From AI Threats to Hollywood Voice Imitation: A Week in Tech and Science News

Eleanor Shearer, a senior research fellow at London’s Common Wealth think tank, emphasized the importance of governments being transparent about the specific threats posed by AI during the AI Seoul Summit that began on Tuesday. Researchers at the University of New Mexico found microplastics in every testicle as part of a men’s health study. Meanwhile, Northwestern University’s neurology research revealed that ‘pink noise’ is linked to improved sleep quality.

In other news, Scarlett Johansson recently shared her shock at how similar one of the artificial intelligence voices created for ChatGPT sounded to her own voice. OpenAI, the company behind the technology, announced a pause in using the vocal avatar after it drew comparisons with the Hollywood actress’s speaking style. Johansson even brought in her lawyers, expressing anger at the situation as she had turned down an approach from the company for vocal work. However, OpenAI clarified that the avatar’s voice was not an imitation of her own but rather another actress using her natural speaking voice.

Government minister Mel Stride mentioned that police will thoroughly investigate whether corporate manslaughter charges should be brought in the NHS infected blood scandal. The race to view the Northern Lights and tech firms’ failure to address pre-election misinformation were also covered in detail during this week’s Tech & Science Daily podcast. Additionally, a tiny robot capable of performing corn-sized surgery was also featured on the show. To listen to more fascinating insights on these topics and many others, search for Tech & Science Daily on platforms like Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.