TechFirst with John Koetsier John Koetsier

Have we already achieved AGI?

OpenAI just released GPT-4o. It’s impressive, and the implications are huge for so many different professions ... not least of which is education and tutoring.

It’s also showing us the beginning of AI that is truly present in our lives ... AI that sees what we see, doesn’t exist just in a box with text input, hears what we hear, and hallucinates less.

What does that — and other recent advancements in AI — mean for AGI?

In this episode of TechFirst, host John Koetsier discusses the implications of OpenAI's GPT-4 release and explores the current state and future of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) with Roman Yampolskiy, a PhD research scientist and associate professor.

They delve into the rapid advancements in AI, the concept of AGI, potential impacts on different professions, the cultural and existential risks, and the challenges of safety and alignment with AGI. The conversation also covers the societal changes needed to adapt to a future where mental and physical labor could be fully automated.

00:00 Exploring the Boundaries of AI's Capabilities
01:36 The Evolution and Impact of AI on Human Intelligence
03:39 The Rapid Advancements in AI and the Path to AGI
06:38 The Societal Implications of Advanced AI and AGI
09:27 Navigating the Future of Work and AI's Role
14:52 The Ethical Dilemmas of Developing Superintelligent AI
19:22 Looking Ahead: The Unpredictable Future of AI

If our planet turns to Dune, how will you survive?



We're already experiencing water crises in thousands of global cities, places like Flint Michigan, or even native reserves in Canada.



How can you ensure you'll get good, healthy, clean drinking water?



In this episode of TechFirst, we explore the critical global challenge of securing clean water, a resource essential yet scarce for over 2 billion people worldwide.



With a focus on innovative solutions, John Koetsier interviews Brian Sheng, CEO and co-founder of Aquaria, a company at the forefront of developing atmospheric water generators capable of extracting clean water from the air, ranging from 24 to 2,600 gallons daily. Sheng discusses the technology's workings, its potential to address water scarcity effectively, especially in areas with limited access to clean water, and the company's vision for scaling up to support communities and potentially entire cities with sustainable, clean water obtained directly from the atmosphere.



00:00 Atmospheric Water Generator

01:19 The Global Water Crisis: Challenges and Solutions

05:13 How Atmospheric Water Generators Work: Technology Explained

11:00 The Future of Water: Scaling Up and Making it Affordable

12:48 Comparing Water Solutions: Desalination and Atmospheric Water Generators

21:45 The Vision for a Sustainable Water Future

In this episode of TechFirst, host John Koetsier explores the future of robotics and agricultural technology (agtech) with Kevin Dowling, managing director at Robotics Factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

They discuss the evolution of robotics in farming, from traditional methods to the modern use of drones, autonomous tractors, and AI-driven systems.

Kevin highlights the diversity of robotic forms in agriculture, including wheeled, legged, flying, and swimming robots, and the role of morphology in determining the best tool for various farming tasks. The conversation covers the current trends in robotic investments, the potential of humanoid robots in agriculture, and the economic challenges faced by hardware startups in AgTech.

Kevin predicts a shift towards smaller, more affordable robots for smaller farms and emphasizes the importance of technology in reducing environmental impacts, enhancing food production efficiency, and potentially democratizing farming.
The episode also touches upon innovative startups in Pittsburgh, the challenges of introducing robotics into unpredictable farm environments, and the vision for future farming landscapes transformed by robotics and autonomous machinery.

00:00 Exploring the Future of Robotics and Ag Tech
00:46 The Evolution and Future of Robotics in Agriculture
03:39 The Role of Humanoid Robots in Farming
07:38 Challenges and Opportunities in Ag Tech Startups
10:05 Innovative Startups Shaping the Future of Agriculture
12:49 The Complex Environment of Farm Robotics
15:30 The Potential of Indoor and Vertical Farming
23:30 Envisioning the Future of Farming with Robotics

In January of this year, Peregrine Mission One launched with at least 22 payloads. One was intended to be the first American made rover to land on the moon since the Apollo days: 1972.

