IEEE has organized a conference on climate change technologies. It is a virtual even and will be held in two parts, November 04-07 and December 02-05. To look at the program, go here (https://ieee-ofcct.org/program/). To register for the conference, go here (https://ieee-ofcct.org/registration/).
Dr. Carlo Sapijaszko gave a webinar talk on the “The Intersection of AI and Knowledge Acquisition” on Friday, 2024 January 11. A recording of the webinar and slides from his talk can be found on our Recordings page.
Categories
EMI Mitigation
The Twin Cities Chapters of the IEEE Computer Society and the IEEE Electromagnetic Compatibility Society held a joint meeting in November, 2023.
Computer Society members addressed troubleshooting and mitigating Information Technology equipment problems that arise from EMI. Situational topics included WiFi routers and proximate equipment, aging circuit components, the integrity of shielding and grounding, cooling fan quality, and noise from power sources.
EMC Society members addressed the issues of bringing computational hardware to the market using robust EMI testing. Problems addressed range from product interoperability to more subtle failure of FCC requirements and other certifications.
After the presentations there was a tour of Element Materials’ Brooklyn Park facility. Element Materials has various shielded rooms and sophisticated equipment for modifying and testing customer products for radiated emissions as well as its susceptibility to interference from other equipment, among other certification services.
Pizza and light beverages were provided.
All photographs taken by Patricia Hanson.
IEEE Twin Cities Section members gathered to enjoy coffee and some high-zoot (as per Eric) goodies last Saturday morning. It was an enjoyable get-together.
All photographs taken by Bruce Hanson.
Twin Cities Section Webinar Series present “The Intersection of AI and Knowledge Acquisition”.
This virtual presentation will explore the dynamic intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and education, dissecting its transformative effects on traditional paradigms. The discussions will span the optimal integration of AI into educational frameworks, encompassing considerations for curriculum development, teacher training, and institutional adaptation. Assessing students’ competence in a world enhanced by AI will be a focal point, addressing evolving methodologies aligned with the changing educational landscape. Furthermore, the presentations will delve into the dual role of AI in providing educational content and revolutionizing delivery methods, offering insights into the profound impact on the learning experience. Ethical and legal dimensions will be thoroughly examined, scrutinizing concerns such as data privacy, bias, accountability, and the responsible incorporation of AI technologies into educational settings.
The speaker will be Dr. Carlo Sapijaszko. Currently serving as the Senior Dean at Strayer University, Dr. Sapijaszko provides clear and effective leadership to the College of Technology and Professional Studies. Dr. Sapijaszko’s responsibilities include conducting holistic evaluations of IT and Professional Study programs, ensuring curriculum alignment with standards, and maintaining partnerships at national, state, and local levels. He worked in industry as a hardware and software Engineer at DE Labs and General Electric. He is a Professional Engineer with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, Canada.
Register for this event here. And check out other upcoming TC Section events and activities here.
About three or so months ago I was using the Wolfram Alpha website and read that a Wolfram plugin had been released for use with ChatGPT. That was good news because ChatGPT does not do math well (like, at all). I had a ChatGPT account (you can’t use any of the major AI engines without creating an account, even though the engine may be free to use). So I decided to add the Wolfram Plugin to my ChatGPT account.
Well, the first obstacle was immediate. Turns out the plugin is available only for ChatGPT Plus i.e. the paid version of ChatGPT (which is now ChatGPT 4). Ok, fine! I’ll pay the $20/mth for ChatGPT Plus. Then, it seems like I may have to fiddle around with some coding to install the plugin. So I decided I may as well ask ChatGPT how to do it. I asked it “How can I add plugins?”. It thought I was asking how to install plugins in general. No, no! I want to install the Wolfram plugin. ChatGPT provides instructions about how to add plugins to the Wolfram language.
Me: “No, I want to install the Wolfram plugin in ChatGPT.”
ChatGPT: “I apologize for the confusion earlier. As of my last update in September 2021, OpenAI’s models, including ChatGPT, don’t have an official interface for directly incorporating or interacting with Wolfram products via plugins.[…]”
Me: “What plugins are available for ChatGPT?”
ChatGPT: “As of my knowledge cut-off date in September 2021, OpenAI’s models, including ChatGPT, are not designed to support “plugins” in the traditional sense. They are offered via API, and users can interact with them by making HTTP requests. There’s no standard interface for extending their functionality with plugins, like you might find in a web browser or content management system.[…]”
Me: “Are you ChatGPT4?”
