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The Matter standard is now supported by Google’s smart home appliances

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Only if goods truly support it can the Matter standard facilitate the use of smart home appliances from different brands. You don’t even need to download or install any updates because Google has just announced that it has enabled Matter compatibility for its Nest and Android devices. This means that Matter can now be controlled by the Google Home speaker, Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Nest Audio, Nest Hub (1st and 2nd gen), Nest Hub Max, and the new Nest WiFi Pro.

Additionally, Google has made Matter compatibility available for Fast Pair on Android, which will let you to connect Matter-enabled devices to your home network “as rapidly as you can pair a set of headphones.” This functionality will make it simple to integrate your devices with apps and smart home ecosystems once they are linked. The tech behemoth has also upgraded the Nest Wi Pro, Nest Hub Max, and Nest Hub (2nd gen) to include Thread border router functionality. In this manner, you can utilize them to link items that support Thread, the networking standard for low-power gadgets like smart locks.

Since 2019, the Connectivity Standards Alliance, of which Google is a member, has been working on the Matter standard to address the fragmentation issue in the smart home market and make it simpler to use products from various manufacturers. It had to postpone Matter’s release a few times before it was eventually able to roll out the standard’s version 1.0 definition and product certification program this October. It had originally planned to introduce the standard in 2021. Soon after Matter was released, Samsung said that it is collaborating with Google to make it simple to add devices that are already configured with SmartThings to Google Home and vice versa. One of the other founders of the Alliance, Amazon, also provided a list of the 17 Echo devices that will support the standard as of this month.

The number of products that are Matter-enabled is now somewhat small, but according to Google, this holiday season and early 2023 will witness an increase. With the exception of the aforementioned Google items, all devices that implement the standard will be identified by the Matter badge and will function with all other Matter devices right out of the box.

 

As Editor here at GeekReply, I'm a big fan of all things Geeky. Most of my contributions to the site are technology related, but I'm also a big fan of video games. My genres of choice include RPGs, MMOs, Grand Strategy, and Simulation. If I'm not chasing after the latest gear on my MMO of choice, I'm here at GeekReply reporting on the latest in Geek culture.

Artificial Intelligence

The Pentagon is requesting $14.5 billion for cybersecurity expenses, which includes implementing a zero trust approach

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The U.S. Department of Defense is requesting $14.5 billion for its efforts in cyberspace, which involve protecting information networks through zero-trust strategies, expanding its workforce, and exploring advanced computers.

The fiscal 2025 budget request revealed on March 11 exceeds the Biden administration’s prior request by almost $1 billion. In fiscal 2023, it requested $11.2 billion, which is now higher.

The department is focusing on cyber-related matters because of the escalating digital competition with Russia and China. All three major world powers are renowned for their extensive virtual weapons stockpiles and their inclination to investigate and test boundaries without inciting armed confrontation.

The senior defense official at the Pentagon informed reporters that the FY25 cyber activity budget prioritizes investments in three portfolios: cybersecurity, cyberspace operations, and cyber research and development. “Cyber capabilities will remain an essential element of our national defense and will be a top priority in our budget.”

According to the Government Accountability Office, the Defense Department has experienced over 12,000 cyber incidents since 2015, with the number decreasing annually since 2017. Foreign hackers who want to steal their intellectual property target defense contractors.

The department is implementing a zero-trust approach to enhance the security of its sensitive information. The zero-trust cybersecurity paradigm operates under the assumption that networks are constantly at risk or have already been infiltrated, necessitating continuous verification of devices, users, and their virtual access.

The fiscal plan for 2025 designates a little over $977 million for the zero-trust transition. The budget includes about $300 million for updated identity, credential, and access management (ICAM) to customize available information for individuals and monitor their activities.

The senior official stated that the cybersecurity budget request enhances the department’s cyber posture by allocating funds for the creation and upgrading of cybersecurity tools and capabilities. Additionally, it increases investment in zero-trust technology to assure the entire security and protection of the department’s assets.

