AI talk: Deep fakes, drones and cheesecake

This week I explore a range of different technologies, from deep fakes to drones to 3D printing. 

Deep fakes

I saw an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal from columnist Joanna Stern. She challenged herself to create her own digital avatar and see what could be done with it using current artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. She proved you can go a long way! 

First, she created a video avatar of herself using Synthesia. It takes video and audio samples (in a studio setting) for a fee and creates a video avatar that can recite any script. Using ChatGPT generated script, she created a TikTok video from the avatar. It fooled many, but some picked up on the robotic nature of the avatar – e.g., arms not moving. She then tried to substitute herself on video calls with ChatGPT providing the lines. That failed. She also tried using audio on calls using another voice cloning system from ElevenLabs. That fooled a few, including her family members! Lastly, she tried to use her fake voice to call a financial company and got through! However, it probably worked because she called from a phone number they recognized. The financial firm indicated that voice biometric is just one factor – you need multiple additional credentials to conduct transactions.

So, what is the takeaway from all these experiments? Deep fake technology is in our near future. Beware and be cautious. 

Delivery drone

Drone technology has been steadily advancing. We keep hearing about its use in warfare, but what about common everyday use? Recent news in Bloomberg on this front caught my attention. The article talks about a company called Zipline that has established itself in the drone delivery space. So, what is this company doing? 

Turns out they are already delivering grocery items to front yards in a few locations. It can deliver payloads of 6-8 pounds using small drones. The drone flies to the customer’s location, hovers about 300 ft above the ground and lowers the package using a tethered line. The customer is notified and needs to remove the item from the lowered box. The tether is then pulled up and the delivery is complete. Zipline claims this is 98 percent more efficient in terms of carbon footprint – i.e., use of battery power instead of gas. Not sure if the comparison is truly valid – how often do we get a 6–8-pound grocery delivery? Restaurant food delivery probably fits the bill! 

Check out this recent video by Zipline CEO Keller Cliffton. They have been using drones to deliver all sorts of things in Uganda and other countries. He also mentions several health systems using it to deliver meds. Now, that is a useful application. Also, as time goes by, these drones will be able to take more payloads and perhaps handle multiple deliveries in a single run. 

In this context, I was wondering what other distributors are doing. Turns out FedEx has teamed up with Elroy Air to transport 300-500 pounds of cargo from one location to another. And this article shows that drones are going to be in our future wherever we are. Now, that is a something to cheer about.

To drone on in other drone news, the following caught my attention: Ikea is using hundreds of drones that buzz around its warehouse to take inventory. Also, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Spectrum’s recent report shows advances in drone technology that can detect buried mines.

3D printed cheesecake

Using 3D printers to print food? That notion, expressed in a CBS news story, caught me by surprise. This technology has been evolving over the years. I have seen news articles about 3D printed homes, organs, solid objects and the like. But food? Cakes? That seemed a bit crazy. However, a recent research article in Nature, which had the prosaic title “The future of software-controlled cooking,” gave the full details. 

The article was actually quite illuminating. Turns out, the term “printing” can be applied to any paste that is extruded! The process of printing foods, however, is complex: you need extrudable ingredients, a way to cook selective ingredients, a way to ensure proper balance of nutrients and, of course, it needs to be edible and tasty. Printed foods are the ultimate form of processed food! 

The research paper describes the current landscape of food printing, specifically how there is a danger of making foods that taste good but are devoid of nutrients and how they can aggravate the already bad diet that most of us are exposed to. But the researchers are trying to address all this using technology. 

3D printing is driven by an artist’s imagination. Cooking can now mean using lasers. The paper has some gorgeous pictures of how the research team printed out cheesecakes. It looks quite likely that one day we will have these printers in our homes and our AI virtual agents will be able to print a nutritious meal that is delicious and that considers individual health conditions! 

I am always looking for feedback and if you would like me to cover a story, please let me know! Leave me a comment below or ask a question on my blogger profile page.  

“Juggy” Jagannathan, PhD, is an AI evangelist with four decades of experience in AI and computer science research.