Here is the compilation of the latest and trending news from the world of AI and technology in the last 48 hours.
1)
OpenAI launches ‘File Search Functionality’ in its API assistants
Last week, OpenAI probably launched one-of-the-sought after features in its API assistants in the form of ‘File Search Functionality.’ This will give developers a broader control, allowing them to search the exact files and directories they want their assistant to search. They can even narrow down the search to specific keywords, file types and metadata. The assistant will now also have the ability of contextual understanding, which implies that it can better comprehend the context of the file-based information, paving way for better accuracy and relevant responses. Many developers on their X handles have welcomed the feature, calling it a much-needed update.
2)
Nvidia Researchers unveils new AI model for better visual understanding
Nvidia researchers have launched, Eagle, a new family of open-source LLMs for better understanding of complex visual information. Eagle AI’s research paper has been published on arXIV and the models are available for testing on Hugging Face platform. One of the standout features of Eagle is its ability to process images at a resolution up to 1024 X 1024, which are far higher than what existing models can pull off. This in-turn enables it to seize fine details and minuate details, critical for task like optical character recognition (OCR). Considering that OCR is used in many important industries, this specific feature can have a wider implication.
3)
OpenAI claims that ChatGPT now has 200 Mn active users
According to a report published in Venture Beat, OpenAI’s immensely popular AI chatbot ChatGPT’s active weekly user has now crossed the 200 million mark. This is almost 2X increase compared to 10 months ago. This claim has not been independently verified. It is also not clear that whether 200 million active users are only of the free version of ChatGPT or is a cumulative figure of free as well as paid versions of ChatGPT (ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT enterprise). What makes OpenAI’s claim lofty as well as impressive is that it claims that today nearly 92% of fortune 500 companies are using ChatGPT.
4)
Meta discloses download numbers of Llama
Meta has claimed that Llama is leading the open-source AI model boom with its Llama LLMs touching a new high especially after the release of large Llama 3.1. As per the its mid-year review published last week, the download of its open-source model is fast approaching to 350 million on the Hugging Face, making it the fastest growing open-source AI model in the market. This is nearly 10-fold increase as compared to the last year. What’s equally impressive is that, as per Meta, its distribution partners are increasing significantly, with many well-known companies like AT&T, Zoom, Spotify and Goldman Sachs using Llama models.