LatestMachine LearningWhy Most Developers Miss the True Potential of LLMs 0 like January 20, 2025Share this postAuthor(s): Towards AI Editorial Team Originally published on Towards AI. The 8-Hour Generative AI Primer shows you how to ask the right questions, avoid common mistakes, and build AI prototypes in one dayBuilding LLM-powered applications and workflows lends itself to modular product development where you can iteratively build a more complex, reliable, and feature-complete product by adding and replacing elements of a core LLM pipeline. When building, you dont already know the right answer you try out techniques that may or may not work for your use case, and you hack together initial solutions that you might later decide are worth investing time to improve and replace.Much of becoming a great LLM developer and building a great LLM product is about integrating advanced techniques and customization to help an LLM pipeline ultimately cross a threshold where the product is good enough for widescale adoption.On this journey, there are many levers to pull and tools to use. As an LLM developer, you are CONSTANTLY making decisions such as which dataset to use, open-source vs. closed-source, how to fit LLMs into your use case, whether no-code solutions are good enough for your workflow, the extent to which you consider the limitations of LLMs, and so on.And the biggest gap we see on top of all this is that 95% of developers are only scratching the surface of what LLMs can do. Thats where the 8-Hour Generative AI Primer comes in. It is a programming language-agnostic 1-day LLM Bootcamp designed for developers.This certification course is specifically designed to cut through the noise, help you ask the right questions, and show you exactly how to find answers. LLMs are moving so fast, with updates being released almost every day; what you need is an intuitive framework, and just like LLMs, you need enough context to know what developments are relevant to you and your use case so you can make the most out of this transformative technology.In just 1 day, youll have:A working LLM prototype (no-code or low-code).A clear framework to evaluate tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or any API.The confidence to integrate AI into your workflows effectively.The ability to know how to identify which AI developments matter to you.A certificate that proves youre equipped to work with LLMs professionally.More info on the course page and course video:Whats Inside:Tons of Hands-On Exercises & Demos: Get comfortable with ChatGPT, Claude, and better understand LangChain, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face, and more.Real-World Examples: See how LLMs can transform industries, whether youre in education, software development, finance, or beyond.LLM Intuition: Understand how to compare and select models, integrate them with your projects, and responsibly use AI.Support & Community: Youll join our incredible community of 70,000+ learners, with instructors and mentors ready to help you every step of the way.Certificate & Lifetime Mentorship: A certification and lifetime mentorship from other certified students and the Towards AI team.Complimentary Advanced Resources: You will have access to complimentary resources for the course designed to help you navigate real-world LLM implementation.While no specialized background is needed, you need a willingness to learn. Following our goal, this is a practical course. You will be doing exercises, having quizzes, and building things. If you are not willing to sweat a little to learn, this course is not for you.If youre still on the fence, you can preview the first few lessons for free. Start learning here!What This Certification Course Can Do for YouAI Simplified with Hands-On PracticeCut through the buzz and understand what AI can actually do for your business, avoiding the common pitfalls of over-promising technologies. Learn AI and Machine Learning in a no-code environment, gaining a clear understanding of how AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) function.Industry-Specific AI StrategiesExplore real-world applications and case studies to understand how AI is reshaping your industry. Walk away with a toolkit of real-world AI use cases specific to your industry. You will know how to apply AI to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and drive innovation in your sector.Customized AI Solutions for Your BusinessUnderstand when and how to tailor AI solutions specifically for your teams needs, making you a valuable resource in spearheading AI-driven projects. Learn how to use powerful AI tools like ChatGPT to automate tasks, improve customer interactions, and streamline workflows all without writing a single line of code.This isnt just about learning; its about staying ahead. By the time the next big AI update drops, youll already know how to make the most of it. Join the 8-Hour Generative AI Primer today!Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

