AI ‘fixes’ The Little Mermaid; Apple launches iOS 16 and other AI news

We strive to inform readers not only about events in the bitcoin industry, but also to report on what is happening in adjacent technological spheres — cybersecurity and the world of artificial intelligence (AI).

ForkLog AI has gathered the most important AI news from the AI world over the past week.

Yandex’s media resources came under VK control

Компания «Яндекс» закрыла сделку по продаже медиаресурсов «Дзен» и «Новости» компании VK на неназванную сумму.

Стороны получили одобрение Федеральной антимонопольной службы РФ.

По данным «Яндекса», с 12 сентября пользователи начнут замечать связанные с продажей медиаресурсов изменения.

Apple released iOS 16 and watchOS 9 with AI features

12 сентября компания Apple выпустила обновления программного обеспечения для iPhone и Apple Watch.

Среди новых ИИ-функций в iOS 16 и watchOS 9:

• фильтры фокусировки, позволяющие скрывать отвлекающий контент;
• поддержка разблокировки смартфона или скрытых папок с фото и входа на веб-сайты, в приложения и службы с помощью лица или отпечатка пальца;
• работа Face ID в альбомной ориентации;
• улучшенный поиск в приложении «Почта», а также напоминания о необходимости прикрепить файл или добавить получателя;
• Live Text для распознавания текста на видео и обработки контекста;
• ИИ-функция для вырезания объектов с фото;
• функции перевода надписей с помощью камеры и поиск текста на фото;
• поддержка голосового ввода слов и эмодзи;
• система отслеживания приема лекарств со сканированием этикеток с использованием камеры и смарт-часов.

AI noise suppression for phone calls on Android

Google began testing the AI noise suppression feature Clear Calling for phone calls. The option is available in the Android 13 beta.

The system reduces background noise during phone calls. According to Twitter user Mishaal Rahman, Clear Calling works on most mobile networks, but is not available for calls over Wi-Fi.

Meta to spin off PyTorch developers into an independent foundation

Meta сформирует an independent PyTorch Foundation from the PyTorch AI framework development team.

The division will detach from the tech giant’s direct control and become a subsidiary within the Linux Foundation consortium. The foundation’s board will include representatives from Meta, AMD, AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Nvidia.

The PyTorch Foundation will operate under four principles: openness; support for neutral branding; honesty; and building a strong technical identity.

According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the company will continue to use PyTorch as its primary research platform and provide it with appropriate financial backing. He added, however, that the group will maintain a “clear separation between business and technical governance” of the foundation.

Intel to equip mobile processors with a neural co-processor

Intel оснастит future Core 13th-generation Raptor Lake Mobile chips with a new VPU co-processor to accelerate AI tasks. The company plans to fully integrate the technology into Meteor Lake.

According to the company, the VPU will be available only to leading OEMs in select laptop models. The co-processor’s capabilities will be accessible to independent developers to prepare for full integration into Meteor Lake.

The company did not disclose details about the VPU. However, Intel noted that the co-processor could offer new capabilities such as improving the quality of AI effects in Windows. The technology is expected to launch in 2023 as a fully independent functional block within the Meteor Lake SoC tile.

It is likely that Intel developed the VPU to compete with the Neural Engine on Apple’s processors.

US expresses concern over TikTok’s popularity

CEOs of American companies, politicians and media expressed concerns about TikTok’s growing popularity.

At the Code Conference they noted that the video service could pose a threat to the nation’s security. They fear the platform’s power and potential for surveillance by China’s ByteDance.

According to Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, the growth is driven by the scale of investments in TikTok. ByteDance has invested billions to attract users, something no startup could afford, he said.

Spiegel noted that the platform’s recommendation algorithm has become strong thanks to investments and a massive user base.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai also called TikTok one of YouTube’s biggest competitors.

Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner urged banning the platform.

Google AI unveiled PaLI

Google AI представило PaLI, a unified language-image model with 17 billion parameters. The algorithm can perform a range of tasks in more than 100 languages.

To train the transformer, researchers built the WebLI dataset, comprising 10 billion images and 12 billion annotations. They also used Cloud Vision API to recognise text in images to augment the dataset.

Google AI said PaLI can generate captions for images, provide visual answers to questions, classify images, detect objects, recognise symbols, analyse text and perform a range of similar tasks.

Scientists develop AI-powered fitness mirror

Researchers from the University of Brescia have developed a smart mirror that can enhance fitness training.

The computer-vision system includes a deep-learning algorithm for gesture recognition from video, a Nvidia Jetson Nano single-board computer, and two fisheye cameras. The model assesses body movements, identifies posture errors and analyses fitness exercises.

According to the scientists, the system currently only detects simple variables such as the angle of arm bends or their position. In the future, the algorithm could evaluate more complex movements, they added.

AI Dungeon adds image generator for illustrating stories

Latitude expanded its text-based AI game AI Dungeon with an image generator.

The developers added the Stable Diffusion neural network so players can generate illustrations for their stories. They say the algorithm can generate images quickly and cheaply, making the feature accessible to every player.

The Latitude team said they chose Stable Diffusion due to the lack of restrictions on image creation. The algorithm can generate artwork, architectural concepts, pornography and celebrity deepfakes.

Twitter blocks user after transforming The Little Mermaid’s skin color

Twitter blocked the account of a user who used AI to “whitewash” the heroine, altering her facial features and dyeing her hair red. The author did not change Ariel’s voice.

According to the user, vandalibm, they created the video for educational purposes and should not be read as racist.

Twitter representatives have not yet commented on the block.

The most significant AI deals of the past week

From September 11 to 17, 2022, startups in AI raised over $107.6m. Here are the most notable deals.

• Litmus Automation raised $30 million.
• Diveplane raised $25 million to grow an MLOps platform for enterprises.
• Nyshex raised $25 million to expand a service connecting shippers with ocean carriers.
• Winn AI raised $17 million to support an AI assistant for sales teams.
• Rephrase.ai raised $10.6 million.

Also on ForkLog:

• Media: China быстро создаст альтернативу ИИ-ускорителям Nvidia.
• Правозащитники призвали заблокировать сделку между Amazon и iRobot.
• Эксперты: Китай может выиграть ИИ-гонку до 2030 года.
• В США робокурьер Uber проник на место преступления.
• Ученые: сверхразумный искусственный интеллект угрожает человечеству.
• ИИ отследил Instagram-блогеров по камерам в публичных местах.

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