Latest news with #CREATE
The Diplomat
13 minutes ago
- Science
- The Diplomat
CNRS@CREATE in Singapore: A Model for Global Collaboration
In a lab nestled within Singapore's innovation district, predictive models are being fine-tuned to help cities around the world make smarter decisions – from managing energy consumption to optimizing healthcare systems. But these aren't just theoretical models; they are 'digital twins' that fuse physics and AI to create virtual replicas of complex physical systems designed to simulate real-world conditions and guide decision-making. The project was born out of a bold Franco-Singaporean experiment known as the DesCartes program. Origins and Purpose At the heart of this effort is CNRS@CREATE, the unique overseas subsidiary of France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). 'This is more than an adventure – it's a big project with big perspectives,' says Professor Dominique Baillargeat, Director and CEO of CNRS@CREATE. 'We believe the only way to push research forward is through collaboration. There are no boundaries in science.' Launched in 2019 under Singapore's Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) initiative, CNRS@CREATE was established to deepen scientific cooperation between France and Singapore. The move wasn't incidental: CNRS has maintained a significant presence in Singapore since 2007, with four of its 80 global international research labs located in the city-state. This foundation paved the way for CNRS to join CREATE, under the National Research Foundation of Singapore, as a platform for higher-impact, applied research. Focus Areas Today The results are already apparent. From hybrid AI systems integrating physics for better urban planning to next-generation robotics, CNRS@CREATE has aligned its research efforts with Singapore's strategic goals. 'We focus on topics where Singapore seeks strong societal impact – AI, quantum technologies, decarbonization,' explains Prof. Dominique. 'The idea is to build research of excellence that can quickly be applied and tested in real settings.' Inside DesCartes Program A cornerstone of CNRS@CREATE is the DesCartes program, an ambitious initiative that fuses AI and physics to improve predictive decision-making across sectors. It's directed by Prof. Francisco Chinesta of the Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology in Paris, where he teaches computational science. Though incubated in Singapore, the program's reach is rapidly expanding. Collaborations are already underway with partners in France, Spain and Brazil. ASEAN countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia may follow. 'The systems we develop here are meant to be scalable,' says Prof. Dominique, who also teaches at the University of Limoges. 'That's why we're actively exploring regional partnerships using this approach.' Connected Across Sectors Beyond academia, CNRS@CREATE is deeply embedded in Singapore's ecosystem, working with over a dozen industrial partners and major government agencies such as HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency), EMA (Energy Market Authority), SMI (Singapore Maritime Institute) and DSO National Laboratories. 'We now have about 15 ongoing industrial collaborations,' Prof. Dominique says. 'Whether it's French companies based in Singapore or local institutions, everyone shares a commitment to transforming research into practical solutions.' Collaboration as Philosophy But perhaps the most enduring legacy of CNRS@CREATE lies in the culture it promotes – a global, boundaryless vision of science. 'In today's world, there's a tendency for countries to turn inward,' Prof. Dominique reflects. 'But science cannot thrive behind walls. CNRS@CREATE is proof that when nations open up and work together, they can create something that genuinely improves lives.' Ultimately, CNRS@CREATE is not just a research hub – it's a blueprint for how international partnerships can deliver meaningful change. From Singapore to Paris, Valencia to Guimares, passing by São Paulo: it's a story of science without borders, and a future shaped by shared innovation. This is a sponsored article produced by PangeaGlobe.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Desi rice mela to showcase over 200 traditional varieties in Mysuru
