����ɫ��

Looking back on 2020, the coronavirus hitting the world brought about some of the most difficult challenges in recent human history, especially social distancing measures, which had a large and obvious impact on the elderly.

These measures disrupted daily social life. Uncle Li, who was used to going to the coffee shop downstairs to chat and drink coffee with old friends every day, suddenly found that he could no longer go. Mrs Huang, who attends interest classes at the senior citizen activity center every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, was forced to stop going out, and even simple gatherings with relatives and friends were prohibited. Fortunately, we have been quick to leverage technology to overcome many of the challenges and distress caused by the pandemic, such as remote learning and working, apps that enhance and promote social interaction, and mobile medical resources to promote physical and mental health.

However, there is a clear divide between the young and old when it comes to technology: young people who have grown up with technology have easily adapted to the new normal of moving their lives online, while the elderly, who have had little access to technology or relevant equipment, have gradually developed a sense of isolation and loneliness.

The first “controllable text prompt” AI music generation model has been developed locally. The software called Mustango was developed by a six-person research team led by Soujanya Poria and Dorien Herremans, two assistant professors at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.