The United States is Becoming a Technology Superpower: The State of Artificial Intelligence

The United States is Becoming a Technology Superpower: The State of Artificial Intelligence

Last year, the Government launched the American Artificial Intelligence Initiative to support AI innovation that will increase prosperity, enhance national security, and improve quality of life for American citizens. This is seeking to invest in AI research and development by collaborating with industry, academia, international allies and partners and other non-federal entities. This is part of the strategic plan to unleash AI resources to enhance access to high quality Federal data, modelling and computing models to maintain and improve privacy and confidentiality.

The initiative is also seeking to remove barriers to AI innovation and train an AI-ready workforce. The US is seeking to empower current and future generations of American workers through apprenticeships, skills programs, and educations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The President has recognised that, “Continued American leadership in AI is of paramount importance to maintaining the economic and national security of the United States and to shaping the global evolution of AI in a manner consistent with our Nation’s values, policies, and priorities.”

The significant investment in AI research and development will likely promote the US in becoming a technology superpower.

The Global Pandemic Highlights the Vitality of Innovation and Research & Development

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The COVID-19 Pandemic has generated a myriad of responses in the business community. What has been truly inspirational however, is the response of the private sector in demonstrating strength, resilience, and innovation. As highlighted by James Edwards, the executive director of Conservatives for Property Rights, the private sector medical research and development companies, such as biopharmaceutical companies, have taken the initiative and worked tirelessly to discover vaccines, cures, diagnostics and therapeutics. Medical device companies have also found unique ways to address supply shortages by adapting their business models and manufacturing processes. Edwards recognised that, “At times like these, we do well to take stock of fundamental assets that enable America not only to survive but to thrive amid challenges. These assets include limited government, a republic, private property rights, the rule of law, due process, a free-market economy and popular sovereignty. And sometimes underappreciated as an asset is innovation”.

As the United States battles the coronavirus and economic disruption, it is critical to recognise and acknowledge the true importance of innovation and development to solve social problems and enhance society’s ability to act.

Healthcare Workers can now get 3D Printed Prescription Protection Glasses

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Fitz is a startup company that makes custom, 3D printed glasses, using an iOS app that measures faces. That sentence alone proves how innovative this company is. But, as if that weren’t enough, the company’s now using crowd funding to develop protective eyewear for healthcare workers.

With Covid-19 rampant across the world, we’re all encouraged to stay inside, and away from anyone who’s sick. Unfortunately, healthcare professionals don’t have that luxury. Instead, they’re taking measures to cover their faces, to limit the risk of infection being passed from patients. But, current personal protective equipment (PPE) consists of face shields (a sheet of plastic) or a fabric mouth and nose mask; neither offer full protection. Add to this that more than 60% of doctors need prescription glasses, and experts are warning against using contact lenses. And so, healthcare professionals are turning to all sorts of homemade solutions to fit around their glasses and protect their face.

In conjunction with these frontline medical professionals, Fitz developed its Fitz Protect range. They provide more coverage than traditional glasses, including the eyebrows, which can accumulate viral particles and infect the eyes. Also, each pair is custom measured and made to fit the face, so can provide full coverage and are comfortable for long 12-18 hour shifts. The company developed its unique software using Apple’s depth-sensing Face ID camera. With this, Fitz provides a virtual try-on feature, and gets accurate measurements (to the millimeter) for that custom fit.

The prototype design came from discussions with workers in New York and Texas, who were struggling to find protection solutions. Because they’re 3D printed, constant feedback and customization was available throughout the development. The initial responses have been fantastic; doctors, nurses and hospital staff appreciate the effective, comfortable protection that helps them feel safe and do their jobs. Fitz is in the process of scaling up its operations, to get these made and shipped as quickly as possible.

What’s more, Fitz believes that this PPE should be available at no charge to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers seeing Covid-19 patients. So, the glasses are 100% crown funded. Currently, the company’s almost a third of the way toward its $60,000 goal and more than 3,000 healthcare workers have registered for a pair.

