🗞️ AI News Recap

Hey TEDchats Fam!

Happy Monday! In this week’s recap, we’ll be covering the top news and developments in AI from the past week. From groundbreaking partnerships to new AI-powered features, we'll cover the latest advancements shaping the world of AI. Let’s dive right in!

We have partnered with monday.com to bring you today’s newsletter. Increase your productivity and streamline all your tasks onto one platform → here

🐇 QUICK BITES — THE PAST WEEK

X, Formerly Known as Twitter, Unveils AI-driven 'Stories'

X, formerly known as Twitter, has unveiled a new feature in partnership with Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok. This addition to the Explore section, named Stories on X, delivers personalized summaries of trending stories exclusively for X's Premium subscribers. Utilizing Grok's AI capabilities, users can now access concise summaries of posts associated with each trending story on the For You tab. This feature is currently available on web and iOS platforms (see X’s announcement).

Financial Times Teams Up with OpenAI for AI-Integrated Journalism

The Financial Times (FT), a prominent force in global financial journalism, has forged a strategic licensing agreement with OpenAI, a leading figure in AI technology and the developers of ChatGPT. This partnership represents a significant advancement as FT integrates AI to enhance its services, incorporating a generative AI search function for subscribers to effortlessly navigate the journal's content. This collaboration not only harnesses OpenAI's capabilities but also positions FT at the forefront of digital innovation in media, an area often surrounded by controversy due to copyright and authenticity concerns (see the Financial Times’ announcement here and OpenAI’s announcement here).

Anthropic's Chatbot Gets Its Own App!

Anthropic recently unveiled an iOS app for its chatbot, Claude, now available for free download to all Claude users. The app mirrors the intuitive experience of the mobile web version, enabling users to seamlessly sync their chat history and enjoy features such as taking and uploading photos (see Anthropic’s announcement).

YouTube Announces Exclusive AI Trials

YouTube is offering a special opportunity for eligible Premium members to test out upcoming features, including AI experiments, for a limited time. As part of these trials, select YouTube Premium subscribers can now utilize an AI-powered feature that allows them to jump to the most-watched segment of a video. By leveraging AI and watch data, YouTube identifies the most engaging segments of videos, enabling users to jump directly to these points (see YouTube’s announcement).

Enhanced Personalization with ChatGPT’s New Memory Feature

OpenAI has expanded ChatGPT Memory access to ChatGPT Plus users, providing them with additional controls. The enhanced Memory feature significantly improves ChatGPT's ability to remember and utilize saved user preferences, with the added option to delete unwanted memory. This update aims to elevate ChatGPT into a more adept AI assistant by enabling it to retain specific details and leverage these insights to deliver more personalized responses. While ChatGPT Plus users have now been granted access to Memory, European and Korean users will have to wait as OpenAI navigates data privacy regulations in those regions (see OpenAI’s announcement).

New AI Services for Shorter Shopping Queue Times!

Both Amazon and Walmart have unveiled their AI-powered plans aimed at reducing shopping queue times. Amazon has introduced several updates to its "Just Walk Out", "Amazon Dash Cart", and "Amazon One" services. The first utilizes AI to monitor or scan purchased items, the second allows shoppers to scan items already in their cart, while the third employs handprint recognition for personalized shopping (see Amazon’s announcement). These services are currently undergoing trials in various stores across the U.S. Meanwhile, Walmart has announced AI-powered exit technology in over 20% of its Sam's Club stores. This innovation facilitates faster store exits for members, automating purchase verification and eliminating the need for security checks on customer receipts (see Walmart’s announcement).

Randy Travis' Remarkable Musical Revival with AI

Country music legend Randy Travis, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013, has defied the odds by releasing his first new song, "Where That Came From", since the incident. Struggling with severe aphasia, which impaired his ability to speak and sing, Travis turned to artificial intelligence for assistance. By leveraging AI technology trained on his past vocal recordings, Travis was able to croon again, marking a remarkable comeback in his musical journey. This groundbreaking achievement not only showcases the potential of AI to empower individuals facing adversity but also highlights the transformative impact of technology on artistic expression and creativity (see Randy Travis’ announcement).

