead.

Goblins: LLMs Boost Kids' Math Confidence
LLMs like Goblins boost kids' math confidence with expert coaches, flexible plans, and curriculum-aligned support anywhere, anytime.

Backblaze Sees Drive Failures Rise, Explores AI Solutions
Backblaze sees rising drive failures and explores AI for predictive maintenance to improve reliability and reduce downtime.

Boston Implements AI-Driven Traffic Flow Changes with Google's Project Green Light
Boston uses Google's AI to optimize traffic lights, cutting stop-and-go traffic by 50% and reducing emissions. 🚦

Engineering

🔥 [GitHub] Enhance Tesseract OCR with LLM Corrections
Enhance Tesseract OCR for PDFs with LLM corrections for highly accurate, readable text. GitHub project by Dicklesworthstone. 671 ⭐, 30 forks.

[GitHub] Nous: Open-Source TypeScript AI Agent Framework by TrafficGuard
TrafficGuard's Nous: Open-source TypeScript AI agent platform for autonomous agents, AI code reviews, and developer support. 🌐💻

Copilot's Insecure Defaults Expose Enterprise Secrets, Warns Zenity CTO
Zenity CTO warns Microsoft's Copilot has insecure defaults, exposing enterprise data to potential leaks and attacks. Check your settings!

[Paper] Apple Intelligence Foundation Language Models
Apple unveils new AI language models designed for efficient on-device and private cloud operations, prioritizing responsible AI.

[GitHub] Usearch: Fast, Single-File Similarity Search Engine for Vectors & Strings
USearch: A fast, open-source similarity search and clustering engine for vectors and strings, supporting multiple languages and platforms.

[GitHub] AgentK: Self-Evolving, Modular AGI by Mike Kelly
Mike Kelly's AgentK: A self-evolving, modular AGI on GitHub, building its own mind to complete tasks. 162 stars, 14 forks.

[GitHub] hacksider/Deep-Live-Cam: Real-Time Face Swap and One-Click Video Deepfake with One Image
GitHub's Deep-Live-Cam offers real-time face swaps and one-click video deepfakes using just one image. 7k stars, 900 forks.

Exploring Vector Search: A Deep Dive into Theory and Applications
Vector search uses vectors to find similar items in databases, enhancing AI search accuracy and recommendations. Explore its theory and applications.

[GitHub] CLI Tool for AI: List Directories & Dump File Contents
New AI-focused CLI tool on GitHub lists directories & dumps file contents, aiding AI model development. Install via npm: @markwylde/ai-toolkit.

Idefics3: Open Multimodal Model Based on Llama-3.1-8B from Hugging Face
Hugging Face's Idefics3: A multimodal model combining image and text inputs for enhanced OCR, document understanding, and visual reasoning.

Creating Ollama-Compatible RAG Apps
Developing an Ollama-compatible RAG app allows SLMs to run locally, integrate citations, vector embeddings, function calls, and token counting.

Academic

AI Pastor: Revolutionizing Spiritual Guidance
AI Pastor revolutionizes spiritual guidance with 24/7 personalized support, interactive sermons, and community engagement. Start your journey today!

Rodney Brooks' Three Laws of AI
Rodney Brooks' Three Laws of AI: Overestimating AI's competence, human involvement in AI tasks, and the challenge of handling rare events.

MIT Study: Large Language Models Misalign with Human Expectations
MIT study: LLMs often misalign with human expectations, leading to overconfidence or underconfidence in their deployment.

[Paper] Google's Robot Achieves Human-Level Table Tennis Skills
Google's robot reaches amateur human-level table tennis skills, winning 45% of matches against humans, showcasing real-time adaptability.

My AI Journey: 2017-2024 - Alexey Guzey
Alexey Guzey's AI journey from 2017-2024 reveals shifting beliefs, skepticism about AGI, and the challenges in defining and achieving true AI intelligence.