AI News & Launches

Simon Willison's live blog from OpenAI DevDay 2024 in San Francisco provides updates during the event. Key announcements include the increase of rate limit for o1 to 10000 RPM and the introduction of a realtime API that includes voice input and output capabilities.

Hacker News discusses Tavus, an AI research company, developing low-latency AI video models for 'digital twins' with founders Hassaan & Quinn. They faced challenges creating realistic AI-human conversations under 1 second latency. The solution involved architectural decisions balancing latency, scale, and cost. Users engage with AI avatars through demos on online platforms, paving the way for natural computer interaction.

Victoria Livingstone, an experienced educator, quits teaching due to challenges posed by generative AI, like ChatGPT, which led students to rely on AI for writing tasks, bypassing the learning process associated with writing. Despite her attempts to incorporate AI critically in her curriculum and highlight its limitations, she found students were not willing to endure the discomfort of developing writing skills and preferred the ease of AI tools.

This article explores the performance differences between Rust and Python in the context of text (code) processing tools integrated with large language models (LLMs). Rust-based tools like Swiftide are compared to Python's Langchain, with a focus on benchmarking involving data processing, generating embeddings, and vector database insertion. Interesting findings about pre-processing steps and overall efficiency are discussed.

Y Combinator faces criticism for backing PearAI, an AI startup that cloned another AI editor, Continue. The founder Duke Pan initially changed the open source Apache license to a proprietary Pear Enterprise License, sparking outrage. Following a backlash, PearAI reverted to the Apache license. Y Combinator's CEO Garry Tan defended PearAI amidst the controversy. Critics cite YC's due diligence process and question its cohort selection standards.

BBC's Orbit Music features a selection of 5 new tracks every day from undiscovered artists, providing listeners with fresh music handpicked on a weekly basis.

Character SDK by Video SDK creates AI companions capable of interaction through speech, vision, and action. Access is currently via an early waitlist but will soon be open to all. Integrate real-time audio-video features swiftly with compliance to multiple security standards.

Graphite Reviewer is an AI-powered code review tool that provides immediate, actionable feedback on pull requests to help teams merge PRs faster and maintain quality & consistency. It supports custom AI prompts and regex rules without storing or training on your team's code, ensuring data privacy.

Inbox Zero is an AI-powered email management tool that automates responses, blocks cold emails, and enables easy unsubscribe from newsletters. It's trusted by 7,000+ users and is Google-approved for data security.

AI chipmaker Cerebras Systems has filed for an IPO, with plans to trade under the ticker 'CBRS' on the Nasdaq. Despite a net loss in the first half of 2024 and 2023, the company reported revenue growth. Key competitors include Nvidia, AMD, Intel, and various cloud providers.

Apple has backed out of talks to invest in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Previously, Apple discussed joining a funding round to raise about $6.5 billion but withdrew for unknown reasons. Despite this, integration of ChatGPT into Apple platforms is still planned.

Liquid AI announces Liquid Foundation Models (LFMs), a new generative AI model series. These models offer state-of-the-art performance, maintain a smaller memory footprint, and deliver more efficient inference. Offering models like 1B, 3B, and 40B, LFMs work optimally across numerous platforms like NVIDIA and Apple. They are designed for a range of industries and are also optimized for enterprise solutions.

Screenpipe is a public repository on GitHub providing 24/7 local AI screen & mic recording for building AI apps with context. Works with Ollama, an alternative to Rewind.ai, ensures open and secure data management for users.

An innovative project, Flying Car, is in the process of launching a unique handwritten newspaper to bootstrap funding for EMC testing and certification expenses. The initiative aims to raise $12,000 through subscription sales, offering an alternative to conventional pre-orders. Subscribers will enjoy the authenticity of hand-illustrated content and the potential to contribute handwritten pieces.

Novela Academy offers an online registration for their upcoming cohort TIK-MAR. This program is designed for individuals looking to enhance their skills through a structured and community-driven educational environment. Sign up via the provided link to join a network of learners and professionals.

The article 'Do AI companies work?' explores the financial and technological challenges faced by AI companies, particularly those building large language models (LLMs). It discusses the high costs of development, the uncertain market, and the intense competition, which can render even leading models obsolete in a short time. The potential for disruption is high, as access to computing resources is available to any well-funded team, undermining the idea of a secure competitive edge.

A recent article from The Economist discusses how AI, particularly generative AI, is revolutionizing the field of software development. With technologies such as Chatgpt introduced in 2022, developers are finding new ways to leverage AI to improve efficiency, with around 40% of them already using generative AI tools in their programming tasks.

Scientific publishing practices have come under scrutiny by Àlex Gómez-Marín, who argues they've become more about advancing careers than knowledge. He points out that so-called experts don't hold absolute truths, urging a shift to an open exploration of the unknown and away from regurgitating dogmatic beliefs.

The article provides a detailed account of the model numbers of the original IBM PC 5150. It uncovers the mystery behind the model numbering scheme and includes a summary of officially announced models with specifications, pricing, and their associated introduction dates.

Microsoft reintroduces the Windows Recall feature with enhanced security mechanisms including proof-of-presence encryption, data isolation, and an opt-in model to address privacy concerns and minimize malware threats.

A study by Uplevel on AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot found no significant productivity gains for developers. The study, assessing PR cycle time and PR throughput, also indicated that coding with Copilot may introduce more bugs. While some criticize the limited capabilities of AI, others report incremental gains, emphasizing the role of AI in accelerating specific aspects of coding.

