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Newo.ai, a Silicon Valley company, has introduced a groundbreaking service that integrates AI "agents" into physical robots, giving rise to "digital employees" capable of autonomously performing diverse office tasks. Co-founded by entrepreneur David Yang, the company's platform combines language model-driven agents with robots to handle tasks such as administrative duties, customer engagement, and more. With 23 paying customers already using the product, Newo.ai plans to make its service available to more customers starting in April or May. The company has demonstrated the potential to transform workplace dynamics and fill job roles with digital employees at a fraction of the cost of human workers, signaling a significant shift in the industry.

Microsoft’s AI vision of the future, Copilot Pro, was recently launched as a $20 monthly subscription, providing access to AI features in Office apps and offering improved image generation tools. A senior editor at The Verge recently tested Copilot Pro to assess its value. The improved image creation tool, Designer, utilizing OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 model, impressed with its ability to generate detailed and realistic images. The AI capabilities inside Office apps were found to be useful for text generation and data visualization in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook, although the effectiveness varied. While some features were impressive, the editor questioned whether the $20 monthly subscription fee was justified, given the availability of similar free tools and the scope for further improvements to Copilot Pro in the future.

Bioptimus, a Paris-based startup, has emerged from stealth with a $35 million seed funding round, aiming to build the first universal AI foundation model for biology. The project, led by a team of Google DeepMind alumni and Owkin scientists, plans to connect different scales of biology with generative AI, from molecules to whole organisms. Bioptimus will leverage AWS compute, Owkin’s data generation capabilities, and multimodal patient data sourced from leading academic hospitals worldwide. The team asserts that their approach will differentiate them from models trained solely on public datasets, providing a more comprehensive understanding of biology. The project will be released as open source, fostering transparency and collaboration within the community.

OpenAI has introduced Sora, a text-to-video generator that uses generative artificial intelligence to create short videos based on written commands. While not the first of its kind, industry analysts have praised the high quality and significant leap in text-to-video generation displayed by Sora. The tool can create up to 60-second long videos and is capable of generating videos from existing still images. Despite the impressive capabilities demonstrated so far, there are concerns about potential ethical and societal implications, especially regarding the spread of misinformation and fraudulent content. Although not yet available to the public, OpenAI is engaging with policymakers and artists to address these issues before releasing the tool officially.

The latest development in generative AI technology has been unveiled by OpenAI, prompting concerns about unregulated and consequence-free advancements. The program, named Sora, is capable of producing photorealistic media from simple text inputs, raising issues of legality, privacy, and objective reality. OpenAI's decision to grant limited access to Sora's capabilities without providing technical details has prompted concerns about the lack of regulatory oversight. As the company aims to achieve Artificial General Intelligence, the potential implications of Sora's development on the online landscape are vast and warrant attention from policymakers and industry watchdogs to address potential risks and harms.

The new OpenAI tool, Sora, has generated 8 wild and fascinating videos using artificial intelligence. These videos showcase the ability of AI to create visually stunning and imaginative content. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman invited users to suggest captions for videos they'd like to see, and the resulting videos from Sora are both mesmerizing and thought-provoking. This development marks an exciting new chapter in the use of AI for creative purposes, expanding beyond just text and images. While there are understandable concerns about the rapid advancement of generative AI, Sora's videos represent a significant leap in this technology. The potential for AI video generation appears to be limitless, and the impact of this advancement on various industries, including entertainment and media, is yet to be fully realized.

The AI-generated stand-in voice for imprisoned Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has claimed victory on behalf of his party in Pakistan’s parliamentary elections, according to The New York Times. The party has been using an AI version of Khan's voice for months, highlighting the potential both for the practical application and the potential danger of generative AI in elections. This use of AI in declaring political victory raises questions about authenticity and manipulation in the political process, showing the evolving influence of technology in the political sphere.

In the comparison between Microsoft Copilot Pro and OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus, different features and advantages are highlighted to help potential subscribers choose between the two $20 per month subscriptions. ChatGPT Plus offers a wider range of file types for analysis, access to a GPT Store with custom GPTs, and the ability to create custom GPTs. On the other hand, Copilot Pro integrates with Microsoft 365 apps, provides faster AI image creation, visually enhanced information, and is accessible directly from Windows. The article emphasizes the specific advantages of each option, empowering readers to make an informed decision based on their individual needs.

