Nothing’s better than putting in a day of honest work! However, won’t it be better if technology helps make it easier?
Technology has been changing the way we work for decades, but the pace of technological advancement has accelerated in recent years, bringing about a range of new opportunities and challenges for the workforce. Thanks to the rise of remote working, a big chunk of people now work from the comforts of their homes. But it doesn’t end there as thanks to artificial intelligence, automation and virtual reality, technology is changing the very nature of work and the way we approach it. Check out some of the ways technology has been changing the way we work –
Remote Work
Remote work may have started off as a compulsion during the pandemic times, but it definitely unlocked a whole new meaning of working. With the rise of collaboration tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, many workers can now work from anywhere with an internet connection. This has the potential to increase work-life balance and reduce commuting times, but it also requires new skills to communicate and collaborate effectively in a remote environment.
Automation
One of the most significant impacts of technology on the workplace is automation. Automation has been used in manufacturing for decades, but advances in technology are now enabling automation in a range of industries, from healthcare and finance to retail and transportation. This has the potential to significantly increase efficiency and productivity, but it also raises concerns about job displacement and the need for new skills.
Gig Economy
Another way technology is changing the workplace is through the rise of the gig economy. Platforms like Uber, Airbnb, and Upwork are enabling individuals to work on a freelance basis, offering their skills and services on demand. This has created new opportunities for people who may not have had access to traditional employment, but on the flip side, it has also raised questions about worker protection and job security.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is also changing the way we work. AI can analyze data faster and more accurately than humans, enabling businesses to make better decisions and improve efficiency. However, it also raises concerns about the ethical implications of using AI to make decisions about people, and the potential for AI to replace human workers in certain industries. The headlines about tech companies undergoing major layoffs are undoubtedly scary while algorithms take over their job positions. It is too soon to judge whether artificial intelligence will ultimately be a boon or a curse to the workforce and humanity as a whole.
VR and AR
Finally, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) is beginning to be used in the workplace, offering new ways to train employees, visualize data, and collaborate remotely. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we work, but it also requires significant investment and training to be used effectively.
In conclusion, technology is changing the way we work in a range of ways. While these changes offer new opportunities and benefits, they also raise important questions about the future of work, including job displacement, worker protections, and the need for new skills and training. As technology continues to evolve, it will be essential for businesses, policymakers, and individuals to stay informed and adapt to these changes in order to thrive in the new digital economy.
When technology like AI comes to the forefront, it becomes necessary to know what leaders around the world are thinking about it. Be it policymakers or tech leaders, what people in charge responsible for handling the technology do with it trickles down to the general public and affects our lives. It looks like Bill Gates understands his position in the world and has now shared his honest thoughts about artificial intelligence and its implementation in the future. Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates is impressed by the revolutionary potential of applications such as ChatGPT and Bing. Gates wrote a seven-page blog post in his ‘Gates Notes’ portal sharing how awestruck he is with AI. Check out excerpts from his blog post below –
Bill Gates’ views on AI
“In my lifetime, I’ve seen two demonstrations of technology that struck me as revolutionary.
The first time was in 1980, when I was introduced to a graphical user interface—the forerunner of every modern operating system, including Windows. I sat with the person who had shown me the demo, a brilliant programmer named Charles Simonyi, and we immediately started brainstorming about all the things we could do with such a user-friendly approach to computing. Charles eventually joined Microsoft, Windows became the backbone of Microsoft, and the thinking we did after that demo helped set the company’s agenda for the next 15 years.” wrote Gates in his notes.
Bill Gates then went on to reminisce about the meeting he had with OpenAI’s team and how the company’s AI work surprised him. He challenged the OpenAI team to train artificial intelligence to pass an Advanced Placement biology exam. Bill expected the challenge would keep OpenAI’s team busy for at least two or three years but was taken aback when they finished it in just a few months. GPT scored the highest possible score in the exam which convinced Bill that he had witnessed the most advancement in technology since the graphical user interface. He went on to add that the introduction of AI in the field of health and education will be monumental.
