The U.S. remains the world leader in artificial intelligence innovation, ahead of second-place China and third-place EU, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation’s Center for Data Innovation reported Monday. The U.S. leads in “absolute terms,” the report said. Each country and region was rated based on six categories: talent, research, development, adoption, data and hardware.
The 30 percent fiscal Q2 revenue rise Nvidia had in its automotive business reflected growing adoption of its next-generation artificial intelligence “cockpit solutions” and autonomous vehicle development projects, “including one particularly sizable development services transaction that was recognized in the quarter,” said Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress on a Thursday earnings call. The AI partnership Nvidia announced with Volvo in June will enable the automotive OEM “to develop a wide range of autonomous driving solutions for freight transport, recycling collection, public transport, construction, mining, forestry and more,” said Kress. “This collaboration is a great validation of our long-held position that every vehicle, not just cars, but also trucks, shuttles, business, taxis and many others, will have autonomous capability one day.” Autonomous driving “can bring enormous value to the trucking industry,” especially as the demands of online shopping “put ever-greater stress on the world’s transport systems,” she said. “Multiple customers” are “already onboard” with Nvidia’s automotive AI, said Kress: “We see this as a $30 billion addressable market by 2025.” Shares closed 7.3 percent higher Friday at $159.56.
U.S. leadership in developing artificial intelligence depends on federal government “playing an active and purpose-driven role” in standards, the National Institute of Standards and Technology reported Saturday. In response to President Donald Trump’s February executive order for an AI strategy, NIST offered guidance to stakeholders. The report recommends: bolstering AI standards-related knowledge, leadership and coordination across agencies; promoting research to advance and accelerate “broader exploration and understanding of how aspects of trustworthiness can be practically incorporated within standards and standards related tools”; expanding public-private partnerships “to develop and use AI standards and related tools to advance reliable, robust, and trustworthy AI”; and engaging internationally “to advance AI standards for U.S. economic and national security needs.”
Tech entrepreneur and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang criticized Amazon and the role artificial intelligence is going to play in workforce displacement during a Wednesday debate with former Vice President Joe Biden, Senate Commerce Committee member Kamala Harris of California and seven other candidates. The debate was otherwise almost completely devoid of tech and telecom policy mentions. A Tuesday debate included several policy focuses, with Senate Commerce member and 2020 Democratic candidate Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota saying rural broadband will be a top priority in her $1 trillion infrastructure proposal (see 1907310035). “Amazon is closing 30 percent of America's stores and malls and paying zero in taxes while doing it,” Yang said Wednesday. Amazon has been a target for Democratic candidates' ire during all four debates this year (see 1906270010 and 1906280053). Yang later warned AI is “going to displace hundreds of thousands of call center workers, truck drivers, the most common jobs in the United States.” Biden said he wouldn't seek to have the U.S. rejoin the original version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which in part deals with digital issues, but instead would seek to renegotiate. President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from TPP in 2017 (see 1701240047). Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, invoked the 2018 false missile alert in Hawaii during her closing statement to highlight her objections to Trump's foreign policy priorities. Gabbard didn't mention the push for legislation, like the Authenticating Local Emergencies and Real Threats (Alert) Act, to address perceived weaknesses in the wireless emergency alert system (see 1904240033).
Microsoft and OpenAI will jointly build new artificial intelligence “supercomputing technologies” using Microsoft’s Azure cloud-computing service under a multiyear partnership, said the companies Monday. The “resulting enhancements” to the Azure platform will help developers “build the next generation of AI applications,” they said. OpenAI will "port" its services to run on Microsoft Azure, while Microsoft will become OpenAI’s “preferred partner for commercializing new AI technologies,” they said. “The companies will focus on building a computational platform in Azure of unprecedented scale, which will train and run increasingly advanced AI models,” they said.
Tech cheered the appointment of former German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen as European Commission president. In her political guidelines, von der Leyen pledged to present legislation on artificial intelligence within 100 days and a "digital services act" to upgrade EU rules on digital platforms, services and products, the Computer & Communications Industry Association noted. CCIA Vice President Christian Borggreen urged the EC "to develop smart and evidence-based policies to build a thriving European Digital Single Market." Guido Lobrano, Information Technology Industry Council vice president-policy for Europe, welcomed von der Leyen's "early commitment to digitalization in Europe" and asked her to advance "future-proof tech policies."
Organizations that are working with artificial intelligence have, on average, four such projects in place, said a Gartner report Monday. It canvassed 106 information technology “professionals,” and found 59 percent said their companies already have AI “deployed today,” it said. “We see a substantial acceleration in AI adoption this year,” said Gartner. “The rising number of AI projects means that organizations may need to reorganize internally to make sure that AI projects are properly staffed and funded.” Respondents said their organizations expect to add six more AI projects in the next 12 months, and another 15 within the next three years, said Gartner. Improving the customer experience was the “top motivator” for deploying AI, it said. A lack of skilled staff was top deployment challenge, cited by 59 percent of respondents, it said. “Finding the right staff skills is a major concern whenever advanced technologies are involved. Skill gaps can be addressed using service providers, partnering with universities, and establishing training programs for existing employees.”
Half of global organizations surveyed by IDC consider artificial intelligence a priority, and two-thirds are emphasizing an “AI First” culture, said the research firm Monday, but only a fourth have developed an enterprise-wide AI strategy. Organizations that embrace AI will “drive better customer engagements and have accelerated rates of innovation, higher competitiveness, higher margins, and productive employees,” said analyst Ritu Jyoti. Drivers for AI adoption included improved productivity, business agility, customer satisfaction via automation and faster time to market; inhibitors were cost, lack of skilled personnel and bias in the data, IDC said. Most organizations experienced some failures in their AI projects, with a quarter reporting up to a 50 percent failure rate; lack of skilled staff and unrealistic expectations were given as top reasons for failure.
Sony and Daiwa established a joint venture to invest in startups in “key high-growth industries” including artificial intelligence and robots, they said Tuesday. Limited partners include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, Osaka Shoko Shinkin Bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance and educational institutions. The Innovation Growth Fund hopes to raise $185 million, they said.
The House approved seven of eight telecom and privacy-related amendments to the “minibus” FY 2020 budget bill (HR-3055) that includes funding for NTIA, other Commerce Department agencies and the Agriculture Department (see 1906190061). Lawmakers voted 245-186 against language from Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., that would have decreased NTIA's FY 2020 salaries and expenses funding to FY 2019 levels as a way to increase funding for NOAA by $3.5 million. The chamber voted 408-22 for an amendment led by Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., that would increase funding for the Rural Utilities Service's $600 million ReConnect rural broadband funding program (see 1812130064) by $55 million, which would be paid for by decreasing funding for USDA administration, the department's chief information officer and the department's general counsel. Lawmakers voted 425-6 for a proposal led by Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., to increase funding for RUS' distance learning and telemedicine grant program by $25 million by cutting an equal amount from the CIO's office. The House cleared the other five amendments on voice votes, including two that target broadband mapping. One led by Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., would bar NTIA from using its funding to update broadband coverage maps using data collected only via Form 477. The other, from Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, D-N.M., designates $1 million of NTIA’s funding be used for broadband mapping. Language led by Rep. David Trone, D-Md., would increase funding for community connect grants by $5 million for broadband deployments in underserved rural areas. An amendment from Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., would allocate $1 million of the distance learning program funding to “express the importance of broadband access to rural communities, schools and small businesses.” The other cleared proposal, from Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., would direct $1 million of National Science Foundation funding to report to Congress on “its efforts to incorporate social impact assessments into the artificial intelligence research it funds.”