🗞️ AI News Recap

Hey TEDchats Fam!

Happy Monday! Ever been late to a surprise party and caught only the last few notes of "Happy Birthday"? AI news can be just as unpredictable. It's like sneaking into the celebration midway, unsure of the surprises you've missed. Our AI recap is your backstage pass to the tech party, ensuring you catch every beat of the past week's digital symphony.

🐇 QUICK BITES — THE PAST WEEK

The New York Times Puts Down Its Weapons! 

The New York Times, once resistant to AI, now boldly integrates generative AI into its newsroom under the leadership of Zach Seward. This initiative aims to prototype AI applications, enhancing reporting and presentation. With plans to hire diverse talent, the Times seeks to redefine the intersection of technology and journalism (see posted opportunities). This move comes amid past conflicts with AI, including a lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft over content replication concerns. The hiring of Zach Seward signifies a strategic shift, moving from confrontation to embracing AI's potential in journalism (see announcement).

Google’s Newest Generative AI Tools — ImageFX, MusicFX, and TextFX

Google introduces ImageFX, a cutting-edge image-generation tool powered by Imagen 2, Google DeepMind’s latest text-to-image model, delivering their highest-quality images to date. Additionally, Google has enhanced its existing generative AI creation tools, MusicFX (formerly MusicLM) and TextFX. With MusicFX, users can now convert text-to-music and compose tunes up to 70 seconds long, create music loops, explore prompts with expressive chips, and easily share or download their compositions. Collaborating with Lupe Fiasco last year, Google introduced TextFX, a generative AI experiment designed for lyricists and wordsmiths. Since its launch, TextFX has empowered writers, prompting Google to implement usability updates to enhance the overall user experience (read Google’s announcement).

The Federal Communications Commission Pushes to Make AI-Generated Calls Illegal

The FCC is proposing to classify AI-generated voices in robocalls as fundamentally illegal to streamline prosecution against fraud. Recent incidents, like fake Biden calls in New Hampshire encouraging voters not to vote, underscore the need for regulatory action. Deeming voice cloning tech in automated calls as illegal aims to empower State Attorneys General in combating scams; however, challenges remain in defining legality amid AI advancements. FCC spokesman Will Wiquist told TechCrunch, "Procedurally, this proposal will be propagated internally and voted on at Commissioners’ discretion", but mentioned that "it will only be made public if adopted" (read more).

Universal Music Group Pulls Artists from TikTok Due to AI Issues

In a landmark move, Universal Music Group (UMG) plans to pull its extensive catalog of music artists from TikTok, including stars like Taylor Swift and Drake. The decision follows a heated dispute over the video platform's proposed licensing terms, which UMG deems unfairly low, especially in the context of AI-generated music. UMG claims that TikTok allows its platform to be flooded with AI-generated recordings, while also developing tools to enable, promote, and encourage AI music creation directly on the platform. Additionally, TikTok has offered "no meaningful solution" to this issue and other issues, such as the circulation of pornographic deepfakes featuring artists (read UMG’s full complaint here).

OpenAI Partners with Common Sense Media to “Safely” Bring AI to Teenagers and Families

Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, announced a partnership with OpenAI to enhance the positive impact of AI on teens and families. The collaboration focuses on creating guidelines, educational materials, and family-friendly GPTs in the GPT Store. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, emphasized the benefits of AI for families, and James P. Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, highlighted their commitment to safe and responsible AI use through guides and curation (see announcement).

Google's Bard is Now Smarter than Ever!

Google's Bard AI chatbot takes a significant leap forward with the Gemini Pro update, now globally available in 40+ languages, including major ones like Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish (see details). Thanks to this update, Bard can now function as a global AI companion, excelling in tasks such as understanding, summarizing content, brainstorming, and planning across multiple languages. Google's enhancements, like the "Double-check" feature for fact-checking and the Imagen 2 model for built-in image generation, fortify Bard's leadership in AI chatbot technology. Recognized on the LMSYS Chatbot Arena Leaderboard, Bard with Gemini Pro stands out as a top chatbot (see leaderboard).

The EU Unanimously Approves the World's First AI Act

After nearly three years of development, all 27 EU Member States have finally endorsed the ultimate compromise text related to the proposal on standardized EU regulations for artificial intelligence. This development aligns with the political agreement reached in December, where the new rules define obligations for both providers and users based on the level of risk associated with artificial intelligence. The AI Act stands as a milestone, representing the world's first set of regulations for AI, with the primary goal of ensuring safety and compliance with European fundamental rights (see announcements — Belgium and Spain).