The AI race is now in full swing. Many if not all tech players around the world have now stepped into the arena to battle out the AI wars and emerge as number one. Currently, OpenAI is leading the charts with its monumental ChatGPT which made waves across the world after launching in November 2022. However, while humanity is amazed at the capabilities of what conversational general AI is capable of doing, the flip side includes major concerns. Is it safe? Will it replace my job? Will AI become sentient? What is the future? are some of the questions running around on the internet surrounding ChatGPT and similar services which have either been released or are waiting to be released in the near future. Recently, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman sat down for an interview with ABC News where he shared his concerns about the AI race –
Sam Altman’s views on the AI race
During the interview, one major concern Sam Altman warned about was that there will be other developers who make a service similar to ChatGPT but do not put any safety limits on it. As of now, if ChatGPT is asked to write essays on controversial topics, it refuses to do so. Altman shared that not having safety protocols in place for a ChatGPT clone would be dire as the society as a whole does not have enough time to figure out how to react to it. Sam added furthermore that he is particularly worried about these large-scale language models being used to spread misinformation.
The OpenAI CEO was transparent about the issues concerning AI and also shared that AI will eventually cut a lot of current jobs. Altman was quoted saying “We’ve got to be careful here. I think people should be happy that we are a little bit scared of this” When confronted as to why he feels scared about AI, he said if he doesn’t express his fright then people should either not trust him or be very unhappy that he is in this position. We’re only at the beginning of the AI revolution thus painting a pessimistic picture of the same is not fair. However, it will be interesting to see if this new technology is a boon or a curse to humanity!
While every other major tech player like Samsung, Motorola and OPPO has already launched its foldable devices, Apple has been working on its version of the same for quite a while. However, it is expected that the wait for a foldable iPhone or iPad by Apple will be coming to an end as soon as 2025. Apple has been hard at work with the next-gen iPhone and iPad lineup with foldable capabilities and a recent patent for a new technology hints that the company is aiming to bring only the best product to the market. Reports suggest that the new technology patented could protect foldable iPhones and iPad from getting damaged even when dropped from a height.
New technology for foldable iPhone/iPad
Patently Apple was the first portal to spot the patent filed by Apple from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) which hints at new safety features for the screens of the iPhone and iPad units in the future. The patent is titled ‘Self-Retracting Display Device And Techniques For Protecting Screen Using Drop Detection’. This refers to a motorised folding device mechanism that could either partially or fully close a foldable device before it hits the ground in the event of a drop.
This is a crucial development in the foldable device arena as rollable and foldable displays are made out of ultra-thin glass which is vulnerable to falls. The new technology could help solve a major issue in foldable devices and protect them from unexpected drops.
The patent application read “Mobile devices with foldable and rollable displays can use a sensor to detect vertical acceleration (e.g., acceleration with respect to the ground) to determine if the mobile device has been dropped. If the sensor detects that the mobile device has been dropped… the foldable device can retract at least partially to afford protection from the fragile display from striking the ground”
Qualcomm recently launched the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset which is the company’s most powerful premium midrange offering to date. It is equipped with Quantum AI Engine that boosts its performance making the processor much faster than its predecessor. Now, Redmi has confirmed that its upcoming Redmi Note 12 Turbo which is all set to launch on March 23 will feature this latest chipset. On the other hand, Realme has also confirmed that Realme GT Neo 5 SE will feature the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset.
Redmi Note 12 Turbo specifications
While there have been confirmations from Xiaomi about it, the Redmi Note 12 Turbo is expected to feature a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. It is tipped to feature a triple camera setup on the back with a 50MP primary lens coupled with 8MP and 2MP lenses. However, the details about the selfie camera are still unknown. So far, the only confirmed specification of the Redmi Note 12 Turbo is the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC which will reportedly be paired with 12Gb RAM and 512Gb storage for the maxed-out variant. It is expected to house a massive 5500mAh battery with fast charging support of up to 67W and feature Android 13. The Redmi Note 12 Turbo is rumoured to launch in the global market as the POCO F5.
Whereas, the new Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 comes with its own set of impressive features. Qualcomm claims that its newly launched mobile platform is equipped with superior CPU and GPU performance. It is capable of fast gaming, better low-light photography along with 4K HDR video performance. It also comes with AI-enhanced capabilities which are staple in today’s mobile computing chipsets. It sports an 18-bit Triple ISP which allows users to capture images in mega low light mode. This mode clicks 30 pictures and combines them into a single frame for a brighter and clearer output in low-light images.
It has not even been six months since the launch of ChatGPT which proved to be the stepping stone of the AI race. If you thought ChatGPT with its capabilities of writing codes, essays, and much more along with having conversations with the users was stuff from the future, just wait till we tell you about GPT-4!
