Welcome to AI Weekly, where we delve into the cutting-edge and ever-evolving world of artificial intelligence and bring you concise yet comprehensive summaries of the most exciting AI developments.
EU pursues AI law in global regulatory bid
The European Union is actively working towards an agreement on extensive regulations to govern artificial intelligence (AI). After months of challenging negotiations, the focus has particularly intensified on monitoring generative AI, exemplified by entities like ChatGPT. The urgency heightened following the rapid advancements highlighted by ChatGPT’s emergence last year. Negotiations commenced in June, but recent debates, especially regarding the regulation of general-purpose AI such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard chatbot, posed threats to the discussions in the final weeks.
Microsoft widens accessibility with ‘seeing AI’ android launch
Redmond-based tech giant Microsoft has expanded the reach of its ‘Seeing AI’ app by introducing the Android version after its initial launch on iOS. With an active user base surpassing three billion on Android, ‘Seeing AI’ is now accessible to millions globally with vision impairments. Microsoft has refined the user interface based on iOS feedback and introduced new features, including generative AI capabilities. The app can now describe various objects, from currency notes to books, offering detailed summaries and richer descriptions of images.
Publicis Sapient and Tquila propel generative AI capabilities with Microsoft
Publicis Sapient announces the launch of PS Hummingbird, a joint venture with Tquila, expanding its generative AI and cloud capabilities, predominantly leveraging Microsoft technologies. This collaboration enhances Publicis Sapient’s AI and cloud-based offerings, including Microsoft Azure Data & AI, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform. The strategic joint venture aims to fortify Publicis Sapient’s core AI capabilities and practices, building on recent acquisitions of Practia, Corra, and Publicis Sapient AI Labs.
OpenAI Commits $51 million to AI chips from Rain AI
OpenAI, led by CEO Sam Altman, plans to invest $51 million in AI chips from Rain AI, a company Altman personally invested in. Despite leadership changes, OpenAI expresses potential future collaborations with Rain. This development underscores Altman’s dual roles as a vested investor and CEO, contributing to the circumstances surrounding his firing and subsequent reinstatement.
Elon Musk’s AI Startup X.AI Aims for $1 Billion in Capital
Elon Musk’s AI startup, X.AI, files with the SEC to raise up to $1 billion in an equity offering. With nearly $135 million raised from four investors, the company, announced by Musk in July, seeks to “understand the true nature of the universe,” according to its website.
Zoom unveils enhanced AI-powered customer experiences
Zoom Video Communications introduces enhancements to its AI-powered customer experience (CX) suite, accompanied by upcoming pricing plans. The new tiered plans for Zoom Contact Center include voice, video, chat, SMS channels, real-time transcription, and AI Companion capabilities. Zoom AI Expert Assist offers personalized customer support, improved agent productivity, and enhanced supervisor intelligence.
Australia navigates AI inflection point, urgent need for social license
Australia stands at a pivotal moment in the development of AI technologies, with a report by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and the University of Adelaide’s Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML) emphasizing the nation’s potential leadership or lag in technical and regulatory innovation. The report stresses the importance of building social license, public understanding, and proactive AI research and development to ensure responsible deployment and regulation.
MongoDB integrates Atlas Vector search with Amazon Bedrock on AWS
MongoDB announces plans to integrate MongoDB Atlas Vector Search with Amazon Bedrock, facilitating the development of next-gen applications on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This integration simplifies the inclusion of generative AI and semantic search capabilities into applications, delivering highly engaging and customized end-user experiences.
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