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Microsoft's Controversial Recall Feature Returns

Microsoft's Controversial Recall Feature Returns

Albert Chan
August 23, 2024

Procreate’s Anti-AI Stance

The CEO of Procreate, a leading digital art application, has declared that the company will not integrate generative AI into its tools, expressing concern over its potential impact on traditional artists and the creative process. This announcement is a clear departure from the growing trend of incorporating AI technologies in creative software. Despite the industry momentum, Procreate’s focus remains on human-led creation, appealing to users who prioritize artistic integrity over automation.

Procreate’s decision highlights a commitment to preserving traditional creative practices, offering a counter-narrative to the widespread adoption of AI in art.

Microsoft's Controversial Recall Feature Returns

Microsoft is preparing to launch its Recall feature, which will allow users to access a detailed history of all their activities across their computer, not just within their web browser. Initially delayed due to privacy concerns, the feature aims to provide a powerful search tool by logging actions comprehensively.

The implementation of Recall underscores the balancing act between innovative functionality and user privacy, particularly regarding sensitive data handling.

Ideogram 2.0's Free Access

The release of Ideogram 2.0 has marked a significant advancement in AI art generation, particularly in embedding text accurately within images. Available for free, the platform offers users 10 credits per day, allowing up to 40 images daily.

This positions Ideogram 2.0 as a formidable competitor to other AI art platforms by providing high-quality outputs without subscription barriers.

ElevenLabs Reader Goes Global

ElevenLabs has expanded its text-to-speech tool, Reader, to global markets after an initial launch in the U.S. The app allows users to convert written content such as articles or PDFs into audio, using a wide range of customizable voices, including the option to clone the user’s own voice.

This development offers greater global accessibility and convenience, catering to those who prefer listening over reading.

MidJourney Free Trial is Back

After suspending its free trial due to misuse, MidJourney has reintroduced a limited version that allows users to generate up to 25 images. The trial is designed to draw new users to the platform, providing a taste of MidJourney's advanced AI capabilities in creating realistic and imaginative visuals.

This new trial period offers valuable hands-on experience with one of the leading AI image generators.

Hotshot Video Generator Joins the AI Landscape

Hotshot, a new AI video generator, offers users the ability to create two videos per day for free, aiming to rival established platforms like Sora. While promotional material showcases high-quality output, real-world user-generated content often falls short of these examples, raising questions about the platform’s consistency and reliability. Users can access more video creation capabilities by subscribing, though at a higher cost than competitors.

The introduction of Hotshot highlights the growing competition in the AI video generation market, pushing for innovation and better user experiences.

GMail's New AI Polish Feature

Google has introduced new AI-powered features in Gmail, including a “Polish” option to refine drafted emails into more formal and polished versions. This functionality allows users to enhance their communication effortlessly, providing options to adjust tone and clarity with a single click.

These enhancements illustrate how AI is becoming increasingly embedded in daily tasks, streamlining processes, and enhancing user communication skills.

Best Buy Implements AI-Enhanced Delivery Tracking

Best Buy has rolled out an AI-driven delivery tracking system that provides customers with precise, real-time updates on their orders. This system aims to eliminate the frustration caused by vague delivery windows, offering customers a clearer view of when to expect their packages. The minute-by-minute tracking enhances customer satisfaction by increasing transparency and reliability.

Using AI for delivery tracking improves customer experience by providing accurate and reliable service, which is crucial for consumer trust and brand loyalty.

Perplexity's New Code Interpreter

Perplexity AI has introduced a code interpreter feature similar to ChatGPT’s, capable of installing libraries and generating visual outputs such as charts. This functionality significantly broadens the range of applications for the AI, making it a valuable tool for professionals in fields such as data analysis and finance. Although still in the rollout phase, this update positions Perplexity as a strong competitor in AI-assisted research and coding.

Enhancing Perplexity with a code interpreter showcases how AI is becoming an integral part of technical and data-driven workflows, simplifying complex tasks.

Anthropic Faces Legal Challenges

Anthropic, an AI company specializing in large language models, has been named in a lawsuit, following similar actions against other companies like OpenAI. The lawsuit centers on allegations of unauthorized use of copyrighted material from authors to train its AI models.

Legal challenges emphasize the ongoing need to establish clear ethical guidelines and regulations for AI training, balancing innovation with respect for intellectual property rights.

Dream Machine 1.5 Enhances AI Video Capabilities

Luma Labs' Dream Machine 1.5 has introduced upgrades that significantly improve AI-generated video quality, including better text-to-video results and improved prompt handling. While the technology still faces challenges in producing complex text sequences, the updates provide more realistic and engaging visual content.

Advancements in AI video technology expand creative possibilities, allowing for the production of higher-quality multimedia content suitable for various applications.

AI in Mosquito Control

The Bazo Iris, an AI-powered mosquito detection device, uses vision technology and algorithms to identify and track mosquitoes even in complete darkness. It then marks the insect’s location with a laser, allowing users to target it more effectively.

Using AI for pest control demonstrates how advanced technology can address everyday problems, improving comfort and health.

OpenAI Challenges Senate Bill 1047

OpenAI has expressed concerns over California's Senate Bill 1047, which proposes holding AI developers accountable for harmful outcomes of their models. The company argues that such regulations could stifle innovation, making it difficult for AI research to progress without the fear of litigation.

Addressing regulatory challenges is essential for fostering a balanced environment where innovation can thrive without compromising safety.

Microsoft's New AI Model: Phi-3.5

Microsoft has introduced Phi-3.5, a lightweight AI model with 3.82 billion parameters designed to run efficiently on mobile devices. Benchmark comparisons show that Phi-3.5 performs on par with or better than similar-sized models, making it a promising option for mobile AI applications.

This development supports the trend of optimizing AI for more accessible and portable use cases.

OpenAI’s Partnership with Condé Nast

OpenAI has partnered with Condé Nast, integrating content from popular brands such as Vogue, GQ, and The New Yorker into its models. This collaboration aims to enrich OpenAI’s dataset with high-quality content, potentially enhancing the accuracy and relevance of its language models.

These partnerships highlight efforts to legally source high-quality content, addressing copyright concerns while improving AI training data quality.