Are you developing an innovative product to help in the global crisis? Your work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses. To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

WHO WE ARE:

Swanson Reed is Texas’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firm, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program in Texas, from claim prep & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

U.S. Department of Defense Adopts Ethical Principles For Artificial Intelligence

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In a statement released yesterday, the U.S. Department of Defense officially adopted a series of ethical principles surrounding military applications of Artificial Intelligence. The adoption of these principles follows recommendations provided by the Defense Innovation Board, which resulted from 15 months of deliberation with leading AI experts in the commercial industry, government, academia, and the American public.

The recent adoption of these AI ethical principles closely aligns with the Department of Defense’s AI strategy objective directing the U.S military to consider AI ethics and the lawful use of AI systems. These ethical principles address new challenges faced in the digital era and build upon the U.S. military’s existing ethical framework based on documents such as the Constitution, and existing international norms and treaties.

The Department of Defense recognized the need to “accelerate the adoption of AI and lead in its national security applications to maintain [the United States’ strategic position, prevail on future battlefields, and safeguard the rules-based international order.” Despite this, the adoption of AI ethical principles was still considered necessary. According to the Department of Defense, “AI technology will change much about the battlefield of the future, but nothing will change America’s steadfast commitment to responsible and lawful behavior.”

These ethical principles will apply to both combat and non-combat functions and assist the U.S military in upholding legal, ethical, and policy commitments in the field of AI.

The Department of Defenses’ AI ethical principles encompass five main areas:

  1. Responsible – Department of Defense personnel will exercise appropriate levels of judgment and care, while remaining responsible for the development, deployment, and use of AI capabilities. 
  2. Equitable – The Department will take deliberate steps to minimize unintended bias in AI capabilities.
  3. Traceable – The Department’s capabilities will be developed and deployed such that relevant personnel possess an appropriate understanding of the technology, development processes, and operational methods applicable to AI capabilities, including with transparent and auditable methodologies, data sources, and design procedure and documentation.
  4. Reliable – The Department’s AI capabilities will have explicit, well-defined uses, and the safety, security and effectiveness of such capabilities will be subject to testing and assurance within those defined uses across their entire life-cycles. 
  5. Governable – The Department will design and engineer AI capabilities to fulfill their intended functions while possessing the ability to detect and avoid unintended consequences, and the ability to disengage or deactivate deployed systems that demonstrate unintended behaviour. 

 

Artificial Intelligence is used to Discover a Powerful Antibiotic

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Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have had a major breakthrough in the fight against antibiotic drug resistance.

MIT researchers have harnessed Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology which utilizes a unique algorithm having the capability of analyzing over 100 million chemical compounds in just a few days. The team at MIT trained their AI on 2,500 molecules that included a combination of 1,700 established drugs and 800 natural products. This led the AI to discover an antibiotic compound, halicin, which has proven extremely effective in combatting many types of resistant bacteria in a novel way. Unlike most traditional antibiotics, halicin destroys bacteria by limiting the bacteria’s ability to maintain the electrochemical gradient necessary to produce energy-storing chemicals. The powerful properties of halicin was highlighted when the team at MIT ran tests alongside E.coli; E. coli did not develop any resistance to halicin even after 30 days. Conversely, E. coli developed resistance to a more conventional antibiotic, cipoflozacin, within just three days.

Antibiotic resistance has been referred to by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “one of the biggest threats to global health security and development today”, due to the threat of antibiotics becoming ineffective when they are really needed. Without the discovery of new antibiotics, the WHO has estimated 10 million lives around the world could be at risk each year from infection by 2050.

James Collins, a bioengineer at MIT said, “[halicin] is one of the more powerful antibiotics that has been discovered to date, due to its remarkable activity against a broad range of antibiotic-resistant pathogens”. Collins added, “[as a team, we] wanted to develop a platform that would allow us to harness the power of artificial intelligence to usher in a new age of antibiotic drug discovery.”

This breakthrough highlights the power of computer-aided drug discovery, and AI’s ability to be utilised to fast-forward the early stages of drug discovery to make a substantial impact.