A two-day desi rice mela will be held in the city on August 9 and 10 at Nanjaraja Bahadur Choultry with the objective of reviving the rich heritage of native paddy varieties, once synonymous with the Old Mysuru region. Organised by Sahaja Samrudha, Save Our Rice Campaign, and CREATE, the mela will highlight the diversity of desi rice, which was once integral to the region's food culture. G. Krishnaprasad of the Sahaja Samrudha said that one of the objectives of the event is to create awareness among the public about the diversity in paddy and how it was going out of vogue due to consumer preferences shifting towards polished white rice. Underlining the diversity of traditional varieties, he said that farmers in Old Mysuru region traditionally cultivated distinctive varieties such as Rajamudi, Ratnachoodi, Rajabhoga, Putta Bhatta, Anekombina Bhatta, Bangara Kaddi, Munduga, Halubalu, etc. Each rice type had a culinary usage apart from having medicinal values, all of which has been displaced by polished white rice, said Mr. Krishnaprasad. 'The festival seeks to raise awareness among both consumers and farmers about the nutritional and cultural value of indigenous rice,' he added. The mela will display over 200 varieties of rice, and visitors can also explore and purchase an array of red, black, golden, and aromatic rice from different parts of the country such as Kala Namak (Uttar Pradesh), Kala Jeera (Odisha), Komal Chawal (Assam), Navara and Mullan Kayama (Kerala), Mapillai Samba (Tamil Nadu), Ambe Mohar (Maharashtra), etc. Also on display will be Karnataka's own rare treasures such as Karigajivili, Rajamudi, Dodyaga, Dodda Baira Nellu, Siddha Sanna, Salem Sanna, Rajabhoga, and Andanuru Sanna. 'High-quality seeds for the upcoming monsoon sowing season will be available alongside organic products, fruits, vegetables, native seeds, and value-added food items,' the organisers said. There will also be a 'desi rice cooking contest' to familiarise the younger generation with traditional food culture. Participants must prepare any dish using desi rice at home and bring it to the venue by 12.30 p.m. on Sunday, August 10. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three entries. A drawing contest will also be held on the theme 'The World of Rice I Saw', which is open to children in two age categories: 5 to 10 years and 10 to 15 years. Participants should draw their entries at home and submit them by 11.00 a.m. on Sunday, August 10. Six of the best drawings will receive prizes, the organisers added. For more details, contact Manju at 70900 09944.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
From Gandhi going viral to Cleopatra selling shampoo: The rise of AI influencers and what it means for brands
Mahatma Gandhi holding a salt pack and saying, 'why march?' or an ancient Chola king reacting to modern breakfast to Gen Z slang. Artificial intelligence (AI)-generated historical figures are going viral across social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok . While brands are watching closely, few are ready to jump in, while others dismiss ' deadfluencers ' as nothing more than a viral to Zebracat AI, AI-generated videos are expanding at an annual rate of about 35%, with forecasts suggesting the market could approach $15 billion by from business intelligence platform Statista indicates that companies are allocating roughly 10-15% of marketing budgets to influencer marketing , with a growing share directed toward AI-driven influencer marketing agencies and experts believe that the AI-powered marketing strategy is still in its nascent stages and not yet mature enough to drive substantial Gurwara, cofounder and head of brand alliances at AI-powered influencer marketing platform Qoruz, said, 'As of now, we haven't seen brands actively collaborating with AI-generated pages that use historical figures, at least not in any significant or structured way. The interest is more observational. Everyone's watching the trend, but not many are willing to bet on it yet.'The Bengaluru-based startup Quroz has offered AI-powered recommendations for major brands like Amazon, L'Oréal, Flipkart, Titan, Dabur, Domino's, and Kotak Mahindra Bank, among others.'I think it is still experimental, but as AI is progressing, people will start using it to make good AI-based creators and concepts, and then things might change,' added Piyush Agrawal, cofounder, CREATE, an influencer marketing and talent management AI storytelling explodes in reach and realism, a new frontier is emerging—one where the past is remixed for the algorithm, and influence doesn't end with Instagram, the AI-generated videos on historical events and personalities have reached millions of views within a few days, with an average engagement rate of 3.5%, and the dominant GenZ demography is the trendsetters, Quroz's Gurwara told ET, adding that Gen Z enjoys the playful remix of history and pop from InBeat, a data-driven influencer marketing platform that connects brands with targeted micro- and nano-influencers on TikTok and Instagram, provided by Umer Madhiya, senior account manager at White Rivers Media shows that around 80% of this demographic follow influencers on social media, with a significant majority comfortable with AI-driven analysts believe such brand storytelling can unlock opportunities that weren't possible before.'AI-powered storytelling can potentially bring the cost down if this starts happening. Brands will also be able to execute on faster turnaround times. But I am not sure how long it will take for AI creators to become mainstream,' CREATE's Agarwal told sustainability remains a concern, as pointed out by Gurwara: 'Right now, anyone