Traveling with your Apple devices can quickly become a juggling act of chargers, cables, and adapters. Thats where MagSafe hits home for mesimplifying charging without needing a bunch of cables in my travel bag. Since its release with the iPhone 12, its been my go-to way to charge everything. Whether heading out for a weekend getaway or a quick work trip, building a MagSafe go-bag travel kit guarantees your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods are charged up and ready to go. Lets look at what you need in your travel bag for MagSafe.MagSafe Monday:Every Monday, Bradley Chambers looks at the latest and greatest in the MagSafe and wireless charging industry to help you get the most out of your Apple devices that support wireless charging.Mobile MagSafe battery packsWhen youre on the go, a great MagSafe battery pack is table-stakes for your travel kit. These snap-on chargers keep your iPhone powered up without the hassle of extra cables. The best ones have a slim profile (depending on how big you want it to be), fast charging, and bonus features like Qi2 support, LED displays, or kickstands. MagSafe battery pack ensures youre always ready to snap photos, navigate, or stay connected. Here are some of my favorite MagSafe battery packs:Travel MagSafe nightstand chargersA good nights sleep in a hotel should also result in a charged iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch, and a travel-friendly MagSafe nightstand charger makes it easy. Compact, foldable designs are awesome for traveling, and MagSafe compatibility eliminates the need for a bunch of different cables and chargers. Here are some good options:MagSafe charging cablesSometimes, simple is what you need. A reliable MagSafe charging cable is the perfect solution when you all need a straightforward way to charge your iPhone and AirPods without any extra charge. Theyre great when you want to keep your setup light and uncomplicated. Dont forget the USB-C wall adapter! Of course, this wont charge the Apple Watch, though.Wrap upTraveling shouldnt bring the hassle of dead Apple devices. The Delta app and Uber app are pretty useless if your iPhone is dead. MagSafe is the perfect technology to keep it simple (not needing to carry around chargers for all of your devices) while making it easy to grab a quick charge in the car, at the airport, etc).Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Job descriptionWe are seeking a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer to join our team and contribute to the transformative tech evolution in healthcare.This critical role involves developing, integrating, and optimising our backend and database systems.You will work closely with our Chief Engineer and CTO to build and refine our software solutions, ensuring they remain at the cutting edge of innovation.Your Role:Develop and maintain robust backend services using NestJS and Node.js, ensuring top-tier performance and security.Design and manage efficient REST API endpoints to optimise interactions with our SQL database.Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design, and deploy new features, focusing on backend logic and database performance.Ensure the scalability, security, and responsiveness of backend services.Uphold rigorous data protection standards and implement industry-leading security measures.Participate in code reviews to uphold high coding standards and foster continuous improvement within the development team.What Youll Bring:Essential Skills & Experience:At least 7 years of experience with:ReactReact ViteREST API developmentStrong knowledge and hands-on experience with SQL.Proficiency in Prisma for database management.A minimum of 5 years of experience in REST API development using the NestJS framework.Expertise in backend development, specifically with NestJS, Node.js, REST APIs, and PostgreSQL.Experience in developing single-page applications using ReactJS.Strong understanding of TypeScript and Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) principles.Solid grasp of commonly used data structures.Proven experience with cloud hosting services (preferably AWS) and integrating them into development workflows.Exceptional problem-solving skills and meticulous attention to detail.A proven ability to thrive in collaborative, remote work environments, showcasing excellent communication skills and a commitment to team success.A portfolio demonstrating relevant projects.Nice-to-Haves:Experience with CI/CD pipelines and version control systems like Git.Familiarity with agile development methodologies and project management tools.Knowledge of Redux for state management.A degree in Computer Science or a related field.