NBA Uses Artificial Intelligence Developed by WSC Sports for Highlight Clips

NBA Uses Artificial Intelligence Developed by WSC Sports for Highlight Clips

With the increasing reliance on social media in today’s society, social media has quickly become an important platform to reach sports fans. The NBA has recognized this, and the ever growing need to create customized content for its fans. Since 2014, the NBA has partnered with Israeli company, WSC Sports, to experiment with artificial intelligence to analyze highlights and key moments of the game.

During All Star weekend, the NBA employed software developed by WSC Sports to create multiple clips and content for every single player on the court. Shaka Arnon, the general manager of WSC North America, described the software as “[using] machine learning or AI to take a combination of visual, audio and data cues to identify big moments in the game, as well as identify each and every play of the game, to create shareable highlights”.

Bob Carney, Senior Vice President of social and digital strategy for the NBA noted that this level of personalized content is something that the NBA would not do in the past, as it was tedious work requiring manual labour to push content out across 200 social and digital platforms across the U.S. Prior to this evolutionary software, it could “take an hour to cut a post-game highlights package”. Now, according to Carney, “it takes just a few minutes to create over 1,000 highlight packages”.

The NBA is pioneering the way in which sport and media can be integrated with technology and innovation to create more personalized content for its fans. By employing WSC Sports’ artificial intelligence software, the NBA is able to provide fans with the content they want to see, when they want at their fingertips.

Toyota Invests $50 million in Autonomous Shuttle Startup May Mobility

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In December 2019, Toyota announced that it will lead a $50 million investment and partnership with May Mobility, a Michigan-based autonomous shuttle start-up.

May Mobility was founded on the premise of discovering innovative solutions to issues caused by population growth, urban density, and immobility. They are the early leaders in autonomous transportation, operating autonomous shuttles services in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Providence, and Rhode Island. It operates a fleet of 25 autonomous electric shuttles, and has provided over 170,000 revenue-generating rides. Continuously innovating and learning about driver’s needs, they are pioneering futuristic technological solutions to advance mobility.

May Mobility currently contracts with cities, transit agencies, and corporations to provide short trips on fixed routes in dense urban areas. For instance, they provide self-driving shuttles for Bedrock LLC, the real estate company owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert, by carrying people from its parking garage to offices almost one mile out along the loop that it runs.

Though Toyota and May Mobility have not announced the details of their partnership, it is likely that May’s autonomous vehicle technology will be paired with the Toyota e-Palette to assist in identifying market opportunities. The e-Palettes was unveiled in 2018 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and is described as a “fully-automated, next generation battery electric vehicle[s] designed to be scalable and customizable for a range of Mobility as a Service businesses.” They are envisaged to solve a variety of functions, including ride-sharing and carpooling, mobile office and retail spaces, and medical clinics.

Toyota is hoping to debut the e-Palette at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute Awarded $51M to Assist in Developing Technical Health Solutions

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The Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) is responsible for developing and manufacturing large-scale engineered tissues and tissue-related technologies to benefit existing and future industries. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recently announced that ARMI will receive a $51 million grant from the Federal Government to develop portable technology to produce medications and vaccines in an effort to expand access to “critical medical care in places where drugs are logistically and financially difficult to deliver”.

The grant will allow for major biotechnical innovation to fight health security threats and pioneer life-changing scientific advancements to change the face of medicine. Products and developments that will surface from this grant will allow the U.S to recover faster from natural disasters and other health emergencies.

The $51 million grant will be distributed over a five-year period, with U.S Senator Jeanne Shaheen recognizing the importance of the grant in “[attracting] and [retaining] the next generation of innovators”, as well as provide “good-paying jobs…[and] further strengthen the economy”.
ARMI will engage with regional experts and offer an idea lab, dry and wet labs, manufacturing space, and a learning zone, while also creating and managing a commercialization program that engages in private-sector partners to accelerate the adoption of the technologies.

ARMI’s first project will focus on maturing and validating small, portable, automated devices that could be transported easily to disaster locations to make necessary medicines available on-site.

