What to Do After an AI Conference at Stanford University? – Part IX

From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only San Diego is located there, but also Los Angeles. The Griffith Observatory is located in Griffith Park at an altitude of 300 metres. Visitors have a view over the whole of Los Angeles and the surrounding area, from Downtown to Santa Monica and Malibu. The observatory is known for its scientific exhibitions and planetarium. The 190-seat Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Presentation Theater, built at the turn of the millennium, expands the Observatory’s programming and educational opportunities. Numerous scenes from well-known films and series were shot in and around the building, including „Flash Gordon“ (1936), „Rebel Without a Cause (1955), „Terminator“ (1984), „Transformers“ (2007), and „La La Land“ (2017).

Fig.: View from Griffith Observatory in April 2024

What to Do After an AI Conference at Stanford University? – Part VIII

From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only San Diego is located there, but also Los Angeles. There – in Downtown, to be exact – is the Broad Museum, which has a unique collection of modern art, with works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Takashi Murakami, to name but a few. Those who managed to get one of the free tickets were able to visit the „Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013)“ by Yayoi Kusama. A maximum of four people are allowed to stay on the ramp and immerse themselves in the sea of lights.

Fig.: The „Infinity Mirrored Room“ by Yayoi Kusama

What to Do After an AI Conference at Stanford University? – Part VII

From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only San Diego is located there, but also Los Angeles. There – more precisely in Brentwood – is the Getty Center, which has a great collection, but also impresses with its building and grounds. You should also definitely visit the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades. The building, which is modeled on the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, houses a remarkable collection of genuine antique sculptures and everyday objects. There are copies in the outdoor areas – here it is the water basins and fountains that are enchanting.

Fig.: A fountain in the Getty Villa

What to Do After an AI Conference at Stanford University? – Part VI

From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only Los Angeles is located there, but also San Diego. From there you can go on whale-watching tours. February to April are particularly suitable for this. With a bit of luck, you can see humpback whales and gray whales, dolphins and sea lions. Seagulls and pelicans are always present. The whales are not detected using sonar or radar, nor with the help of transmitters attached to them. Instead, they are searched for the „footprint“ they leave behind. This is a smooth, glassy circle that is a result of the animal’s forward movement. With dolphins, there is nothing to do. They come to the boats of their own accord and swim competitively with them.

Fig.: Dolphins near San Diego in April 2024

What to Do After an AI Conference at Stanford University? – Part V

From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Not only Los Angeles is located there, but also San Diego. The Balboa Park, which has existed since 1868, is well worth a visit. The Panama-California Exposition of 1910-1916 provided the decisive boost. A fantasy city with richly decorated buildings was created. At the Japanese Friendship Garden, hummingbirds can often be seen flitting back and forth between the trees. San Diego also has beautiful beaches to offer. However, the water is sometimes heavily polluted, so swimming is prohibited – this was also the case in spring 2024.

Fig.: Coronado Beach in San Diego

What to Do After an AI Conference at Stanford University? – Part IV

From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south-east. Not only Death Valley and the Mojave Desert are located there, but also cities such as Palm Springs. There you can chill by the pool in one of the many historic hotels or visit the Palm Springs Art Museum. In front of it stands „Forever Marilyn“, a statue created by the sculptor John Seward Johnson II. Those who are drawn to the great outdoors should definitely visit the Indian Canyons. In the 15-mile-long Palm Canyon, there are countless palm trees along a stream that carried a lot of water in the spring of 2024 and led to some flooding on the paths.

Fig.: The Palm Canyon is a part of the Indian Canyons

What to Do After an AI Conference at Stanford University? – Part II

From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south-east. There you will find one of the most beautiful national parks in the United States, Death Valley. Karl May readers will be familiar with it from the novel „Im Tal des Todes“. In spring 2024, it was home to a natural spectacle. In Badwater, where a layer of salt normally covers the ground, a shallow lake had formed. Many visitors waded through it and it looked as if they were walking on water. In addition to the famous sights such as Zabriskie Point, Artists Palette and Dante’s View, Golden Canyon is recommended, especially in the hours before sunset.

