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Robotics Expert Says AI Hype Is Due for a Brutal Reality Check – Futurism

"There may be yet another AI winter, and perhaps even a full scale tech winter, just around the corner." Winter Is Coming

Famed roboticist Rodney Brooks, who co-founded the company iRobot which invented the Roomba has been keeping score on the AI industry. And from where he's standing, the near future of AI isn't looking too hot, in spite of its countless hype men who he says are due a harsh reality check.

In his latest annual Predictions Scorecard on the tech sector, the former director of MIT's AI and computer labs warns that despite its unprecedented levels of success, the AI industry is merely "following a well worn hype cycle that we have seen again, and again, during the 60+ year history of AI."

More than likely, Brooks avers, advancements in the field will stagnate for many dark years beforereaching the next huge breakthrough. That dry spell could make for quite a calamitous comedown for an industry that's supposedly on track to be worth over $1 trillion by the next decade.

"Get your thick coats now," Brooks wrote in his scorecard, as quoted by The Los Angeles Times. "There may be yet another AI winter, and perhaps even a full scale tech winter, just around the corner. And it is going to be cold."

Brooks made his original predictions on technological advancements as such: as happening by a specified year, as happening no earlier than a specified year, and "Not In My Lifetime" (NIML) meaning not before 2050. Then with each year that passes, he judges these as accurate, too pessimistic, or too optimistic.

Often, his wagers are on the money. As the LA Times notes, Brooks predicted back in 2018 that the "next big thing" in AI would happen sometime between 2023 and 2027. The rise of large language models like OpenAI's ChatGPT turned out to fit that bill perfectly, with practically every leader in tech trying to capitalize on the trend with smart chatbots of their own that have garnered their creators billions of dollars in investment.

But going forward, Brooks takes a more measured stance. The next next-big-thing, often framed asartificial general intelligence and hyped up by industry heads as being imminent, is in Brook's opinion a resounding "NIML."

In fact, he's skeptical that we'll even be able to create "a robot that seems as intelligent, as attentive, and as faithful as a dog" before 2048.

"This is so much harder than most people imagine it to be," he wrote, as quoted by the LA Times. "Many think we are already there; I say we are not at all there."

Still, Brooks isn't saying the AI industry is doomed, mind you, but that such ambitious technological advancements take time and a lot of it. Whether the industry's financial backers are ready to hunk down and play the long game, though, is more dubious.

More on AI: ChatGPT Says It's Reached the Limit of How Silly It Can Make the Goose

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First US Moon Lander in 50 Years in Serious Trouble After Launch – Futurism

Update: Things are not looking good for the Peregrine lander.

The first US lunar lander to be launched into space in more than half a century is in serious trouble.

The lander, dubbed Peregrine Oneand built by Pittsburgh-based private space company Astrobotic, launched on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket the rocket's maiden voyage from Cape Canaveral earlier this morning.

Unfortunately, according to a recent statement shared by Astrobotic on X-formerly-Twitter, "an anomaly occurred, which prevented Astrobotic from achieving a stable Sun-pointing orientation."

The issue is making it difficult for the spacecraft to fully charge its battery,which could herald serious issues.

Just over an hour later, Astrobotic offered up a followup statement, saying that the unstable position "if proven true, threatens the ability of the spacecraft to soft land on the Moon."

In response, the team "developed and executed an improvised maneuver to reorient the solar panels towards the Sun."

The hasty plan unfortunately had some unforeseen consequences, seemingly causing the spacecraft to lose communications.

In short, it's not looking good for the country's first effort to softly land a spacecraft on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

More on the mission: Private American Moon Mission Launching Monday

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Remember That Uber-Hyped "AI Pin" Startup? It’s Already Doing Layoffs – Futurism

Its device hasn't even shipped yet. Inhumane

Startup Humane made a big splash just a few months ago when it announced its "AI Pin," a headscratcher of a consumer tech product that promises to serve as an AI-powered assistant without relying on a screen.

