Here are the top trending stories from the world of technology. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
Elon Musk launches Grok, an AI Chatbot with real-time access to X’s Premium + Users
After much anticipation, Elon Musk finally launched an AI chatbot called ‘Grok’ under a new company ‘xAI.’ Grok is currently in early beta testing and as of today is available to only limited number of users in the Unites States. Once it exits the beta testing, it will be available to all X Premium+ subscribers. One of the unique features of Grok is that it will have real-time access to information from the X platform, which Musk owns. This gives Grok a significant advantage over other chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard, which typically rely on pre-trained datasets of information. Musk hasn’t given an exact timeline when Grok will exit the beta testing phase.
2)
OpenAI may offer discount on all its Models & announce new features
ChatGPT maker OpenAI is expected to make its AI models cheaper at its first-ever developer conference on November 6th in San Fransico. The company is likely to announce new pricing options along with discounts that will make its models more affordable for developers and businesses. Alongside, according to rumours, OpenAI is also likely to add new exciting features. This may include a custom chatbot creator that would allow companies to create their own chatbot with customized features. It may also launch a new marketplace where users can share their chatbot or browse those made by others. OpenAI’s developer conference will be a one-day event and will attract developers from across the world.
3)
Thousands uninstall ad blockers after YouTube’s Massive Crackdown
Several Ad blocking companies have confirmed that YouTube’s recent decision to ban ad blockers is badly hurting them. Ever since this decision was announced, thousands of YouTube users especially in the United States have started uninstalling ad blocking extensions from their Chrome browsers. Although there are no exact numbers of uninstallation, the ad blocking companies claim that nearly one million uninstallations may have happened till now. However, interestingly, since YouTube’s crackdown seems to be affecting only Chrome browsers, many users have started using other browsers like Microsoft Edge to apply ad blockers on YouTube.
4)
Discord to opt for expiring links for file sharing to tackle malware problem
Instant messaging platform Discord is switching to expiring links for files shared off-platform. This change is expected to go into effect by the end of 2023. The company claims that this will help in cracking down on malware attacks and making its platform more secure. The change will also curb the wider use of Discord as an unofficial file hosting service. It has been a pretty common practice that scores of users upload images and other content on the Discord servers and then post those links elsewhere. However, once Discord switches to temporary links, this won’t be possible.