Fig.: People in the lake of Badwater

What to Do After an AI Conference at Stanford University? – Part I

From March 25 to 27, 2024, the AAAI Spring Symposium Series took place at Stanford University. One of the events was dedicated to the question of how generative AI can improve well-being. What do you do after such an AI conference? One option is to go to San Francisco. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Another option is to head south. Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea are worthwhile little towns with a long history. In between, the 17 Miles Drive beckons with beautiful views of the wild sea and the old trees on the hills and along the shore. Famous is the Lonely Pine, which is a popular photo motif. If you want to watch otters, Pacific Grove is the place to be. From Lovers Point, you can watch the animals hunting and playing. There are a few historic hotels right by the sea, such as the Green Gables. If you have the right room, you can watch the otters there until night falls over the bay.

Fig.: The Lonely Pine

16th International Conference on Social Robotics

The prestigious International Conference on Social Robotics was last held in Florence (2022) and Qatar (2023). Now it enters its next round. The 16th edition will bring together researchers and practitioners working on human-robot interaction and the integration of social robots into our society. The title of the conference includes the addition „AI“. This is a clarification and demarcation that has to do with the fact that there will be two further formats with the name ICSR in 2024. ICSR’24 (ICSR + AI) will take place as a face-to-face conference in Odense, Denmark, from 23 to 26 October 2024. The theme of this year’s conference is „Empowering Humanity: The role of social and collaborative robotics in shaping our future“. The topics of the Call for Papers include „collaborative robots in service applications (in construction, agriculture, etc.)“, „Human-robot interaction and collaboration“, „Affective and cognitive sciences for socially interactive robots“, and „Context awareness, expectation, and intention understanding“. The general chairs are Oskar Palinko, University of Southern Denmark, and Leon Bodenhagen, University of Southern Denmark. More information is available at icsr2024.dk.

Fig.: Navel at the ICSR 2023 in Qatar

Von A wie Alignment bis Z wie Zensur

Am 4. März 2024 hat Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel sein Manuskript zu „300 Keywords Generative KI“ bei Springer Gabler eingereicht. Es ist, wie der Titel schon verrät, der generativen KI gewidmet, im Englischen „generative AI“ oder „GenAI“ genannt. In mehr als 300 Einträgen wird das Thema ausgeleuchtet. Dabei spielen neben technischen und wirtschaftlichen Fragen insbesondere ethische und ästhetische eine Rolle. So wird nach der Schönheit von Artefakten gefragt, es wird die Stellung von Bildern zwischen Kunst und Kitsch ausgeleuchtet, und es wird eine Bias-Diskussion zu Text- und Bildgeneratoren geführt. So spielt der „american smile“ eine Rolle, zudem die Obsession von DALL-E 3 mit Bärten und Hinterteilen. Insgesamt steht der Nutzen der generativen KI im Vordergrund, und die Freude und Lust, sie zu benutzen. Es handelt sich um den fünften „Keywords“-Band des Technikphilosophen und Wirtschaftsinformatikers, nach „400 Keywords Informationsethik“ (2. Auflage), „450 Keywords Digitalisierung“ (2. Auflage), „300 Keywords Soziale Robotik“ (1. Auflage) und „110 Keywords Wirtschaftsethik“ (1. Auflage, zusammen mit Nick Lin-Hi und Andreas Suchanek). Weitere Informationen zum Lexikon gibt es voraussichtlich ab Juni 2024.

Abb.: Am Anfang zierte sich DALL-E 3 weniger bei fotorealistischen Darstellungen

Robot Enhancement for Quadrupeds

There are dozens of quadruped and bipedal robots. Quadrupeds are of particular interest to consumers because they are highly maneuverable yet safe to operate. Some are available from about $2000. One problem with most quadrupeds is that they have no head or only a hint of a head. This makes them look scary. Initial tests have shown that people are usually only put off by this for a short time and then quickly approach the robotic animals to touch and pet them. However, some users are not satisfied with the appearance and produce additional parts such as heads and tails. This leads to results like SparkyTheRobot, which has its own YouTube channel. Both the head and the tail are 3D printed and look convincing. The underlying Unitree Go2 is fundamentally changed in its appearance. What is being done here is robot enhancement. This term was coined by Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel. It describes an enhancement with clothing and accessories, additional body parts, new end pieces, or artificial skin. Programming improvements or the integration of AI systems are also included. The two-legged and four-legged animals currently appearing on the market are likely to capture the imagination of many users and lead to the creation of specialized companies.

