AI news stories
Google debuts subscription Gemini AI bot, as Microsoft rivalry heats up
Google has revamped its AI bot Bard, now named Gemini, introducing a premium version, Gemini Advanced, at $19.99 per month, offering access to its largest AI model, Gemini Ultra, along with 2TB of Google Cloud storage and future integration with Google Workspace apps. Gemini, designed to compete with OpenAI's GPT-4, has evolved to include multimodal capabilities, offering three versions: Nano for smartphones, Pro for businesses, and Ultra for advanced applications. This launch positions Google directly against Microsoft's Copilot Pro AI bot, intensifying the rivalry between the two tech giants, especially in the consumer AI market.
FCC declares AI-generated voices in robocalls are illegal
The FCC has made the use of voice-cloning technology in robocalls illegal, effective immediately, as a measure against increasing fraud and misinformation facilitated by AI-generated voices that mimic familiar figures. This decision empowers state attorneys general with new tools to combat scams exploiting these technologies, including those that target vulnerable individuals, impersonate public figures, and disseminate false information. The move was prompted by incidents like a fraudulent robocall before New Hampshire's presidential primary, mimicking President Biden to discourage voter participation, highlighting the growing concern over AI-generated disinformation in political campaigns.
AR glasses with multimodal AI nets funding from Pokémon Go creator
Brilliant Labs, a Singapore-based startup, announced the launch of Frame, a lightweight augmented reality (AR) glasses powered by a multimodal AI assistant named Noa, which has attracted investment from John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, the company behind Pokémon Go. Frame features advanced capabilities including voice commands, visual processing, image generation, and translation, integrating multiple AI models like Perplexity AI, Stable Diffusion, GPT-4, and Whisper, aimed at enhancing real-world interactions through technology. The glasses, designed for everyday wear and open-source development, will be available for pre-order at $349 and are part of Brilliant Labs' effort to pioneer the future of human/AI interaction through innovative wearable devices.
Sarvam AI, an Indian generative AI startup, has partnered with Microsoft to make its Indic voice large language model (LLM) available on Azure, focusing on enhancing AI-driven growth and innovation in India. This collaboration aims to facilitate the development and deployment of generative AI applications in Indian languages, making them more accurate, cost-effective, and accessible to various sectors. The partnership also focuses on leveraging Microsoft's cloud and AI infrastructure to train, host, and scale Sarvam AI's LLMs efficiently, while also working on supporting Indian languages in Microsoft's Generative AI models and deploying them at scale.
Leading AI companies join new US safety consortium: Biden administration
Leading AI companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook's Meta, and OpenAI, have joined the AI Safety Institute Consortium as part of a new initiative announced by the Biden administration to ensure the safe development of generative AI. This consortium, also comprising government agencies, academic institutions, and companies like Northrop Grumman and Mastercard, aims to work under the guidance of the U.S. AI Safety Institute to fulfill goals set by President Biden's executive order on AI safety and data privacy. The initiative focuses on developing standards and tools for risk management, safety, security, and the ethical deployment of AI, addressing concerns over its potential to disrupt jobs and elections.
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