AIR#163 - August 15, 2024
Good morning, AI aficionados! As you sip your morning coffee, get ready to dive into today's edition of AIR: The AI Recon. Leading the buzz is the jaw-dropping innovation from xAI. Their Grok image generator is causing quite the stir, flooding the internet with controversial AI-generated fakes and sparking a heated debate over disinformation and safety regulations. It's a must-read for anyone concerned about the ethical implications of AI in our digital age. Meanwhile, Eric Schmidt, Google's former CEO, has shed light on why the tech giant fell behind OpenAI, attributing it to a focus on work-life balance over the intense startup culture. This candid insight offers a fascinating glimpse into the competitive dynamics of the AI industry.
But that's not all! Microsoft is making headlines with a surprising cautionary note, advising users not to rely too heavily on its AI services for critical tasks due to potential inaccuracies. This story is a wake-up call for businesses and developers who lean on AI for mission-critical operations. On a lighter note, the quirky tale of winning $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40 is making waves. It's a fun read that showcases the creative and sometimes unexpected ways people are leveraging AI to achieve remarkable results.
And for a touch of the uncanny, Waymo's robotaxi honkfest in San Francisco is waking up residents at 4 AM, capturing the chaos on a livestream with LoFi beats. It's a quirky yet thought-provoking look at the real-world challenges of integrating autonomous vehicles into our daily lives. Whether you're here for groundbreaking tech updates, ethical debates, or the latest industry buzz, today's edition is packed with stories that will both intrigue and challenge you. So, sit back, sip your coffee, and let's delve into the dynamic world of artificial intelligence together!
Business
X’s new AI image generator will make anything
xAI's Grok image generator floods X with controversial AI fakes, sparking concerns over disinformation and safety regulations.
Google's Former CEO on How OpenAI Outpaced Them
Eric Schmidt says Google fell behind OpenAI due to prioritizing work-life balance over intense startup culture.
Microsoft warns users not to rely on its AI services
Microsoft warns users not to rely on its AI services for important tasks, citing limitations and potential inaccuracies.
Big Tech Fails to Convince Wall Street AI Investments Are Paying Off
Big Tech struggles to prove AI investments are profitable; Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet stocks drop after disappointing earnings.
S&P Global to Train 35,000 Employees in Generative AI with Accenture
S&P Global partners with Accenture to train 35,000 employees in generative AI, boosting innovation in financial services.
🔥 How I Won $2,750 Using JavaScript, AI, and WD-40
Won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and WD-40 by analyzing contest rules and leveraging automation for multiple entries. 🏆
Waymo Robotaxi Honkfest Wakes San Francisco Neighbors at 4AM
Waymo robotaxis' 4AM honking in SF lot wakes neighbors nightly; company working on fix. Livestream captures the chaos with LoFi beats.
OpenAI Accelerates Patent Filings for Large Language Models
OpenAI shifts from trade secrets to patents, rapidly securing IP for its large language models, hinting at future enforcement plans.
Automate Business Reports, Summarize & Search Documents with AI
Automate business reports, summarize documents, and enhance searches with ContextClue's AI-driven solutions for efficient data management.
How ‘Deepfake Elon Musk’ Became the Internet’s Biggest Scammer
AI deepfakes of Elon Musk are scamming people out of millions, exploiting tech to create realistic but fake investment pitches. Beware!
AI Companies Lose Bid to Dismiss Visual Artists' Copyright Claims
AI companies lose bid to dismiss visual artists' copyright claims; case continues in California federal court.
How Worldcoin's Digital IDs Aim to Stop the AI Apocalypse
Worldcoin's digital IDs aim to verify every human via iris scans to prevent AI misuse and safeguard humanity.
FTC Finalizes Rule Banning AI-Generated Fake Reviews
FTC bans fake reviews, including AI-generated ones, to ensure honest online feedback. Penalties up to $51,744 per violation.
Engineering
🔥 [GitHub] LLM Price Compass: Open-Source LLM Provider Cost Comparison and GPU Benchmarks
Compare LLM provider costs and GPU benchmarks with the open-source LLM Price Compass on GitHub. Find the best value for your needs!
[GitHub] Portkey-AI: Open-Source AI Gateway with Integrated Guardrails
Portkey-AI's open-source gateway now integrates guardrails to enhance LLM reliability and safety, aiding seamless AI app production.
Steering Characters with Interpretability
Steering vectors offer fine-grained control over AI character traits, enhancing creativity and archetype conformance beyond prompt engineering.
Prompt Caching Now Live on Anthropic API
Anthropic's new prompt caching cuts costs by 90% and latency by 85%, boosting efficiency for Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3 Haiku users.
Learn Languages with Your Voice Clone
Master pronunciation with your voice clone! Practice famous quotes, improve accent naturally, and enjoy immersive language learning. 🌍🗣️
[GitHub] Unofficial Claude for Mac by Anthropic
Unofficial Claude for Mac by Anthropic now on GitHub! Open-source client with Markdown, code highlighting, and encrypted search. 🚀
[Github] Python Library for Structured Data Extraction via LLM by Expected Parrot
Expected Parrot releases Python library for structured data extraction using LLMs. Ideal for AI research, data labeling, and more.
Academic
Artists Claim Major Win in Copyright Suit Against AI Image Generators
Artists win key ruling in copyright case against AI image generators, advancing claims of infringement and misuse of their styles.
[Paper] Mutual Reasoning Enhances Small LLM Problem-Solving
New paper shows mutual reasoning boosts small LLMs' problem-solving by up to 79%, using self-play and MCTS without fine-tuning.
What Teachers Told Me About A.I. in School
Teachers see AI in schools as useful for tasks but worry it hinders critical thinking and perseverance. Students rely too much on it.
[Paper] 3-SAT Solver for Two-Way Quantum Computers by Jarek Duda
New 3-SAT solver for two-way quantum computers by Jarek Duda promises practical NP problem solving with enhanced error correction.
MIT unveils AI Risk Repository database
MIT launches a comprehensive AI Risk Repository to help organizations assess and mitigate over 700 documented AI risks.