🥣 Meta Launches Imagine

PLUS: EU Strikes Landmark Deal on AI Regulation

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The AI Crunch
December 12, 2023

Read time: 3.5 minutes

Hey there, AI enthusiasts! It's Mr. Byte, your trusty guide in the ever-expanding universe of artificial intelligence, bringing you another exciting edition of The AI Crunch. Just like uncovering a secret level in your favorite game, we're here to reveal some of the most fascinating developments in the world of AI. Let's unravel these digital mysteries together. Here we go!

Top Stories

Meta Launches Imagine

Meta is expanding its AI prowess with Imagine, a standalone image generator now accessible via its own website. This tool, initially part of Meta’s AI chatbot, lets users create images from text prompts, generating four images per prompt, each marked with a Meta AI watermark. They're also exploring an invisible watermarking system to protect these images.

Beyond Imagine, Meta is integrating generative AI across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. This includes Instagram's “Expander” tool for image conversion, AI-enhanced features in Facebook Groups and Marketplace, and AI-generated content suggestions for various platforms. Additionally, Meta is making its 28 celebrity chatbots with 'long-term memory' features available in the U.S., indicating a deeper dive into integrating generative AI into its products, as per Mark Zuckerberg's vision.

EU Strikes Landmark Deal on AI Regulation

The European Union is stepping up as a major regulator in the AI world, reaching a provisional deal on new rules for AI usage. This landmark move could make the EU the first major power to enact laws specifically governing AI. The rules focus on transparency for AI systems like ChatGPT, requiring them to meet certain standards before entering the market, including documentation and compliance with EU copyright laws.

The agreement also addresses the use of AI in biometric surveillance, limiting it to serious circumstances such as crime prevention. Moreover, it bans manipulative AI practices like mass facial image scraping and social scoring.

Critics are divided: while business groups see it as burdensome, privacy advocates are concerned about the legalization of public facial recognition. The legislation, expected to be enforced from early next year, could set a global precedent for AI regulation, contrasting with the more relaxed approaches of the US and China.

News

Quick bites to start your morning:

  • AMD announces new chips to power faster AI (TV)

  • TIME names OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as “CEO of the Year” (T)

  • Gemini AI speeds up and smartens Pixel 8 (ZD)

  • McDonalds using AI to aid workers (TV)

  • AI helping to decode whale languages (X)

  • Meta fully launches AI charters (TC)

  • Apple launched MLX, an ML framework (TV)

  • Meta announces Project Purple to steer safety concerns (M)

  • Mistral AI released Mixtral 8×7B, which beats GPT 3.5 (MA)

AI Funding

Pragmatic: Raised $229M for expansion of silicon-free chip production (TE)

Leonardo AI: Raised $31M for further LLM image innovation (TC)

Liquid AI: Raised $38M to build a new form of neural networks (LA)

Air Space Intelligence: A startup focused on AI for aerospace raised $300M (B)

Sarvan AI: Raised $41M to build LLMs for the India market (IB)

Kyron Learning: Raised $14.6M for its AI-powered learning platform (KL)

Helix: A generative AI assistant for the private markets industry raised $6M (VC)

InpharmD: An AI-based drug information service raised $6M (FN)

AI Tools

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