Fig.: Oliver Bendel with his Unitree Go2 (Photo: Frank Graef)

Zweite Auflage von „Die Astronautin“

Am 8. Februar 2024 fand die Vernissage zum Buch „Tender Digitality“ (herausgegeben von Charlotte Axelsson) an der Zürcher Kunsthochschule statt. Enthalten darin ist die Sammlung „The Loneliness of the Female Astronaut“. Es handelt sich um drei Gedichte aus dem Buch „Die Astronautin“, das im Jahre 2000 erschienen ist. Alle Texte sind in 3D-Codes enthalten, sogenannten JAB-Codes, die eine Entwicklung des Fraunhofer-Instituts für Sichere Informationstechnologie SIT sind. Am 9. Februar kam die 2. Auflage heraus, mit einem neuen Cover und zusätzlichen Informationen zum Werk des Autors. Informationen zu weiteren Projekten von Oliver Bendel aus Wissenschaft und Kunst sind verfügbar über www.oliverbendel.net, www.informationsethik.net, www.maschinenethik.net und www.robophilosophy.com … Auf www.oliverbendel.net/publikationen2.html sind auch seine literarischen Werke aufgeführt. Einige davon kann man kostenlos herunterladen, da die Verlage inzwischen aufgelöst wurden oder weil es sich um Open-Access-Projekte handelt. Andere müssen im Buchhandel bzw. auf Amazon erstanden werden.

Abb.: Das Cover des Buchs zeigt die Astronautin in jungen Jahren

Die Einsamkeit der Astronautin

Im Buch „Tender Digitality“, herausgegeben von Charlotte Axelsson, ist die Sammlung „The Loneliness of the Female Astronaut“ („Die Einsamkeit der Astronautin“) von Oliver Bendel enthalten. Die drei Gedichte liegen in Form von 3D-Codes vor, genauer gesagt von JAB-Codes. Mit diesen experimentiert der in Zürich lebende Schriftsteller seit 2020. Damals erschien auch der digitale Band „Die Astronautin“ – aus dem die Auswahl entnommen ist. Zum ersten Mal liegt diese in gedruckter Form vor. Man geht mit dem Browser auf jabcode.org, eine Seite des Fraunhofer-Instituts für Sichere Informationstechnologie SIT, scannt einen der 3D-Codes ein und bekommt dann das ganze Gedicht angezeigt. Eine Onlineverbindung ist nicht notwendig. Auf die Idee, mehrdimensionale Codes als Speicher zu verwenden, kam Oliver Bendel im Jahre 2009. Damals entstand sein Band „handyhaiku“ – darin sind alle Texte zusätzlich in QR-Codes enthalten. 2010 erschien er in gedruckter Form beim Hamburger Haiku Verlag. Im gleichen Jahr kam „stöckelnde dinger“ als Handybuch bei Blackbetty heraus. Oliver Bendel schreibt seit 40 Jahren experimentelle Literatur. 1984 wurde er vom Förderkreis deutscher Schriftsteller gefördert. Ab 1985 trug er seine Gedichte auf Lesungen in Ulm und Stuttgart vor. Ab 2007 wurde er für seine Handyromane bekannt. Er trug sie wie seine Handygedichte auf einer Tournee durch die Niederlande vor, zu der ihn zwei Goethe-Institute eingeladen hatten. Das Standardwerk „Die Struktur der modernen Literatur“ von Mario Andreotti widmet seiner digitalen Literatur zwei Seiten. Das Buch „Tender Digitality“ erscheint Anfang Februar 2024 bei Slanted und kann bereits vorbestellt werden.