Apple has decided not to invest in OpenAI, despite the latter's upcoming $6.5 billion funding round, to which Microsoft and Nvidia might contribute. Apple's prior discussions of an OpenAI investment emerged last month, though the potential investment amount remained undisclosed. However, Apple is still collaborating with OpenAI, incorporating ChatGPT into its forthcoming iOS 18 release without a financial exchange.

PodSnap.AI provides AI-generated summaries of podcasts immediately after publication. Users can receive actionable insights from over 4.2 million podcasts via inbox. The service offers both text and audio summaries using cutting-edge AI technology.

This YouTube link directs to a video that is likely a part of the extensive content library on the platform. Owned by Google LLC, YouTube is a popular online video-sharing and social media platform.

AMD introduces its first small language model, the AMD-135M, a smaller counterpart to large language models offering advantages for specific use cases. Trained on 670 billion tokens with AMD Instinct MI250 accelerators, the model and its code-variant are open-sourced for development and innovation within the AI community. With Speculative Decoding, the AMD-135M improves inference performance, serving as a draft model to speed up larger models like CodeLlama-7b on select AMD platforms.

HP has introduced Print AI, a new feature for select printers designed to optimize printouts and workflows by removing unwanted elements and improving layout. This functionality is still in beta with no price announced, but aims at streamlining the printing process.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, was reportedly dismissed as a 'podcasting bro' by TSMC executives after proposing an ambitious plan to build 36 new fabs costing $7 trillion. This grand vision involved leveraging Asian manufacturing, Middle Eastern investment, and U.S. regulatory support. However, TSMC executives found the plan unrealistic and risky, revealing their skepticism at a shareholder meeting. Discussions with other tech giants like Samsung and SK Hynix were cut short due to security concerns. Despite persistent uncertainties, talks with companies like Microsoft and Apple continue as the industry explores the potential of AI.

Bas Dijkstra expresses his fatigue over the AI hype in software testing and beyond. He critiques the overuse and marketing of AI as a 'game changer' without substantial improvement. With 18 years in test automation, Bas finds no shortcut to experience despite the promise of 'AI-powered solutions'. He believes AI can expedite results but often lacks in quality. He's also seen a rise in AI-assisted conference proposals, making them generic and unauthentic. As a human, he finds no emotional connection to AI-generated art compared to human creations. Though he acknowledges AI's potential for good, such as in disease detection, he is weary of its overuse and carbon footprint.

Ayraa is an all-in-one generative AI platform designed to enhance productivity for busy professionals and grow with teams. It features AI-powered search, human-verified knowledge collections, meeting transcriptions with AI notes, insights discovery, and a facility for structured queries on workspace data.

In a blog post dated Sep 23, 2024, the author discusses two types of responses from Language Model systems: informational and instructional. Informational responses provide factual or conceptual knowledge, whereas instructional responses offer step-by-step guidance. The author points out that most datasets used for evaluations, like MMLU and GSM8k, are limited in size and context, which could be insufficient given the growing size of context windows required today. The author suggests that instructional responses need to be treated as a separate category for evaluation, especially in domain-specific RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) systems used by enterprises for tasks such as HR policies, vacation applications, and other procedures.

SimplyBudget offers a streamlined way to manage your finances with various plans. Features include AI-powered analytics, budgeting tools, and customizable options for individuals and teams.

OpenAI, renowned for ChatGPT, has transitioned from a safety-first nonprofit to a for-profit entity, with Sam Altman gaining equity and significant control. This shift has raised concerns about the company's commitment to its original vision, safety protocols, and promises of sharing profits with the public.

CustomFit.ai offers a no-code platform for A/B testing, website personalization, and conversion rate optimization (CRO) tailored for marketers. It features AI-driven tools to enhance user engagement, add trust elements, and optimize content for better ROI, without the need for coding.

Over 300 new 'Nazca Lines' geoglyphs in Peru have been uncovered by AI technology. A team led by Masato Sakai used an AI tool to nearly double the known figures in just 6 months. The geoglyphs, some over 2,000 years old, depict various motifs and are thought to serve functions such as astronomy, agriculture, or art. The AI's ability to reveal these difficult-to-spot artworks marks a significant leap for archaeology.

OpenAI saw a significant executive shuffle with the departure of three key staff: CTO Mira Murati, Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew, and Research VP Barret Zoph. Amidst restructuring into a for-profit model, their resignations deepen the leadership changes following co-founders stepping back earlier. This raises questions about OpenAI's future collaboration with Microsoft and puts pressure on the company as competitors close in.

Neolocus.ai offers an AI-driven analytics platform where users can manage their accounts to access various features related to data processing and innovation tools.

DoNotPay, advertised as 'the world's first robot lawyer,' has agreed to pay $193,000 to settle FTC charges of false ads. The FTC says DoNotPay made unsubstantiated claims about its AI chatbot's capabilities, such as suing with a click, without conducting any tests to compare it to the work of real lawyers. They also did not consult legal professionals to validate their claims.

LlamaVoice is an open-source GitHub project that focuses on large-scale voice generation using a novel llama-based model. It differs from traditional models by predicting continuous features directly, offering an efficient and streamlined process.

CustomFitAI is a powerful Shopify app that provides a no-code solution for A/B testing, website personalization, and conversion rate optimization (CRO), using AI machine learning to boost revenue and enhance upselling strategies.

Spinach.io is an AI Meeting Assistant that joins meetings to take notes, prepares follow-ups, captures actions, suggests tickets, and integrates with existing tools. It supports 100 languages to facilitate comprehensive meeting management.