Here is the top trending news from the world of technology. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
OpenAI launches its advanced voice model & initial feedbacks are quite positive.
After months of agonizing delays, last week OpenAI finally unveiled its advanced voice model to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users. OpenAI has promised that its advanced voice model would be more human-like in its expression and offer responses in real-time. This model is powered by OpenAI’’s recently launched GPT-4o. Some of the users who were able to get access to the advanced voice model posted their interaction and feedback on X. In one interaction one of the users asked the voice model to help him teach French and the model came out with many french words with amazing human touch to it.
2)
Google strikes licensing deal with Character AI and much more
Google has inked a licensing deal with Character AI that will give the search giant an access to Character AI’s advanced language models, which has earned a reputation for creating engaging and personalized AI characters. Google is likely to use these advanced models to improve its Assistant like Google Assistant with more human-like-interactions. Apart from the licensing deal, Google will be hiring Character AI’s founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who will be joining Google’s AI arm DeepMind. Additionally, the startup will also get fresh funding from Google as part of this deal. For all those who are not aware, Character AI was founded in 2022 by Google’s former employees that allowed its users to create AI avatar that resembles them or other popular characters.
3)
Figure, which is backed by OpenAI, has teased a new humanoid robot – Figure 02
Figure, the humanoid robotic startup backed by OpenAI and other big VC names, has just released a teaser of its new upcoming humanoid robot Figure 02. The teaser does not reveal much apart from the close up of joints and limbs of the robot. However, we can certainly expect that the Figure 02 will boast improved dexterity and potentially expanded functionalities than its processor. Figure’s founder Brett Adcock claimed on his X post that Figure 02 is the most advanced humanoid robot on the planet. The robot is likely to be officially launched in the coming weeks. Although AI news is often dominated by generative AI and news about humanoid robot is often ignored, the latter has the potential to revolutionize the manufacturing, healthcare and other sectors.
4)
Nvidia’s Blackwell AI chips shipment will be delayed by three months
Nvidia has discovered a critical design flaw in its upcoming AI chip Blackwell and hence will be delaying its shipment by at least 3 months, The information reports. The chipmaker was supposed to ship Blackwell somewhere in 2024 to its customers including Microsoft and Google. However, now these customers will have to wait until the early 2025. According to The Information, Google, Microsoft, Meta and other well-known companies had made bulk orders for Blackwell AI chips when it was unveiled earlier this year. It is successor to the much sought after and highly powerful H100 chips that powers much of the AI projects run by the big tech companies.
5)
Meta planning to rope several Hollywood actors to develop Ai voice assistant
Meta is reportedly on hot pursuit to ink a deal with several top Hollywood actors and actresses including Judi Dench, Keegan-Michel Kay and AwkWafina whose voices could power Meta’s upcoming AI voice assistant. As per reports, the company is ready to offer millions of dollars to bond them in a contract that will be a temporary and actors will be given the freedom to either extend or end the contract. Meta is very much keen to show its AI voice assistant in its Meta Connect conference in September.
