🗞️ AI News Recap

Hey TEDchats Fam!

Happy New Years! Ah, the dawn of a new year – a time for resolutions, fresh starts, and inevitably wondering how last year's calendar pages flipped by so quickly. It's like trying to catch up with the latest AI trends – blink, and you might miss the next breakthrough. As we dive into 2024, let's hit rewind on the tech clock and recap what happened in the last week of 2023!

🐇 QUICK BITES — THE LAST WEEK OF 2023

The New York Times Slams OpenAI and Microsoft with an AI Lawsuit

The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that their large language models (LLMs), including those powering ChatGPT and Copilot, have been “copying and using millions of The Times’s copyrighted news articles”. The lawsuit contends that these AI models can generate content that closely resembles Times articles, damaging the outlet's relationship with readers and impacting its revenue streams. As plainly stated in the U.S. District Court filing, the “defendants seek to free-ride on The Times’s massive investment in its journalism”. Despite “months” of negotiation attempts, the Times asserts it failed to reach a fair resolution with both companies (read full complaint here).

Samsung's 2024 AI-Powered Smart Fridge

Samsung is introducing its 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex™ Refrigerator with AI Family Hub™+ at the upcoming CES^® 2024. This smart fridge features a “Vision AI” internal camera for the advanced identification of food items and improved recognition of items placed in or taken out of the refrigerator. Users can also manually add expiration dates and utilize the linked app for recipe suggestions based on available ingredients. Additionally, the AI Family Hub™+ integrates with Samsung Health to offer dietary-specific recipe recommendations, enhancing both convenience and personalized cooking experiences (read more).

What’s Happening With Apple’s Designers?

Jony Ive, the creative mind behind Apple's iconic products, left in 2019 to launch LoveFrom, reshaping product design. Joined by Sam Altman of OpenAI, they spearhead a project in advanced AI devices. While not much is yet known about these AI devices, news has now come in that Tang Tan, Apple's departing VP of iPhone and Apple Watch Product Design, recently joined, marking a confluence of design and tech. Tan's exit reflects a talent drain from Apple, with 14 from Ive's team leaving, and LoveFrom hiring over 20 former Apple talents (read more).

Microsoft’s Upcoming Laptop Can Handle More AI

Microsoft's Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 are set to be Microsoft’s first “AI PCs”. As reported by Windows Central, these devices boast a new neural processing unit (NPU) for accelerated AI tasks, featuring both Intel and Arm-based options. The Arm-based devices, powered by Snapdragon X chips, promise performance rivaling Apple's silicon. These chips offer “revolutionary” capabilities with one-third the power and “4.5 times faster AI processing power than competitors” (read more).

Nvidia Launches a Lower-Performance Chip for the Chinese Market

Nvidia is set to release a graphics card specifically designed for the Chinese market to adhere to US export controls. The RTX 4090D, featured on the Chinese version of Nvidia's website, is a slightly less powerful variant compared to its flagship RTX 4090 available in other regions. Notably, the RTX 4090D has fewer CUDA cores, and a slightly lower power consumption. While many specifications remain consistent, the RTX 4090D is acknowledged to be approximately "5% slower in gaming and content creation," according to Nvidia spokesperson Benjamin Berraondo in a statement to The Verge (read more).

2023 Displayed the Hidden Costs of AI

A TechCrunch article summarizes the unforeseen costs companies encountered in 2023 with AI. The article highlights how advanced analytics, hyper-automation, and large language models leverage cloud infrastructure and applications for fast, scalable delivery. However, the downside includes rising prices for infrastructure and applications, cloud services dominating IT budgets, and IaaS invoices spiraling out of control. Many companies find themselves exceeding their budgeted cloud expenses, adding complexity to an already challenging cloud dynamic (read more).

Canva Graphic Design Tool Employs AI to Expand Reach

Despite recent valuation adjustments, Canva continues to grow, nearly doubling its user base with 80 million new active users in the past year. The company has introduced a range of generative AI tools, enhancing its design capabilities and user experience. This strategic move aims to leverage AI for broader and more innovative content creation, aligning with Canva's mission to make graphic design accessible globally (read more).

AI and Defense Sectors Excel in 2023 Venture Funding

In 2023, we witnessed divergent trends in venture capital, with both AI and defense startups successfully raising funds, reminiscent of the record-breaking year of 2021. In contrast, the fundraising landscape for most other startups remained challenging, illustrating a clear split in investor preferences and market performance. This disparity signals a specific investor interest in AI and defense, despite broader market uncertainties (read more).

Microsoft's New Copilot App Hits the Android Market

Microsoft has recently launched its standalone Copilot app for Android, now accessible via the Google Play Store. This new app integrates ChatGPT-style chatbot capabilities and is powered by the latest OpenAI models, including GPT-4 and the image generator DALL-E 3. Unlike its predecessor, which required the Bing mobile app, Copilot operates independently, marking a significant enhancement in Microsoft's AI offerings. While currently exclusive to Android, an iOS version is anticipated in the near future (see more).

AI Expert Warns Us Not to Share Too Much with ChatGPT

Professor Mike Wooldridge, a leading AI expert at Oxford University, raises significant privacy concerns regarding interactions with AI chatbots like ChatGPT. In his ongoing lectures at the Royal Institution, he cautions users about the risks associated with sharing sensitive information, such as political views, with these systems. Wooldridge emphasizes that any personal or private data divulged can contribute to the training of future AI versions, potentially leading to privacy breaches (read more).

Prominent Lawyer Mistakenly Cited AI-Generated False Information in His Legal Case

On November 29, 2023, David M. Schwartz, counsel for Defendant Michael Cohen, submitted a motion for the early termination of a 3-year probation. In this motion, Mr. Cohen, famously known as Donald Trump's former lawyer, referenced non-existent court decisions from 2022 to support his case. Following investigations, the court clarified that "none of these cases exist" (read more). Now, in an official response to a United States District Judge, Cohen explained that he mistakenly relied on Google Bard, thinking it was an advanced search engine rather than a generative AI service like ChatGPT. It was further stated that, as a non-practicing attorney at present, Cohen lacks awareness of the risks associated with using AI services for legal research, expressing an expectation for Mr. Schwartz to have verified the information (read more).

🧰 AI TOOLBOX — RECAP 

👋 UNTIL NEXT TIME

As we wrap up the last week of 2023's AI wonders, take a moment to relish the progress, ponder the possibilities, and gear up for more tech tales in our next newsletter. The future of AI beckons, and with each passing day, we're set for another thrilling journey together. Here's to the past, the present, and the tech adventures on the horizon! 🍻