with access to the right tools can create a viral AI clip featuring a historical figure. But building and sustaining influence (like a human influencer), a loyal audience that engages much more than novelty.'Furthermore, analysts said 'deadfluencers,' or creators, tend to see a spike during a viral moment, but keeping that momentum is AI-generated trends surge on social media, grabbing engagement, experts highlight the possible consequences for the Srinivasan, a communications strategy consultant who was part of companies like Flipkart, Ogilvy, and Edelman, said that while the trend to recreate well-known historical figures has improved storytelling, it can be misused to spread lies.'AI videos can be used to retell actual historical stories in interesting ways (what was being done by comic books, like Amar Chitra Katha in India). But this idea can also be used destructively by making historical figures say things that are not true,' he also mentioned the need to specify a genre for such videos to avoid factual errors and misrepresentation.'In literary fiction, this is a legitimate genre called 'alternate history' or 'historical fiction,' but they are strictly placed under such genres, and people buying such titles clearly know what they are reading. But online, via short Instagram reels or TikTok videos with no disclaimer whatsoever, they could cause a whole lot of damage,' he AI has long been talked about in discussions. ET reported that there has been a 10-fold increase in complaints related to morphed images or deep nudes created through advanced this case, too, experts highlight key ethical concerns.'We still don't have a regulatory framework around the use of historical public figures in AI content. What feels like a harmless joke to some people could be deeply hurtful to others. So, while AI can put your brand on a FIFA World Cup main stage or into a freedom movement scene, it's still unclear whether it should,' Gurwara the legal side, Pratishtha Arora, chief executive at Social & Media Matters, a non-profit under the VAAP Cyber Suraksha Foundation, said, 'We need robust AI laws to address the risks and changing behavioural patterns that come with AI-driven content, but regulation cannot be superficial or limited.''As AI use explodes in popularity, we must take its potential harms seriously, with meaningful consequences for unethical or misleading applications,' she added.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
From Gandhi going viral to Cleopatra selling shampoo: Rise of AI influencers and what it means for brands
Mahatma Gandhi holding a salt pack and saying, 'why march?' or an ancient Chola king reacting to modern breakfast to Gen Z slang. Artificial intelligence (AI)-generated historical figures are going viral across social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok . While brands are watching closely, few are ready to jump in, while others dismiss ' deadfluencers ' as nothing more than a viral to Zebracat AI, AI-generated videos are expanding at an annual rate of about 35%, with forecasts suggesting the market could approach $15 billion by from business intelligence platform Statista indicates that companies are allocating roughly 10-15% of marketing budgets to influencer marketing , with a growing share directed toward AI-driven influencer marketing agencies and experts believe that the AI-powered marketing strategy is still in its nascent stages and not yet mature enough to drive substantial Gurwara, cofounder and head of brand alliances at AI-powered influencer marketing platform Qoruz, said, 'As of now, we haven't seen brands actively collaborating with AI-generated pages that use historical figures, at least not in any significant or structured way. The interest is more observational. Everyone's watching the trend, but not many are willing to bet on it yet.'The Bengaluru-based startup Quroz has offered AI-powered recommendations for major brands like Amazon, L'Oréal, Flipkart, Titan, Dabur, Domino's, and Kotak Mahindra Bank, among others.'I think it is still experimental, but as AI is progressing, people will start using it to make good AI-based creators and concepts, and then things might change,' added Piyush Agrawal, cofounder, CREATE, an influencer marketing and talent management AI storytelling explodes in reach and realism, a new frontier is emerging—one where the past is remixed for the algorithm, and influence doesn't end with Instagram, the AI-generated videos on historical events and personalities have reached millions of views within a few days, with an average engagement rate of 3.5%, and the dominant GenZ demography is the trendsetters, Quroz's Gurwara told ET, adding that Gen Z enjoys the playful remix of history and pop from InBeat, a data-driven influencer marketing platform that connects brands with targeted micro- and nano-influencers on TikTok and Instagram, sourced from Umer Madhiya, senior account manager at White Rivers Media shows that around 80% of this