40% of the global Jobs to be Affected by AI : IMF

• Global Job Impact:

  • IMF analysis indicates that nearly 40% of jobs worldwide will be affected by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

• Inequality Concerns:

  • IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warns that, in most scenarios, AI is likely to worsen overall inequality globally.

• Advanced Economies vs. Emerging Markets:

  • In advanced economies, around 60% of jobs may be impacted by AI, with potential benefits to 50% of these jobs through increased productivity.

  • In emerging markets and low-income countries, AI exposure is expected to be 40% and 26%, respectively.

• Immediate Disruptions and Infrastructure Challenges:

  • Emerging markets and developing economies may face fewer immediate disruptions from AI but lack infrastructure and skilled workforces to fully harness its benefits.

• Inequality Risks Within Nations:

  • AI could contribute to income and wealth inequality within countries, with higher-income and younger workers potentially experiencing disproportionate wage increases.

• Polarisation and Social Safety Nets:

  • Possible polarisation within income brackets, with workers able to harness AI seeing increased productivity and wages, while others lag.

  • IMF emphasizes the need for comprehensive social safety nets and retraining programs to make the AI transition inclusive and curb inequality.

IIT Indore’s research reveals Gut Bacteria can lead to Alzheimer’s

• IIT Indore, with Choithram Hospital, explores Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) role in gut-brain axis disruption and neuroinflammation.

• Study suggests gut microbial secretions may influence the brain through the gut-brain axis.

• Gut-brain axis involves bidirectional communication between central and enteric nervous systems.

• Research led by Dr. Hem Chandra Jha and Dr. Ajay Kumar Jain investigates molecular insight into Alzheimer's disease neuropathology.

• STAT3-mediated neuroinflammation caused by H. pylori secretome linked to Alzheimer's disease-associated hallmarks.

• Antimicrobial-resistant H. pylori strains impact brain physiology, suggesting a potential link between stomach bacteria and neurological conditions.

• Inhibiting STAT3 identified as a potential strategy to counter neuroinflammation and Alzheimer's disease-related pathology.

Agritech Kisankonnect Secures $3.74M in Pre-Series A Funding Led by Green Frontier Capital

• Fresh produce agro start-up Kisankonnect raises Rs 31 crore ($3.74 million) in pre-series A funding.

• Funding round led by Climate tech-focused fund Green Frontier Capital (GFC).

• Other participants include Dhanuka Agritech Limited, VC Grid, and various family offices.

• The company emphasizes an eco-friendly future with a groundbreaking supply chain to accelerate fresh produce delivery.

• Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty participated in Kisankonnect's angel round in May 2023.

• Kisankonnect directly sources from farmers and delivers to over 1 lakh clients in Mumbai and Pune via its D2C App and Farm Stores.

• The firm collaborates closely with farmers to grow food responsibly and employs in-house technologies for efficient distribution.

• 'Village Staples' and 'Mom's Kitchen' labels offer handpicked agri-produce and preservative-free snacks made by rural women in a sanitary central kitchen.

What is Computer Vision : Brief look at the subset of Artificial Intelligence

Do you know, even Computer’s use First Principle thinking. Yea, they break down the Images into Pixels and analyses them 😁 . Lets see what Computer vision and how it works

Computer Vision is a field in Artificial Intelligence that deals with acquiring, processing, analysing visual data such as Images, Videos and obtains meaningful insights from these. Computer Vision is a powerful field of Artificial Intelligence whose application has spread in almost all sectors. We have come across computer vision’s real time application in our everyday life such as Traffic Camera’s that monitors if vehicles overspeed, in our mobile phone where it is present in the form of FaceId detection, Medical Image Scanning such as X-rays, MRI, in google lens for finding products and much more.

Inspired by Human Brain :

• It replicates human vision's functions but through the use of cameras, algorithms, and data, rather than human physiological systems like retinas and optic nerves.

• It needs substantial data to learn, analyzing and recognizing distinctions in images by repeatedly studying vast datasets.

• RNNs, akin to CNNs, are used in video applications to help computers understand relationships between images in a sequence of frames.

How Computer Vision Works

• In the realm of computer vision, deep learning, a subset of machine learning, is employed extensively to train algorithms.

• Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are at the core of many advanced computer vision techniques and algorithms.

• These networks are pivotal in allowing computers to understand and interpret visual data from images by learning from vast amounts of data.

• With enough data, the computer learns to differentiate between various images through the CNN.

• CNNs process image data by breaking it down into pixels, which are then labeled to train specific features, a process known as image annotation.

• Using these labels, the AI model conducts convolutions and makes predictions regarding the visual content, continuously refining these predictions until they align with expectations and become accurate.

Economics Word of the Day : What is Inflation & what are its impacts

Inflation is the gradual increase in prices of goods and services over time, impacting the purchasing power of both consumers and businesses. It results in a dollar or currency having less value than before.

• What is the Impact of Inflation: For instance, comparing prices of items like coffee, which in the 90’s cost close to Rs.5 but fast forward to 2024 it costs close to Rs.20. This means back in 90’s we can buy 4 coffees with Rs.20 but in 2024 we can buy only one coffee with the same amount of money, this illustrates how inflation reduces purchasing power. It extends beyond single item price increases to sectors and the overall economy.

• Healthy Economy's Inflation Rate: In a robust economy, an annual inflation rate of around two percent is deemed stable by economists. At this level, inflation can stimulate spending, promoting demand and productivity, especially during economic slowdowns. However, if inflation surpasses wage growth, it signals economic challenges.

• Effects on Consumers and Businesses: Inflation directly impacts consumers as they face increased prices for essentials like food and utilities. Similarly, businesses face rising costs for production inputs like raw materials and machinery, often leading them to raise product prices, thereby transferring these increased costs to consumers.

• Measuring Inflation: Statistical agencies use price indices to measure inflation by comparing the value of these indices across different periods, such as monthly or annually. 

• Causes of Inflation: There are two primary causes:

  • Demand-Pull Inflation: Arises when demand exceeds the economy's ability to produce, causing shortages and price increases.

  • Cost-Push Inflation: Occurs when rising input prices force the increase of final goods and services prices. For example, increased commodity prices during the pandemic led to price hikes in various sectors.