Breakthrough in Monte Carlo Computer Simulations

Universitat Leipzig (Germany)
July 27, 2023

An algorithm developed by researchers at Germany’s Leipzig University uses Monte Carlo computer simulations more efficiently to explore nonequilibrium systems with long-range interactions. The restructured algorithm can compute in just days what conventional methods would require centuries to accomplish. Said Leipzig’s Wolfhard Janke, “[Nonequilibrium] processes are increasingly becoming the focus of attention for statistical physicists worldwide. While a large number of studies have analyzed numerous aspects of nonequilibrium processes for systems with short-range interactions, we are only just beginning to understand the role of long-range interactions in such processes.” Scientists have already begun used the algorithm to investigate phase separation.

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Researchers Poke Holes in Safety Controls of ChatGPT, Other Chatbots

The New York Times
Cade Metz
July 27, 2023

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and the Center for AI Safety demonstrated the ability to produce nearly infinite volumes of destructive information by bypassing artificial intelligence (AI) protections in any leading chatbot. The researchers found they could exploit open source systems by appending a long suffix of characters onto each English-language prompt inputted into the system. In this manner, they were able to persuade chatbots to provide harmful information and generate discriminatory, counterfeit, and otherwise toxic data. The researchers found they could use this method to circumvent the safeguards of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, and Anthropic’s Claude chatbots. While they concede that an obvious countermeasure for preventing all such attacks does not exist, the researchers suggest chatbot developers could block the suffixes they identified.

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DeepMind AI Creates Algorithms That Sort Data Faster Than Those Built by People

Nature
Matthew Hutson
June 7, 2023

Google DeepMind researchers created an artificial intelligence (AI) system based on the AlphaZero AI to formulate algorithms capable of sorting data up to three times faster than human-produced programs. The researchers initially used the AlphaDev system to sort numbers by size. AlphaDev can choose one of four types of value comparisons, moving values between locations or shifting to a different program segment. It attempts to sort a set of lists after each step, receiving rewards for the number of correctly sorted list items until all lists are sorted perfectly, or it reaches a program length threshold before starting a new program. AlphaDev’s optimal algorithms sorted data 4% to 71% faster than human algorithms, depending on the processor used and how many values required sorting.

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Rust Most Admired Language, Survey Finds

InfoWorld
Paul Krill
June 15, 2023

The Stack Overflow 2023 Developer Survey found Rust to be the programming language respondents most admire, with nearly 85% of Rust-using software developers desiring to keep using it versus 58% for JavaScript and 66% for Python. TypeScript and C alternative Zig were the next most highly admired languages. JavaScript was the most commonly used programming language among the nearly 90,000 polled developers for the 11th consecutive year, followed by HTML/CSS and Python. PostgreSQL and Amazon Web Services were the most-used database and cloud platform, respectively. The two most-used Web technologies were Node.js and React, while GitHub Copilot and Tabnine were the tools used most by artificial intelligence developers.

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Mercedes Bringing ChatGPT into its Cars

CNN Business
Peter Valdes-Dapena
June 15, 2023

German automaker Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Microsoft to add ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence software to Mercedes-Benz cars in the U.S. Microsoft said ChatGPT would make the vehicles’ voice-command capability smoother by supporting more natural-seeming dialogue. The system will be able to recall the context of discussions and engage in back-and-forth conversation with the driver or occupants. Microsoft said the chatbot will allow the system to respond to more diverse requests, including those not related to the car or driver, and interact with other functions, like buying movie tickets. U.S.-based Mercedes owners whose vehicles include the MBUX infotainment system have been able to beta-test ChatGPT since June 16.

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92% of Programmers Use AI Tools: Survey

ZDNet
Steven Vaughan-Nichols
June 14, 2023

A recent survey by GitHub found that 92% of U.S.-based developers use artificial intelligence (AI) coding tools, with only 6% using them solely outside of work. Of the 500 U.S.-based developers polled, 70% said their code has benefited significantly from AI. The respondents said AI coding tools are useful in achieving performance standards with better code quality, faster outputs, and fewer production-level issues. However, AI code appears to be a means to an end for developers, as the survey found that they “want to upskill, design solutions, get feedback from end users, and be evaluated on their communication skills.” Said GitHub’s Inbal Shani, “Engineering leaders will need to ask whether measuring code volume is still the best way to measure productivity and output.”

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Open-Source Software to Speed Quantum Research

Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden)
June 20, 2023

Open source software developed by researchers at Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology aims to increase the pace of quantum research by performing advanced simulations and analyses of quantum components. Operating at the mesoscopic level (between the microscope and macroscopic scales), the software can detect the unique properties of quantum particles and make use of them. In particular, the researchers hope the software will shed light on unconventional superconductors, whose properties protect quantum information from interference and fluctuations. Chalmers’ Tomas Löfwander said, “We want to make it easier for others to accelerate and improve their quantum research without having to reinvent the wheel every time.”

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Tardos Honored with 2023 Knuth Prize

Cornell Chronicle
Louis DiPietro
June 22, 2023

The ACM Special Interest Group on Algorithms and Computation Theory (SIGACT)_and the IEEE Technical Committee on the Mathematical Foundations of Computing (TCMF) awarded Cornell University professor Éva Tardos the Donald E. Knuth Prize for her foundational contributions to computer science. Tardos’ pioneering work includes fundamental research into combinatorial algorithms, approximation algorithms, and algorithmic game theory. The Knuth Prize committee said they selected Tardos in recognition of her wide-ranging research and field leadership, including her co-authoring of the influential textbook Algorithm Design, co-editing the Handbook of Game Theory, and editing publications including the Journal of the ACM. Said Tardos, “As a theoretician, I’m honored to be recognized with the Knuth Prize by my original home community. I truly appreciate it.”

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U.S. Cracked $3.4-Billion Crypto Heist, Bitcoin’s Anonymity

The Wall Street Journal
Robert McMillan
April 12, 2023

U.S. authorities cracked bitcoin’s anonymity and unraveled a $3.4-billion cryptocurrency heist by exploiting permanent and transactional evidence in the blockchain’s online ledger. The authorities used this strategy to unmask James Zhong’s crypto theft, stolen via a software bug that enabled fraudulent bitcoin withdrawals on the Silk Road online marketplace. Since then, government officials and private companies have essentially aggregated a blockchain address book from earlier investigations to help federal, state, and local authorities probing cybercrimes. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis said it has surveyed more than 1 billion wallet addresses, filtering out legitimate and dubious assets and identifying crypto exchanges. Blockchain analytics charts the flow of cryptocurrency owned by individuals and groups; the Internal Revenue Service says the U.S. has recovered more than $10 billion in stolen digital currency through prosecutions in the past two years.

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Raspberry Pi Code Editor Wants to Help Next-Generation Programmers

TechRadar
Craig Hale
April 12, 2023

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has launched a free coding tool to help next-generation programmers globally hone their skills. The Code Editor is accessible on any platform through a Web browser and is designed for children over seven who attend the foundation’s Code Clubs or CodeDojos. The beta-format editor can handle Python scripts, which the foundation said is often preferred because of its English-language resemblance and popularity among professional coders. Users are able to broaden the editor’s use by creating an account to save and revisit work, enabling homework or general experiments outside the classroom.

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