demographic follow influencers on social media, with a significant majority comfortable with AI-driven analysts believe such brand storytelling can unlock opportunities that weren't possible before.'AI-powered storytelling can potentially bring the cost down if this starts happening. Brands will also be able to execute on faster turnaround times. But I am not sure how long it will take for AI creators to become mainstream,' CREATE's Agarwal told sustainability remains a concern, as pointed out by Gurwara: 'Right now, anyone with access to the right tools can create a viral AI clip featuring a historical figure. But building and sustaining influence (like a human influencer), a loyal audience that engages much more than novelty.'Furthermore, analysts said 'deadfluencers,' or creators, tend to see a spike during a viral moment, but keeping that momentum is AI-generated trends surge on social media, grabbing engagement, experts highlight the possible consequences for the Srinivasan, a communications strategy consultant who was part of companies like Flipkart, Ogilvy, and Edelman, said that while the trend to recreate well-known historical figures has improved storytelling, it can be misused to spread lies.'AI videos can be used to retell actual historical stories in interesting ways (what was being done by comic books, like Amar Chitra Katha in India). But this idea can also be used destructively by making historical figures say things that are not true,' he also mentioned the need to specify a genre for such videos to avoid factual errors and misrepresentation.'In literary fiction, this is a legitimate genre called 'alternate history' or 'historical fiction,' but they are strictly placed under such genres, and people buying such titles clearly know what they are reading. But online, via short Instagram reels or TikTok videos with no disclaimer whatsoever, they could cause a whole lot of damage,' he AI has long been talked about in discussions. ET reported that there has been a 10-fold increase in complaints related to morphed images or deep nudes created through advanced this case, too, experts highlight key ethical concerns.'We still don't have a regulatory framework around the use of historical public figures in AI content. What feels like a harmless joke to some people could be deeply hurtful to others. So, while AI can put your brand on a FIFA World Cup main stage or into a freedom movement scene, it's still unclear whether it should,' Gurwara the legal side, Pratishtha Arora, chief executive at Social & Media Matters, a non-profit under the VAAP Cyber Suraksha Foundation, said, 'We need robust AI laws to address the risks and changing behavioural patterns that come with AI-driven content, but regulation cannot be superficial or limited.''As AI use explodes in popularity, we must take its potential harms seriously, with meaningful consequences for unethical or misleading applications,' she added.
CBS News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Bedrock's Decked Out Detroit bringing back summer activities
3 Center Line students charged in gun incident; chances for severe weather; and more top stories 3 Center Line students charged in gun incident; chances for severe weather; and more top stories 3 Center Line students charged in gun incident; chances for severe weather; and more top stories Bedrock's Decked Out Detroit is bringing back summer streetscapes downtown with free activities this month. Beginning on May 22, there will be a "Wheel of Fun" on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, featuring sidewalk games and other family-friendly events. On Thursdays, between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., people can enjoy music, pose for watercolor portraits, and build bouquets at a flower cart. Between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., there will be a free yoga session. Saturdays include DIY bracelet making from noon to 4 p.m., face painting, balloons, and temporary tattoos. On Sundays, arts and crafts, cornhole, and live sketches will be available between noon and 4 p.m. During that same time, rotating pop-up shops will be outside 1401 Woodward Ave. on Saturdays and Sundays. Beginning on June 19, 1413 Woodward Ave. will turn into a DIY workshop called "CREATE by Decked Out Detroit" that offers free instructor-led arts and crafts classes. Other things coming to Decked Out Detroit are art installations at 1401 Woodward Ave. and on the 1200 block of Woodward. In the 1500 block of Woodward, there will be a trumpet flowers installation and music with 27 interactive buttons. "Bedrock's Decked Out Detroit initiatives transform the everyday into unexpected, enriching experiences for both residents and visitors. Our goal is to create memorable moments that celebrate Detroit's culture and bring people together in the heart of the city," said Francesca Eid, vice president of experience at Bedrock, in a statement. Decked Out Detroit will be open from May 22 through Oct. 31