Now the company, which was founded in 2018 but stayed out of the limelight for years, announced that it's laying off ten people, roughly four percent of its workforce, this week months before the AI Pin is even set to start shipping to customers.

As The Verge reports, leaders reportedly told employees that budgets would be slashed this year.

While the company says it's part of a wider restructuring, such a layoff isn't exactly confidence-inducing, especially given the confusion and doubt with which the company's main product was greeted following its unveiling last year.

Humane is fighting the "layoffs" narrative, and claims it's simply trying to redirect its efforts while still actively hiring.

In a lengthy LinkedIn post, co-founder Bethany Bongiorno detailed a "wider refresh of our organizational structure," and extended "our sincere gratitude to ten members of the team who weve parted ways with at Humane."

In a text message to The Verge's Alex Heath, Bongiorno claimed that the cuts were "not communicated as a layoff." Heath's other sources, however, confirmed in writing that they were in fact layoffs.

"It goes without saying that, like every company, we have a responsibility to remain prudent and proactive, ensuring we have the right roles, right people, and the right structure at every juncture," Bongiorno wrote in the text message.

In short, only time will tell if Humane, a company that raised a whopping $200 million in funding, will have a winner on its hands with its AI Pin. But given the radical departure of the tiny device's design and some considerable trade-offs, it's anything but a certainty.

More on Humane: That Hyped Up AI Pin Made Two Idiotic Mistakes in Its Launch Video

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Sam Altman Says Muslim Colleagues Are Afraid to Speak Up – Futurism

The unfolding Gaza-Israel crisis has seen both antisemitism and Islamophobia skyrocket across the globe.

Now, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has taken advantage of his considerable platform to call for support for both groups.

"Muslim and Arab (especially Palestinian) colleagues in the tech community I've spoken with feel uncomfortable speaking about their recent experiences, often out of fear of retaliation and damaged career prospects," Altman tweeted.

"Our industry should be united in our support of these colleagues; it is an atrocious time," he added. "I continue to hope for a real and lasting peace, and that in the meantime we can treat each other with empathy."

It's an unusually candid and clear-headed sentiment coming from a tech CEO. Broadly speaking, executives of his stature tend to shy away from making politically charged statements with one notable exception, of course.

After being asked how he felt about the experience of Jewish colleagues, Altman offered an incisive comment.

"I am Jewish," he replied. "I believe that antisemitism is a significant and growing problem in the world, and I see a lot of people in our industry sticking up for me, which I deeply appreciate."

"I see much less of that for Muslims," he added.

The war has led to a sharp incline in hate against both groups. Last month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations noted that it had received a "staggering" 2,171 complaints over the past 57 days, a 172 percent increase over a similar two-month period in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League recorded a total of 2,031 antisemitic incidents, a chilling 337 percent increase year-over-year.

While Altman is using his reach to highlight the plights of Muslim tech workers, other tech CEOs are actively contributing to the problem. Take X-formerly-Twitter owner Elon Musk, who was singled out for publicly agreeing with an appalling antisemitic claim about Jewish people last year.

Musk has also added to the barrage of disinformation on his social media platform by recommending unvetted accounts that are notorious for promoting lies.

In contrast, Altman's expression of concern is noteworthy and shows how even some of the most influential business leaders are struggling to make sense of the violence in Gaza.

"For a long time, I said that antisemitism, particularly on the American left, was not as bad as people claimed," Altman tweeted in early December. "I'd like to just state that I was totally wrong. I still don't understand it, really. Or know what to do about it."

"But it is so fucked," he added.

More on Altman: Sam Altman's Life Extension Guy Warns of Injections That Cause Wild Tumor Growth

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The Mighty Cybertruck Keeps Getting Stuck in the Snow – Futurism

"I'll call Elon. He'll get you out." Snow Trouble

Tesla touts that its Cybertruck is "durable and rugged enough to go anywhere" on its website, but apparently snow may be its kryptonite after numerous online videos and pictureshave showed the electric vehicle getting stuck in typical wintery conditions.