By 2027, the department must establish a foundational level of zero trust. Further safeguards, known as advanced zero trust, are necessary in the future. Cybersecurity experts have previously stated that meeting the approaching deadlines will be difficult.

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Artificial Intelligence

Tim Cook subtly promotes Apple Vision Pro while complimenting Porsche

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Porsche has introduced the new Taycan Turbo GT electric car and unveiled Race Engineer Cockpit software for the Apple Vision Pro.
Porsche has collaborated with Apple to incorporate CarPlay into older vehicles and plans to enhance its integration in future app updates. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume expressed gratitude to Apple for their relationship during the launch of the company’s new Taycan Turbo GT EV.

The debut involved setting a new electric vehicle lap record, and during Porsche’s introduction, Blume was seen seeing the action on an Apple Vision Pro. Blume may watch TV-style footage and monitor the car’s perspective, together with regularly updated data.

Tim Cook congratulated the Porsche team on setting a new record with their remarkable new vehicle in a video. Such remarkable achievements demonstrate the potential when a group of highly committed individuals collaborate to innovate on a significant concept.

“Porsche is renowned for its excellence, and we are pleased to see that several of our products are involved in your work,” he stated. “It’s wonderful to see Apple Vision Pro contributing to the transformation of track experiences.”

“I strongly believe that spatial computing has the capacity to transform nearly every industry,” he added. “You are demonstrating how Apple Vision Pro will achieve the seemingly unachievable.”

Blume revealed that its racing application will soon be available to users of the Apple Vision Pro. “We will definitely have some unexpected things in store for you,” he continued.

In 2020, the Porsche Taycan became the first car to fully include Apple Music. Porsche revealed that in addition to providing access to the service in their vehicles, they will also be developing exclusive playlists for it.

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Artificial Intelligence

Renowned computer scientist predicts that highly advanced artificial intelligence may be developed by 2029

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The computer scientist who introduced the term artificial general intelligence (AGI) anticipates its potential arrival by 2029.

Ben Goertzel, the founder of SingularityNET, spoke at the Beneficial AGI Summit 2024, where he discussed the goal of creating a decentralized, democratic, inclusive, and beneficial artificial general intelligence. During the presentation, he informed the audience that there may come a time when artificial intelligence may enhance itself.

Although this stage may appear distant, he provides several reasons why he thinks it could happen rapidly. Goertzel explains that the reason for this is due to the current period of exponential development rather than linear growth, which can be challenging to fully grasp and understand the rapid pace of change.

“It seems probable that within the next 10 to 20 years, a single computer will possess computational capabilities comparable to those of a human brain by 2029 or 2030,” stated Goertzel during his presentation. “In about 10 to 15 years, a single computer would possess approximately the computational capacity equivalent to that of the entire human society.”

Goertzel acknowledges that large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have raised awareness about AI’s potential but argues that they are not the route to achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) due to their lack of true comprehension of the world, functioning more as an advanced autocomplete tool.

He thinks that LLMs could play a role in AGI that leads us closer to the singularity, possibly within his company’s OpenCog Hyperon.

Goertzel stated in an unreviewed preprint publication on arXiv that it is feasible to instruct a Hyperon system to create and write software code. LLMs are proficient in basic situations; Hyperon aims to enhance this skill with advanced creativity and more sophisticated multi-stage reasoning. When a system is capable of designing and writing code proficiently to enhance itself and create future iterations, we are on the brink of potentially triggering a complete intelligence explosion and technological singularity.

Goertzel has both reservations and enthusiasm on this matter. Before releasing Pandora, we must establish appropriate safeguards, a task we have not yet mastered. If the singularity is imminent, as Goertzel and other computer scientists suggest, there is a significant need to ensure accuracy promptly.

“Once human-level AGI is achieved, it could rapidly progress to radically superhuman AGI, unless its development is hindered by its own conservatism,” stated Goertzel during his presentation.

An AGI capable of introspection could do technical and scientific tasks at a level comparable to or above that of humans. An AGI should be capable of creating a more intelligent AGI, leading to an intelligence explosion. This could result in an exponential growth rate surpassing even the expectations of computer scientist Ray Kurzweil.

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