TRAI-L the Transdisciplinary Research for Augmented Innovation Laboratory aims to be the precursor of deep changes. Our tools: Openness, clear vision, adaptability, Artificial Intelligence, scientific talent attraction, attention to ethics, and a transdisciplinary approach to innovation.
TRAI-L is extremely young —barely nascent— at the moment. Its vision and core values elicit the hard work and commitment of a vibrant, multinational team of scientists and entrepreneurs devoted to bringing the vision of a better world forward.
Stay with us on this journey of discovery and progress to share our enthusiasm and our hardships, and even to change the world.
Today is the day for women and girls in STEM. There has been much talk about quotas for equality and generating opportunities, however, the greatest danger may not be the patriarchal environment, but the repressive and retrograde educational methods that prevent girls (and boys) from maintaining their natural curiosity about the world.
In addition, the lack of female role models and mentors in the STEM field also contributes to the inequality in gender representation. Girls and women should be inspired and supported in their interests and passions, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is essential to foster an environment of equal opportunities and inclusion in all areas of society, including the STEM field. By doing so, we are building a more diverse, equitable, and prosperous future for all people.
Authoritarian education model
The authoritarian school environment, where children are asked to be quiet, obey, and solve endless exercise books, can crush the inquisitive spirit of any child, but it is particularly harmful in the case of girls because it reinforces the notion that girls are not meant to ask questions or challenge authority, and that their role is to be passive and obedient. This type of education stifles creativity and curiosity, and can lead to girls feeling disinterested or disengaged in STEM subjects. Additionally, research has shown that girls tend to perform better in more hands-on, project-based, and collaborative learning environments, which are often missing in authoritarian school settings. To ensure that girls have equal opportunities to succeed in STEM, creating a supportive and empowering learning environment that encourages girls to be confident, curious, and engaged in the subject matter is vital.
It is essential that STEM education be an exciting and challenging experience for all students, regardless of their gender. This includes the inclusion of hands-on activities, collaborative projects, and the exploration of relevant and meaningful problems. By fostering a positive and authentic learning environment, we can help girls and women develop their passion for science and technology and play a vital role in the future of the STEM world. It is also important to remember that gender equality is not just a matter of social justice, but also an economic necessity, as diversity and inclusion in STEM are crucial for growth and innovation in the global economy.
Strict stereotypes on the family
From a sociocultural and family perspective, it is important for parents and families to encourage and support the interests and passions of their children, regardless of their gender. This includes providing resources and opportunities for children to learn about STEM and explore their interests in this field. It is also important for parents and families to promote values such as gender equality and inclusion, and foster a home environment where their children feel they can be whoever they want to be and do what they want to do. The family is one of the first influences in a child’s life, and it is essential to foster a culture of support and empowerment to ensure that all girls and women have the same opportunities for success in STEM and in all areas of their life.
Similarly, to the pressure exerted on girls to lean towards artistic or “soft” activities, the pressure on boys to occupy spaces in STEM disciplines can result in frustrated men occupying those spaces, taking places that could be for women.
This type of pressure and gender stereotypes can be harmful to both boys and girls. It is important for boys and girls to have the freedom to explore their interests and passions without being limited by gender stereotypes or external pressures. Instead of pressuring boys to follow a certain path, it is important to foster an environment where they can explore and discover their interests and passions, regardless of their gender. By doing so, we can ensure that all boys and girls have the opportunity to develop their potential and achieve their goals, both in STEM and in any other area of their life.
Christian E. Maldonado-Sifuentes, Ph.D. Computer Science
The ever-accelerating nature of development in machine learning has brought us to the brink of general artificial intelligence, it might be as near as 2025, or perhaps even closer. This explosive development is rapidly changing the way we produce, consume, enjoy, create and, in general, how we live.
Since the times when we were contemplating the opportunities the 2010 revival of AI would bring the term singularity started to pop-up in the media and ever increasingly in day-to.day conversations. What appeared to be science-fiction for some, or perhaps inflated through media hype, turned out to fall short in their expectations.
The term “singularity” was coined by mathematician John von Neumann, and popularized by science fiction writer Vernor Vinge. The idea is that at some point in the future, artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence, leading to a rapid acceleration in technological progress and a fundamental change in the nature of human civilization.
When asked about it some scientists pushed its arrival as far as 2100, others to 2050, the most daring science fiction writers to 2030. Some computer scientists, especially those working with deep neural networks, dismissed it or labeled it as impossible, considering AI would excel in individual or “narrow” tasks to superhuman levels, but would never generalize to all cognitive tasks.
In 2022 we got GATO, GPT, DALL-E, and Stable Diffusion, which are single-purposed AI models that have made progress towards achieving general AI. They are specialized in specific tasks and can outperform humans in their areas of expertise, but they also have the ability to perform multiple tasks and adapt to new situations.
These models have pushed the envelope of single-purposed AI closer to general AI, and, thus, to singularity. While they are not fully general-purpose systems, they have shown that it is possible for AI to perform multiple tasks and adapt to new environments, which is an important step towards developing more general-purpose AI systems. And they’re doing so at an amazing speed.
In the case of Stable Diffusion it is noteworthy that it has gone the open-source way and this is making it grow impressively, without needing the ample single-source monetary resources that propel DALL-E and GPT.
It is now quite possible that these (and other) models will achieve such a level of generalization in their next two iterations that they will be used in every aspect of our lives. And they will be integrated into the craftsmanship of many creative and managerial jobs, making the current study programs and human resource profiles obsolete.
It is time to appropriate these new techniques deeply and rapidly. We need to understand and incorporate them into the dynamics of governments, the companies, institutions and our daily life. Democratization of these technologies is essential, and perhaps, the fact they are becoming generally intelligent is the factor that will enable every person to interact with them. This way technology can be again a means for inclusion. This way humans can stay relevant and centric in a new AI world.
Artificial Intelligence is one of the hottest topics right now, but thinking about adopting AI in your organization is not the way to go, not anymore. If your organization had started moving towards AI back in 2016 it would have had a chance to build enough strength to survive the upcoming cataclysm: AI is about to go pervasive. The ship of AI adoption has left the port so long ago it is impossible to see now.
Artificial Intelligence Augmented Innovation, by Stable Diffusion (Vainilla)
Not far into the future —somewhere between 2024 and 2028— a tectonic shift unlike anything ever experienced is going to shake the creation of value to its very core. Artificial Intelligence is not a thing of the future, it has become the major driving force behind advances in production techniques and enhanced service productivity. As AI advances in power, complexity, and creativity, human knowledge and decision-making are not safe-havens anymore. How can you compete when a new organization will be able to do all your company does with ever-shrinking costs and with ever-growing efficiency?
To face the looming threat, innovation is key. But traditional innovation is unsustainable. Most companies are not prepared to innovate, and practically none is ready to innovate at sufficient speed to compete against the efficiencies already acquired by AI-enabled companies.
Is everything lost? No.
Organizations need to be deconstructed and rebuilt with a different AI at their core. This new AI stands for Augmented Innovation. Stay with us and discover what it is and how it will enable your organization to survive and thrive in the hyper-hostile environment soon to come.