ChatGPT: “Yes, I am based on OpenAI’s GPT-4 architecture. I’m here to answer questions and provide information based on the knowledge that was available up until September 2021. How can I assist you today?”
Me: “Hasn’t your database been updated since 2021?”
ChatGPT: “As of my current interaction with you, my knowledge is based on information available up until September 2021, and I’m not aware of updates or changes that may have occurred after that date. While OpenAI continues to work on new models and research, the specific version of the model you are interacting with does not have access to real-time information or updates beyond that cut-off point. Is there something specific you would like to know or ask about? I’ll do my best to assist you with the information I have!”
There was further exchange along similar lines and then I gave up, thinking I would get back to it later. Two to three months go by and I continue to pay the monthly subscription fee though not using ChatGPT at all. It’s just easier to use Bing and Bard because I’m usually logged into Microsoft and Google accounts. Plus, since the accuracy/reliability of answers provided by AI engines is questionable, whenever I need to be sure of the information I get, I end up doing manual searches or calculations.
Today, I thought I would give another try to adding the Wolfram plugin and if I couldn’t do it, I would just cancel my ChatGPT subscription. So back the to the Wolfram site and after some searching I come across instructions “ChatGPT Plus users can install the Wolfram plugin by visiting the plugin store after logging in.” Well ok, that’s cool. I go back to ChatGPT.
Me (explicitly using ChatGPT4): “Do you have the Wolfram plugin?”
ChatGPT(4): “No, I do not have the Wolfram plugin. However, I can assist with a wide range of questions and tasks using the tools and resources available to me, such as Python for calculations, data analysis, and simulations, as well as a web browser for research. If you have any specific queries or tasks in mind, feel free to ask!”
Me: “Take me to the chatgpt plugin store”.
ChatGPT(4): “There isn’t a “ChatGPT plugin store” as such. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a language model that’s integrated into various applications and platforms, but it doesn’t have a dedicated store for plugins or add-ons.
Developers can use the OpenAI API to integrate ChatGPT into their own applications, creating custom functionalities. These integrations are usually specific to the platforms or applications they’re designed for, and they’re not centralized in a single “store”.
If you’re looking for specific functionalities or integrations for ChatGPT, you might need to look into the platforms or applications where ChatGPT is being used, or consider developing a custom solution using the OpenAI API.
Could you clarify what kind of functionality or integration you’re interested in? That would help me provide more specific guidance or information.”
Sigh! This is not going well. So I decide to do my own search on the web – ‘how to install wolfram plugin chatgpt’. I get several hits and they all refer to the plugin store. But where is that plugin store?!
After checking multiple websites I find one that says:
1. Go to settings.
2. Enable beta features.
3. Turn on plugins under the GPT4 section.
4. Visit the plugin store and install the Wolfram plugin.
At last! Ok, settings. Where are the settings? In the lefthand panel in ChatGPT there is no gear icon, there is no layer icon, there is no menu item referring to settings. Now what?
I finally decide to click on my name in the lefthand panel. And, lo and behold! In the pop-up menu there is line (accompanied by a gear icon) that says “Settings & Beta”. Then I just follow the list of instructions above and get the Wolfram plugin installed. Mission accomplished.
Oh, wait. How do I make sure that ChatGPT is using the Wolfram plugin. The website with the above list of instructions describes various ways in which the plugin can be used but not how to invoke it. Ok, so on to another website. This one provides additional instructions (but not the crucial “Go to settings”).
- Open a ChatGPT conversation.
- Type in the Wolfram plugin command.
- Ask ChatGPT to perform a computational task.
- ChatGPT will use the Wolfram|Alpha knowledge engine to answer your question or fulfill your request
Here are some examples of Wolfram plugin commands:
wolfram: square root of 16
I do a little bit of experimentation and find that explicit invocation of the “wolfram:” is not needed. You can type in your query just like normal and if ChatGPT uses the Wolfram plugin its answer will note “Used Wolfram” and in a drop-down menu provide the query it made to Wolfram.
I suppose if you are in a session with ChatGPT after logging in afresh, you may have to invoke the “Wolfram:” to get the plugin going.
I’ll have to do some more experimentation to find out how useful is the ChatGPT4/Wolfram combo. Maybe I’ll postpone cancelling my subscription …
Also published here.
