Welcome to the May 10, 2024 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals three times a week.

HEADLINES AT A GLANCE

• U.S. Revokes Intel, Qualcomm Licenses to Sell Chips to Huawei
• OpenAI Releases 'Deepfake' Detector to Disinformation Researchers
• Neuralink’s Brain-Chip Implant Had a Data Capture Problem
• Google DeepMind Unveils AI Model for Living Cells
• Chips Grants Expected to Fuel Industry Growth
• Microsoft Creates Top Secret Generative AI Service for U.S. Spies
• More than 200 Injured After Software Issue Drains Insulin Pump Batteries
• AR Slims Down with AI, Holograms
• Robotic System Feeds People with Severe Mobility Limitations
• U.K. Tells Tech Firms to 'Tame Algorithms' to Protect Children
• Hackers Can Steal Data by Messing with Computer's Processor
• NASA Simulation Shows What It's Like to Fly into a Black Hole

U.S. Revokes Intel, Qualcomm Licenses to Sell Chips to Huawei

The U.S. has revoked licenses allowing Huawei Technologies Co. to buy semiconductors from Qualcomm and Intel. Withdrawal of the licenses affects U.S. sales of chips for use in Huawei phones and laptops, according to insiders. House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul (R-TX) said the move is key to preventing China from developing advanced AI. Officials also are considering sanctions against six Chinese firms they suspect could supply chips to Huawei, which has been on a U.S. trade restrictions list since 2019.
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OpenAI Releases 'Deepfake' Detector to Disinformation Researchers

OpenAI is allowing a small group of disinformation researchers to test a new deepfake detector tool in the hope they can help identify ways to improve it. The company said the tool can detect 98.8% of images created by OpenAI's DALL-E 3 image generator. OpenAI also is working to address the problem of deepfakes by joining a steering committee for the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, which is working to develop credentials for digital content.
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Neuralink’s Brain-Chip Implant Had a Data Capture Problem

Neuralink encountered a problem with the implant in its first human patient, Noland Arbaugh (pictured), that reduced the amount of data it could capture from his brain, according to a blog post the company published on Wednesday. Some data was lost because a number of the implant’s threads that had been placed in Arbaugh’s brain came out. The company said in response it made changes, including modifying its algorithms, which improved data transmission.
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Google DeepMind Unveils AI Model for Living Cells

Google DeepMind's AlphaFold 3 uses AI to provide a new view of living cells and the interactions among the different molecules within them. Developed in conjunction with Isomorphic Labs, DeepMind's drug discovery spin-off, the updated model could help scientists identify new drug molecules to treat cancer and other diseases.
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Chips Grants Expected to Fuel Industry Growth

A report from the Semiconductor Industry Association and the Boston Consulting Group anticipates federal subsidies for semiconductor manufacturers under the CHIPS Act will boost U.S. domestic chip manufacturing capacity significantly by 2032. The report also forecasts that U.S. domestic production of advanced logic chips will rise from virtually zero to almost 30% of the market by 2032.
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Microsoft Creates Top Secret Generative AI Service for U.S. Spies

Microsoft has rolled out a generative AI platform that operates without an Internet connection, which U.S. intelligence agencies can use to analyze top secret information. The large language model is based on GPT-4 and operates in an "air-gapped" environment in the cloud. The model can read files but is unable to learn from them or from the open Internet.
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More than 200 Injured After Software Issue Drains Insulin Pump Batteries

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday more than 200 people with diabetes had been injured when their insulin pumps shut down unexpectedly due to a problem with a connected mobile app. Version 2.7 of the t:connect Apple iOS app, used with the t:slim X2 insulin pump with Control-IQ, had a software issue that caused it to repeatedly crash and relaunch, draining the pump’s battery and causing it to shut down and suspend insulin delivery. The app has been recalled.
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AR Slims Down with AI, Holograms

An AR display developed by researchers at Stanford University, the University of Hong Kong, and Nvidia combines 3D holograms, AI, and optical metasurfaces which they say is as comfortable to wear as ordinary eyeglasses. The researchers used AI to optimize the metasurface structure, transform 3D images into high-quality holograms, and calibrate the optics, electronics, and lasers. Said Stanford's Gordon Wetzstein, "Our AI display is thinner than current AR displays and, importantly, it shows 3D images to each eye."
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Robotic System Feeds People with Severe Mobility Limitations

A robotic feeding system developed by Cornell University researchers leverages computer vision, machine learning, and multimodal sensing to feed individuals with severe mobility limitations in a safe manner. The robot is equipped with real-time mouth tracking that adapts to users' movements, and a dynamic response mechanism that allows the robot to differentiate between physical interactions and react appropriately. User studies noted the significant emotional impact of the robot on both care recipients and their caregivers.
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U.K. Tells Tech Firms to 'Tame Algorithms' to Protect Children

Social media platforms will have to "tame" their algorithms to filter out or downgrade harmful material to help protect children under proposed U.K. measures published Wednesday. The plan by the U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) is one of more than 40 practical steps tech companies will need to implement under Britain's Online Safety Act, which became law in October.
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Hackers Can Steal Data by Messing with Computer's Processor

Boise State University researchers found that hackers could extract information from software banned from connecting to the Internet by adjusting a computer's processor speed and encoding data in processor fluctuations that can be accessed remotely. Using the tactic with Intel processors, the researchers encoded and transmitted 55.24 bits per second between apps that otherwise had no means of passing data back and forth. An Intel spokesperson said the technique "could only be utilized by an attacker who has privileged access to the system they are attacking," so the company would not take any action to patch the vulnerability.
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NASA Simulation Shows What It's Like to Fly into a Black Hole

NASA astrophysicist Jeremy Schnittman developed an "immersive visualization" that simulates flying into a black hole and crossing the event horizon. Created using a NASA supercomputer, the simulation features immersive graphics and physics details. It can be viewed on YouTube as explainer videos or 360-degree videos that let users immerse themselves in the experience.
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