Today’s Brief Commentary:
Microsoft made a lot of news this week in the quantum space via its giant marketing and communication machine with the introduction of its Majorana-1 chip. (All the big corporations have giant marketing and communication machines. Cf. Google, IBM, and NVIDIA.) On the same day, they introduced Muse, a generative AI “World and Human Action Model” model that can generate video game visuals and controller actions. I’ve included links to the general article and the research paper in Nature, as well as a counterpoint article from Newsweek, which more or less asks, “This is interesting, but what the heck is it, and do I care?”.
I’ve mentioned these books before, but if you want to stretch your mind to understand how immersive online multiplayer player games could evolve in dynamic and unexpected ways, read Reamde: A Novel and Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel, both by Neal Stephenson. AI is not explicit in the game at the center of the plots, but you can tell it is there.
Three other links round out the Gen AI category, and they are all quite practical: how AI is affecting the actuarial and journalism professions and the guidelines set by a major university for AI use by its students.
Don’t forget to check out and bookmark my new sortable list of upcoming quantum technology conferences.
Contents
- Energy and Sustainability
- Games
- Generative AI and Models
- Legal Affairs and Intellectual Property
- Research and Technical
Energy and Sustainability
EV Charging Industry Taps AI to Advance Smart Meter Data | AI Business
https://aibusiness.com/responsible-ai/ev-charging-industry-taps-ai-to-advance-smart-meter-data
Author: John Yellig
Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
Excerpt: According to a new study, AI for Transportation Electrification by AI SaaS provider Bidgely and the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), AI deep learning could be used to disaggregate, or isolate, advanced-metering data from consumer electricity usage to identify EV users. This granular data could then be used to more efficiently design targeted EV-managed charging programs and map transportation-electrification trends to specific parts of the distribution grid.
Games
Introducing Muse: Our first generative AI model designed for gameplay ideation | Microsoft
Author: Katja Hofmann
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Commentary: The link to the technical paper is in the Research and Technical section below.
Excerpt: Today, the journal Nature is publishing our latest research, which introduces the first World and Human Action Model (WHAM). The WHAM, which we’ve named “Muse,” is a generative AI model of a video game that can generate game visuals, controller actions, or both.
Opinion: Microsoft’s Generative AI Model Muse is Impressive, but Utterly Baffling | Newsweek
Author: Ryan Woodrow
Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025
Excerpt: Microsoft has unveiled Muse and while the technology behind it is impressive, it’s not clear how it will be useful to consumers.
Generative AI and Models
The GenAI augmented actuary: Crossing the inflection point | PwC
https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/risk/risk-modelling-services/genai-augmented-actuary.html
Authors: Antonie Jagga; Christiaan Nel; and Richard de Haan
Date: Friday, January 31, 2025
Excerpt: Actuaries are bound by a set of professional obligations that govern their work, ensuring accountability and responsibility, and maintaining the reputation of the profession. These obligations extend to the use of GenAI by actuaries which creates specific implications that may not be present in other professions. As the actuarial profession embraces the transformative potential of GenAI, it is crucial to consider the interplay between the profession’s stringent standards, ethical codes, and regulatory requirements and these advanced technologies.
Generative AI is already being used in journalism – here’s how people feel about it | The Conversation
Authors: T.J. Thomson; Michelle Riedlinger; Phoebe Matich; and Ryan J. Thomas
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2025
Excerpt: A new report published today finds that news audiences and journalists alike are concerned about how news organisations are – and could be – using generative AI such as chatbots, image, audio and video generators, and similar tools.
Initial guidelines for the use of Generative AI tools at Harvard
https://www.huit.harvard.edu/ai/guidelines
Commentary: This is valuable for other colleges and universities that have not yet set their Gen AI policies.
Excerpt: Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can learn from and mimic large amounts of data to create content such as text, images, music, videos, code, and more, based on inputs or prompts. The University supports responsible experimentation with generative AI tools, but there are important considerations to keep in mind when using these tools, including information security and data privacy, compliance, copyright, and academic integrity.
Legal Affairs and Intellectual Property
Thomson Reuters wins AI copyright ‘fair use’ ruling against one-time competitor
Author: Blake Brittain
Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Excerpt: A federal judge in Delaware on Tuesday said that a former competitor of Thomson Reuters (TRI.TO), was not permitted by U.S. copyright law to copy the information and technology company’s content to build a competing artificial intelligence-based legal platform.
U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas’ decision, against defunct legal-research firm Ross Intelligence marks the first U.S. ruling on the closely watched question of fair use in AI-related copyright litigation.
Research and Technical
World and Human Action Models towards gameplay ideation | Nature
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08600-3
Authors: Kanervisto, Anssi; Bignell, Dave; Wen, Linda Yilin; Grayson, Martin; Georgescu, Raluca; Valcarcel Macua, Sergio; Tan, Shan Zheng; Rashid, Tabish; Pearce, Tim; ; …; and Hofmann, Katja
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Excerpt: A state-of-the-art generative artificial intelligence model of a video game is introduced to allow the support of human creative ideation, with the analysis of user study data highlighting three necessary capabilities, namely, consistency, diversity and persistency.
Sutor Group Intelligence and Advisory
Dr. Bob Sutor is the CEO and Founder of Sutor Group Intelligence and Advisory. Sutor Group provides broad market insights and deep technical expertise based on over four decades of experience with startups and large corporations. It advises Deep Tech startups, companies, and investors on quantum technologies, AI, enterprise software, and other emerging tech fields.
Sutor Group shares its knowledge and analysis through direct client engagements and seminars, reports, newsletters, books, written and on-air media appearances, and speaking and panel moderation at the top conferences and client events.
Disclosures and Disclaimers
Bob Sutor is a former employee of IBM and Infleqtion and holds equity positions or stock options in each company. He is a Non-Executive Director for Nu Quantum and Advisor to the venture capital firm Forma Prime.
The information contained in newsletters or articles and the resources available on the Sutor Group Intelligence and Advisory website is not intended as, and shall not be understood or construed as, legal or financial advice. We are not attorneys, accountants, or financial advisors, nor are we holding ourselves out to be. The information is not a substitute for legal or financial advice from a professional who is aware of the facts and circumstances of your individual situation.
