Apple Intelligence (their brand of 'AI') Seen in Action for the First Time....

Apple's new iPhone 16 lineup introduces significant enhancements, particularly with artificial intelligence capabilities and an improved Siri experience. The AI upgrades allow the phones to perform tasks more efficiently, with smarter predictive text, advanced photo editing features, and more personalized user experiences.

Siri is also expected to become more proactive, understanding user context better, offering more relevant suggestions, and even performing more complex tasks with natural language commands. These updates are set to make the iPhone 16 lineup a standout with cutting-edge technology designed to enhance daily user interactions.

Video Courtesy of Today

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iPhone 16 Details Leak: Are MAJOR Upgrades Coming to the New Model?

Some details on the iPhone 16 have leaked, and they have many calling this the biggest upgrade Apple has made to the iPhone in years - so, what's new?

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AI News Roundup: Luma AI's Dream Machine, Apple AI, Leonardo's New Model, Pika Upgrades their Image to Video model and MORE...

AI Weekly Roundup: Exciting Developments in Image and Video Generation

This week saw a flurry of activity in the AI world, with several new tools and updates released for image and video generation. Let's dive into the most noteworthy developments:

Luma AI Launches Dream Machine

Luma AI released Dream Machine, their competitor to AI video tools like Sora, Veo, Pika, and Runway. While some claim it's on par with Sora, initial testing suggests it's not quite there yet in most scenarios. However, it does excel in certain areas.

Key points about Dream Machine:

- Initially had long queue times (up to 7 hours) due to high demand

- Performs better with image-to-video rather than text-to-video

- Generates 5-second videos

- Excels at flyover shots and time-lapses

- Pricing: 30 free generations per month, then about $0.25 per video

Pika and Stability AI Updates

Pika also updated their image-to-video model, though details on the improvements are scarce. Meanwhile, Stability AI finally released the weights for Stable Diffusion 3, making it available for download on Hugging Face. Initial tests show improvements in text generation within images, but it still requires detailed prompts for optimal results.

Leonardo Unveils Phoenix Model

Leonardo introduced their new custom AI model, Phoenix. This foundational model, trained from the ground up, offers:

- Enhanced prompt adherence

- Coherent text in images

- Superior image quality

- More creative control

Early tests suggest Phoenix may outperform Stable Diffusion XL in some aspects.

Midjourney Introduces Model Personalization

Midjourney launched a new feature called Model Personalization. By ranking at least 200 images, users can train the AI to generate images more aligned with their preferences.

Google's Gen Type Tool

Google Labs released Gen Type, a tool that creates letters in various styles based on user prompts. This free tool offers similar functionality to Adobe Firefly's text features.

Suno Updates Audio Generation

Suno, the AI music generation tool, now allows users to upload or record audio snippets and extend them into full songs. This feature is available for Suno Premium users.

Apple's AI Integration

At WWDC, Apple announced extensive AI integration across its ecosystem:

- On-device AI for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS

- AI-powered features in Notes and Calculator apps

- Email inbox overhaul with AI-generated summaries

- Smart replies and notification summaries

- Image Playground for generating illustrations and animations

- Gen Emoji feature for creating custom emojis

- Enhanced photo editing and searching capabilities

- Improved Siri with typing option and context awareness

Other Notable News

- Adobe is revising its terms of service to clarify they won't train AI on customers' work without permission.

- Apple briefly became the world's most valuable company following the WWDC announcements.

- Elon Musk expressed concerns about Apple's integration with OpenAI, though his claims were later clarified as misrepresentations.

- OpenAI hired two new C-level executives: Sarah Friar as CFO and Kevin Weil as CPO.

- Microsoft is removing custom GPTs from Copilot Pro due to low usage.

- A new open-source AI model, Qwen2, outperforms Llama 3 in various benchmarks.

- A photographer was disqualified from an AI image contest after winning with a real photo, highlighting the ongoing debate between AI-generated and human-created art.

As AI tools continue to evolve and become more accessible, creators have an expanding array of options for generating images, videos, and music. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in the world of AI.


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Author: Trevor Kingsley
Tech News CITY // New York Newsroom

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The Latest News in AI's Evolution: 6 Recent Stories or Announcements You Need to Stay Up To Date...

Like every week, there has been a torrent of AI news, reflecting the rapid progress and growing implications of this transformative technology. While many updates represent incremental advancements, some developments carry profound future implications, and a few are simply downright bizarre and amusing.

The AI Landscape's Overwhelming Complexity

An infographic from First Mark Capital vividly illustrates the staggering complexity of the current AI landscape. Dubbed the "2024 ML/AI/Data Landscape," the image depicts the sheer number of companies involved in this space, encompassing both established giants and numerous smaller players. This visual representation serves as a stark reminder of just how monumental and widespread the AI revolution has become.

Microsoft and OpenAI's Ambitious Data Center Plans

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Microsoft and OpenAI are planning a $100 billion data center project, which would be a staggering 100 times more costly than some of the largest existing data centers. The proposed facility would house an artificial intelligence supercomputer dubbed "Stargate." If realized, this endeavor could propel OpenAI and Microsoft to an unprecedented lead, making it challenging for other companies or open-source models to catch up.

OpenAI's Synthetic Voice Capabilities

OpenAI has unveiled its ability to generate realistic synthetic voices from a single 15-second audio sample. The quality of these AI-generated voices surpasses even the impressive capabilities of tools like Elevenlabs. However, while showcasing this remarkable feat, OpenAI has refrained from making the technology publicly available due to potential misuse concerns. The company is advocating for measures to protect individuals' voices, educate the public about AI-generated content, and develop techniques to track the origin of audiovisual media.

Advancements in AI Art and Music Generation

Several developments in AI-powered art and music generation have emerged. OpenAI has introduced an inpainting feature for its DALL-E model, allowing users to selectively modify specific areas of generated images. Stability AI has unveiled Stable Audio 2.0, enabling the generation of three-minute songs and audio-to-audio generation based on hummed or instrument sounds. However, the quality of AI-generated music remains a subject of debate, with a group of musicians, including Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, signing a letter expressing concerns about the irresponsible use of AI in music.

Anthropic's Research and Apple's AI Ambitions

Anthropic researchers have discovered that repeatedly asking harmless questions to large language models can eventually lead them to provide potentially harmful information, a phenomenon they are actively investigating. Meanwhile, Apple appears to be deepening its involvement in AI, revealing the "Realm" language model designed to enhance voice assistants like Siri by improving context understanding and reference resolution.

Ethical Concerns and Regulatory Developments

Ethical and regulatory issues surrounding AI continue to surface. A court in Washington has banned the use of AI-enhanced video evidence, citing concerns about the potential for inaccuracies introduced by upscaling algorithms. Additionally, the company behind the AI-generated George Carlin standup comedy set has agreed to remove all related audio and video content following a settlement with Carlin's estate.

Bizarre and Amusing AI Applications

Among the more unusual AI developments, an autonomous electric scooter called the Ola Solo has been introduced in India, claiming to be the first fully self-driving scooter. In Phoenix, Waymo vehicles are now delivering Uber Eats orders, allowing customers to retrieve their food from self-driving cars. Furthermore, an upcoming season of the Netflix reality show "The Circle" will feature an AI catfish participant, adding an intriguing twist to the dating-focused premise.

As the AI news cycle continues to accelerate, it becomes increasingly evident that we are witnessing a technological revolution of unprecedented scale and impact. Stay tuned for more developments, insights, and discussions as we collectively navigate the challenges and opportunities of this "next wave" of innovation.


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Author: Trevor Kingsley
Tech News CITY // New York Newsroom

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