The Daily AI™ | Weekly Free Edition
Your Trusted Resource for AI/ML News
This week, R&D activities took over while the integration of AI tools continued.
Geopolitical issues continued to sway, with governments seeking ways to maintain the (current) balance of power while trying to outwit each other through other means.
Here are the headlines:
Amazon has a new text-to-speech AI model;
Microsoft is in a (patriotic) dilemma as the China-America spat continues;
OpenAI and Reddit (officially) announced their bromance;
New kids on the block showed everyone their new superpowers;
Plus, Sony Music Group is (really) serious about preventing the use of its artist's songs in training AI models and on other copyright issues;
And much more!
It's your Daily AI™!
The DWN AI Index™ Update
On 5/16/24, the index reversed course with a -24.25-point change, at -0.90%, to close at 2682.00.
DWN/AI Index™ Individual Stock Closing Prices:
Amazon (AMZN) at $186.63,
Arista Networks (ANET) at $320.09,
C3.ai (AI) at $26.20,
CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) at $339.06,
Duolingo (DUOL) at $176.08,
iRhythm Technologies (IRTC) at $98.70,
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) at $420.99,
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) at $943.59,
Palantir Technologies (PLTR) at $21.65,
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) at $152.23,
Alphabet, Inc. (GOOG) closed at $175.43, while Apple, Inc. (AAPL) closed at $189.84.
Under the AI Hood
Amazon
Amazon's researchers unveiled their successful training of BASE TTS, a text-to-speech large language model (LLM). The researchers trained BASE TTS with up to 100,000 hours of public domain data. The results showed that the medium-sized 400 million-parameter model improved (significantly) when deciphering complex sentences.
At its I/O conference, Google Vice President for Engineering Dave Burke revealed that the search engine giant is testing tools to detect scam calls. The feature notifies users during the ongoing phone call.
In related news, Google launched student access to its Gemini chatbot. Gemini Education is cheaper than regular access and offers integrations with Google Workspace.
Additionally, the product is only available to students eighteen and over.
Microsoft
According to a May 16 Wall Street Journal report, software giant Microsoft plans to relocate AI-related experts from China to the United States and its friendly countries.
According to a May 14 Voice of America (VOA) report, American and Chinese officials met in Switzerland to discuss AI risks and security issues.
The discourse follows Secretary of State Anthony Blinken's visit to his Beijing counterpart last month.
Industry Dive
OpenAI/Reddit
The Sam Altman-led OpenAI revealed its partnership with social media giant Reddit.
The collaboration integrates APIs between both platforms, giving ChatGPT's users access to Reddit's ecosystem.
In related news, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT's support for Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive via its "Connect Apps" feature.
The tech firm is deploying the updates gradually.
Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn)/Siemens AI
iPhone and electric vehicle component maker Foxconn and Siemens AI signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to integrate smart manufacturing.
The collaboration deploys solutions in the Siemens Xcelerator platform to industrial processes, including the AI components.
Brainomix/Implicity
We move across the pond to the United Kingdom, where AI-focused medical scan tech firm Brainomix revealed FDA approval for its lung imaging solution.
Brainomix trained e-Lung using thousands of CT scans of patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) and those at risk to determine anyone with lung issues or potentials.
Similarly, cardiac data management firm Implicity announced FDA approval for its SignalHF remote monitoring solution.
Everything Else
NYU Langone Health
Men and women are (distinctly) different. At least, that's what researchers at NYU Langone Health suggest.
The researchers deployed machine learning to study invisible brain patterns (via MRI scans) in 471 men and 560 women. By studying the brain's white matter and interactions across other regions, they discovered gender differences.
Three different models were accurate between 92% and 98%.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)/University of Basel (Switzerland)
A new AI model that answers physics questions could change the world as we know it. Researchers from MIT and the University of Basel (Switzerland) use a machine learning-focused approach to studying physical phenomena.
The model enables the discovery of new phase transitions autonomously without human intervention.
Sony Music Group
The war between the tech and music industries reached new highs, with Sony Music Group contacting over 700 tech firms.
According to a May 16 statement, Sony Music "prohibits" the use of music from its artists and artwork in training AI models.
Additionally, the entertainment behemoth contacted streaming services to encourage "best practices" and protect its music from misuse by AI developers.
Following the Money
Angel AI
AI-driven children's content ecosystem Angel AI revealed a successful seed funding round, raising $4.75 million. Cortical Ventures led the round alongside Village Global and other investors.
Numra
We move across the pond to Ireland, where AI startup Numra announced a successful €1.5 million funding round. Elkstone led the round alongside Laka, Luminate Medical, Pi Labs, and other investors.
Also, with the funding, Numra intends to bring "Mary," its premier AI finance assistant, to the marketplace.
PolyAI
Voice assistant provider PolyAI announced the successful completion of its Series C funding round, raising $50 million. Participants include Nvidia's NVentures, Hedosophia, Zendesk, and Point72 Ventures.
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