Wintertime calls for longer nights and shorter days without sunlight. With cold and flu season on the rise, plus seasonal affective disorder rearing its ugly head, our immune systems take a hit. One nutrient that is great at fighting against attacks on our bodies is vitamin D.Unfortunately, with longer hours of darkness getting our vitamin D absorption from sunlight can be more difficult in the winter. This just means we have to work a little harder to get what we need from sources other than the sun. Vitamin D has several benefits, from supporting muscles and neurological functions to helping with calcium absorption in the bones, and of course boosting the immune system.Sources of vitamin D besides the sun come from our foods. Below are the best foods that are high in vitamin D worth adding to your diet. Best foods high in vitamin D Getty Images/fotograzia/Royalty-freeSalmon Upgrade your inbox Get cnet insider From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated. The amount of vitamin D can vary depending on the individual fish you use. For instance, one study found that farmed salmon had 25% of the vitamin D contentas found in wild-caught salmon. As such, if you're getting vitamin D from fish sources, try to opt for wild-caught fish instead of farmed-raised fish. As it sits, the USDA says sockeye salmon has an average of 670 international units of vitamin D per 3.5-ounce serving.Swordfish Another fatty fish that is an excellent source of vitamin D is the swordfish. The USDA lists a 100-gram serving as containing 666 IU of vitamin D. That's over the 600 IU daily recommendation for people aged 1 to 70 years old, so cooking up some swordfish for dinner may help you easily meet your vitamin D needs.TunaThis lunchtime staple can also pack a vitamin D punch. While not as high as salmon or swordfish, fresh yellowfin tuna still contains 82 IU of vitamin D per 100-gram serving, according to the USDA. It can be a food to include as part of an overall diet in vitamin D rich foods. However, bluefin tuna has 227 IU of vitamin D per 100-gram serving, so check which type of tuna you're eating as well. Egg yolksAs listed by the USDA, one whole egg yolk packs a whopping 218 IU in vitamin D. Simply making a frittata or some scrambled eggs in the morning with two eggs could give you a 436-IU boost of vitamin D. That's a good way to start off any morning.Orange juice While oranges themselves are more known for their vitamin C content, orange juice often comes fortified with added vitamin D to help boost our health. Simply check the label on your orange juice to see if it has been fortified with Vitamin D. One study found that both Vitamin D2 and D3 are as equally bioavailable in orange juice as taking vitamin D capsules, meaning the body can still absorb the vitamins well. Gettys Images/margouillatphotosFortified Milk Milk is another drink that is often fortified with vitamin D to help us get this valuable nutrient. Like orange juice, milk is not a natural source of vitamin D, but the FDA allows manufacturers to voluntarily add up to 84 IU of vitamin D3 per 100 grams of milk and 84 IU per 100 grams of D2 to plant-based milk alternatives.Fortified Cereal Another good way to access vitamin D is to choose cereals that have been fortified with it. There are a wide variety of cereals that all add vitamin D. You simply need to check the label of what you are buying. The Mayo Clinic lists fortified cereal as a good source of Vitamin D. You might look for more healthy brands of cereal, such as whole grain options, which are more likely to fortify with higher levels of Vitamin D and be better for you overall. Try to avoid highly sugary cereals with fewer nutrients. Beef liverLiver is a love-it-or-hate-it food, but if you like beef liver, it's another good way to get vitamin D. You can either cook it up, popular with onions, or liver sausage can be a good source of vitamin D. According to the USDA, pan-fried cooked beef liver has 40 IU of vitamin D, measured for a single slice. SardinesThis is another food people either really love or really hate. However, if you're a sardine fan, sardines have a higher amount of vitamin D, too. According to the USDA,100 grams of canned sardines have 193 IU of vitamin D. Enjoy sardines on some crackers or add them to your favorite pizza. Gettys Images/margouillatphotosHerring Herring is another type of fatty fish that is popular to eat out of a jar and on crackers, or you can cook it up for dinner. Herring boasts 214 IU of vitamin D for a 100-gram serving, according to the USDA. In fact, herring is a popular food to eat around the holidays in the Midwest. During the cold and darker months, it's a convenient and popular holiday food, and it boasts fairly high vitamin D levels. Wild MushroomsIf you are looking for vitamin D that doesn't come from an animal source, mushrooms are perfect. Just like us, mushrooms create vitamin D when exposed to UV light from the sun. Fungi are packed with vitamin D2 (animal sources contain vitamin D3), and one cup of wild mushrooms can equal about 136 IU of vitamin D.