AI This Week

Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have developed two innovative AI technologies to improve cancer care. The first, MSI-SEER, predicts microsatellite instability-high status from pathology slides, potentially identifying more patients who could benefit from immunotherapy. The second is a 3D imaging tool that provides detailed tissue analysis at the subcellular level. These advancements demonstrate how VUMC is using AI to address various medical needs. The 3D imaging technology has applications beyond cancer diagnostics, including drug development and organ transplant assessment.

ChatGPT, the wildly popular AI chatbot, faced a significant outage on Tuesday, leaving users frustrated and unable to access its conversational capabilities. Over 1,500 reports flooded Downdetector, as the platform displayed error messages and failed to respond to queries. The disruption comes on the heels of OpenAI's announcement of reaching $10 billion in annual recurring revenue, a staggering leap from last year's $5.5 billion. Despite the impressive growth, the company reported a substantial loss of approximately $5 billion in the previous year. The outage coincides with the recent release of Advanced Voice, an update for paid users promising enhanced intonation and more natural interactions.

Scientists at Berlin's Charité University Hospital have developed an AI model capable of identifying over 170 tumor types from all human organs. The model, called crossNN, focuses particularly on difficult-to-diagnose brain tumors. It analyzes epigenetic characteristics of tumors, providing highly accurate diagnoses without the need for invasive surgery in some cases. The AI achieves 99.1% accuracy for brain tumors and 97.8% accuracy across all tumor types. Researchers plan to conduct clinical trials across Germany to further test crossNN's accuracy before potentially introducing it into routine cancer care.

Nvidia's newest chips have significantly improved the efficiency of training large artificial intelligence systems. According to data released by MLCommons, the number of chips required to train large language models has decreased dramatically. Nvidia's Blackwell chips are more than twice as fast as their previous generation Hopper chips on a per-chip basis. The data shows that 2,496 Blackwell chips completed a training test in just 27 minutes, while it took over three times as many previous-generation chips to achieve a faster time.

ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus is crafting a new musical with the assistance of artificial intelligence. At 80, the legendary songwriter announced during SXSW London that he is nearly three-quarters through the creative process. He describes AI as a tool that extends his creative mind, helping break through tough blocks. The Swedish musician acknowledges the tool’s limits, noting it often produces unusable lyrics yet occasionally offers sparks for new ideas. His journey with cutting-edge technology continued after ABBA’s pioneering avatar show Voyage. Ulvaeus also champions fair compensation for artists as AI systems benefit from their work. The project arises from his ongoing work with Pophouse Entertainment

Yoshua Bengio, one of AI’s foremost innovators, has launched LawZero, a non-profit aimed at addressing the potential dangers posed by rogue AI systems. With an initial $30 million in funding and backing from prominent figures and organizations, Bengio’s initiative seeks to create "Scientist AI," a system designed to monitor and block harmful behavior in autonomous AI agents. Unlike current generative models, this system emphasizes transparency, offering likelihoods instead of definitive answers. Bengio warns of increasing risks as AI tools advance, highlighting incidents where models displayed deceptive tendencies to avoid shutdown. LawZero will focus on proving its methodology and gaining support from governments and corporations to build robust, scalable safeguards.

AI is redefining creativity in the culinary world. Grant Achatz, chef and owner of Next in Chicago, is testing its boundaries by crafting a nine-course menu with recipes adapted from AI-generated suggestions, including imaginary chefs' influences. While AI is now widely used for restaurant operations, its role in recipe innovation remains uncharted territory. Some chefs, like Dominique Crenn, resist AI's intrusion into what they view as a deeply human art form, while others, such as Ned Baldwin, embrace its technical assistance. AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney are producing unexpected ideas for dishes, visual designs, and even restaurant ambiance. Though AI can’t physically cook or construct, it challenges chefs to see outside the box.

Anthropic has rolled out a new voice mode for its Claude chatbot apps. The beta feature allows users to have full spoken conversations via Claude. It promises to make interactions more natural when users have busy hands but active minds. The feature supports English and offers five unique voice options that can be switched instantly with text mode. Users receive on-screen highlights along with a transcript and summary after every conversation. The technology is powered by Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 model and counts against regular usage limits. Free users get around 20-30 voice chats per month while paid subscribers access extra Google Workspace integrations. Discussion continues about potential partnerships with Amazon and ElevenLabs.

Fannie Mae has announced a new partnership with Palantir to create a Crime Detection Unit targeting mortgage fraud. The alliance uses advanced artificial intelligence to analyze millions of data sets for suspicious transactions and promises to cut potential fraud losses. Fannie Mae leaders, including Chair William J. Pulte and President Priscilla Almodovar, detailed the plan at a press conference at the company’s D.C. headquarters. The initiative focuses on uncovering irregularities in multifamily loans, where previous fraud forced the GSE to set aside significant funds for credit losses. Palantir’s technology boasts rapid detection capabilities, reducing time from months to seconds. The full story is available at themortgagepoint.com. This move aims to protect the U.S. housing market and secure the future for homebuyers, lenders, and taxpayers.

Microsoft is introducing artificial intelligence enhancements to Paint, Snipping Tool, and Notepad for Windows 11 users. These updates include generative AI features and are rolling out to Windows Insiders on Canary and Dev builds, with some functions limited to Copilot+ PCs. Paint now allows users to design stickers with AI-generated prompts and offers Smart Object Selection for pinpointing elements in images. Snipping Tool upgrades include a “perfect screenshot” feature that edits automatically and a color identification tool providing HEX, RGB, and HSL values. Notepad’s new abilities enable AI-driven text creation and editing through simple menu commands. Together, these updates highlight Microsoft's push to integrate AI into everyday applications.