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CMU’s Cloud Lab to Automate Scientific Research; Waymo Opens San Francisco Robotaxi Service
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Welcome back. Tech companies and academic institutions are looking to take some of drudgework out of labor-intensive scientific research. Typically, biologists and chemists spend significant amounts of time conducting experiments in physical labs. But a number of initiatives, including efforts led by tech companies Strateos and IBM along with a new partnership between Carnegie Mellon University and Emerald Cloud Lab, aim to use artificial intelligence and robotics to automate the process.
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A digital illustration of the planned Carnegie Mellon University Cloud Lab, which will be built by the university and startup Emerald Cloud Lab. The facility is expected to be ready by summer 2022.
PHOTO: EMERALD CLOUD LAB INC.
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Carnegie Mellon Aims to Automate Science Experiments
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Carnegie Mellon University and startup Emerald Cloud Lab Inc. plan to build a $40 million science laboratory designed to automate lab experiments with robotics and artificial intelligence, The Wall Street Journal’s Sara Castellanos reports. Construction is expected to begin this fall.
Software instead of sweat. In traditional lab experiments, such as those involving drug discovery, researchers might need to put thousands of different samples in test tubes. In the CMU Cloud Lab, experiments will be designed by scientists using software and carried out remotely by about 200 types of robotic machines, according to Rebecca Doerge, dean of the Mellon College of Science.
Helping scientists be more creative. The goal is to free the university’s researchers, including chemists, biomedical engineers and biologists, to do more of the creative analysis and strategic thinking related to the development of new materials and drugs, she said. “The benefit comes in accelerating science,” said Dr. Doerge, who spearheaded the initiative.
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$204 billion
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Projected global spending on AI systems in 2025, according to International Data Corp.
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Waymo said San Francisco residents can sign up to participate in its robotaxi test program by downloading an app.
PHOTO: ROSS D. FRANKLIN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Waymo Opens San Francisco Robotaxi Service
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Waymo LLC is offering a robotaxi service in San Francisco to selected riders, a big test for the Alphabet Inc. unit's technology, The Wall Street Journal’s Tripp Mickle reports.
A possible cornerstone. Waymo, which has raised billions of dollars from investors, has been working toward a San Francisco launch for more than a decade. If it’s successful, the San Francisco service could provide a cornerstone for a revenue-generating business for Waymo.
Tempering expectations. Interest in autonomous vehicles has softened recently as driverless-car companies face rising costs, government red tape and artificial-intelligence limitations. Over the past year, several industry leaders have sought to temper expectations, saying full autonomy could take another decade or more.
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Penske's CarShop is the first user of Cox Automotive's new e-commerce platform for used cars.
PHOTO: CARSHOP
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Cox Automotive Develops AI-Based E-Commerce Platform
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Cox Automotive Inc. has developed an e-commerce platform that features an AI-based payment calculator designed to give customers a clearer picture of their costs at the beginning of the sales process, the WSJ reports.
System taps Cox’s data stores. Cox said it developed the platform with advice from Penske Automotive Group, which has started using it at its CarShop used-car unit. The system uses AI to compare the profiles of potential new buyers to those of people with similar credit profiles, who made similar purchases in the past, according to Cox. The estimates are informed by market data from its Kelley Blue Book vehicle valuation service, its Dealertrack platform for dealers, and other Cox systems. Based on that analysis, the platform presents new shoppers with financing options for the specific vehicles listed in their search results, Cox said.
Looking to transform the used-car industry. Cox isn’t the only company to apply advanced technology to the hot used-car market. But many used-car dealers are laggards when it comes to technology implementations. Cox plans to offer its platform to other used-car sellers later this year.
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The goal “is really to enable the industry as a whole to transform.”
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— Kelly Mulroney, senior vice president of product and engineering at Cox Automotive, on the company's new AI-based e-commerce platform
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Nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, have exploded onto the digital art scene this past year. Proponents say they are a way to make digital assets scarce, and therefore more valuable.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: JACOB REYNOLDS/WSJ
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Site Uses AI to Catch Art Thieves
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DeviantArt, a site where digital artists share examples of their work, is going on the offensive against scammers who illegally resell its artists’ works as nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, the WSJ’s Kelly Crow reports.
Patrolling sites with AI. DeviantArt deployed AI software to scour public blockchains and NFT platforms for identical examples of its artists’ works so that it can alert artists whenever it sees a suspicious match.
Promising results. DeviantArt said that during a two-month beta phase, 86% of the matches found by the AI technology indicated potential infringements on various NFT platforms.
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Aumni raises $50 million. Aumni Inc., an investment analytics platform for private-capital markets, raised $50 million in a new funding round. The company’s artificial-intelligence software combined with human expertise can pull and analyze deal data buried in investment documents and legal agreements to generate insights on investment rights, fund performance, emerging investment patterns and other metrics. (The Wall Street Journal)
Crestview to invest in JMP. Private-equity firm Crestview Partners is investing as much as $200 million in automation company JMP Solutions Inc. JMP builds systems that use robots, guided vehicles, conveyor belts and other equipment as well as software that connects those systems. (The Wall Street Journal)
SenseTime files for IPO. SenseTime filed documents for an initial public offering on the Hong Kong exchange. The Chinese company, whose facial recognition software is found in millions of smartphones around the world, is blacklisted in the U.S. The company didn’t say how much it intended to raise, but is considered one of the world’s most valuable AI start-ups. (Financial Times)
AI used in patient tracking. A group of people in Dorset, England, who need care after leaving the hospital will have their behavior and electricity usage tracked by AI-powered home sensors as part of a three-month trial. The idea is to spot potential health problems by keeping tabs on how often people open the refrigerator or use the kettle, among other actions. Technology company Lilli, which is behind the system, said it could reduce the number of care visits people require. (BBC)
VCs back robot-leasing companies. Venture capitalists are getting behind rent-a-robot companies that lease, install and maintain the units. Garry Tan, a partner at Initialized Capital, envisions cheaper and better artificial intelligence technology, low interest rates, and other factors creating buzz in the robot rental market. Initialized Capital is backing rent-a-robot company Formic Technologies. (Reuters)
Urbint receives new funding. Urbint, which uses AI to help utilities prevent gas leaks or power outages, among other things, raised $60 million in a funding round. The investment was led by Energize Ventures and includes American Electric Power Co. and National Grid PLC. (Bloomberg)
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China on Monday issued strict new measures aimed at curbing what authorities describe as youth videogame addiction. The new regulation, unveiled by the National Press and Publication Administration, will ban minors, defined as those under 18 years old, from playing online videogames entirely between Monday and Thursday. (The Wall Street Journal)
Apple Inc. agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit with software developers who challenged the tech giant’s practices in connection with the App Store. (The Wall Street Journal)
The Securities and Exchange Commission launched a review of the online strategies that brokers such as Robinhood Markets Inc. and investment advisers use to interact with customers, aiming to determine whether tools like smartphone notifications are in the best interests of investors. (The Wall Street Journal)
Electric-vehicle startup Rivian Automotive said it has submitted paperwork with financial regulators for a proposed listing, joining a growing list of such upstarts looking to tap the public markets. (The Wall Street Journal)
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