Here is the top trending news from the world of technology and AI. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
ChatGPT is now available on WhatsApp
In a major game changer, OpenAI has officially launched ChatGPT on WhatsApp. OpenAI’s Chatbot will be available through a dedicated number 1-800-CHATGPT (1-800-242-8478). The WhatsApp ChatGPT service will be reportedly available everywhere and won’t be limited to only US market. However, WhatsApp ChatGPT will be limited to only text-only input. It won’t offer advanced voice mode and visual input. There will also be usage cap. Users in the U.S. can enjoy only 15 minutes of free calling per month, while WhatsApp messaging may have daily limits. Notifications will inform users as they approach these limits.
2)
VS Code developers can now access a free, limited version of GitHub Copilot
GitHub has announced a new free tier for its AI programming tool, GitHub Copilot. This new free plan specifically caters to Visual Studio Code (VS Code) users. VS Code users can access 2,000 code completions and 50 chat requests absolutely free each month. The free tier allows access to both OpenAI’s GPT-4o model and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet model. To use the free plan, VS Code developers only need a GitHub account. They don’t have to attach their credit card or subscribe to any plan.
3)
Apple has reportedly abandoned plans for a subscription-based iPhone
Apple has reportedly given up on its plan to launch a subscription service for the iPhone, which would have allowed users to pay a monthly fee to access the latest iPhone models. Various reasons have been attributed including technical glitches and regulatory challenges for scrapping the plan. The existing option ‘iPhone Upgrade Program’ may have also compelled Apple to put the subscription model to a backburner. iPhone Upgrade Program allows iPhone customers to pay for their devices over 12 or 24 months.
4)
Perplexity acquires Carbon to connect AI search with users’ work files
Perplexity has acquired Carbon, a Seattle-based startup that specializes in connecting AI systems to external data sources. The financial details of the deal have not been announced. The integration of Carbon’s technology will enable Perplexity to utilize retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), allowing large language models (LLMs) to access unstructured data from various third-party applications before generating responses. This could potentially help Perplexity’s AI search engine to generate responses with great efficiency and accuracy. Separately, the company has raised $500 Mn in a new funding round that has valued the company around $9 Bn.
