💥 Boom, lawsuit

Environmental groups aren't happy about the SpaceX Starship explosion

May 2, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE ❌ Samsung orders staff to stop using generative-AI tools 🚀 SpaceX's explosive Starship launch leads to lawsuit for FAA 🧠 AI-based decoder can translate brain activity into text

UP FIRST Samsung is urging its workers to stop using generative AI tools The tech giant is worried about leaks of sensitive information Samsung has told staff to stop using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and Bard over concerns that they pose a security risk, Bloomberg reported on Monday.   The move follows a string of embarrassing slip-ups last month when Samsung employees reportedly fed sensitive semiconductor-related data into ChatGPT on three separate occasions.   Inputting sensitive information into a chatbot like ChatGPT is risky on several levels. First, as the technology is trained partly on data submitted by users, it could turn up in a response to an inquiry made by another user. Second, OpenAI itself can see the data as it reviews conversations to improve its systems and ensure the content complies with its policies and safety requirements.   In a memo seen by Bloomberg, Samsung ordered staff to refrain from using the technology on company-owned computers, tablets, and phones, as well as on its internal networks, warning that data transmitted to generative AI platforms could end up finding its way to people outside the company.   It added that workers who fail to follow the security guidelines could face disciplinary action "up to and including termination of employment."   Samsung also said in the memo that the ban would be lifted once it's worked out how to safely incorporate the technology in the workplace. Read more

SPACE TRAVEL People are suing the FAA over SpaceX's explosive Starship launch Environmental groups believe the agency's work fell short The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been hit with a lawsuit from environmental and heritage groups over its handling of the maiden flight of SpaceX's Starship, the most powerful rocket ever developed.   SpaceX's April 20 test flight at its facility in Boca Chica, Texas, ended in a huge fireball just minutes after launch. Despite the sudden end to Starship's first-ever flight, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk described it as a success as the team was able to gather lots of data that will help it to refine the rocket's design and flight system.   But the high-powered launch and subsequent explosion four minutes later caused debris and dust to rain down over a wide area that included a nearby community. It also caused a fire in a nearby state park.   The groups who brought the case have accused the FAA of failing to conduct an appropriate environmental review in violation of the National Environment Policy Act.   The lawsuit calls on the FAA to conduct a full environmental impact study on SpaceX's activities in the area, adding that the mishap was just the latest in a series of at least nine explosive SpaceX events that caused damage to an area for federally protected wildlife, Reuters reported. Read more

NEUROSCIENCE AI-based decoder can translate your brain's activity into a stream of text It's not precise but does succeed in conveying general thoughts In an exciting breakthrough, scientists have successfully created a noninvasive AI system capable of translating a person's brain activity into a stream of text.   Described as a "semantic decoder" and developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, the system could eventually benefit patients who have lost their ability to communicate, according to a peer-reviewed study published on Monday in the journal Nature Neuroscience.   Once the AI-based system is trained, it can generate a stream of text when a participant is listening to or imagining telling a new story, CNBC reported.   To develop the system, the researchers used a transformer model similar to the ones that support OpenAI's ChatGPT,   The decoder was trained by having the study's participants listen to podcasts within a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner, which measures brain activity.   Scientists hope to further refine the technology so that it can be more portable, ultimately becoming a solution for patients with communication challenges caused by paralysis, a degenerative disease, or similar conditions. Read more

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