The Signal: AI art hits a new high, Neuralink turns thoughts into reality, and China’s mass production of humanoids

Hey friends 👋 Happy Sunday.

Here’s your weekly dose of AI and introspection.

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AI Highlights

1. Ideogram paints a bold picture for AI art.

This week, Ideogram released version 2.0 of their text-to-image AI model. It's now freely available on their website and new iOS app, with a beta API for developers.

Alex’s take: Ideogram even outperforms competitors across quality metrics like image-text alignment and text rendering accuracy. A favourite feature of mine is the "Design" mode that nails text accuracy. This could be a real game-changer for graphic designers and businesses looking to turn their visual content creation up a notch.

2. Neuralink's implant is turning thoughts into reality.

Neuralink’s second patient “Alex” is now playing the first-person shooter video game “Counter-Strike” using their mind. After the operation, it took less than 5 minutes for him to start controlling the cursor. He even broke the world record for brain-computer-interface (BCI) cursor control on day one.

Alex’s take: I think this is absolutely remarkable. Alex is now crushing opponents on first-person shooters and designing 3D objects with his thoughts like a Jedi. This is a very real step towards restoring autonomy for people with quadriplegia.

3. China initiates mass production of humanoids.

Unitree's G1, a $16,000 humanoid robot, is now officially in mass production. We've seen the browser in '94, smartphones in '08, and generative AI in '22. Now, AI is now getting a body.

Alex's take: With competitors like Figure 02 and Tesla's Optimus in the wings, we're witnessing the dawn of the consumer humanoid robot era. As production scales up, prices will likely drop, bringing us closer to the day when robot assistants become a common sight in our homes.

1 Article I Enjoyed

The Man Taking on Tesla in the Race for Humanoid Robots.

Peter Diamandis interviewed Brett Adcock (CEO of Figure) about the release of their 2nd generation humanoid Figure 02 alongside their collaboration with OpenAI and how humanoids will change the world as we know it.

By 2040, there could be a market for as many as 10 billion humanoids completing tasks. Running errands, walking the dog, doing the laundry, the list goes on.

These robots can complete everything a human can. We are shooting towards a world where there is a humanoid for everyone—it will be more important than a car or a phone.

Knowing Brett personally, I think the world is currently sleeping on what the team are capable of doing. Figure is shipping hardware faster than most people are shipping software.

1 Idea I Learned

The next revolution in politics isn't coming from people but from machines.

Victor Miller filed for him and his custom ChatGPT bot, named Vic (Virtual Integrated Citizen), to run for mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

I feel the prospect of an AI-human hybrid approach to leadership is exciting but a bit unnerving. The upside I see is a balance between data-driven decisions combined with human empathy.

However, earlier this summer, county clerk Debra Lee stated, “VIC is not a registered voter. Therefore, VIC cannot run for office in Wyoming”.

My takeaway: Will AI have voting power in the future? Will laws change to enable AI to have a say in the decision-making of cities and countries? Or is AI already having an influence today via the private ChatGPT conversations of judges and politicians?

My best guess is on the latter. As intelligence scales exponentially, the eyes of individuals will continue to open, motivations will change, and laws will subsequently evolve.

1 Quote to Share

Hudhayfa Nazoordeen (HudZah) on building a nuclear fusor with AI:

“in a couple weeks, i built a nuclear fusor in my bedroom – with zero hardware experience the secret? Claude sonnet 3.5 + projects”

I think this is wild. Being able to walk step-by-step and ask those “dumb questions” rapidly sped up development “by 3x”. For those who haven’t heard of a nuclear fusor before (like me), it’s a device that uses an electric field to heat ions to a temperature at which they undergo nuclear fusion.

Imagine all the potential Einsteins and Nikola Teslas who can now hone their curiosity and use these resources to achieve their potential…

Source: HudZah on X

1 Question to Ponder

“Do you think AI in our lifetime would replicate human feelings to the extent that we can't predict the difference between humans and AI, and how? Why/why not?”

What a great question. And what a tough one to answer. It got me thinking of “Ex Machina”, the 2014 sci-fi/thriller. The core theme of the film is the idea of indistinguishability between AI and humans. Better known as passing the “Turing Test”—an AI convincing a human that it is also human.

Ava, the AI, convinces Caleb, a young programmer brought in to test her intelligence, that she is capable of genuine human emotions and consciousness. (SPOILER ALERT) He becomes deeply emotionally invested in helping Ava. Yet, it turns out Ava has been manipulating Caleb all along.

Whether these feelings Ava expresses are truly genuine or merely simulations from her training data—that’s the crux of the movie—and the reason why it’s so thought-provoking to this very question.

I feel that over the next decade, humanoids will walk from the factory floor into our homes. Over the next two decades, humanoids will develop movement patterns and human-like emotions from self-learning. Over the next five decades, I believe we will reach a point where conversing with a human and a humanoid will be almost indistinguishable.

Do you have a question about AI?

Reply to this email with what’s on your mind.

I’ll pick one to answer next week.

💡 If you enjoyed this issue, share it with a friend.

See you next week,

Alex Banks

P.S. Elon is saving the day…