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Hospitals Adopt AI Transcription Systems Despite Worries About Possible Mistakes

# Investigation Reveals OpenAI’s Whisper Tool Can Generate False Text in Medical Transcripts

A thorough examination by the Associated Press (AP) has uncovered that OpenAI’s Whisper transcription tool, initially praised for its precision, is susceptible to producing misleading text, especially in critical fields such as healthcare and business. This issue, commonly known as “confabulation” or “hallucination” within the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), has sparked considerable concern regarding the tool’s dependability, particularly in vital environments like medical transcription.

## Whisper’s Initial Success and Rising Concerns

Upon its launch in 2022, Whisper was celebrated as a revolutionary advancement in automatic speech recognition (ASR). OpenAI claimed that Whisper achieved “human-level robustness” in audio transcription accuracy. However, as additional researchers and developers began utilizing the tool, alarming trends surfaced. The AP report noted that a researcher from the University of Michigan discovered that Whisper produced incorrect text in 80% of the public meeting transcripts analyzed. Another developer, who reviewed 26,000 transcriptions, indicated that nearly all of them contained erroneous content.

These inaccuracies are not merely trivial mistakes but can encompass entirely fabricated sentences or phrases that were never articulated. This concern is particularly critical in healthcare settings, where precision is essential.

## Concerns Regarding Whisper in Healthcare

Despite explicit warnings from OpenAI about employing Whisper in “high-risk domains,” the tool has been embraced by more than 30,000 medical professionals for transcribing patient encounters. Prominent healthcare facilities, including the Mankato Clinic in Minnesota and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, are utilizing Whisper-powered AI solutions developed by the medical technology firm Nabla. These solutions are optimized to recognize medical terminology, yet the danger of confabulation persists.

Nabla has admitted that Whisper can produce false text, but the company is said to delete original audio files for “data safety reasons.” This approach could worsen the dilemma, as it hinders doctors from validating the accuracy of the transcriptions against the original recordings. This is particularly problematic for deaf patients, who depend on precise transcripts for communication and may have no means to confirm the accuracy of the information.

## Wider Implications: Whisper’s Fabrications Beyond Medicine

The challenges associated with Whisper extend beyond the medical domain. Researchers from Cornell University and the University of Virginia performed a study on thousands of audio samples and discovered that Whisper occasionally introduced non-existent violent themes or racial commentary into otherwise neutral dialogues. In 1% of the samples, Whisper invented whole hallucinated phrases or sentences, with 38% of those containing damaging material, like inciting violence or making erroneous connections.

In a notably concerning instance, Whisper recorded a speaker’s mention of “two other girls and one lady” as “two other girls and one lady who were Black,” despite the original audio containing no racial references. In another case, a harmless remark about a boy with an umbrella was distorted into a violent story about a boy committing murder with a “terror knife.”

## The Reasons Behind Whisper’s Confabulations

The underlying technology of Whisper is the root cause of its confabulations. Whisper is structured on a Transformer-based AI model, which predicts the next likely token (a data segment) based on a sequence of input tokens derived from audio input. The model’s output represents a prediction of what is most probable, not necessarily accurate.

The accuracy of Whisper’s transcriptions is heavily influenced by the quality and relevance of the training data. Whisper was trained on 680,000 hours of multilingual and multitask supervised data collected from the internet, which likely contains a significant amount of captioned audio from platforms like YouTube. This training dataset may not always reflect the specific contexts in which Whisper is applied, such as medical or corporate environments.

When Whisper encounters subpar audio or unclear speech, it resorts to what it “knows” from its training dataset. This can result in confabulations, as the model fills in voids with plausible yet incorrect information. For instance, if Whisper has frequently encountered the phrase “crimes by Black criminals” in its training dataset, it may mistakenly insert the term “Black” when transcribing a distorted audio sample related to crimes.

Moreover, Whisper seems to experience a phenomenon known as “overfitting,” where the model becomes excessively reliant on certain patterns found in the training data. This could elucidate why Whisper sometimes generates phrases like “thank you for watching” or “like and subscribe” when presented with silent or distorted inputs, as these phrases are prevalent in YouTube videos.

## Tackling the Problem: Potential Solutions

OpenAI has recognized the issue of confabulation and is diligently working to mitigate the incidence of fabricated text within Whisper’s transcriptions. One possible approach is to implement a secondary AI model to identify areas of unclear audio and help improve transcription quality.