Abb.: Die Astronautin in jungen Jahren (Bild: DALL-E 3)

Lexikon zu generativer KI in Vorbereitung

Im Sommer 2024 erscheint ein weiteres „Keywords“-Buch von Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel bei Springer Gabler, „300 Keywords Generative KI“. Es ist, wie der Titel schon verrät, der generativen KI gewidmet, im Englischen „generative AI“ oder „GenAI“ genannt. In mehr als 300 Einträgen wird das Thema ausgeleuchtet. Dabei spielen neben technischen und wirtschaftlichen Fragen insbesondere ethische und ästhetische eine Rolle. So wird nach der Schönheit von Artefakten gefragt, es wird die Stellung von Bildern zwischen Kunst und Kitsch ausgeleuchtet, und es wird eine Bias-Diskussion zu Text- und Bildgeneratoren geführt. So spielt der „american smile“ eine Rolle, zudem die Obsession von DALL-E 3 mit Bärten. Insgesamt steht der Nutzen der generativen KI im Vordergrund, und die Freude und Lust, sie zu benutzen. Es handelt sich um den fünften „Keywords“-Band des Technikphilosophen und Wirtschaftsinformatikers, nach „400 Keywords Informationsethik“ (2. Auflage), „450 Keywords Digitalisierung“ (2. Auflage), „300 Keywords Soziale Robotik“ (1. Auflage) und „110 Keywords Wirtschaftsethik“ (1. Auflage, zusammen mit Nick Lin-Hi und Andreas Suchanek). Weitere Informationen zum Lexikon gibt es voraussichtlich ab Juni 2024.

Abb.: Oliver Bendel trägt keinen Bart

Tender Digitality

The book „Tender Digitality“, edited by Charlotte Axelsson from the Zurich University of the Arts, will be published in early February 2024. From the publisher’s website: „Tender Digitality introduces an aesthetically oriented concept that intricately intertwines binary systems in a complex manner, setting them in motion. The concept responds to the human desire for sensuality, interpersonal connection, intuition, and well-being in digital environments. It explores ways to (re)transmit these experiences into the analog world of a book, developing its own distinct vocabularies. Readers are guided through the various perspectives of this kaleidoscope, encouraging them to delve into different play-forms of ‚tender digitality‘ and develop their own approach. Assuming the role of researchers, they discover phenomena of extraordinary beauty or bizarreness within the spectrum spanning analogue and digital, social, and technological domains. Through exploration, learning, and the cultivation of ‚tender digitality,‘ readers can envision their own version of a community where individuals and artificial intelligences, avatars and cyborgs, humans and computers navigate digital landscapes with agency, intuition, and sensitivity.“ (Website Slanted) Contributors include Charlotte Axelsson, Oliver Bendel, Dana Blume, Marisa Burn, Alexander Damianisch, Léa Ermuth, Hannah Eßler, Barbara Getto, Leoni Hof, Marcial Koch, Mela Kocher, Friederike Lampert, Gunter Lösel, Francis Müller, Marie-France Rafael, Oliver Ruf, Sascha Schneider, and Grit Wolany. More information at www.slanted.de/product/tender-digitality/.

Fig.: A dance scene at the Zurich University of the Arts (Photo: © ZHdK)

A Self-talk with a Superhero

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed a web app to help children develop skills such as self-awareness and emotional management. They have published their findings in their paper „Self-Talk with Superhero Zip: Supporting Children’s Socioemotional Learning with Conversational Agents“. From the abstract: „Here, we examine whether children can learn to use a socioemotional strategy known as ’self-talk‘ from a conversational agent (CA). To investigate this question, we designed and built ‚Self-Talk with Superhero Zip,‘ an interactive CA experience, and deployed it for one week in ten family homes to pairs of siblings between the ages of five and ten … We found that children could recall and accurately describe the lessons taught by the intervention, and we saw indications of children applying self-talk in daily life.“ (Fu et al. 2023) The paper can be downloaded at dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3585088.3589376.