It was called Iris, and it was also the first lunar rover constructed with carbon fiber. It was designed and built by students at Carnegie Mellon University.

Today, we’re going to chat with them ...

Despite a mission failure due to the lander experiencing a propellant leak and missing its lunar target, the Iris team achieved significant milestones. They successfully demonstrated that student-made rovers could survive space conditions, including the Van Allen Belt's radiation, and maintain communication and functions in space.

This project, despite its setbacks, marks a significant achievement in democratizing space exploration and contributes to the broader vision of establishing moon bases and Mars bases as stepping stones for further space exploration.

00:00 The Future of Space Exploration: Moon and Mars Bases
00:42 Introducing can the Iris Lunar Rover Project
05:17 The Team Behind Iris: Roles and Experiences
09:00 Scientific Goals and Achievements of the Iris Rover
12:58 Overcoming Failure: Lessons from a Mission Gone Wrong
22:03 The Next Steps: Future Missions and Career Paths
25:59 Reflecting on the Golden Age of Space Exploration

What happens after AGI?

AGI is artificial general intelligence: it’s when AI achieves human-level intelligence nd likely quickly thereafter super-human abilities, maybe even ushering in the Singularity.

I was recently at the Beneficial AGI conference in Panama. One of the speakers was the founder of Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research. He’s interviewed nearly 1,000 AI leaders, his name is Dan Faggella, and he has some good insight into what AGI might do.

Or at least what the experts think about it …

We discuss artificial general intelligence (AGI), the potential for post-human bliss through advanced simulations, and various perspectives on AGI's ethical and societal impacts. Fagella shares insights from interviews with nearly a thousand AI experts, outlining a matrix to categorize thoughts on AGI's future and human interaction. The discussion covers the balance between control, collaboration, and open-source development in AI, along with personal reflections on humanity's potential paths in an AI-dominated future. Themes include the ethical implications of AGI, the role of human values in AI development, and speculative futures where humanity merges with or is overshadowed by superior AI entities.

00:00 Exploring Post-Human Bliss and the Power of AI
01:31 The Matrix of AI Perspectives
02:50 Exploring the Future with AI: Preservation, Progression, and Ascension
04:26 Navigating the Path to AI: Control, Collaboration, Openness
07:11 Personal Stances and the Future of AI
19:00 AI's Impact on Society and the Future
24:23 Envisioning a Post-Human Future: Choices and Consequences
29:53 Reflections on Humanity's Path Forward with AI

If you have an iPhone, you've got a notch. Now there's tech that can get rid of that notch ... and the same tech can bring secure Face ID to Android: at a fraction of the cost.

In this TechFirst, I chat with Metalenz CEO Rob Devlin about his meta surfaces product. Not only can they produce about 10,000 lenses on a single 30-centimeter wafer, just like computer chips, they can now decode polarization information on surfaces from the light reflecting off of that.

That gives them data on what that surface is made from, and that is a huge advancement for biometrics, phones, medical devices, and robots.

The technology, which can capture and process unique wavelengths and polarization information, enables the creation of smaller, cheaper, and more efficient optical systems. Metalenz's partnership with ST Microelectronics has led to the integration of metasurface optics in products that have been previously sold in over 150 different smartphone models.

00:00 Revolutionizing Optics with Metal Lens Technology
00:30 The Journey of Metalenz: From Concept to Market
01:34 Exploring the Impact of Meta Surface Technology
02:39 Understanding Metasurfaces and Their Potential
10:48 Introducing Polar ID: A Game-Changer for Biometric Security
22:20 The Future of Polarization Technology and Its Applications
22:33 Collaboration with Samsung and the Path Forward
27:14 Envisioning New Horizons: Beyond Polar ID
32:36 Wrapping Up: The Future of Metal Lens and Polar ID