Struggling to Find What You Want on Amazon? Just Ask Rufus!

Amazon has just introduced Rufus, an expert shopping assistant utilizing its product catalog and web data to address customer inquiries, offer recommendations, and enhance the shopping experience within the Amazon mobile app. Launching in beta for a select group, Rufus will gradually expand to more U.S. customers. From initial research on products like “what to consider when buying running shoes?” to detailed comparisons or specific queries such as “are these durable?”, Rufus significantly improves product discovery and seamlessly integrates into the familiar Amazon shopping interface (read more).

AI2 Releases Open Source Text-Generating AI Models

The Allen Institute for AI (AI2) has introduced a new series of open-source text-generating AI models named OLMo (Open Language Model) with the goal of advancing AI through open research (click here for the latest OLMo models). Additionally, AI2 has released training code and the pre-training data, named DOLMA, along with the open language model evaluation tool Paloma. In contrast to previous practices of training AI models, these tools are designed for open use in training, experimentation, and commercialization, with a focus on democratizing access to advanced AI technology (read more).

Yelp Now Gives AI-Made Summaries of Businesses

Yelp has rolled out new AI-driven business summaries that analyze recent reviews to provide concise insights into what to expect from a business. This function uses large language models to highlight key information about businesses, such as atmosphere, popular dishes, and pricing, based on direct user feedback. The summaries appear prominently on a business's Yelp page, offering a quick overview derived from recent reviews. Currently on iOS, this feature will extend to Android and desktop later this year (read more).

Meta Advances AI Coding

Meta's Code Llama, a coding-focused variant of Llama 2, now offers four sizes: 7B, 13B, 34B, and 70B parameters. Notably, Code Llama 70B outperformed open-source, code-specific LLMs and matched OpenAI's GPT-4 performance. This represents a substantial leap in AI-assisted coding, excelling in generating and debugging intricate programming tasks. Available for both research and commercial use and proudly promoted by Mark Zuckerberg in a recent Facebook post, Code Llama 70B showcases the swift evolution of AI programming tools (read more).

Would You Attend an AI-Based Music School?

Studio's new online platform for musicians uses AI to create personalized learning experiences, harnessing the power of OpenAI's GPT-4 to tailor custom curriculums. This approach adapts to each student's schedule and skill level, offering a practical and flexible way to learn music. Additionally, Studio’s “music school of the future” boasts exclusive lessons from more than 110 renowned artists, featuring names like Charlie Puth and Kygo (see more).

Weed Removal Can Now Be Better Managed with AI

Verdant Robotics' breakthrough in agricultural technology is reshaping the farming landscape. Their innovative AI-powered Sharpshooter™ smart sprayer, attachable to standard tractors, zeroes in on weeds with unparalleled accuracy, covering up to 3.75 acres per hour. This high-tech tool not only reduces herbicide use to kill weeds by an impressive 96% but also enhances the economic viability of organic farming. Such advancements offer a sustainable and cost-effective solution for farmers, contributing to the reduction of agriculture's environmental impact (read more).

Q4 Global Spending on Cloud Infrastructure Services Reached Nearly $74 Billion — Marking a Record High!

Latest data from Synergy Research Group reveals Q4 global enterprise spending on cloud infrastructure services surged to nearly $74 billion, up over $12 billion from Q4 2022, with a 20% year-on-year growth rate. The market experienced its largest quarter-on-quarter increase ever, with a $5.6 billion boost from Q3. Despite economic challenges easing, the impact of generative AI technology persists in driving cloud spending. While pre-2022 growth rates may not return due to the law of large numbers, Synergy predicts stable growth rates, foreseeing substantial annual increases that could push the market towards the $500 billion mark (read full report).

🧰 AI TOOLBOX — RECAP

👋 UNTIL NEXT TIME

As we bid farewell to this week's AI showcase, envision the tech landscape we've explored together. The rapid pace of AI developments keeps us on our toes, and each recap is a step toward mastering the digital dance. What exciting twists await us in the unfolding narrative of artificial intelligence? Stay curious, for the next issue promises more revelations and innovations in the ever-evolving world of AI. Until then, keep the tech torch burning bright!