AWS Launches New AI-Building App for Businesses

AWS has just launched a generative AI-powered app builder, named Amazon Q Apps (Preview), allowing businesses to swiftly transform their ideas into apps (see AWS’ announcement).

Microsoft Prohibits U.S. Law Enforcement from Using Their Facial Recognition AI

In a significant policy update, Microsoft now explicitly prohibits U.S. state or local police from utilizing its Azure OpenAI Service for the identification or verification of individual identities through facial recognition. Additionally, the new terms extend globally to any law enforcement, restricting the use of real-time facial recognition technologies on mobile devices such as body cameras and dashcams. This move follows concerns about potential misuses of AI, including racial biases and inaccuracies (see Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI policy).

Airbnb Integrates AI into Our Travel Experiences

As Airbnb delves deeper into AI, it introduces innovative features including 'Icon', offering extraordinary experiences like a night at the Ferrari museum or touring with musicians. Also, group booking allows travelers to create shared wishlists and communicate with each other and hosts through a unified messaging platform. Enhanced by AI, this system streamlines trip coordination by facilitating decision-making for group members (e.g., asking the AI chat for restaurant recommendations) and provides suggestions for hosts responding to queries (see Airbnb’s announcement).

Yelp Unveils AI-Powered Assistant for Easier Service Searches

Yelp's new AI Assistant transforms how users find and connect with local service providers. Whether you're planning to upgrade your home or organize a special event, the Assistant can contextually understand your needs, ask specific questions, and suggest suitable professionals — all within Yelp’s app. Additionally, Yelp’s AI assistant aims to provide more accurate price quotes and better facilitates direct communication with businesses (see Yelp’s announcement).

Notable Figures, Including Dropbox CEO, Endorse Emerging Startup

Lamini, a startup enabling rapid development and management of AI models for companies, secures $25 million in funding from notable figures including Drew Houston, co-founder and CEO of Dropbox, and Andrew Ng, a global AI leader. The company plans to transform enterprise AI with its unique 'memory tuning' method, ensuring more precise models with fewer ‘hallucinations’. To prevent unauthorized access or data breaches, Lamini operates separately from external networks, such as the internet, overcoming industry challenges of security and scalability (see Lamini’s announcement).

Criticism Mounts Against EU's Plan to Scan Messages

Experts warn that the European Union's latest proposal requiring messaging apps to scan for child abuse material could lead to millions of false positives daily, risking privacy and cybersecurity across the continent (read the EU’s proposal here and an open letter against the proposal here).

U.S. Agency Bans ChatGPT for Data Leak Risk

One year ago, the U.S. House restricted congressional use of ChatGPT. Following suit, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is now taking steps to safeguard its data. As a ChatGPT replacement, the department is considering Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini, as they are known for 'protecting data input by federal agencies' (see NARA’s announcement).

Cloud Infrastructure Revenue Surges in Q1

Following the decline of the cloud infrastructure services market in 2021, recent data from Synergy Research Group indicates a significant increase in Q1 enterprise spending on cloud infrastructure services, surpassing $76 billion globally. This marks a notable uptick of $13.5 billion or 21% compared to the first quarter of 2023. Notably, this is the second consecutive quarter showing improved year-on-year growth rates, with Q1 experiencing the strongest expansion since Q3 of 2022. Analysts attribute this robust market performance particularly to the influence of generative AI technology and services (see Synergy Research Group's announcement).

🧰 AI TOOLBOX — RECAP

The Future of Work Management

Picture a world where workflows are finely tuned, automated to perfection, and seamlessly integrated with your favorite apps. It's not just a platform; it's a revelation—a space where managers gain unparalleled visibility into team processes, ensuring each project is a resounding success. Step into the future of work management with monday.com, where efficiency isn't a goal; it's a given.

From startups to industry giants, monday.com has transformed how teams work. Why not let your team be the next success story?

Start your free trial today

👋 UNTIL NEXT TIME

Thank you for joining us for this week's AI recap. We hope you found the latest news and developments informative and insightful. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to explore the ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence!

In partnership with