An Instagram user posted a video of a Cybertruck slipping and getting stuck in about four inches of snow in an unspecified location. A man in the video quips, referring to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, at the Cybertruck driver, "I'll call Elon. He'll get you out."

X users reposted the video on the platform, prompting a round of derision from the peanut gallery.

"There's literally a sedan like thirty feet ahead of it that made it all the way to a parking space," joked podcaster and journalist Robert Evans.

This "is not a lot of snow," another X user wrote. If "you lived in the Buffalo-Niagara region, you would not be able to go the store and buy milk between December and March, if you drove a Cybertruck."

In another X post, a user posted a picture of a stuck Cybertruck getting towed through snow in the vacation spot of Lake Tahoe, which is in California and Nevada.

"Another storm, another CyberTruck needing a rescue,"they wrote. "It's like finding a leprechaun that's constantly getting stuck in a glue trap."

And back in December, a TikTok video also showed a stuck Cybertruck being pulled up by a sports utility vehicle on a slight incline of snow and ice.

All this content showing its performance in real-world conditions doesn't bode well for a vehicle that's being hyped as the next big thing in the lucrative consumer truck sector.

But some online commentators have come to the Cybertruck's rescue by pointing out that the cars being shown didn't have snow tires or snow chains, and it getting stuck may be due to over inflating the tires or driver error.

Regardless, the news doesn't come at a good time for Tesla's Cybertruck, which has had to contend with range and quality control issues, in addition to numerous delays and production problems.

Perhaps the issues with the Cybertruck and Tesla are emblematic of a problem at the top: Musk is too distracted by his many companies, including the social media platform X, to run Tesla properly and that's without getting into the drug allegations.

More on the Tesla Cybertruck: The Cybertruck's Real World Range is Incredibly Feeble

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Schoolteacher Finds Door Plug That Fell Off Boeing 737 in His Backyard – Futurism

"Well, my heart started beating a little faster, so yeah, I guess I was excited." Bob the Teacher

Last week, Alaska Airlines passengers had their flight from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California abruptly interrupted when a "door plug" got sucked out of the Boeing 737 MAX 9's fuselage, creating a massive surge of air.

Fortunately, the passengers and six crew members made it back to the ground largely unscathed.

As regulators pore over the data to decide on what action to take 171 of the Boeing commercial airliners have already been grounded a local schoolteacher named Bob Sauer has come across an extraordinary item in his backyard: the door plug that came loose at 16,000 feet.

His first call was to the National Transportation Safety Board to report his unusual findings.

"I'm excited to announce that we found the door plug," NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy said in a statement. "Thank you Bob."

"Bob is a school teacher in Portland, so thank you very much Bob, bless you," she added.

The plug, meant to seal an opening, is used by some airlines as an additional door in certain high-capacity layouts. In the case of the Alaska Airlines flight, the opening was "plugged" since the door wasn't needed.

The door plug isn't the only artifact recovered following the terrifying incident. An iPhone that miraculously survived after being sucked out of the plane and plunging down to the ground was spotted outside by game designer Sean Bates.

The device, which was still fully functional, was unlocked and even had a screen showing an open email about a baggage receipt.

In short, regulators have plenty of evidence to go by. And things are already looking pretty ugly for Boeing and its contractors.

Alaska Airlines announced earlier this week that it had found "some loose hardware" visible on some other MAX 9 aircraft following initial inspections, hinting at the possibility of future incidents.

United also found "bolts that needed additional tightening," according to a statement.

"The [Federal Aviation Administration's] first priority is keeping the flying public safe," the regulator said in a statement. "We have grounded the affected airplanes, and they will remain grounded until the FAA is satisfied that they are safe."

As for Sauer, he was taken aback after spotting the door plug behind his house.

"Well, my heart started beating a little faster, so yeah, I guess I was excited," he told ABC News.

More on the flight: Experts Alarmed After Large Piece Blows Off Boeing 737 Mid-Flight

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