Making AI more personal, behind the scenes of a quantum lab, and astounding sounds from semiconductors

Welcome to The Short, IBM Research's recap of the latest innovations in AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, and the cloud.

Week of January 6 - 13, 2025

In this week's edition:

• Making AI more personal?
• Uncovering the sounds of semiconductors?
• Peeking into our quantum testing lab?

Can a personalized AI be more useful?

Introducing BeeAI, IBM's new, experimental app designed to explore how business users can personalize generative AI for specific tasks. BeeAI lets users customize AI agents and build reusable AI-powered apps to get more done at work.

?? Read the blog here

Check out IBM Researcher Maya Murad's favorite use case built with BeeAI:

IBM Sounds of semiconductors

The IBM Research design team were enthralled with all of the sounds that the machines we use in the lab make. They believed there was art hiding away in those rhythmic machined tones, and so they worked with Oscar-winning producers to create five beautiful songs, featuring the sounds made by machines in our Yorktown and Albany semiconductor wafer fabrication labs. Each came with its own custom-made vinyl record with a design inspired by the end product the machine in the song helps create. We recently spun each of them on the record player in the Think Lab at IBM Research headquarters and recorded them so you could have a listen. We recommend firing up our playlist and listening along as you wind down on work for the day.

Lab Tour: How to test a quantum processor with Jerry Chow

Hidden away in the depths of IBM Research’s headquarters is a lab dedicated to testing some of the most advanced quantum computing hardware in the world. You need special ID access and to pass a retina scan just to get in. Inside, researchers are working on one major task: Testing brand-new quantum computer chips to see whether they work as intended before being deployed in an IBM Quantum system. We recently met IBM Fellow and Director of Quantum Systems Jerry M. Chow and Quantum researcher Daniela Florentina Bogorin , who walked us through a day in the life in the lab.

?? Read the blog here

Preparing for the Next Great IT Challenge

Explore IBM Quantum 's post to learn more about the strategic planning for transitioning to new post-quantum cryptography standards:

Granite Guardian 3.1

Learn more about the release of Granite Guardian 3.1 and its new features like 'function calling hallucinations':

Issues in Science and Technology Interview with Darío Gil

Check out the latest interview with Dario Gil and Issues in Science and Technology, as he shares his ideas on reimagining the landscape in Research and Development:

Research Roundup

Highlighting new publications from IBM researchers that we liked the sound of:

• QGen Studio: An Adaptive Question-Answer Generation, Training and Evaluation Platform
• Agentic AI for Digital Twin
• Preparing Good Data for Generative AI: Challenges and Approaches (Good-Data)

How could BeeAI help lighten the load for your business? Let us know in the comments!         

Follow IBM Research on LinkedIn and subscribe to our Future Forward newsletter to stay up to date on the latest news each month on breakthroughs in AI, quantum computing and hybrid cloud.