Microsoft-backed OpenAI has started rolling out GPT-4 which is a powerful AI model and the successor to the juggernaut which was ChatGPT. However, GPT-4 is widely different from ChatGPT as it is a ‘multimodal’ capable of generating content from both image and text prompts. However, if you’re someone with no clue about the latest language model by OpenAI then we have you covered. Read on –
What is GPT-4?
In simple terms, GPT-4 is OpenAI’s next generation of larger language model systems (LLM). A large language model as the name suggests is a system that tries to predict the next word in a sentence and adds its inputs to it by studying large datasets. Thus, ChatGPT is able to write down essays or have conversations with users in a manner that makes sense and is not disjointed. Studying large datasets allows the AI to identify conversational or written patterns and act on them. GPT-4 is the latest model in the series and is expected to bring massive improvements over the previous GPT 3 and 3.5 models.
So what really is the difference between GPT-4 and 3.5? While GPT 3.5 only takes text prompts, the latest version of the LLM can also use images as inputs. GPT-4 can recognize objects in an image input and analyze them. Whereas, while GPT-3.5 is limited to about 3,000 words per response, GPT-4 is miles ahead with the ability to register input over 25,000 words. Reports suggest that GPT-4 is 82% less likely to deny requests for content not allowed on the portal than its predecessor. The new LLM also scores 40% higher on factuality tests. However, one of the most interesting aspects of GPT-4 is its ability to allow developers to decide their AI’s style of tone and volubility.
What is GPT-4 capable of?
OpenAI in its announcement revealed that GPT-4 is capable of scoring 90% of test-takers for the US Union Bar Exam, which is a certification test for lawyers. It is trained to be much safer than ChatGPT and reliable thanks to its factual prowess. The demo presented by OpenAI showcased that users can take a photo of a hand-drawn mock-up of a website and GPT-4 can create a real one for you. “It’s a system that can make dreams, thoughts, and ideas flourish in text in front of you,” an OpenAI employee said in the company’s video announcement.
At the time of writing, OpenAI is yet to make GPT-4’s visual input capabilities available through any platform. However, one way to test out GPT-4’s text-input capability is through a subscription to ChatGPT plus for $20. It will be interesting to see how GPT-4 changes the landscape of the AI war and whether it will be as monumental as ChatGPT.
It looks like AI has finally reached a point in our lives where we cannot escape it. After OpenAI became the inception of what can only be called the AI revolution, many tech giants have made it their primary goal to get on the AI bandwagon and excel. Google has now announced a suite of upcoming AI features for various Workspace apps which includes Google Docs, Gmail, Sheets, and Slides. Check out every AI implementation in Google apps below –
Google goes AI
The new features introduce a revamped way to generate, summarize, and brainstorm text with AI in Google Docs. This is somewhat if not entirely similar to how people use OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Users can also generate full emails in Gmail based on users’ bullet points. AI imagery and the ability to generate audio and visual presentations in Slides will also be present in the new Google AI services. The quick response to the changing AI landscape around the world by Google does hint towards the company’s ambition to catch up to all the competitors currently thriving in the sector.
Reports suggest that Google had declared ‘Code Red’ back in December when senior management of the company asked staff to add AI tools to almost all end-user products. While Google is making waves in the world of AI, the company’s approach to announcing the new services can only be described as hasty. While Google has already announced a plethora of new features, as of now, only AI writing tools in Docs and Gmail will be making their way to a group of ‘Trusted Testers’ in the US. Here are all the AI features coming to Google in the near future as per Google’s recent blog post –
draft, reply, summarize, and prioritize your Gmail
brainstorm, proofread, write, and rewrite in Docs
bring your creative vision to life with auto-generated images, audio, and video in Slides
go from raw data to insights and analysis via auto-completion, formula generation, and contextual categorization in Sheets
generate new backgrounds and capture notes in Meet
It was only back in November 2022 when OpenAI released ChatGPT which quickly became a hit registering 100 million users in just two months since its launch. ChatGPT is a trained chatbot capable of interacting conversationally with users. The conversational AI became the rage on the internet with various companies jumping on the trend and releasing their own versions of a similar AI. Now, OpenAI is ready to release the next generation large language model (LLM), GPT-4 as soon as next week. Interestingly, while ChatGPT is restricted to answering user questions in a text format, the next generation of the language model might have the ability to generate AI-powered videos, images, and more!