Thanksgiving week was quite exciting with all the tumult involving OpenAI. And then the Q* speculation started but it seems to have been short-lived.
I think the chances that an AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) will emerge and wipe out the human species are negligible. First, there is no canonical definition of AGI. As Arcas and Norvig say: “Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) means many different things to different people, but the most important parts of it have already been achieved by the current generation of advanced AI large language models such as ChatGPT, Bard, LLaMA and Claude. […] Decades from now, they will be recognized as the first true examples of AGI, just as the 1945 ENIAC is now recognized as the first true general-purpose electronic computer.”
However, even having an AGI that can answer general knowledge questions and solve math word problems does not mean that it has volition! Merriam-Webster defines volition as “1. the power of choosing or determining” and “2. an act of making a choice or decision”. (I am deliberately not using the word “will” to avoid entanglement with the free will debate). Till somebody makes an AI that is able (and allowed) to make choices according to its own preferences i.e. without being instructed or guided by something else, an AI-executed destruction of the human species is more likely to occur because some countries got into a war and started using AI-enabled technologies to plan and carry out war.
For other likelier occurrences that could wipe out, or at least decimate, the human species, how about a new pandemic that is more lethal than the previous ones, runaway climate change, plain old nuclear war, and maybe even an asteroid strike?
And besides, if an AI develops its own volition or will, why do we think it will want to bother with eliminating humans? Oh, that suggests an answer to the Fermi Paradox. We don’t have alien visitors (UFO enthusiasts notwithstanding) because all advanced civilizations are machine-based (AI-based) and organic creatures are of little interest to them.
P.S. Bing, the Microsoft AI adaptation of ChatGPT, refused to create an image representing an AI Apocalypse!
Looks like sodium-ion battery development is moving quite quickly. In addition to the announcement by Northvolt last week, several Chinese companies are also involved in the development, production, and use of sodium-ion battery products.Seems rather ironic since the original article I saw touted a reduction of supply dependency on China (which is a big producer of lithium-ion batteries) due to use of sodium-ion technology.
Sodium-ion battery chemistry provides lower energy density compared to lithium-ion battery chemistry. This means that for the same quantity of stored energy a sodium-ion battery will be larger/heavier than a lithium-ion battery. However, sodium-ion technology also costs less than lithium-ion technology. This makes a sodium-ion chemistry more attractive for energy storage applications where lower cost is a higher priority than size and weight constraints. An example of such an application would be supplemental energy storage for the power grid.
Battery size and weight are relatively more important for electric vehicles. So lithium-ion technology is likely to persist for vehicular applications. For vehicles where a smaller quantity of stored energy (which translates to a shorter range of travel) is acceptable, sodium-ion technology may still be useful. Chery, a Chinese car maker, has said that it will use CATL’s sodium-ion batteries to power its shorter-range vehicles. China-based CATL is reputedly the world’s largest manufacturer of battery cells for electric vehicles.
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OpenAI or Members Only?
If you read news from the tech world, you couldn’t have missed the kerfuffle involving OpenAI this past week.
Below are takes on the situation from a couple of columnists. They start out from different angles but converge on similar conclusions:
Parmy Olson: “I say all this knowing full well that OpenAI will find a way to neuter its nonprofit board so that the events of last week don’t ever happen again. It will probably look a lot more like other tech boards that lack teeth […].”
Matt Levine: “Is control of OpenAI indicated by the word “controls,” or by the word “MONEY”? […] the money kind of won.”
See also this piece by Levine where he concludes: “Coming from the world of finance, all of this feels odd to me […]. Everyone just trusted each other? Seems like a mistake.”
Categories
Breakthrough battery?
A Swedish company has announced a lithium-free sodium-ion battery that is supposed to be cheaper and more sustainable. It has an energy density of 160 Wh/kg.
It will require more development before becoming commercially competitive. Energy density and cost considerations vary from application to application so this sodium-ion battery development is still a good step forward.
Lithium-ion battery densities have improved enormously in the last decade, see this article. (Note, the bar chart shows volumetric energy density, Wh/l, and not mass energy density Wh/kg).
In early 2023 a record of just over 700 Wh/kg (1650 Wh/l) was set for Li-ion batteries. A comparison of energy densities for various battery chemistries is shown here. A history of Li-ion batteries can be found here.