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereWuthering Waves update 2.0 was fantastic as it brought WuWa to PS5 consoles, where it recorded a massive achievement, only behind Genshin Impact. Kuro also added some great new characters with 2.0, and the good news is that even more are on the horizon. The new 5-stars characters for 2.1 are already confirmed, but Wuthering Waves 2.1 leaks show stunning gameplay for Phoebe, one of the new heroes dubbed literal the definition of holy by fans.Wuthering Waves 2.1 leaks show Phoebe gameplayPhoebe is one of the new 5-stars characters that will debut in Wuthering Waves update 2.1. The other 5-stars hero set to be introduced to the game is Brant.Kuro Games new chapter is less than a month away as its scheduled to start on February 13th. Ahead of launch, the developer is running a beta for which people get to experience the new characters early along with other planned improvements and new content.As per usual, leaks from the beta have started to surface online. On the WutheringWavesLeaks subreddit, gameplay for Phoebe has been shared by OP Mae_str. The gameplay shows Phoebes attacks and animations, and, suffice to say, she looks absolutely stunning.One of the comments from players says, This girl becomes the definition of HOLY, while another says, Phoebes animations somehow look even moredivine. Many of the comments echo the sentiment that she looks amazing, and will be impossible not to pull for when she releases.Per Kuro, Phoebes attribute is Spectro, and she uses a Rectifier weapon. Again, she will be accompanied by Brant whose attribute is Fusion, and uses a sword as his weapon of choice.For more Wuthering Waves, we have a guide to all of thevoice actorsin the game, and we also have a guide explaininghow to add friends.Wuthering WavesPlatform(s):UnknownGenre(s):UnknownSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Vivek Ramaswamy has stepped down from co-leading President Donald Trumps Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to the Associated Press. The official line as to why Ramaswamy is moving on is that he plans to run for elected office he reportedly intends to run for Ohio governor.Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE, spokesperson Anna Kelly says in the statement to the Associated Press. He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again.Trump gave DOGE, which is not a department of the US government, the remit to advise cuts to wasteful government spending. Musk and Ramaswamy spelled out their plans in a Wall Street Journal article. But CBS News reported yesterday that Ramaswamy was on the way out:People close to Musk have privately undercut Ramaswamy for weeks, frustrated with his lack of participation in the heavy lifting, according to sources familiar with the internal dynamics. There has been friction between the incoming rank and file DOGE staff and Ramaswamy, the sources said, and Ramaswamy has been subtly encouraged to exit.Ramaswamy hasnt said on X if hes stepping away from DOGE, but he did post a picture today with Musk. A few days ago, he also quote-tweeted a parody account that announced Ramaswamys candidacy for Ohio governor, saying that its not a bad idea.DOGE is already the subject of at least three lawsuits.

A week after the U.K. government announced a sweeping plan to make big investments into AI, its laying out more details around how this will take shape in the public sector. On the agenda: AI assistants to speed up public services; data sharing deals across siloed departments; and a new set of AI tools dubbed Humphrey after a character on an old U.K. TV political sitcom to speed up the work of civil servants.The plans will be formally unveiled at a press conference Tuesday headed up by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), along with two other departments, Work and Pensions and Health/Social Care. If you navigate to the U.K. governments AI site to check out the progress of some of the projects, youll see that most of the efforts so far appear to be in very early stages, either in limited trials or a testing phase; others are even more nascent. For example, a plan to bring more AI services into the customer-facing side of the NHS are only at the stage of a charter committing to the concept.Some include links to Github repositories to check out some of the work to date. Its not clear how many people in total are working on these projects, nor what third-party tools (such as LLMs) are being used. (We have asked these questions and will update when we learn more.)At their heart, the projects are all about efficiency. The government, DSIT said, currently spends some 23 billion annually on technology, and the idea will be to redeploy that money in a more modern way.Sluggish technology has hampered our public services for too long, and its costing us all a fortune in time and money Not to mention the headaches and stresses were left with after being put on hold or forced to take a trip to fill out a form, said Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for DSIT, in a statement. My Department will put AI to work We will use technology to bear down hard to the nonsensical approach the public sector takes to sharing information and working together to help the people it serves.The plans include a new team within DSIT to head the projects, a little like DOGE in the U.S. but conceived of and run by government people rather than tech moguls.DSIT is honing in on three areas initially:1. The work of government employees. Humphrey, named after the wry, clever assistant played by the late Nigel Hawthorne in Yes, Minister and then Yes, Prime Minister, is a set of apps aimed at reducing the typical daily workload of civil servants, specifically around the vast amount of data that they are required to read and process as part of their work.Consult is designed to read and summarise thousands of responses to consultations in hours (responses, which can be lengthy and numerous, are a central part of how the government takes feedback from stakeholders and the public into account). Parlex will let them query and read conversations in Parliament relevant to bills or other policy documents they are working on. Minute is a secure transcription service to take notes from their many hours of meetings. Redbox helps them prepare briefings and policy documents. And Lex lets them consult relevant legal data.2. Another strand of the efficiency push will be around speeding up public-facing services. The idea here is to take aim at legacy bureaucracy, of which there is a lot in the U.K., such as the 100,000 calls that the tax authorities get daily, or the need for people to appear in person to register a death, or (bizarrely) posting ads in local papers as part of the process of getting a license to drive a truck.DSITs thinking is that overhauling processes like these with more AI-fuelled automation could save 45 billion annually. (Its not clear if that estimate is before or after deducting the cost of building and running the AI services.)3. A final area will be focused on more collaboration between departments in aid of sharing data to speed up how services are procured, and then how they work.Taken together, the various projects are a signal that the government does seem to mean business on their new AI push. But they also raise a number of questions. For example, in the case of data sharing, DSIT for now says that the operating idea here will be a common-sense approach to sharing information. Central government departments, like HMRC (revenue and customs) and the Department for Business and Trade, could for example share data with each other and local councils in fraud investigations, or to better understand how businesses are doing and what programs might help them. But what happens to data protection for individuals when data is shared in ways that you might not have intended for it to be?Another possible question is around Humphrey: right now, DSIT said that some of the early apps are in testing phases only, but the big question will be, how far will the government go in trusting some of the AIs conclusions?There will also be more human challenges. As one former civil servant (who now works for an AI company) notes, past efforts to create programs that cut across departments have not always worked. Collaboration, money and authority are ultimately the levers that will make or break any of these plans.

One of the hidden gems of Bostoncan be found tucked away in the Leather District, one of the last remaining diner cars in the city, this isSouth Street Diner. At this site, at the corner of South and Kneeland streets, a diner car has existed since about 1935. In 1947 the present diner car was built by the Worcester Lunch Car Companyand moved on this site as the Blue Diner opened, possibly named after its patrons, largely blue-collar workers. The diner would be renamed the South Street diner in 1992, a name that has stuck ever-since. The diner attracts tourists, nearby workers, and drunken college students, serving as a much-needed melting pot for people of different backgrounds to grab a good bite to eat.

Patryk Kosmider - stock.adobe.coNewsLabour announces plans to overhaul digital government The Government Digital Service will be expanded along with changes to the way technology is funded, built and delivered across the public sector, as Labour aims for improvements previous administrations struggled to achieveByBryan Glick,Editor in chiefPublished: 21 Jan 2025 0:01 The UK government has announced wide-ranging plans to overhaul the way technology is funded, implemented and acquired across the public sector to accelerate the development of digital services to benefit citizens.The Government Digital Service (GDS) will be expanded, a new commercial function is being established, and HM Treasury is to experiment with more modern ways of budgeting for the introduction and ongoing spend on technology.Several new artificial intelligence (AI) tools will also be launched to support civil servants with the aim of speeding up decision-making across Whitehall.Sluggish technology has hampered our public services for too long, and its costing us all a fortune in time and money, said Peter Kyle, secretary of state at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).We will use technology to bear down hard to the nonsensical approach the public sector takes to sharing information and working together to help the people it serves. We will also end delays businesses face when they are applying for licences or permits, when they just want to get on with the task in hand growth. This is just the start.GDS is to be re-merged with the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) which was split away from GDS by the previous Conservative government in 2021. Two other teams, the Incubator for AI and the Geospatial Commission, will also become part of GDS. Each of those organisations were brought under control of DSIT after Labour won the 2024 general election.A new government chief digital officer will be recruited, responsible for the digital profession across Whitehall. The previous holder of the post, Mike Potter, left in September last year amid speculation that GDS and the CDDO which he led were to be brought back together.Kyle will today launch a new blueprint for a modern digital government targeting 45bn in productivity savings across the public sector, which will do away