GPT-4 on the way
The fourth generation of the LLM, GPT-4 is likely to be released next week by OpenAI. This time around, multimodality, video processing, ability to produce AI-generated videos from simple text prompts are among some of the new features. It will reportedly be more powerful than GPT-3.5 which currently powers ChatGPT. Besides multimodality, GPT-4 may also solve ChatGPT’s current issues regarding sluggish response time to user queries.
Reportedly, OpenAi might also be working on a mobile app powered by GPT-4. As of now, even ChatGPT is a web-based model having no mobile application. It is highly likely that GPT-4 will make its way to Bing search eventually, however, both Microsoft and OpenAI have not hinted towards it as of now.
On the other hand, the Bing search engine with ChatGPT capabilities has now surpassed 100 million daily active users. The integration of ChatGPT features has allowed the company to grow Bing search usage within a month like never before. Reports suggest that roughly one-third of daily Bing preview users are using the AI chat on a daily basis. The AI race only seems to gear up right now as even Discord has updated its bots with ChatGPt-like features.
AI has been the talk of the town lately thanks to ChatGPT bringing it to the forefront. AI is now capable of generating human-like conversations which in itself is a trip, but that’s not all as the technology is helping automate various tasks in day-to-day life. Sure, there is a flip side to this AI development as concerns about it replacing many human jobs stand strong. However, its jaw-dropping abilities in the current scenario are worth acknowledging. Just when humanity was catching up to AI being able to have casual conversations with real people, researchers have now revealed that the technology can generate images based on people’s brain activity!
AI images from brain activity
Sounds like science fiction, but researchers have successfully trained an artificial intelligence system to recreate images people have looked at based entirely on brain scans. Researchers Shinji Nishimoto and Yu Takagi from Japan’s Osaka University have recreated Hi-Res images from scans of brain activity. The study held at Osaka University suggests that AI algorithm processed information gathered in different regions of the brain that are responsible for perceiving images. The system interpreted information from the occipital and temporal lobes of the brain via fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans of the brain.
When people look at any image, the temporal lobes register information about its content, whereas the occipital lobes record layouts and perspective. All of this information was recorded using an fMRI that can detect the changing blood flow to the active regions of the brain. The recorded information can then be converted into an imitation of the image according to the researchers. The study was backed by an online data set provided by the University of Minnesota which consisted of brain scans of four people who each viewed over 10,000 pictures.
While this is a big achievement in the world of AI and the technology shows a lot of promise, it still has some limitations. The AI can only recreate images or objects included in its training material which includes data from only four people. Broadening the module will require it to include individual brain scans which is a time-consuming process. As of now, this technology will not be widely accessible anytime soon.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 will go down in history as one of the busiest mobile conventions in several years. The pandemic surely took a toll on in-person events like CES and MWC in the past few years but 2023 saw a complete turnover. This year the MWC attracted over 88,500 attendees from 202 countries. GSMA Ltd’s CEO, John Hoffman revealed in an official statement that the support from partners, businesses, and policymakers exceeded their hopes and expectations. The vibrant display of mobile technology featured more than 2,400 exhibitors and over 1,00 speakers and thought leaders. With a saturation of almost every key player in the mobile industry, it was natural that the MWC brings about a slew of announcements and developments.
Be it Google, OnePlus or Motorola, MWC 2023 saw big brands making bigger splashes in the mobile arena. Granted, not all companies introduced new devices as they focused on the advancement of mobile technologies. However, these developments are worth looking out for tech enthusiasts out there. Here is Exhibit’s special recap of (almost) everything showcased at the MWC 2023 –
Xiaomi
Xiaomi brought its A-game during the MWC 2023 as it not just announced the global launch of the Xiaomi 13 smartphone series but also its Wireless AR Glass Discovery edition. Firstly, the company introduced the extensive lineup of the Xiaomi 13 smartphone series including Xiaomi 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Lite. Interestingly, only the Xiaomi 13 Pro has made its way to India at a price tag of Rs 79,999 and the rest of the lineup is yet to be announced in the country. The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses won’t be making it to the market anytime soon as they are a concept pair. They offer an immersive AR experience free of any wires and dongles. They feature two Micro OLED screens with a free-form light-guiding prism module that projects content in front of your eyes. The glasses are cool and futuristic, and we definitely cannot wait to see them in action.
