⚡️Cyborgs: Researchers are bringing AI and synthetic biology together
PLUS: Sam Altman's Worldcoin takes off
Clayton Hester
July 25, 2023
Gooooooooood Tuesday morning to you, creatives!
Today, we’re looking back at first-hand accounts of the terror and awe of the nuclear bomb tests.
We’ve got a look at how synthetic biology and artificial intelligence are coming together in a 21st-century version of a Mary Shelley nightmare.
Plus, we’re taking a look at Sam Altman’s latest release — Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency you verify by scanning your eye.
—Clayton
💡Ready for next-level creativity?
AHEAD OF THE CURVE
Sam Altman is rocketing into the world of cryptocurrency with the launch of his new Worldcoin token.
Worldcoin, the token of the crypto project co-founded by OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, experienced a remarkable rally on its first day of trading. Investors enthusiastically embraced the hype around artificial intelligence, propelling Worldcoin to as high as $3.58 from its initial price of $1.70. The token's price later settled at $2.52 as of 11:12 a.m. in London, according to data compiled by CoinMarketCap.
The innovative technology employs a small device called an "orb" to scan individuals' eyeballs, generating a unique digital identity known as the World ID. This digital identity provides its holder with "proof of personhood" in Worldcoin's terminology.
FLIP THE SWITCH, IGOR
It’s… alive?
Researchers have achieved a groundbreaking feat by growing brain cells on silicon chips and teaching them to perform tasks.
This remarkable fusion of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology is ushering in a new era of continuous machine learning. A significant boost to this cutting-edge research comes in the form of a $600,000 AUD Australian national intelligence grant, specifically directed towards the development of "cyborg computing chips."
Already, lab-grown synthetic brain cells demonstrate their ability to learn tasks. Now, the same team responsible for creating 800,000 Pong-playing brain cells residing in a dish has secured funding from Australia's National Intelligence and Security Discovery Research Grants Program. Their mission is to propel these lab-grown brain cells, embedded onto silicon chips, into the realm of machine learning.
The Office of National Intelligence spells out the project's aim clearly: "The project aims to merge the fields of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology to create programmable cyborg computing chips."
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
On July 16, 1945, history was changed forever with the world's first nuclear weapon test. Conducted in the desolate landscape of New Mexico under the top-secret Manhattan Project, this awe-inspiring explosion marked a turning point in human innovation.
Led by the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the team worked diligently in secrecy to create what would become known as the "Gadget." The night before the test, physicist Edwin McMillan reflected on three possibilities: annihilation, failure, or success.
As the countdown commenced, scientists and military chiefs braced themselves for the unknown. The explosion, detonated at 5:29 a.m., unleashed a brilliance beyond imagination, lighting the sky with golden, purple, violet, gray, and blue hues. Witnesses were captivated by the terrifying beauty that defied description.
At a safe distance, physicist Marvin Wilkening and others watched through welder's glass, witnessing a sight reminiscent of old-fashioned photo flashbulbs. Yet, for all its beauty, this raw power instilled fear in those who beheld it. The explosion's magnitude left a half-mile wide crater and a highly radioactive, jade-green, glassy crust.
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IN SHORT
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