Fig.: A superheroine (Image: Ideogram)

„Soziale Roboter“ erreicht 250.000 Downloads

Das Buch „Soziale Roboter: Technikwissenschaftliche, wirtschaftswissenschaftliche, philosophische, psychologische und soziologische Grundlagen“ (Hrsg. Oliver Bendel) hat am 31. Dezember 2023 250.000 Downloads erreicht, nach nur etwas über zwei Jahren. Es besteht aus fünf Teilen: „Grundlagen, -begriffe und -fragen“, „Soziale Robotik und andere Disziplinen“, „Gestaltung, Interaktion und Kommunikation“, „Anwendungsbereiche sozialer Roboter“ und „Die Zukunft sozialer Roboter“. Es sind, das Vorwort mitgezählt, 30 Beiträge, mit ca. 35 Abbildungen, bei ca. 570 Seiten. Der Untertitel lautet: „Technikwissenschaftliche, wirtschaftswissenschaftliche, philosophische, psychologische und soziologische Grundlagen“. Mit dabei sind führende Experten der Sozialen Robotik, der Robotik, der Künstlichen Intelligenz, der Soziologie, der Psychologie und der Philosophie. Sie lehren und forschen an Hochschulen in der Schweiz, in Deutschland, in Österreich, in Dänemark und in Schweden. Auch ein Hersteller ist vertreten, der über den Einsatz seines Produkts berichtet. Das Fachbuch ist Ende 2021 bei Springer Gabler erschienen und kann über link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-31114-8 heruntergeladen oder bestellt werden. Zudem ist es in jeder Buchhandlung verfügbar.

Abb.: Einstein von Hanson Robotics bei der ICSR 2023 in Qatar

What to Do in Qatar after a Conference on Social Robotics

What can you do in Qatar after a conference on social robotics? So much that you might want to add a few days to your trip. It doesn’t just have to be camel riding, dune bashing, or the inland sea in the south. There is much more to do: 1. walk along the Corniche in Doha Old Town and admire the palm-frond street lamps and the wooden boats. 2. take a cab up the Corniche and marvel at the skyline of West Beach and Jeff Koons‘ DUGONG. 3. hire a boat and go out into Doha Bay at night to see the skyscrapers light up and one of the drone fireworks displays. 4. visit the Souq Waqif in Doha Old Down and head to the restaurant Parisa, where you can try the delicious Veg Khorak. 5. visit the National Museum of Qatar and enjoy the light installation by Pipilotti Rist (until 30 April 2024) and lunch or dinner at vegan Thataltheen Café. 6. take a walk in South Hills Park and enjoy the view of the city from the highest point. 7. visit the sustainable inner-city district of Msheireb Downtown Doha and ride the tram. 8. take a chauffeur-driven jeep to the area southeast of Shagra and swim in the Persian Gulf. 9. take another jeep to the northwest of Qatar and admire the Al Zubarah Fort in the evening light. 10. go to B12 Beach Club Doha, the hippest beach club in town, where you can wear your Speedos and Brazilian bikini and enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine (Photos: DUGONG, Parisa, and skyscrapers: Nihan Karataş; all others: Oliver Bendel).

Fig.: The B12 Beach Club Doha

Neues Buch über Textgeneratoren

In wenigen Tagen erscheint das Buch „KI:Text: Diskurse über KI-Textgeneratoren“, herausgegeben von Gerhard Schreiber (Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/Universität der Bundeswehr) und Lukas Ohly (Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main). Es ist aus der interdisziplinären Tagung „KI – Text und Geltung. Wie verändern KI-Textgeneratoren wissenschaftliche Diskurse?“, die am 25. und 26. August 2023 an der TU Darmstadt stattfand, hervorgegangen. Aus der Information zum Buch: „Wenn Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) Texte generieren kann, was sagt das darüber, was ein Text ist? Worin unterscheiden sich von Menschen geschriebene und mittels KI generierte Texte? Welche Erwartungen, Befürchtungen und Hoffnungen hegen Wissenschaften, wenn in ihren Diskursen KI-generierte Texte rezipiert werden und Anerkennung finden, deren Urheberschaft und Originalität nicht mehr eindeutig definierbar sind? Wie verändert sich die Arbeit mit Quellen und welche Konsequenzen ergeben sich daraus für die Kriterien wissenschaftlicher Textarbeit und das Verständnis von Wissenschaft insgesamt? Welche Chancen, Grenzen und Risiken besitzen KI-Textgeneratoren aus Sicht von Technikethik und Technikfolgenabschätzung? Und welche Kriterien sind für einen ethisch bewussten Umgang mit KI-Textgeneratoren im Bildungskontext anzulegen?“ (Website De Gruyter) Enthalten sind u.a. die Beiträge „KI-basierte Textgeneratoren aus Sicht der Ethik“ von Oliver Bendel, „Lernende Maschinen und die Zukunft der Öffentlichkeit“ von Christian Stöcker und „Mit generativen KI-Systemen auf dem Weg zum Human-AI Hybrid“ von Ulrike Aumüller, Maximilian Behrens, Colin Kavanagh, Dennis Przytarski und Doris Weßels. Offiziell kommt das Buch Ende Januar 2024 heraus. Die elektronische Version soll aber schon Ende Dezember dieses Jahres oder Anfang Januar nächsten Jahres vorliegen. Weitere Informationen über www.degruyter.com.