OnePlus
OnePlus is currently basking in the glory of its recent OnePlus 11 series launch which is making waves around the world. OnePlus purists are happy at the company’s return to its roots offering flagship killer devices at competitive pricing. Adding ‘Cool’ to the fire, OnePlus introduced a new concept device which brings a closed-loop liquid cooling system to smartphones. OnePlus is calling this new cooling system ‘Active CryoFlux’ and claims the system can reduce the device temperature up to 2.1 degrees. The Active CryoFlux system is based on a ceramic piezoelectric micropump which circulates fluid through a series of tubes. The back cover of the concept phone is aesthetically pleasing as it allows users to see the tubing underneath which has been illuminated. OnePlus emphasized device cooling by introducing a 45W external liquid cooler which attaches to a smartphone and improves heat dissipation. The company claims that the external liquid cooler can reduce the phone temperature by 20 degrees. OnePlus has not announced whether it will be using the Active CryoFlux system in a production smartphone as not every concept makes it to the end consumer.
Google
Google was not expected to bring the heat with new hardware at MWC but it surely surprised everyone by announcing new Android features. Google introduced features page zoom on Chrome for Android and noise cancellation in Google Meet. Previously, if users were to pinch-to-zoom on Android, it would pinch the entire page. As of now, Chrome Beta users can pinch-to-zoom and only increase the size of the text, images, video, and more while still retaining the original page layout. Other features include freehand PDF annotations in Drive, faster pairing of earbuds on Chromebooks, Tap-to-pay animations in Wallet, new sounds and display mode for Wear OS and much more.
Motorola
Motorola had fans surprised as they unveiled their latest innovation at this year’s MWC. Motorola introduced the Moto Rizr at MWC which quickly became one of the most talked-about devices from the entire event. Moto Rizr is the world’s rollable smartphone featuring a 5-inch display that can be rolled up to a 6.5-inch display with just two taps. The device sticks to Moto’s staple pOLED display which expands vertically. The basic idea behind the device is to allow users to have a compact phone which can be extended when they need more screen space for content consumption, gaming and much more. Readers should note that the Moto Rizr will not be making its way to the market anytime soon as it is a prototype device.
TCL
Though TCL is not a big player in the Indian market, it holds a significant position on the global stage. At MWC 2023, TCL announced a bunch of budget devices exclusive to the US market and two new 11-inch tablets. The TCL 40 X brings capable specifications like Dimesnity 700, a 6.5-inch 90Hz LCD display and a 50MP primary camera at the price of $200. The company also introduced its cheapest 5G device with TCL 40 XE priced at just $170. All the new mobile devices introduced by TCL feature a waterdrop notch putting them in the budget category for the US market.
Tecno
Who would have thought that Tecno will take away all the attention from legacy players in the mobile arena? With its debut appearance at the MWC, Tecno debuted all guns blazing showcasing two new smartphones including the company’s first foldable smartphone, the Phantom V. The Tecno foldable device is also the world’s first foldable device to feature a left-right foldable design boasting the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset. The smartphone also sports a 5-lens camera system featuring a 50-MP primary sensor coupled with two lenses at the back and the front. It also introduced the MegaBook S1 laptop with 13th Gen Intel Core processors. Additionally, Tecno left no tables unturned unveiling TWS earbuds, a Wi-Fi security camera, and a Wi-Fi router at MWC.
OPPO
While the Find N2 Flip was OPPO’s premiere device to showcase at the MWC, it also unveiled a number of IoT devices like a Wi-Fi 6 router, Zero-Power Tag, MariSilicon Y Bluetooth audio SoC, Air Glass 2, and much more. The Find N2 Flip marks OPPO’s first-generation flip device featuring a 3.26-inch cover screen. It features a Hasselblad camera branding similar to the OnePlus flagship devices. One of the key elements of the N2 Flip is that it folds flat when closed. This ensures that nothing gets in between the screen when the device is in your pocket. The device comes with a large battery capacity and charges at 44W. While foldable devices are clearly a niche amongst tech enthusiasts, having more options never harmed anyone.
Realme
Realme launched its latest flagship device, the Realme GT3 at the MWC 2023. The GT3 comes equipped with 240W charging prowess making it one of the fastest charging devices in the world. It offers the maximum charging power possible under USB-C standards as it is equipped with three maxed-out charging chipsets which work together in achieving 240W charging power. Realme claims that the device’s 4600mAh battery can be charged up fully in just 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
Honor
Honor may have fallen in trouble in China and US legislations but that did not stop the company from bringing in the heat at the MWC. Honor took the stage to announce the global launch of its premium lineup – Magic5 Pro and Magic5. Both devices are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and support 66W wired charging. Honor also launched its first foldable device outside China titled – Magic.