Apple Unveils iOS 18.1 and macOS 15.1 Showcasing Improved Apple Intelligence Integration

# Apple’s AI Suite: The Phased Introduction of “Apple Intelligence” Commences

Apple has formally initiated the public launch of its eagerly awaited AI suite, dubbed **Apple Intelligence**, alongside the release of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, macOS Sequoia 15.1, tvOS 18.1, visionOS 2.1, and watchOS 11.1. This is a crucial milestone for the tech behemoth as it ventures into the competitive realm of AI, competing with companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI.

However, the release is phased, with certain features being accessible only to users in particular regions and on select devices. Below is an overview of what Apple Intelligence offers and what users can anticipate in the upcoming months.

## Apple Intelligence: The Initial Set of Features

Apple Intelligence aims to enrich user interactions throughout Apple’s ecosystem, encompassing iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The initial set of features concentrates on boosting productivity, minimizing distractions, and enhancing user-device interactions. Here’s a detailed rundown of some key features:

### 1. **Writing Tools**
– **Rewrite**: This function provides alternative phrasing for your text, enabling users to select the optimal flow and wording.
– **Proofread**: It delivers grammar corrections and language enhancements, ensuring polished writing.
– **Summarize**: Users can choose text to generate a brief summary, making it simpler to process extensive information.

### 2. **Siri Enhancements**
– **Updated Appearance**: Siri now showcases a glowing light that encircles the screen’s edge, creating a more engaging and responsive user interface.
– **Conversational Context**: Siri can now remember context across multiple exchanges, facilitating more natural dialogues.
– **Product Knowledge**: Siri is able to respond to thousands of inquiries regarding Apple products and settings.
– **Voice Improvements**: Siri’s voice sounds more natural and expressive, enhancing the human-like quality of interactions.

### 3. **Photos App**
– **Natural Language Search**: Users can locate photos and videos simply by articulating what they seek.
– **Memory Movies**: You can effortlessly create memory movies by narrating the story you wish to see, with the app assembling a video sequence from your images.
– **Clean Up**: This feature eliminates distractions from the background of your photos.

### 4. **Notifications and Focus Mode**
– **Notification Summaries**: A quick overview of significant notifications helps users manage their tasks without feeling overwhelmed.
– **Minimize Interruptions**: A new Focus mode that quiets distractions while allowing urgent notifications to come through.
– **Smart Reply**: In both Mail and Messages, suggested replies enable users to respond swiftly and effectively.
– **Priority Messages**: Important emails are automatically highlighted and showcased at the top of your inbox.

### 5. **Device and Region Limitations**
– **Supported Devices**: Apple Intelligence is compatible with devices featuring an A17 Pro, A18, A18 Pro, or M1 chip or newer. Hence, older devices will not be able to access these functionalities.
– **Region Restrictions**: While users in the U.S. can utilize all features immediately, those in the European Union encounter limitations. Currently, EU users can only access Apple Intelligence on macOS in U.S. English, with support for iPhone and iPad anticipated to begin in April.

## Upcoming Features: What Lies Ahead?

Although the first wave of Apple Intelligence features is now live, Apple has assured users of more to come shortly. Some of the most eagerly awaited features include:

– **Genmoji**: An innovative generation of customizable, AI-driven emojis.
– **Image Playground**: A creative tool for generating and altering images.
– **ChatGPT Integration**: Apple is working on incorporating OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its ecosystem, potentially transforming user-device interactions.
– **Visual Intelligence**: This feature will enable devices to better comprehend and interpret visual data, enhancing applications like Photos and Camera.
– **Siri’s Onscreen Awareness**: This capability will allow Siri to recognize and respond to onscreen elements, making interactions even more intuitive.

These extra features are expected to debut in December, with some, like Siri’s onscreen awareness, becoming available even later.

## Other Significant Updates in iOS 18.1

In addition to the features of Apple Intelligence, iOS 18.1 and its accompanying updates introduce several other enhancements to the Apple ecosystem:

### 1. **AirPods Pro Advancements**
– **Hearing Test**: A scientifically validated hearing assessment that users can undertake from the comfort of their homes.
– **Hearing Aid**: Tailored, clinical-grade support for users experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss.

