🗞️ AI News Recap

Hey TEDchats Fam!

Happy Monday! Ever felt like you're racing to keep up with the lightning-fast pace of AI innovation? Our newsletter is your guide to staying ahead of the curve. From virtual personas to ethical debates, we're diving into the nuts and bolts of artificial intelligence. Join us as we explore how AI is reshaping industries and redefining the boundaries of technology.

🐇 QUICK BITES — THE PAST WEEK

Microsoft Announces New AI Hub in London

One month ago, Microsoft unveiled its latest initiative: Microsoft AI, a new organization aimed at propelling consumer AI products and research. Now, the company has revealed plans for a cutting-edge AI hub in London. Microsoft AI London will spearhead groundbreaking endeavors to enhance state-of-the-art language models and infrastructure, alongside developing premier tooling for foundation models. Collaboration with Microsoft's AI teams and partners, including OpenAI, will be integral to this pioneering endeavor (see Microsoft’s announcement).

Anthropic Discovers Dangerous Jailbreaking Technique!

Anthropic, a prominent AI startup, has shown how a certain style of questioning compels large language models (LLMs) to reveal dangerous information, including instructions for creating forbidden materials like a bomb. By bombarding LLMs with 'How do I' questions, AI models gain momentum in answering, eventually even providing responses to hazardous inquiries. Anthropic's 'many-shot jailbreaking' technique worked for both their AI models and others, prompting them to alert other developers. This finding exposes AI's safety vulnerability and underscores the swift advancements and ongoing challenge of securing AI systems against misuse (see Anthropic’s announcement).

OpenAI Reveals Exciting Updates for DALL-E 3

OpenAI has announced updates to DALL-E 3, the latest version of its text-to-image generator. Firstly, users no longer need to navigate within ChatGPT's chat interface, as DALL-E 3 has its own dedicated space on the sidebar. Secondly, new editing tools enable users to select and make precise adjustments to generated images without starting from scratch (see more). Thirdly, to overcome writer's block, users can utilize the 'inspirational styles' tab to spark creativity (see more). Lastly, to address trust and misuse concerns, OpenAI has announced the inclusion of watermarks and embedded metadata in DALL-E 3 images (see more).

Spotify Launches 'AI Playlist' for Personalized Music Playlists

Spotify introduces 'AI Playlist', a new feature for Premium subscribers, enhancing music discovery and curation. The tool, initially available in beta for users in the UK and Australia on Android and iOS, creates personalized playlists based on mood or genre prompts, simplifying music playlist creation (see Spotify’s announcement).

Yahoo Acquires Artifact for AI-Powered News

It appears that Artifact has been revived following its public shutdown! Yahoo has announced its acquisition of Artifact, the AI news app developed by the co-founders of Instagram. This groundbreaking move aims to revolutionize the way news is curated and consumed, offering Yahoo’s users more tailored content and propelling Yahoo News to the forefront of tech-forward journalism. You can see Artifact’s announcement here, and Yahoo’s announcement here.

Apple's ‘Spatial Personas’ Offer a Scarily Realistic Virtual Experience

Apple's Vision Pro headsets take a significant leap forward with the debut of 'Spatial Personas (Beta)' as part of the visionOS 1.1 update. Unlike previous personas or avatars, Spatial Personas use advanced 3D captures, providing a realistic experience where participants feel as if they are in the same room, even able to make 'eye contact'. Whether it's collaborating for work, enjoying movie nights, or engaging in gaming sessions, this feature accommodates up to five users, effectively blurring the line between virtual and physical presence (see demo here and user guide here).

Leadership Shuffle at OpenAI's Venture Fund

Sam Altman passes the reins of OpenAI's $325 million Startup Fund to Ian Hathaway, spotlighting a pivotal shift in control and strategic direction within the AI titan's venture efforts (read more).

Musicians Rally Against “Irresponsible AI” in Music

Over 200 musicians and artists have united in an open letter to AI developers, tech firms, and digital music services, expressing concerns about the misuse of human creativity and rights by AI music generation tools. Including prominent figures like Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, and Billie Eilish, as well as upcoming artists, they advocate for ethical technology use and fair compensation. Their worries focus on “irresponsible AI” usage by startups, which threatens their privacy, identities, and livelihoods, particularly for artists "just trying to make ends meet". This clash could reshape the creative landscape in an increasingly automated world (read the open letter here).

OpenAI Expands ‘Custom Models’ Program for Businesses

OpenAI is pushing the boundaries of generative AI technology with an exciting expansion of its ‘Custom Models’ program. By introducing assisted fine-tuning and the development of custom-trained models, OpenAI aims to meet the growing demand for highly personalized AI solutions. This strategic move allows businesses to fine-tune OpenAI’s base models, like GPT-4, to their specific needs, enabling more accurate, industry-specific applications. OpenAI has also launched an inquiry page for organizations interested in collaborating with OpenAI researchers to train custom GPT-4 models tailored to their specific domain (see OpenAI’s announcement).

U.S. and EU Issue Joint Statement on AI, Reaffirming Collaborative Efforts

The EU and U.S. released a joint statement on Friday, emphasizing increased cooperation in AI, covering safety, governance, digital identity standards, and defending human rights on platform (see joint statement for more details).

Microsoft 365’s Copilot Elevates to GPT-4 Turbo

With plans to “bring the power of generative AI to everyone across work and life”, Microsoft is integrating the advanced GPT-4 Turbo into Copilot for Microsoft 365 users. This significant upgrade will also include extra perks, such as the removal of daily chat limits and increased file upload capabilities. Later this month, users will also be able to enjoy enhanced image generation capabilities within Microsoft Designer, including priority access and an increased number of image generation boosts (see Microsoft’s announcement).

Experience ChatGPT Without the Sign-Up Process

OpenAI will grant access to ChatGPT for all users, eliminating the need for accounts. This strategic move aims to democratize access to AI technologies, enabling a broader audience to explore ChatGPT's capabilities without any hindrances. Further details about OpenAI's initiative can be found in their recent blog post here. However, it's worth noting that while ChatGPT welcomes everyone, premium services such as the text-to-image generator DALL-E 3 will still require user accounts (see OpenAI’s announcement).

Microsoft Announces New Initiatives for Environmentally Friendly AI

Microsoft has unveiled several initiatives aimed at boosting energy and water efficiency in datacenters, creating low-carbon materials, and improving the energy efficiency of AI and cloud services (see Microsoft’s announcement).

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👋 UNTIL NEXT TIME

Our newsletter serves as a window into the ever-evolving landscape of AI, where innovation intersects with ethical considerations and practical applications. We're committed to keeping you informed and engaged with the latest advancements in this dynamic field. Together, let's navigate the future of technology with insight and purpose.

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