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Recent Developments in AI

OpenAI and Dotdash Meredith

OpenAI has agreed to pay Dotdash Meredith over $16 million annually for using its content. This agreement is part of a series of deals with major publishers, including Axel Springer and News Corp. These partnerships allow OpenAI to legally use content for training its AI models and provide preferred responses through ChatGPT. However, OpenAI cannot afford such deals with all publishers globally, limiting the data available for AI training.

Mistral AI Expands

The French startup Mistral AI is upgrading its AI assistant, Le Chat, to access current internet content and generate images. The image generation is done in collaboration with Black Forest Labs. A new canvas interface allows users to work creatively directly in the chat window, enabling them to create documents, presentations, code, and edit drafts. Mistral AI also introduced its new multimodal model, Pixtral Large, which reportedly surpasses competitors like GPT-4o and Gemini 1.5 Pro in benchmarks. This model can process up to 30 high-resolution images simultaneously.

Perplexity’s New Shopping Mode

The AI answer machine Perplexity has introduced new shopping features. US users with a Pro subscription can now shop directly on the platform. The “Buy with Pro” system allows a one-click checkout with free shipping after entering data once. A visual product search called “Snap to Shop” lets users upload photos to receive purchase suggestions without knowing the product name. This function is based on integration with shopping platforms like Shopify. A merchant program is also launched, enabling large retailers to integrate their product data directly for better chances of being featured as a “recommended product.”

Human Control Over Nuclear Weapons

During a meeting at the Apec summit in Lima, US President Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping agreed that control over nuclear weapons should not be transferred to AI systems. This is the first joint declaration of its kind between the two countries. Although there is no immediate threat, this agreement is seen as a significant step in managing long-term strategic risks. However, both countries remain skeptical of a general ban on “killer robots.” Xi criticized US export controls on semiconductors, which Sullivan defended with security concerns.

Visual Effects Industry and AI

Hollywood star Ben Affleck believes the visual effects industry is significantly threatened by AI. In an interview, Affleck warns that previously expensive VFX work is becoming much cheaper due to AI, with dramatic consequences for the industry. However, he does not see creative film production at risk. AI is a “craftsman” that can imitate and mix existing things. Affleck sees opportunities in AI technology for the entertainment industry, as automation could lower entry barriers for independent filmmakers. AI could enhance background work, correct errors, and adjust costume colors, speeding up production. Affleck suggests new business opportunities like personalized short episodes of popular series, where viewers could order short AI-generated episodes of their favorite shows.

Meta’s Ray-Ban Glasses

Meta has started introducing certain AI features for users of its Ray-Ban Meta AR glasses in France, Italy, Ireland, and Spain. Since Monday, users in these countries can interact with Meta’s AI assistant, Meta AI, in natural language. This update makes Meta AI available in French, Italian, and Spanish. With Meta AI on the augmented reality glasses, people can ask questions and receive real-time answers, information, recommendations, or even creative writing prompts. However, the ability to receive answers about what users see is not available outside the USA, Australia, and Canada.

Coca-Cola’s AI Christmas Advertisement

Coca-Cola has reimagined its classic Christmas advertisement using generative AI. Three AI studios created their own versions of the ad, using AI models like Leonardo, Luma, and Runway. The new model Kling allowed for particularly realistic movements. In one version, the faces of real actors were used. The AI production saved significant time and costs, although some scenes had to be recalculated hundreds of times. Despite the high AI quality, some social media users criticized the ad for appearing cheap and strange compared to the original. Over 10,000 individual frames and 5,000 video segments were created for the ads, which will be broadcast worldwide on TV and digital media.

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