Graphene-Enhanced Ceramic Tiles Transform Artistic Creation

# Elevating Ceramics with Graphene Oxide and Ultrasonication: A Blend of Science and Creativity

Recently, the domain of materials science has experienced a captivating fusion with art, especially through the application of advanced nanomaterials like graphene oxide (GO). Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a technique that merges the exceptional qualities of graphene oxide with ceramics, resulting in materials that are stronger, more durable, and resistant to fractures. This advancement, highlighted in a recent article published in *ACS Omega*, also facilitated a distinctive partnership with artist Delia Prvački, who utilized these enhanced ceramics to craft an art installation at the NUS Museum. This piece delves into the scientific foundations of this innovation and its artistic ramifications.

## The Strength of Graphene Oxide

Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms organized in a hexagonal structure, is celebrated for its remarkable attributes. It stands as the thinnest known material, yet boasts extraordinary strength, low weight, and excellent conductivity. These features have positioned graphene as a “wonder material” with various applications spanning electronics, energy storage, and water purification.

Graphene oxide (GO), a variant of graphene, preserves many of these characteristics while being simpler to produce and manipulate. GO has utilized in applications including transparent coatings, flexible electronics, biosensors, and drug delivery systems. When integrated into ceramics, the addition of GO can greatly improve the mechanical properties of the material, enhancing toughness and wear resistance.

Nevertheless, a challenge of employing GO as a reinforcing component in ceramics lies in achieving an even distribution throughout the ceramic matrix. Conventional methods like mechanical mixing often result in uneven dispersion, leading to variable material properties. This is where the innovative approach from the NUS team comes into play.

## Ultrasonication: A Revolutionary Technique for Ceramic Enhancement

The NUS researchers, under the guidance of materials scientist Daria Andreeva, uncovered that employing low-frequency sound waves (a technique referred to as ultrasonication) could address the challenge of uneven GO dispersion. Ultrasonication operates by generating cavitation—minute bubbles that form and implode within the slurry, facilitating the breakdown and uniform distribution of GO sheets throughout the ceramic blend.

Through a series of trials, the team refined the process. They concluded that incorporating 0.5 weight percent of GO into the ceramic slurry and applying ultrasound for 10 minutes produced the most favorable outcomes. This technique not only enhanced the mechanical attributes of the ceramics but also improved their visual appeal and processing efficiency.

The resulting ceramic tiles exhibited superior durability, strength, and resistance to heat and fractures compared to conventional ceramics. These characteristics render them suitable for both practical applications and artistic ventures.

## The Confluence of Science and Creativity

The collaboration between the NUS team and artist Delia Prvački elevated this scientific achievement to new heights. Prvački, recognized for her expertise in ceramics, employed the graphene-reinforced material to craft a collection of intricately textured tiles for an art installation at the NUS Museum. The installation highlighted the potential of this novel material not only for industrial or scientific applications but also for artistic expression.

Prvački’s endeavor involved testing various preparation techniques. She utilized high-speed cameras to illustrate the distinctions between merely fired ceramic tiles, those that were sonicated, and those made using the optimal formulation devised by the NUS team. The latter tiles were not only sturdier but also permitted greater control over surface textures, allowing for the execution of intricate and delicate patterns that would have been unachievable with standard ceramics.

The partnership between Prvački and the NUS researchers emphasizes the opportunity for graphene-infused ceramics to extend the possibilities of traditional ceramic artistry. As the study’s authors remarked, “Leveraging graphene’s properties pushes the limits of conventional ceramic art, allowing for the creation of delicate and intricate ceramic forms that were once beyond reach.”

## Graphene in Art Preservation

This is not the first instance of graphene making its presence felt in the art arena. In 2021, researchers investigated the utilization of graphene to conserve invaluable artworks. For instance, several oil paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe have developed minute pin-sized blisters over time, a challenge that conservators have grappled with. Similarly, Vincent van Gogh’s *Sunflower* series has suffered fading from light exposure, with chromium in the chrome yellow pigment reacting with other substances to compromise the color.

The distinctive qualities of graphene present an appealing remedy for art preservation. It is transparent, bonds effectively to various surfaces, and serves as an excellent shield against oxygen, gases, and moisture—all of which can lead to the degradation of artworks. In addition, graphene is hydrophobic and absorbs UV light, offering further protection against environmental harm.

