Category: AI

When considering a pair of premium headphones or earbuds, two critical factors often come to mind: noise isolation and transparency. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) blocks all external noise, allowing you to hear only the audio from your device. Transparency mode lets some ambient sound through while still playing your music. Apple and Sony have excelled in these technologies, but no current audio gear can focus on a single external sound source.

Imagine wanting to hear only one person’s voice in a crowded room. Researchers at the University of Washington have developed an AI-driven headphone kit that allows you to focus on a specific person’s speech. This technology, called “Target Speech Hearing,” uses a brief visual cue—looking at the person for three to five seconds—to isolate their voice. Remarkably, it works even if you’re moving around and not directly facing the speaker.

In recent years, Nvidia has achieved significant success by pivoting to artificial intelligence (AI), with large language models and GPU-accelerated “premium AI PC” experiences becoming the hot trend in 2024. However, newer and smaller companies are now vying for market share, and they are not the usual suspects.

As reported by The Economist, there are noteworthy developments in the GPU field beyond Nvidia and AMD, driven by the demands of AI computing. Today’s large language models often run on setups featuring interconnected GPUs and memory, exemplified by Cerebras Systems’ innovative hardware.

In a strategic move to outpace its competitors, online travel agency Expedia announced the upcoming launch of an AI assistant designed to enhance features like search, itinerary building, trip planning, and real-time updates, including flight delays.

Expedia, which operates a variety of online travel aggregators and metasearch engines, is introducing a bot named Romie. This bot, trained on a combination of in-house and OpenAI models, will assist users in searching for hotels, building trip itineraries, and making minor adjustments. Romie can be integrated into iMessage chat groups or used one-on-one on WhatsApp, functioning behind a phone number and leveraging ChatGPT.

Sportswear giant Nike is developing a generative AI model to design products using its extensive athlete performance data, Dezeen reports.

According to Nike’s chief innovation officer John Hoke, the company aims to leverage its exclusive athlete performance data with a custom-built large language model (LLM). LLMs are a text-based form of artificial intelligence trained to recognize language patterns, with OpenAI’s ChatGPT being a prominent example.

A recent study has revealed that when people are presented with two answers to an ethical question, most will consider the response from artificial intelligence (AI) superior to that from a human. The study, titled “Attributions Toward Artificial Agents in a Modified Moral Turing Test,” was conducted by Eyal Aharoni, an associate professor in Georgia State’s Psychology Department, and was inspired by the rapid rise of AI language models like ChatGPT.

“I was already interested in moral decision-making in the legal system, but I wondered if ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) could have something to say about that,” Aharoni explained. “People will interact with these tools in ways that have moral implications, like the environmental considerations when seeking car recommendations. Some lawyers have even started consulting these technologies for their cases, for better or worse.”

FKA Twigs and Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl made a compelling case before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, underscoring the perils of exploitative artificial intelligence (AI) and advocating for regulatory measures to protect against its misuse.

Expressing her concerns, FKA Twigs emphasized the irreplaceable depth of her life journey and the potential for AI to falsely replicate her art and identity. She stressed the urgent need for regulation to preserve authenticity and prevent the misappropriation of intellectual property rights.

CRISPR technology has been hailed as a game-changer in science, enabling precise genome editing with far-reaching applications in biotechnology and medicine. However, despite its transformative potential, traditional CRISPR tools have limitations, including off-target mutations and unpredictable side effects. Now, a groundbreaking approach combining CRISPR with artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize genetic editing.

Profluent, a California-based startup, has unveiled a pioneering strategy that harnesses the power of AI to design a new generation of CRISPR gene editors. Drawing inspiration from large language models like ChatGPT, their AI-generated components promise to enhance the precision and efficacy of genome editing.

As an AI developer and consultant, the unveiling of OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora in February triggered a surge of inquiries from both the entertainment industry and investment firms. Divided into two camps, Group A voiced concerns about the imminent disruption of existing business models, while Group B sought opportunities to capitalize on the impending transformation.

Surprisingly, venture capitalists and showbiz professionals were evenly split between the two groups. While some Hollywood producers publicly decried AI’s threat, behind the scenes, they quietly explored ways to leverage its potential. Meanwhile, tech startups, previously poised to disrupt Hollywood, found themselves apprehensive about potential disruptions caused by unforeseen technical advances.

A wave of startups, companies, and governments is spearheading efforts to develop new chips capable of unleashing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in space, marking a pivotal step forward for the space industry.

The significance of this endeavor cannot be overstated. Space’s harsh conditions have historically hindered the integration of AI onboard satellites, despite their critical role in the space economy. However, AI has the potential to drive growth in the space industry, which experts project to reach a staggering $1.8 trillion by 2035, rivaling the semiconductor industry.

While Sanctuary AI may not be as well-known as other humanoid robotics companies like Boston Dynamics or Agility, the Canadian firm has quietly been making strides in the field. In a recent announcement, Sanctuary introduced the seventh generation of its Phoenix line, showcasing its ongoing commitment to advancing robotic intelligence.

Unlike previous iterations that focused on introducing legs into the line, Sanctuary’s latest robot emphasizes developments from the waist up. Videos of the new robot highlight its human-like torso movements while efficiently sorting products and demonstrate its rapid learning capabilities. While much attention in the humanoid robotics space has centered on mechatronics and physical agility, Sanctuary is prioritizing the development of intelligent systems capable of learning new tasks with speed and efficiency.

For years, the troves of data collected by smart electric and gas meters held immense potential, yet harnessing this wealth of information remained a challenge. Bidgely, an innovative energy intelligence firm based in Los Altos, California, has now unlocked this potential by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to craft personalized consumer profiles, revolutionizing how energy usage is understood and managed.

CEO Abhay Gupta, reflecting on Bidgely’s recognition on Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies list of 2024, highlights the pivotal role of innovation and AI in propelling the clean-energy transition forward.

Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) has unveiled the seventh edition of its comprehensive AI Index report, authored by a team of experts from diverse academic and industrial backgrounds.

This latest iteration of the report offers an expanded scope, reflecting the rapid advancements in AI technology and its increasing integration into various facets of everyday life. From analyzing the sectors that heavily utilize AI to exploring global concerns about AI-driven job displacement, the report provides valuable insights into the current landscape of artificial intelligence.