Abb.: Oliver Bendel am Campus Brugg-Windisch (Foto: Kai R. Joachim)

The Dugong of Doha

Anyone driving from Doha Old Town to Qatar University to visit the ICSR 2023 would usually pass the DUGONG sculpture by Jeff Koons, one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary artists. According to the Qatar Museums (QM), he often finds inspiration in everyday objects and transforms them into mesmerizing sculptures. Standing over 21 meters tall and 31 meters long, the inflatable dugong is a larger-than-life imagination of the creature gliding effortlessly through a marine habitat. It is nothing less than a celebration of Qatar’s natural heritage. The Emirate is home to the world’s second largest population of dugongs. These unusual and lovable marine mammals are believed to have first appeared in the waters of the Arabian Gulf some 7,500 years ago. According to the website, Qatar Museums commissioned this site-specific installation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Fig.: The DUGONG by Jeff Koons (Photo: Nihan Karataş)

Sustainability in Doha

With its oil industry, highways lined with thousands of SUVs, and skyscrapers, Qatar is not known as a haven for sustainability. But the region is keen to turn over a new green leaf. According to The Plan, „Msheireb Properties (MP) has regenerated the historic downtown district of Doha, to create a brand new, smart, sustainable inner-city development – Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD)“ (The Plan). It has a high concentration of gold or Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified sustainable buildings. The project website gives the following facts: „Streets within Msheireb are oriented to capture cool breezes from the Gulf and shade most pedestrian routes from the hot sun. Buildings are massed to shade one another, and light coloured to reduce cooling requirements. Eco-friendly building material, thicker walls, heat-isolating glass that prevent the heat loss and keeps the internal temperature, resulting in loess use of energy for cooling. 30% energy reduhighwaysction due to the improved building envelopes of walls and windows, recessed windows, energy recovery to the outside air entering the building, optimised and a high-efficiency district cooling plant.“ (Website Msheireb Downtown Doha) More information via www.msheireb.com.

Fig.: The tramway in Msheireb Downtown Doha

GPTs are Chatbots for Everyone

On 6 November 2023, OpenAI made so-called GPTs available for ChatGPT Plus users. „GPTs are a new way for anyone to create a tailored version of ChatGPT to be more helpful in their daily life, at specific tasks, at work, or at home – and then share that creation with others. For example, GPTs can help you learn the rules to any board game, help teach your kids math, or design stickers.“ (Blogpost OpenAI, 6 November 2023) According to OpenAI, anyone can easily build their own GPT, without any programming skills. „You can make them for yourself, just for your company’s internal use, or for everyone. Creating one is as easy as starting a conversation, giving it instructions and extra knowledge, and picking what it can do, like searching the web, making images or analyzing data.“ (Blogpost OpenAI, 6 November 2023) Early tests have shown the power of the new feature. ChatGPT suggests a name for the Chatbot, creates the profile picture, and accepts documents with text and literature lists to expand its knowledge of the topic. Since 12 November 2023, a new GPT named Social Robotics Girl is available that provides information about social robotics. It was created by Oliver Bendel and fed by a collection of his articles on the topic. Learn more about GPTs at openai.com/blog/introducing-gpts.

Fig.: A user with her own GPT chatbot (Image: DALL-E 3)