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What is happening in the tech industry today? In a striking declaration at Stanford University, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, boldly proclaimed his readiness to invest up to $50 billion annually in the pursuit of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). This assertive stance emphasizes the sheer scale of ambition driving OpenAI and highlights the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.
As we delve into the developments and discussions surrounding AI — from the integration of ChatGPT’s rival Claude on iOS to the perplexing emergence of the ‘gpt2-chatbot ‘— it becomes increasingly clear that the future of AI is being written now.
Sam Altman: “I Don’t Care If We Burn $50 Billion a Year, We’re Building AGI”
In a recent session at Stanford University, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman candidly assessed the current capabilities of AI, labeling GPT-4 as “the dumbest model any of you will ever have to use again.”
This provocative statement underscores a bold vision for the future of artificial intelligence, as Altman foresees successive iterations of AI dramatically outpacing their predecessors in terms of capability.
There is also a broader conversation on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), where Altman revealed a willingness to invest substantially — up to $50 billion annually — to advance this frontier.
Altman’s commitment reflects confidence in AI’s potential to generate significant societal value that far exceeds the investment.
ChatGPT’s Rival Claude Is Now Available on iOS
Anthropic has rolled out its AI chatbot Claude as an iOS app, offering features like on-the-go image analysis and a consistent user interface across Apple devices.
Explore the potential impacts of this AI integration on business operations and the strategic use of AI in handling complex tasks like document analysis.
Anthropic releases its AI chatbot Claude as an iOS app (Silicon Republic)
Robots in Disguise: Is Mysterious ‘gpt2-chatbot’ OpenAI’s Next Upgrade?
The sudden emergence of a mysterious AI model known as ‘gpt2-chatbot’ has left experts baffled and ignited speculation across the tech community. It appeared out of nowhere, triggering in-depth discussions by top developers about potential links to upcoming advancements in AI technologies.
This event also highlights ongoing concerns about transparency in AI development and testing, underlining the complexities and unexpected turns in the field.
Mysterious ‘gpt2-chatbot’ AI model baffles experts: A breakthrough or mere hype? (VentureBeat)
Meet Rabbit R1, The First of Many AI Gadgets to Come
Can talking to a $199 AI-powered gadget replace your smartphone?
The new Rabbit R1 device aims to bring generative AI capabilities like Perplexity AI’s internet searches, note-taking, translations, and even image creation to the masses through a simple voice interface.
While not a smartphone killer, this quirky AI companion hints at an intriguing future where we ditch tapping and swiping for conversational AI assistants.
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Can Rabbit R1 Bring AI-powered Devices to the Masses? (Techopedia)
UK Bans Weak Default Passwords, Fines Up to $12.5M
A new law aims to prevent easy hacking of internet-connected devices by forcing manufacturers to use secure, randomized default passwords instead of common ones like “admin” or “password.” Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to $12.5 million or 4% of a company’s “qualifying worldwide revenue.”
By cracking down on this long-standing security vulnerability, the UK is taking a major step to mitigate risks like the Mirai botnet attack that crippled significant websites in 2016 by exploiting devices with weak default login credentials.
UK becomes the first country to outlaw easily guessable default passwords on connected devices (TechSpot)
Fair Play: Keeping AI Out of Nuclear Warfare
A senior US official has called on China and Russia to declare, like the U.S., Britain, and France, that only humans and not artificial intelligence will make decisions on the use of nuclear weapons.
The push comes as the Biden administration aims to deepen talks with China on nuclear policy and the rise of AI capabilities.
US official urges China and Russia to declare only humans, not AI, control nuclear weapons (Reuters)
Financial Times Content Integrated into OpenAI’s AI
This week, OpenAI teamed up with the Financial Times to integrate the newspaper’s journalism into ChatGPT.
By incorporating reliable news sources, the collaboration aims to enhance the AI’s accuracy and trustworthiness.
The collaboration will also provide FT staff access to OpenAI’s AI tools for data mining, text analysis, translation, and other capabilities to aid their reporting efforts.
We’ve partnered with @FT to enhance news content in ChatGPT and collaborate on new AI experiences for FT readers. https://t.co/qNWTg2HyPK
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 29, 2024
Elsewhere, the clash between AI developers and news publishers over copyrighted material raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of both industries.
Is there a middle ground where AI can continue to innovate without undermining journalism’s financial integrity?
OpenAI Teams Up with Financial Times to Enhance ChatGP (Techopedia)
Hackers Potentially Stole a Third of Americans’ Data
UnitedHealth’s CEO revealed to Congress that hackers potentially stole data on a third of all Americans when they breached the company’s technology unit in February.
The massive healthcare data breach has disrupted medical claims processing nationwide, with UnitedHealth paying the AlphV cybercriminal gang responsible $22 million in ransom.
UnitedHealth says hackers potentially stole a third of Americans’ data (Reuters)
Microsoft AI Tool Off Limits for US Police Facial Recognition
Microsoft has updated the terms of service for its Azure OpenAI Service to prohibit US police departments from using the enterprise AI tool for facial recognition purposes.
The new policy bans integrations with Azure OpenAI Service, including OpenAI’s image analysis models, from being deployed for facial recognition by American law enforcement agencies.
However, the restrictions leave some exceptions, only fully barring real-time facial recognition in uncontrolled environments like body cameras. Police could potentially still use the tool for facial recognition in controlled settings like offices.
The changes come amid growing concerns over the use of generative AI by law enforcement and follow Microsoft pitching OpenAI’s DALL-E image generator to the Department of Defense.
Microsoft bans US police departments from using enterprise AI tools for facial recognition (Tech Crunch)
The Rise of AI Voice Cloning
In a disturbing event that mirrors the complex ethics of emerging technologies, BBC presenter Liz Bonnin’s voice was cloned without her consent for use in a promotional campaign.
This misuse of AI voice cloning technology exemplifies the potential for harm when such powerful tools are applied irresponsibly.
AI Voice Cloning: An Alarming Trend Set to Explode (Techopedia)
How Adobe’s AI Tools Can Improve Your Workflows
Adobe has directly integrated powerful generative AI capabilities into Photoshop, revolutionizing workflows for graphic designers, photographers, marketers, and creative professionals.
With intuitive features like Generate Image for creating visuals from text prompts, Generative Fill for modifying existing images, and Generate Background for seamless backdrop creation, Adobe is empowering users to bring their visions to life effortlessly.
Should You Use Adobe’s AI Tools to Improve Workflows in 2024? Top 5 Use Cases (Techopedia)
Let Loose iPad Event on May 7
Don’t forget Apple’s “Let Loose” event is coming on May 7. Tune in to see the latest innovations, including the new iPad Pro M4 models and a redesigned 12.9-inch iPad Air.
Expect a thrilling showcase, streaming live at 10 AM Eastern on Apple’s website and YouTube channel.
Apple Will Hold a ‘Let Loose’ iPad Event on May 7 (Techopedia)
The Bottom Line
From Sam Altman’s bold assertion about OpenAI’s financial investment in AGI to the unsettling misuse of AI in voice cloning, we’re reminded of AI’s transformative potential alongside its profound challenges.
But at least we will have AI gadgets and a new range of iPads to keep us distracted on the long journey ahead.