## The Prospects of Graphene-Enhanced Ceramics

The research conducted by the NUS team unveils thrilling opportunities for the future of ceramics. By integrating graphene oxide with ultrasonication

“Apple Shifts Remaining Accessories from Lightning to USB-C”

# The Global Transition to USB-C: Apple’s Recent Action and Its Implications for the Future

For many years, the technology landscape has been slowly progressing toward a unified standard for charging and connectivity, and one of the final major resistors—Apple—has now made a noteworthy advance in this direction. With the launch of its latest iMac, Apple has revealed that its peripherals, including the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad, will now incorporate USB-C ports instead of the proprietary Lightning connectors that have been integral to Apple devices for almost ten years.

This transition signifies a crucial moment in the movement toward USB-C becoming the universal standard for charging and data exchange among devices. But what does this entail for consumers, and why is this change so important?

## The Development of USB-C and Apple’s Hesitance

USB-C, which was unveiled in 2014, has long been recognized as the future of connectivity. Its reversible design, quicker data transfer speeds, and capacity to provide more power than earlier USB standards render it a flexible and robust connector. Over the years, many manufacturers have embraced USB-C for laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices, but Apple has been hesitant to fully adopt it within its entire product range.

Apple introduced its proprietary Lightning connector in 2012, and for a period, it was a superior choice compared to the older USB formats. However, as USB-C became more popular and broadly accepted, Apple’s ongoing dependence on Lightning for devices like the iPhone and its accessories started to appear increasingly outdated.

The move toward USB-C in Apple’s lineup has been incremental. The company initially introduced USB-C ports on its MacBooks in 2015, followed by the iPad Pro in 2018. Nevertheless, the iPhone and several of Apple’s accessories, such as the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse, continued to use Lightning. That is, until now.

## The EU’s Influence in Encouraging Apple to Adopt USB-C

Apple’s transition to USB-C has not been entirely by choice. In 2022, the European Union enacted legislation mandating that all smartphones and other portable devices sold in the EU implement USB-C for charging by 2024. The aim of this regulation is to cut down on electronic waste by eliminating the necessity for various types of chargers and cables, thus simplifying the charging process for consumers with a single standard.

Facing the obligation to comply with these regulations, Apple commenced the transition. The iPhone 15, launched in 2023, was the inaugural iPhone to incorporate a USB-C port, signifying the official conclusion of the Lightning period for Apple’s flagship product. Now, with the introduction of the new iMac and its USB-C-enabled accessories, Apple is further solidifying its dedication to the universal standard.

## What Devices Continue to Utilize Lightning?

While the transition to USB-C is progressing, Apple hasn’t entirely forsaken Lightning just yet. As it stands, the iPhone SE and iPhone 14 still utilize Lightning ports, although it is anticipated that upcoming versions of these devices will convert to USB-C in order to align with EU regulations. Additionally, Apple’s Vision Pro battery pack utilizes a proprietary connector that resembles Lightning, yet it is not an authentic Lightning cable.

The iPhone SE, in particular, is likely to transition to USB-C in its next version, as Apple must ensure that all devices available in Europe conform to the new regulations. Once this occurs, the Lightning connector will probably be phased out entirely, signaling the conclusion of an era for Apple’s proprietary charging standard.

## The Advantages of a Universal Standard

For consumers, the transition to USB-C is a favorable development. One of the largest grievances for tech users has been the necessity to carry multiple types of cables and chargers for various devices. With USB-C emerging as the standard across a diverse array of products, including laptops, smartphones, and accessories, it is becoming increasingly feasible to charge all of your devices using a singular cable.

This not only streamlines the user experience but also brings forth environmental benefits. Fewer cables equate to reduced electronic waste, and the capability to reuse chargers across various devices diminishes the demand for new accessories. The EU’s initiative for a universal charging standard is part of a larger effort to decrease the environmental footprint of consumer electronics, and Apple’s acceptance of USB-C is a critical advancement in that direction.

## The Future: What Lies Ahead for USB-C?

While USB-C is gaining traction, there are still some devices that have yet to make the transition. Some older or lower-cost gadgets, such as certain Raspberry Pi models or older smartphones, still rely on micro-USB. Furthermore, certain enterprise laptops and network switches continue to depend on proprietary barrel chargers.

However, the direction is clear: USB-C is becoming the prevailing standard for charging and connectivity, and it’s merely a matter of time before it is widespread across all devices. As additional manufacturers adopt USB-C, the necessity for various types of cables and chargers will persist.