AI news stories
China’s generative video race heats up
Tencent's updated DynamiCrafter model marks a significant step in China's growing involvement in generative video technology. This new release, offers improved resolution and leverages advanced diffusion models to turn text and images into videos, sets itself apart by employing a broader range of image animation techniques and incorporating motion priors, a departure from traditional methods focused on animating specific movements. The move signifies a growing trend among Chinese tech giants, including ByteDance, Baidu, and Alibaba, who are also actively developing their own video diffusion models and adopting open-source strategies to engage the global developer community.
Labeling AI-Generated Images on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
Meta is actively working with industry partners to set common standards for recognizing AI-generated content, and plans to label such images on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. This initiative includes embedding visible markers, invisible watermarks, and metadata in images generated by Meta AI, and developing tools to detect AI content even without these markers. Alongside these technical measures, Meta is committed to using AI to enforce community standards, like detecting hate speech, and emphasizes responsible AI development in collaboration with industry peers and regulators.
Ambience Healthcare raises $70M for its AI assistant led by OpenAI and Kleiner Perkins
Ambience Healthcare, a startup specializing in developing an "operating system" for healthcare clinicians, has successfully raised $70 million in a Series B funding round to expand its U.S.-focused business in various ambulatory specialties. This funding round, which elevates the company's total funding to $100 million, was prominently co-led by Kleiner Perkins and OpenAI's Startup Fund, with additional support from Andreessen Horowitz and Optum Ventures. Co-founded by MIT alumni who experienced personal medical traumas, the company aims to significantly reduce clinicians' administrative workloads with tools like AutoScribe and AutoCDI, while also contemplating the inclusion of diagnostic capabilities in future developments.
H&R Block is using Azure OpenAI Service to bring ease to American taxpayers this season
H&R Block is using the Azure OpenAI Service to make the tax filing process easier for many American taxpayers. They have introduced a generative AI experience called H&R Block AI Tax Assist, designed to help individuals, self-employed people, and small business owners with their tax preparations. This tool, powered by Azure, helps users understand tax forms, deductions, credits, and answers various tax-related questions, improving the do-it-yourself tax filing experience. This move is a key part of H&R Block's digital transformation, utilizing Azure's AI tools and responsible deployment features to offer an efficient and reliable service to their customers.
Palantir shares rocket 30% after revenue beat, strong demand for AI
Palantir Technologies experienced a significant 30% rise in its shares following their fourth-quarter earnings report, which revealed a notable 20% increase in revenue to $608.4 million, surpassing Wall Street predictions. The growth was largely attributed to the unrelenting demand for large language models in the U.S., as emphasized by CEO Alex Karp, particularly in their Artificial Intelligence Platform.
AI unlocks ancient text owned by Caesar's family
Three students have successfully used AI to decipher a 2,000-year-old scroll, charred in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD, revealing discussions on music and food. The scroll, part of a collection believed to belong to Julius Caesar's father-in-law, was previously unreadable due to damage. This breakthrough in pattern recognition AI technology could potentially decipher the entirety of the 800 scrolls in the collection, revolutionizing the understanding of ancient Greek philosophy.
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