In May 2023, Google’s AI team published a report titled “Enabling conversational interaction on mobile with LLMs,” which focused on testing large language models with a phone’s user interface. The report discussed incorporating large language models into graphical user interfaces (GUIs), such as apps and software displayed on a phone’s screen. It highlighted four main areas of application, including summarizing on-screen content, answering questions based on displayed content, and, most notably, assigning UI functions to language prompts.
For instance, the language model can analyze the UI to generate contextual questions automatically. It can then convert the gathered information into questions that the model can promptly answer when asked by the user. Another noteworthy capability is “screen question answering,” where the AI can provide details, such as the headline, author’s name, and publishing date when a blog post is open in a web browser.
However, the most promising application area is “mapping instruction to UI action.” This essentially means controlling your phone using prompts, whether through voice or text. The enhanced conversational abilities of the virtual assistant enable it to perform tasks like opening an app or adjusting phone settings, such as the cellular network mode. Although the exact arrival date of the supercharged Google Assistant is unknown, it would greatly expand its capabilities. Interestingly, it appears that Apple is also exploring generative AI tools, internally referred to as AppleGPT, to enhance Siri.
The Vatican has released a handbook titled “Ethics In The Age Of Disruptive Technologies” (ITEC handbook), which outlines its principles for responsible AI. To develop these principles, the Vatican drew inspiration from the AI principles of Microsoft, Google, and IBM. While Google collaborated with the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics to draft its AI principles, it has also faced notable controversies related to AI technology.
The ITEC principles emphasize that AI should uphold human dignity and rights, empower individuals instead of oppressing them, and promote overall human well-being. These principles also advocate for justice, accessibility, diversity, and equity at every stage of AI development. Additionally, the handbook highlights the responsibility to protect the Earth’s biodiversity and consider climate impacts, as the planet belongs to all forms of life.
Accountability is a crucial aspect of the ITEC principles and covers users, corporations, and development. Transparency and oversight are essential in the development of AI models to address concerns of data privacy and copyright infringement. Notably, the handbook mentions the Getty lawsuit against Stability AI and artists’ worries about potential AI replacements as examples. The authors of the handbook acknowledge that some principles may conflict with one another, and in such cases, the well-being of humanity should take precedence.
A brand-new original docuseries coming to HBO titled Downey’s Dream Cars will follow award-winning actor and producer Robert Downey Jr. as he chooses six cars from his impressive car collection and transforms them into eco-friendly vehicles. Robert Downey Jr. has enlisted the help of inventors, visionaries, and futurists to help guide the process of converting classic and unique cars into the future of conservation by reducing the carbon footprint each of them will inevitably leave on the planet.
The HBO Original is set to premiere Thursday, June 22 on Max, HBO’s streaming service (formerly known as HBOMAX). Downey’s Dream Cars is set to premiere on Discovery+ in the UK on Thursday, June 22 as well. The six-episode docuseries will show every subsequent Thursday after the premiere on June 22nd, meaning all episodes will be available for viewing on and after July 6th.
Aside from the trailer, which features a mid-1960s Corvette Stingray Convertible, 5th-Generation El Camino, Buick Riviera GS, and a classic Volkswagen Bus, little is known about which cars RDJ will choose to modernize, though it is no secret that he has quite the car collection, so whichever cars he decides to feature will likely be unique in some way.
Among the previously mentioned cars featured in the trailer, including a Corvette Stingray convertible, Buick Riviera, Chevrolet El Camino, and Volkswagen Bus, Robert Downey Jr. has upwards of nine other vehicles in his personal collection alone, and some fans and insiders believe there to be more.
Those confirmed to be in RDJ’s collection include a 1974 BMW 3.0 CS coupe modified by SpeedKore, a Ferrari California T Drop Top, and his rumored favorite, the 2009 Audi R8 Spyder. It’s reported that the Audi R8 Spyder is the same one Robert Downey drove in the 2008 Iron Man film.
Cars Included In Robert Downey Jr.’s Collection:
1970 Mustang Fastback
Nissan GT-R
Bentley Continental
1974 BMW 3.0 CS Coupe
Ferrari California T
2009 Audi R8 Spyder
Audi
A front 3/4 shot of a 2008 Audi R8
It’s not hard to see why the 2009 Audi R8 Spyder is RDJ’s favorite, it is a stunning car inside and out, and that’s before mentioning the punch it packs under the hood. The 2009 R8 Spyder starts at around $131,950, a hefty price tag for most casual car enthusiasts, but not for Iron Man. Featuring a 32-valve 4.2-liter DOHC V-8, the six-speed manual R8 Spyder makes 420 horsepower and can accelerate to 60 MPH in only 4.3 seconds. The EPA reports 15 combined MPG, with the 2009 Audi R8 Spyder getting 13 city and 20 highway MPG.
