AI News

In May, OpenAI showcased its remarkably realistic and nearly real-time "advanced voice mode" for the ChatGPT platform, announcing plans for a rollout to paying users within weeks. However, a few months later, the company has indicated that more time is needed to perfect the feature.

The Search for Next-Gen AI Architectures: Beyond Transformers

As the demand for artificial intelligence (AI) continues to rise, so does the need for expertise in database management — an essential component of any AI pipeline. Databases not only store the information used for training and fine-tuning AI systems, but effective data management plays a vital role in facilitating AI adoption within enterprises.

Hebbia, a pioneering startup harnessing generative AI for efficient document searching and answering complex queries, has successfully secured $130 million in Series B funding. This investment, led by Andreessen Horowitz and supported by Index Ventures, Google Ventures, and Peter Thiel, has propelled Hebbia’s valuation to approximately $700 million.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department dedicated to developing and testing technology for the government, businesses, and the public, has reintroduced a test bed designed to assess the impact of malicious attacks—especially those that "poison" AI training data—on AI system performance.

In the midst of ongoing debates over media content and original reporting, AI-driven search startup Perplexity has introduced a new feature that displays results for factual queries directly through cards. This includes information such as weather conditions, local time, currency conversions, and quick answers to basic math questions. This enhancement aims to keep Perplexity users from turning to other search engines like Google for these essential results.

When Napster burst onto the scene in the late 1990s, it revolutionized music sharing by enabling users to download files without compensating artists or copyright holders. The advent of the iPod and the iTunes music store transformed this landscape, creating a framework for artists and publishers to receive payment for their work in the digital age. Fast forward to now, and a growing concern has emerged: companies are harvesting content to train large language models without obtaining proper permissions.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Unveils AI Characters in Instagram

Samsung unveiled its latest foldable smartphones on Wednesday at its Unpacked 2024 event—the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. These new models are both thinner and lighter than their predecessors, with the Fold 6 featuring a long-awaited enhancement to its traditionally narrow front display aspect ratio. However, these improvements come with higher price tags: the Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at $1,900, while the Z Flip 6 is priced at $1,100, marking a $100 increase over previous models.

Anthropic Launches Initiative to Develop Advanced AI Performance Benchmarks

The recipe app and cooking assistant Pestle is embracing artificial intelligence to streamline the process of saving recipes from social media. Notably, it does this without relying on OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology. Pestle's latest feature allows users to import recipes directly from Instagram Reels, utilizing on-device machine learning for quick processing and effortless saving to their collections.

Thousands of articles have explored the journey of former NFL quarterback and civil rights advocate Colin Kaepernick. Few understand the struggle to reclaim one's narrative better than he does. Now, Kaepernick is launching an AI storytelling platform called Lumi, designed to empower creators to craft and control their own stories.

"Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain," premiering July 16, uses archival footage and AI to voice previously unspoken quotes from Bourdain. The director faced ethical challenges in using AI but claims family approval, disputed by his widow. AI content features less than 60 seconds in the film.

Tinder is launching an AI-driven Photo Selector tool to help users choose better dating profile photos by using facial recognition to curate images. This feature maintains privacy by processing data on-device, aiming to save time and enhance connections. Available on iOS and Android, it rolls out in the US starting July.

On July 18, the Shanghai AI Laboratory evaluated seven AI models using SiNan, highlighting Shusheng Puyu 2.0, Alibaba's Tongyi Qwen 2-72B, and GPT-4o as top performers in the Gaokao exam. While excelling in humanities, they struggled in scientific reasoning and subjective questions, revealing significant gaps compared to human students.