with insensitive and antiquated processes that have been holding this country back for too long, according to DSIT.A Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence will be set up to overhaul management of the 23bn annual government spend on technology. Its remit will extend into local authorities, for example by enabling councils to negotiate contracts jointly to save money, as well as opening up more opportunities for tech startups and scaleups to win contracts from government.The Treasury will experiment with a new approach that recognises how modern technology works although few details were included in the DSIT announcement, it appears to suggest that budgeting for digital services will take a more agile, iterative approach, instead of the traditional upfront spending followed by smaller annual maintenance costs. Such an approach has been called for by digital government experts for many years.DSIT will introduce a framework for finding and buying AI solutions aimed at making sure small projects can happen quickly as well as addressing barriers to using AI at scale.The blueprint will also introduce mandatory rules for public bodies to publish application programming interfaces (APIs) to enable and improve data sharing across government a move that was first proposed as a long ago as 2011 by government digital advisor Martha Lane Fox.DSIT is also launching a set of internally developed AI-based tools intended to support the work of civil servants which are being branded under the name Humphrey, a reference to the fictional civil service chief Sir Humphrey Appleby from the former BBC TV comedy Yes, Minister.Humphrey will offer applications including:Consult, which analyses responses to government consultations to present policy makers with interactive dashboards to explore what the public said.Parlex, which helps civil servants search and analyse Hansard texts of debates from the Houses of Parliament.Minute, a secure AI transcription service for meetings, producing customisable summaries in formats required by public servants.Redbox, a generative AI tool to help with day-to-day tasks, such as summarising policy and preparing briefings.Lex, which analyses and summarises relevant laws.Other initiatives announced by DSIT include a Technical Design Council, a Responsible AI Advisory Panel, and a review of salaries for digital experts employed in the public sector, in the hope of making tech jobs more competitive with the private sector.Last week, prime minister Keir Starmer announced an AI action plan for government, highlighting new policies and opportunities for using AI to support economic growth and improve public services.More details will be published alongside the Spending Review in the summer, including priorities for the use of technology across government and a Digital and AI Roadmap.My department will put AI to work, speeding up our ability to deliver our Plan for Change, improve lives and drive growth, said Kyle.Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall added: Outdated technology is holding us back. Sluggish manual processes mean people dont get the help they need quickly enough. Thats why we want to use the latest AI technologies to bring Jobcentres into the 21st century, giving our brilliant staff the tools they need to offer more personalised services to jobseekers.The latest announcements follow the publication by DSIT of a study into the state of digital government, written by external consultants from Bain & Company, which identified 45bn of potential savings through better use of technology by government including 14.5bn spent on external consultants, a figure estimated to be three times higher than if civil servants were to do the same IT jobs.The study also said a quarter of IT systems used by central government are outdated, leading to huge maintenance costs, estimated at three to four times more money than if the technology was kept up to date.An April 2024 report from the Public Accounts Committee of MPs highlighted significant issues with ageing IT systems and called on government to stop making the same mistakes when it came to upgrading legacy IT.The digital blueprint is the Labour governments first major attempt to overhaul the delivery of technology across the public sector. Under the Conservative government, numerous digital strategies were published between 2010 and 2022, each promising to improve digital public services, address legacy IT issues, cut costs and modernise government.Read more about digital governmentRewiring Whitehall: The next steps in digital government: Theres a new government in place with fresh impetus to accelerate the digital transformation of public services but whats going to be different, better and more successful this time around?Digital transformation - the missing government mission? Not for the first time, an incoming government has an enormous opportunity to improve public services through digital transformation but whoever wins the general election will need to learn the lessons of the past.Resetting digital government: After years of trying to digitally transform the public sector, with varying degrees of success, could a change of government finally herald a new and better approach?In The Current Issue:Interview: Wendy Redshaw, chief digital information officer, NatWest Retail BankPreparing for AI regulation: The EU AI ActDownload Current Issue