Though Robert Downey Jr. is a self-proclaimed “gearhead”, he is an internationally recognized and awarded actor, known most famously for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the superhero Iron Man, whose real name is Tony Stark in the movie. In reality, RDJ’s real-life story isn’t far off from the fictional hero he portrays on-screen, minus the iron suit.
The son of an actor famous in his own era, Robert Downey Jr.’s early acting career was met with critical and commercial success, no doubt attributed to his upbringing in Hollywood. With prestigious awards under his belt including the BAFTA award for his role as the title character in “Chaplin”, for which he also received an Academy Award nomination, and a Golden Globe for his role in the popular 90’s sitcom “Ally McBeal”, Robert Downey Jr. made an impact on popular culture at a young age.
He began to face numerous highly publicized personal problems, and inevitably took a much-needed break from the limelight, during which period RDJ had time to reflect on his choices, as well as his future. Robert Downey Jr. had a resurgence in popularity in 2008 when he starred in the first Iron Man film, which became a box office success, skyrocketing not only Robert Downey Jr.’s career but the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well, as RDJ has starred in ten MCU films including the Iron Man Collection and The Avengers films.
That same year, Robert Downey Jr. earned a spot among Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, and from 2013-2015 Robert was named the highest-paid actor in Hollywood by Forbes Magazine. Around that time, he won his second Golden Globe for his role as the title character in Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes”.
Robert soon began a non-profit organization called The Footprint Coalition, which aims to reduce carbon footprints around the world using advanced technology. This organization promotes technologies that protect the environment, such as a French insect farming startup called “Ynsect”, a bio-based alternative to plastics manufacturer RWDC, and bamboo toilet paper manufacturers Cloud Paper.
More recently, RDJ has teamed up with Sec. Jennifer M. Granholm and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as an official member of The Clean Energy Corps, an initiative by the Department of Energy to reduce America’s carbon dependency. The Clean Energy Corps will help deploy the DOE’s transformative $62-billion investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to meet the nation’s goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035, and a decarbonized society by 2050.
Robert Downey Jr.’s conservation efforts have not gone unnoticed, as his induction into the Clean Energy Corps is only the most recent of his efforts to combat a carbon-dependent future, as his investments in clean-energy initiatives, as well as future technologies that positively impact the planet reach far across the globe. With his new docuseries coming to MAX, he plans on showcasing some young talented futurists on his journey to bring classic cars into the future, while preserving the past.
This goes hand-in-hand with the person RDJ has become, it’s not about forgetting the past in exchange for a bright and shiny future, it’s about respecting the past and acknowledging the ever-present reminders that we can do better as a society without sacrificing everything we know. It’s about the redeeming qualities, not only of a man but of a car as well. If one can update themselves and adapt to the fluctuations of time, why can’t a classic car?
This has to be one of the points that has car fans, as well as Robert Downey Jr. fans most excited about Downey’s Dream Cars. In that same vein, car fans are beginning to speculate on which of RDJ’s unique cars will receive the eco-upgrades, with many die-hard classic car fans frowning at the idea of converting a classic Buick Riviera or Corvette Stingray into a hybrid. No matter what side of the debate you find yourself on, there’s no doubt we’ll all find ourselves tuning in on Thursday, June 22 to catch the premiere of Downey’s Dream Cars.
The latest Transformers movie is here in time for the summer blockbuster season. Titled “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” it is in theaters now to take audiences on an adventure set in the 1990s. It also introduces a new faction of Transformers called the Maximals and features the Autobots, with a Porsche 911 Carrera named Mirage taking a central role.
More specifically, Mirage is a 964 series Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8 when in car form, a particularly rare model that is an unusual choice to base a hero on. However, according to Oliver Hoffmann, Head of Marketing Communications at Porsche AG, the Carrera RS 3.8 is perfect because of Mirage’s character traits, describing him as “A tough character with a good heart and a bit of a rebellious streak now and again.”
Porsche only built 55 units of the Carrera RS 3.8, which are highly valuable today. Five picture cars were built to look like the original car to avoid the risk of damage and fulfill specific functions. One car was modified to go backward at high speed, while another was prepared for stunt sequences. Additional cars were built for close-ups or scenes involving the actors interacting with the car.
The only area where a real Carrera RS 3.8 was used is sound design. “It was important to us to represent the sound of the 911 model depicted in the film,” said Ayesha Coker, Vice President of Marketing of Porsche Cars North America. “It was extremely ambitious due to the number of cars needed from a limited production 911, but we are thrilled with the result and hope audiences are too.”
What makes “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” unique is the level of involvement the production team had with Porsche, which was very hands-on with the development of Mirage. According to Irene Trachtenberg, SVP of Worldwide Marketing Partnerships at Paramount, that partnership “brought our Autobot Mirage to life in a most unique, iconic, and unforgettable way.”
As for Porsche, it has been actively promoting the movie on its YouTube site and through social media. The automaker is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year and has been very active in sponsoring exhibits and releasing videos to commemorate the milestone.
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