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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: June 23, 2023
Has a mathematician solved the ‘invariant subspace problem’? And what does that even mean?
(The Conversation) Two weeks ago, a modest-looking paper was uploaded to the arXiv preprint server with the unassuming title “On the invariant subspace problem in Hilbert spaces”. The paper is just 13 pages long and its list of references contains only a single entry. The paper purports to contain the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle that mathematicians have been picking away at for more than half a century: the invariant subspace problem. Famous open problems often attract ambitious attempts at solutions by interesting characters out to make their name. But such efforts are usually quickly shot down by experts. Read More
AFRL Research Engineers Develop AR Technology for Nondestructive Aircraft Inspections
(Executive Gov) Research engineers at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate have developed an augmented reality system for nondestructive inspections of military aircraft. The Augmented Reality for Nondestructive Evaluation was designed to project three-dimensional hologram images onto physical aircraft parts to guide technicians through the process of using eddy current for bolt hole inspections, AFRL said Thursday. “ARNE walks them through a series of processes by superimposing actual equipment and the interfaces that they see, in their direct field of use, so the information is right in front of them,” said Eric Lindgren, nondestructive technology lead at AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. Read More
Senate Committee Passes Bills on AI Disclosure; Security of Leased Space
(FEDweek) The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee has approved S-1865, to require federal agencies to notify individuals when they are interacting with or subject to decisions made using certain AI or other automated systems. The measure, introduced recently after a hearing on the issue, also would require agencies to establish an appeals process that will ensure there is a human review of AI-generated decisions that may negatively affect individuals. Read More
National Energy Tech Lab Uses Cerebras AI Processor to Make Research Simulation Energy-Efficient
(Executive Gov) The National Energy Technology Laboratory collaborated with Cerebras Systems, a startup that develops artificial intelligence computing technology, to create a wafer scale-based programming interface for research project simulations. NETL said Tuesday the Wafer-scale Engine Field Equation Application, or WFA, has the potential to expedite the generation of simulation data using less amounts of energy. Cerebras is the designer of this wafer-scale engine, which has proven to be 1,500 times more energy efficient than existing computing technologies used in research. Read More
CFPB looks to existing law to regulate workplace surveillance tech
(FCW) The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says existing federal law can help manage how the data broker industry utilizes data sourced from workplace surveillance technologies. The agency made its comments in response to a White House request for information on the impact of automated monitoring tools that are increasingly being used by U.S. employers. The CFPB’s response to the White House outlines how the government can extend consumer protections to safeguard sensitive data, particularly within hiring and termination practices. Read More
A new bipartisan bill looks to thwart financial conflicts of interest for top government officials
(Government Executive) A new bipartisan bill aims to beef up prevention of financial conflicts of interest between senior federal government officials and the industries their agencies regulate. Reps. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., and Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., have co-sponsored the Halting Ownership of Non-Ethical Securities and Trusts (HONEST) Act, which comes after a Wall Street Journal investigation published last fall found that thousands of federal government officials reported owning or trading stocks in companies that were affected by their agencies’ actions. Read More
Europe Next-Gen Air Combat System Far from Settled
(AI Online) The full-scale mockup of the pan-European Next Generation Fighter (NGF) outside Hall 2A at the Paris Airshow is the same one unveiled here four years ago. Does that signify a lack of progress? Some would say yes, after all the subsequent controversy about design leadership and who does what. But that issue got settled late last year, with Dassault confirmed as design leader rather than Airbus and various other accommodations involving Indra, MTU, Safran, and Thales also agreed. Read More