Machine learning robots might be the answer to recycling

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Here’s something controversial: recycling is exhausting. Yes, it’s infinitely better for the environment than throwing all of our waste into landfill. But, we have to remember to take caps off bottles, or put ‘soft plastics’ in different bins, and it’s tiring.

Up until recently, China made a business out of recycling. In 2016 alone, the U.S. sent 7.3 million metric tons of waste to China, to be sorted and turned into recycled plastic. However, the waste it was receiving was unhygienic and polluting the country. And so, in an effort to clean up its environmental act, the country banned imports on a large number of recyclables. In 2017 and 2018, China stopped accepting 56 types of waste.

So where does America’s waste go now? Sadly, the answer is landfills. In some places, like San Juan Island, Washington, only certain recyclables are collected. Residents can recycle clean and separated cardboard, metal, aluminum cans, and clean wood; everything else is going straight into the garbage. Long term, limiting recycling could be a good thing; it could help us discover how to use less and re-use more. But it’s a slow and grueling process.

AMP Robotics has a solution. The tech startup developed AMPCortex: a high-speed robot that uses artificial intelligence (AI) software to identify, sort and process recyclables. While waste is moved forward on a conveyer belt, the robot effectively has a brain, eyes and hands. It uses machine learning technology with a pattern recognition vision system, which turns millions of images into data. This data then tells the machine’s three arms where to move and grab. The result is high-speed waste separation.

Because of the AI software, the machine learns, improves accuracy, and can adapt. This means it can sort waste from multiple industries: brands and materials of municipal waste, batteries and wires from electronic waste, and various metals, wood and concrete in construction waste. It also links to an online visualization tool, which can keep records of sorted waste and inform users of equipment issues or hazards.

AMP Robotics says its goal is to make recycling more sustainable and affordable. It recently raised $16 million in Series A funding, which it plans to use to scale up operations, and increase its efficiency. The company already has its robot in facilities across the U.S., including California, New York, and Texas, with more planned.

Are you developing robotics technology or an innovative way to clean up garbage? Did you know your efforts could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation to audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.

A California startup has just made major leaps towards solving climate change, and it’s not slowing down

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Environmental tech startup Heliogen has achieved a scientific breakthrough, reaching over 1000°C with concentrated solar energy. At this temperature, it can replace fossil fuels in producing cement, steel and petrochemicals. But, the company says it’s not stopping there. Its next goal is 1500°C; then it can split water and carbondioxide, to create gas used to power factories and fuel cars.

Heliogen’s mission is to reduce greenhouse gases as quickly as possible, in an effort to reverse the effects of climate change. In the last 270 years, more than 392 billion metric tons of carbon have been release into the atmostphere due to fossil fuels. Half of that’s happened in the last 35 years, since the mid 1980s. Industrial processes, like making concrete, are responsible for more than a fifth of all emissions. Using solar energy is a step in the right direction.

How do they do it?

Commercial concentrating solar thermal systems have previously been able to generate power, reaching up to 565°C. But industrial processes are burning through fossil fuels at accelerated rates and the climate crisis calls for bigger action. Heliogen reached the breakthrough temperatures because of its tech. It uses advanced computer software to align a large number of mirrors to reflect sunlight towards a specific target. The mirrors act as one, thanks to a closed-loop control system. The light is targeted towards a tower with a receiver, which converts the sunlight into ultra-high temperature heat.

What if we got rid of fossil fuels today?

Sadly, the world isn’t ready to stop using fossil fuels just yet. But, just for a moment forget the administrative headache of switching to entirely renewable energy sources, and take an optimistic view. Pollution would almost entirely end – both because mining would end, and because there would be no way to make non-biodegradable products without petroleum. Public health would improve because of the drop in pollution, meaning Americans would save US$74.6 billion every year that’s currently spent on coal-related health issues. Most importantly, the halt in carbon emissions would put a halt to climate change.

Are you developing a way to alleviate climate change? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms, offering tax credibility assessments, claim preparation, and advisory services. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation & audit compliance to claim disputes. 

Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPA’s.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.