Several major tech companies, including OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft, have joined the newly formed AI Safety Institute Consortium (AISIC), led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, as part of the Biden-Harris administration's efforts to address the safety and trustworthiness of AI development. The consortium, which falls under the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is tasked with implementing mandates outlined in President Biden's AI executive order. These guidelines include red-teaming, capability evaluations, risk management, safety and security, and watermarking synthetic content. Over 200 participants from both tech companies and academia, as well as think tanks and industry researchers, are involved in the consortium. This marks a significant step by the U.S. government to proactively regulate AI development, acknowledging its potential risks in various domains such as national security, privacy, election misinformation, and job security.

In a groundbreaking development, Apple has unveiled its latest AI model called MGIE, which stands for MLLM-Guided Image Editing. The model is designed to interpret and execute user requests for image editing based on natural language input. This open-source model harnesses multimodal large language models to perform a wide range of pixel-level manipulations, including global photo enhancements, local editing, and Photoshop-style modifications. For instance, users can ask the model to "make a pizza look more healthy," prompting the addition of vegetable toppings such as tomatoes and herbs. This remarkable technology, presented at the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR) 2024, aligns with Apple's ongoing investment in AI research and its preparation for future software updates. Furthermore, Apple is reportedly working on an "Apple GPT" rival and enhancing Siri's capabilities with ChatGPT-like generative AI functionality, with expectations for these features to be available on the ‌iPhone‌ and iPad around late 2024. This announcement marks Apple's second significant breakthrough in AI research in recent months, following its progress in deploying large language models on devices with limited memory. As part of Apple's commitment to advancing AI technology, the MGIE model is now available on GitHub, accompanied by code, data, and pre-trained models.

OpenAI has joined Meta in implementing a new system for labeling AI-generated images. This move comes shortly after Meta's announcement of a similar measure to label AI-generated images through its Imagine AI image generator. OpenAI's marquee app, ChatGPT, and its AI image generator model, DALL-E 3, will now include new metadata tagging to allow identification of AI-generated imagery. According to OpenAI, the new metadata using C2PA specifications will enable anyone, including social platforms and content distributors, to verify that an image was created by their products. The company has also introduced a website called Content Credentials, allowing users to confirm if an image is AI-generated. The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) has developed technical standards for certifying the source and history of media content, aiming to combat disinformation. OpenAI's implementation of C2PA aims to embed metadata in AI image files, allowing platforms to identify AI-generated content. However, OpenAI acknowledges that this metadata is not foolproof, as it can be removed accidentally or intentionally. Conversely, Meta's approach involves a public-facing labeling scheme using a sparkles emoji to immediately signify AI-generated images. Both companies' strategies rely on C2PA, with Meta also utilizing the IPTC Photo Metadata Standard from the International Press Telecommunications Council.

In a review, ZDNET editor Sabrina Ortiz tested Google's ImageFX AI image generator and was impressed by its quality. Despite being late to the image generator game, ImageFX produced high-quality, realistic images that were comparable to stock photos. Ortiz found the tool to be user-friendly, allowing users to generate images based on specific prompts and easily revise them using expressive chips. Additionally, she noted that all images created with ImageFX are watermarked with SynthID, a tool developed by Google DeepMind, to help combat misinformation. While Ortiz recommends trying ImageFX for its ease of use and high-quality results, she advises individuals with specific use cases to explore other options tailored to their needs, particularly for commercial use.

Artificial intelligence (AI) models are increasingly developing a unique artistic style, challenging traditional notions of creativity and originality. The winners of the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards included an image that was revealed to be created by AI, rather than a human photographer, raising questions about the role of AI in the art world. While some critics argue that AI art is derivative and trivial, others believe that AI art is slowly developing its own distinct style. Through the analysis of the AI-generated images, researchers have identified common traits and techniques, such as a nostalgic aesthetic, specific lighting effects, and favored color schemes. As AI models evolve and improve, they are likely to continue reflecting and magnifying the visual styles and trends present in their training data, potentially becoming tools for analyzing art history. The development of AI art raises important questions about the nature of creativity, authorship, and the influence of technology in the art world.