The World Health Organization 2024 report recently urged world leaders to reduce pollution-related diseases and cut carbon emissions, considering that air pollutionparticularly extremely small particles known as PM2.5causes around 7 million deaths yearly. The data hasnt improved since then, although, fortunately, AI tools have vastly improved and offer new possibilities.However, its crucial to recognize the connections between air pollution regulation and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions to prioritize health. Regulating air pollution is one of the most effective ways to save lives, and as an additional benefit, it also limits greenhouse gas emissions.These stronger PM2.5 NAAQS will advance environmental justice by reducing particle pollution, which disproportionately burdens communities of color and other vulnerable communities. According to the regulatory impact analysis of the EPA, on-the-books regulations and available control measures can reduce particle pollution, leading to enormous net public health benefits of as much as $46 billion (in 2032). The WHO guidelines state that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed five g/m3. Some remote areas or places with excellent air quality might have levels as low as 1-3 g/mMany sources of air pollution also produce greenhouse gases: coal-fired power plants, road traffic (particularly diesel vehicles), building energy use (including cooking and heating with wood and coal), unsafe waste disposal and open burning, and industry (including fossil fuel-powered heavy machinery and brick kilns). Thus, if we address the sources of air pollution, we will immediately progress in regulating GHG emissions.Regulating Air Pollution And Greenhouse Gases Helps Grow the Economy 30-to-1. Globally, air pollution causes the loss of 1.2 billion work days annually, which could reach 3.8 billion days by 2060, according to the nonprofit Clean Air Fund. The evidence clearly shows that prioritizing clean air is compatible with economic development and can boost it by creating healthier, more productive populations and stimulating technological advancements. According to the EPA, between 1970 and 2019, aggregate emissions of common air pollutants in the U.S. dropped 77%, while the GDP grew 285%.MORE FOR YOUHow AI Tools Can Help Reduce PollutionWe now have the data and AI tools to inform data-driven decision-making based on facts and data, not opinions. Regardless of the heated debate regarding whether humans cause climate change, one reality is undeniable: exposure to air pollution and climate-related stressors, including extreme heat, wildfires, droughts, and tropical cyclones, kills people, causes adverse health effects, and causes disastrous consequences to society and economy,However, thanks to the technological revolution, our ability to access massive amounts of data, and the explosion of human-centered AI, we have the tools to make quick progress on regulating pollution, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and providing data-driven strategies for climate adaptation in the U.S. and globally.AI algorithms can now emulate and improve climate models, reducing computational time and enhancing the reliability of climate projections. AI tools can even be deployed effectively to estimate exposure to air pollution at a very granular spatial level. We can jointly model exposure to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and policy interventions and pinpoint the most effective regulatory actions that will have the most gains in reducing both while preserving the economy. We can deploy human-centered AI models that will allow us to pinpoint when, where, and how specific individuals and populations will be most affected by climate stressors and inform how to intervene best.How AI Tools Can Increase Air PollutionAll of these approaches will save lives. However, AI plays a complex role in climate change mitigation efforts, with positive and potentially concerning impacts. Considering AI's future outlook, we must assume that while AI offers significant potential to accelerate climate action, there are also valid concerns about its environmental footprint. According to the International Energy Agency, 2022, global data center electricity consumption accounted for 1-1.3% of global final electricity demand. A recent article in the MIT Technology Review mentions a Harvard study which I have co-authored where we reported that since 2018, carbon emissions from data centers in the US have tripled. For the 12 months ending August 2024, data centers were responsible for 105 million metric tons of CO2, accounting for 2.18% of national emissions (for comparison, domestic commercial airlines are responsible for about 131 million metric tons). About 4.59% of all the energy used in the US goes toward data centers, a figure thats doubled since 2018.In summary, while AI offers powerful tools for climate action, its environmental footprint needs careful management. We must measure and monitor the responsible development and deployment of AI technologies and ongoing efforts to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability. There are many potential strategies to limit the carbon footprint of AI (for example, developing and using more efficient AI algorithms or increasing the energy efficiency of data centers by using free air cooling). Still, those approaches are in their infancy, and their effectiveness has not been studied. We must balance the pace of AI penetration in any sector of society with thoughtful consideration of its potentially harmful societal consequences.