Author’s Note
With Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI flooding news headlines, the massive advancements in AI have become everyday conversation topics. AI and computer vision are driving digital transformation within industries seeking ways to achieve a broad spectrum of cost-saving, revenue, and sustainability goals. The oil and gas Exploration and Production (E&P) sector is one such sector where AI-powered advancements toward new efficiency, safety and environmental standards drive significant positive gains for their success, the climate, and our global economy.
In a featured in the May issue of World Oil Magazine, Plainsight’s Co-Founder and CPO, Elizabeth Spears, describes the ways 5G-accelerated vision AI is providing real-time video analytics to E&P companies enabling powerful solutions for complete visual understanding of their sites and facilities–operational needs, risks, and compliance status of their infrastructure, equipment, and workforces. Learn more in Elizabeth’s comprehensive article, Maintaining an unblinking focus on game-changing operational efficiencies across E&P spectrum.
Apple’s Vision Quest for A New Mixed Augmented Reality
This week, Apple held its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC23). As they do every year, Apple impressed with a masterful event and jaw-dropping lineup of new products and features announcements. If you missed this year’s event and want an in depth report and review of what went on and what was announced, take 20 minutes to listen to WIRED’s GadgetLab Podcast “Apple’s Vision Quest”.
Michael Colare, WIRED’s Sr. Editor, Lauren Goode, Sr. Writer, and Brenda Stolyar, Product Writer and Reviewer talk about Apple’s biggest announcement of their new Vision Pro headset as well as new Macs and new software features coming to iPhones, Macs, Apple Watches, and iPads. Lauren actually tried the headset, including an optometrist-required calibration and a facial and ear scan to optimize her spatial and audio experience. She provides a step-by-step account of her “pass-through” VR experience–which is flexible for “dialing up or back” from 2D to immersive into augmented reality spaces. Lauren was impressed by the no-latency gesture controls enabling easy progression through the app, scrolling, and grabbing things.
The future of the consumer AR market is certainly yet to be seen, but for us at Plainsight, the potential for integrated high-value, problem-solving vision AI solutions is very exciting. Conspicuous by its absence at WWDC, was talk about LLMs and generative AI, although AI is powering nearly every product that was announced. When it comes to AI, Apple is taking a decidedly end-product and outcomes approach to its messaging as opposed to a tech development and inputs approach taken at Google I/O and Microsoft Build.
U.S. Congress Considering Two New AI Bills
As AI gains prominence, U.S. lawmakers are introducing new regulations. Two bipartisan artificial intelligence bills have been introduced to tackle concerns.
The first bill aims to ensure transparency when the U.S. government utilizes AI in interactions with individuals, requiring agencies to tell people when they’re using AI to interact with them. The bill also requires agencies to create ways people can appeal decisions made by AI. An objective behind this provision is to ensure that decisions influenced by AI are not made without human oversight and accountability.
The second bill proposes that an office is established to assess the country’s competitiveness in emerging technologies. Making proactive steps to assess and maintain the country’s competitive edge, senators want to make this job the responsibility of an Office of Global Competition Analysis.
Among the challenges facing lawmakers are the speed of AI developments and the increasing need for AI education among Senators and Congressman. Efforts to increase AI knowledge and understanding of lawmakers are also underway.
Wildfires Wreak Havoc Yet Again and What Do Air Pollution Measurements Mean?
This week here on the East coast, we found ourselves in an unfamiliar smoky haze. Suddenly AQI and PM2.5 numbers were in the news. Thankfully, Kristin Toussaint of Fast Company does a great job explaining, clearing up any possible confusion. Wildfire smoke contains lots of these particles, and “fine particles from wildfire smoke are of greatest health concern,” per the EPA. Can AI help? Wildfires wreak havoc on forests, land and property, communities and businesses, and persistent spikes in occurrences are dreaded around the world.
Many public and private organizations are looking to the latest technology for assistance. Computer vision technology and data sources such as temperature, wind, humidity, location-based information, etc. assist local and federal governments and firefighters with increased accuracy and understanding of wildfire predictions and risks. With the increasing sources of image and video data like satellites, drone feeds, and strategically placed video cameras, public and private sector organizations can deploy vision AI solutions to better detect, analyze, and alert to wildfire specific risks including the likely path of blazes helping to coordinate proactive life-saving action. Here’s to seeing our way to root-cause solutions more clearly.
About Plainsight
Plainsight dramatically reduces the cost and complexity of AI-powered computer vision across many verticals and enterprise use cases, including manufacturing, retail, food service, theft, and more. As companies automate their operations with AI and Agents, Plainsight brings vision capabilities to watch and analyze events in the real world and generate structured data for analytics and reporting. Headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, Plainsight Technologies operates as a distributed team, delivering cutting-edge solutions worldwide. To learn more, visit plainsight.ai.
