AI News

Google is integrating generative AI into Maps for select Local Guides, allowing users to find recommendations using natural language. The AI suggests tailored dining and activity options based on user preferences and local insights, with plans for broader availability pending user feedback.

Deepfakes pose a significant threat in the upcoming U.S. elections, with potential to manipulate voter sentiment and public opinion. Professor Hany Farid is monitoring these AI-generated threats, highlighting their misuse in smear campaigns. As technology evolves, awareness and critical thinking are crucial to combat misinformation.

Apple's Vision Pro mixed reality headset launches on February 2, promising to reinvigorate the tech industry. However, developers face restrictions on terminology, as Apple requires referring to it as a "spatial computer." The author emphasizes the importance of maintaining established terms like VR and AR for clarity in the evolving tech landscape.

Google is enhancing its Bard AI chatbot, adding image generation with its Imagen 2 model and a more advanced Gemini Pro. New features include multilingual support and a free AI image tool, positioning Bard as a strong competitor to ChatGPT. Google also tests ImageFX for creative exploration.

California fintech startup Coris secured $3.7 million in seed funding to enhance its AI-driven risk management platform for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Co-led by Lux Capital and Exponent Capital, the investment will accelerate the rollout of tools like CorShield, which uses LLMs for fraud prevention and risk analysis, addressing challenges in the fragmented SMB sector.

Shopify has introduced over 100 updates emphasizing AI to enhance merchant operations and customer experiences. Key features include Shopify Magic for content generation, Smart Sidekick for inventory advice, and improved ad targeting. AI advances position Shopify competitively in e-commerce, addressing retail's rapid AI adoption and ethical concerns. The platform continues to thrive, processing over $200 billion in annual transactions.

In March 2023, Salesforce appointed Clara Shih as its first Chief of AI, leading initiatives like EinsteinGPT. Inspired by a meeting with Gucci, Shih emphasized AI's potential beyond chatbots. The surge in demand for generative AI post-ChatGPT has driven innovation in Salesforce's offerings.

Dynatrace is expanding into AI observability, launching features to monitor generative AI systems. New tools will help enterprises manage risks related to AI models, such as biases and security issues. The comprehensive solution integrates various metrics for effective monitoring and compliance. Dynatrace's AI observability is now available, with early users already benefiting.

OpenAI's study on AI's role in biological threat creation found GPT-4 offers only a slight accuracy boost over existing online resources. Despite concerns about AI enabling malicious acts, the findings suggest no significant increase in risks. Ongoing vigilance and research are essential as AI evolves.

The open-source AI community is buzzing after "Miqu Dev" uploaded the "miqu-1-70b" model to HuggingFace, sparking discussions about its performance, potentially rivaling OpenAI's GPT-4. Mistral’s CEO confirmed it’s a leaked quantized model, hinting at future competitive developments.

Leading endpoint providers like Cisco, CrowdStrike, and Microsoft are leveraging AI and behavioral analytics to strengthen cybersecurity defenses amidst increasing pressure for technology stack consolidation and budget cuts. Key focuses for 2024 include developing advanced AI applications, automating Indicators of Attack, and enhancing real-time threat detection and prevention capabilities.

Protect AI, a Seattle startup, has acquired Laiyer AI to enhance its AI security platform, Radar. This will improve safeguards against risks from large language models (LLMs) through the LLM Guard project. The company aims to unify AI security efforts and provide comprehensive governance for AI models.

On Monday, the U.S. Commerce Department released a report advocating for "open-weight" generative AI models, such as Meta’s Llama 3.1. The report emphasizes the need for the government to establish “new capabilities” to monitor these models for any potential risks.

Databricks launched DBRX, an open-source AI model with 132 billion parameters, outperforming GPT-3.5 in language, programming, and math benchmarks. Featuring a "mixture-of-experts" architecture for efficiency, DBRX aims to ensure data security for clients. This move positions Databricks as a leader in AI research amidst rising competition.