Hugging Face, a New York City-based startup known for its popular open source AI repository, has launched third-party customizable Hugging Chat Assistants, presenting competition to OpenAI's custom GPTs. The new offering allows users to easily create their own AI chatbots with specific capabilities, similar to OpenAI's custom GPT Builder. Unlike OpenAI's paid subscription model, Hugging Chat Assistant is free and allows users to choose from several open-source large language models to power their AI assistants. While users praise the customizability and free nature of Hugging Chat Assistant, they note that it lacks certain features present in GPTs. This release demonstrates the open-source community's rapid progress in competing with closed rivals such as OpenAI.

Google has finally rolled out its AI image generator tool to the public, marking an important milestone in the tech giant's AI endeavors. The newly released ImageFX tool allows users to generate images from text using an expressive prompt interface, enhancing user creativity. Powered by Imagen 2, Google's most advanced text-to-image model, the tool is also integrated into Google Bard, enabling the chatbot to generate high-quality images based on conversational prompts. To address concerns about misuse, Google has implemented guardrails to prevent the generation of violent, offensive, and sexually explicit content and has introduced SynthID, a tool to watermark generated images for identification. This rollout signifies a substantial advancement in AI capabilities and offers new avenues for creative expression and productivity.

ChatGPT now allows users to bring other GPTs into conversations, marking a new level of collaboration between different generative pre-trained transformers. Users with a ChatGPT Plus subscription can now include third-party GPTs in their chats by directly mentioning them with an "@" symbol, a feature introduced by OpenAI. This collaboration comes shortly after OpenAI created the GPT Store, allowing individuals and companies to make their AI chatbots publicly available. The new in-chat @ mention feature is part of the ChatGPT Plus subscription service, which has recently become available again to new subscribers after a temporary halt due to a surge in sign-ups. Since the launch of GPTs in November 2023, OpenAI reports that over 3 million custom versions of ChatGPT have been created, spanning various applications from personalized hike recommendations to educational tools.

US-based startup Figure AI, specializing in humanoid robots, is reportedly in discussions with Microsoft and OpenAI to lead a funding round to secure $500 million. According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft is expected to invest approximately $95 million, with OpenAI contributing around $5 million. If the deal is finalized, Figure AI would be valued at approximately $1.9 billion, excluding the funding. Depending on the total funds raised, the startup's value post-investment could experience a significant surge, potentially elevating it to unicorn status for the second time. In the previous funding round last year, Figure AI secured $70 million, spearheaded by Parkway Venture Capital. The company is actively developing a humanoid robot designed to undertake hazardous tasks unsuitable for humans, addressing labor shortages in the process. This news comes in the wake of 1X Technologies, a Norwegian robotics startup also backed by OpenAI, raising $100 million in funding earlier this month, suggesting a strategic shift towards AI-powered robots.

OpenAI has introduced a new feature to ChatGPT, allowing users to bring GPTs into any conversation through tagging with the @ command. OpenAI stated that the tagged GPTs will have full context about the conversation and can assist with various needs. This feature is currently limited to paying customers. OpenAI has also launched a GPT store, enabling users to find and create custom GPTs, with over 3 million versions of ChatGPT already created. The company's goal is to improve GPT adoption, as custom GPTs currently consist of only 2.7% of OpenAI's website traffic and have been declining monthly since launch.

Microsoft has formed an advanced AI team dedicated to developing small language models with capabilities similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, but at a smaller and more cost-effective scale. The team will report directly to Microsoft's CTO, Kevin Scott, and will be led by Microsoft's CVP, Misha Bilenko, alongside top developers previously from the Azure team. These small language models aim to generate responses to queries and images while being less resource-hungry compared to existing chatbots. This project suggests Microsoft's pursuit for independence from OpenAI and a shift towards developing its own AI technology, potentially impacting the environment and their longstanding relationship with OpenAI. This move reflects Microsoft's strategy to venture into AI with caution and could potentially lead to significant changes in the AI landscape.

Generative AI tools such as Microsoft's Image Creator from Designer and Midjourney are rapidly gaining popularity and have the potential to make certain professions, particularly in the architecture industry, obsolete. These AI-powered tools can generate designs and images based on prompts, thus reducing the need for human input in these tasks. While the technology offers efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace, concerns about job security and the lack of elaborate measures to govern its use have been raised. Despite improvements in AI capabilities, particularly in image generation, the impact on the job market remains uncertain. With the potential for AI to absorb certain professions, the industry and professionals will need to navigate the evolving landscape of AI technology. The integration of AI tools into various fields has the potential to revolutionize work processes but raises questions about the future of jobs in those industries.