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It’s been a busy week in AI so let’s jump right in.

Midjourney: Style Tuner

Exciting news coming from Midjourney with the introduction of the Style Tuner, a cool tool that lets you jazz up your images in your own unique way! It lets people change how their pictures look. You tell it what kind of look you want, and it shows you some examples. You pick the ones you like, and it gives you a special code. Later, you can use this code to tell the tool how to color your new pictures. This tool is exclusive to Midjourney Model Version 5.2 and works only in Fast Mode. Here’s a step-by-step on how to use the Style Tuner.

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I Am Grok

Elon Musk’s xAI has launched Grōk, an AI chatbot with a flair for wit and boldness. Still in its beta phase, Grok is undergoing testing by a limited number of users, showing promising results, especially in logical and programming tasks. With a personality that stands out and exclusive data advantages, Grok is getting ready to change the way we think about AI chatbots.

Key Points about Grok:

• Developed by xAI: Elon Musk’s latest AI endeavor.
• Beta Testing: A select group is currently assessing Grok’s skills.
• Performance: Excelling in math and coding challenges.
• X Premium+ Service: Grok will be a feature of this upcoming premium service.
• Early Access: Available for sign-up in the U.S.

For more on Grok, visit our blog: Elon Musk’s xAI Launches Grok.

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Judge Partially Dismisses AI Art Copyright Case

A recent lawsuit accusing Stability AI, Midjourney, and DeviantArt of copyright infringement was largely dismissed by U.S. Judge William H. Orrick, due to issues including unfiled copyrights by two artists. Orrick invited the artists to amend and refile their claims with specified infringed images, but only allowed one count of direct infringement against Stability AI to proceed.

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Google: Product Studio

Google has come up with a neat tool called Product Studio for folks in the US who want to advertise stuff. This tool lets them type what they want a picture to look like, and like magic, the tool creates it using Generative AI. Here’s a bit more about what it can do:

• Creating New Images:
  • Advertisers just type in what they want, and the tool creates a picture for them.
• Types of Changes:
  1. Simple Stuff:
     • Change the background color.
  2. Cool Stuff:
     • Show the product in a cool scene like at a beach or in a room.
• Fixing Images:
  • Make blurry pictures clear.
  • Get rid of things in the background that shouldn’t be there.
• Who Can Use It:
  • People using certain Google services in the US, like Merchant Center Next and a special app on Shopify.
• Availability:
  • The tool is rolling out, which means it’s starting to be available for people to use now!

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New ChatGPT Upgrades

OpenAI has come up with some cool new features for ChatGPT Plus members, making it even handier. Now, members can upload files and the chatbot can help in various ways, like summarizing data or answering questions. It even gets smarter in understanding what users want just from the chat. Here’s a breakdown of these new features:

• Uploading Files:
  • Members can now upload files in different formats, including pictures.
• Working with Files:
  1. Summarizing Data:
     • The chatbot can give a summary of the data in the files.
  2. Answering Questions:
     • If members have questions about the info in the files, the chatbot can answer them.
  3. Creating Visuals:
     • It can also create visuals like charts from the data.
• New Office Features:
  • Some features from the fancier ChatGPT Enterprise are now available in ChatGPT Plus, making it more useful for individual members.
• Smarter Interactions:
  • The chatbot can now guess what members want based on the chat, so they don’t have to pick certain options like they did before.
• Availability:
  • These cool features are in beta, which means they are being tested and are available for ChatGPT Plus members to try out!

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Brave Browser Introducing Leo

Brave, a browser that cares a lot about keeping users’ information private, has introduced a new helper named Leo. Leo is like a smart buddy within the Brave browser that can help answer questions, translate languages, and even summarize long web pages among other things. The cool part is that Leo is designed to respect user privacy more than other similar helpers. Below are some more details about Leo and what it offers:

• Availability:
  • Leo is free for anyone using a certain version (1.60) of the Brave browser on their computers.
• Core Features:
  1. Answering Questions:
     • Got a question? Leo can help answer it.
  2. Translation:
     • Leo can help translate text from one language to another.
  3. Summarizing Web Pages:
     • If a webpage is too long, Leo can provide a summary.
  4. Generating New Content:
     • Leo can help create new text based on what you ask.
• Privacy Focus:
  • Unlike some other smart helpers, Leo is built to provide “unparalleled privacy” which means it tries to keep your information really safe.
• Standard Version:
  • The usual version of Leo is free and uses a smart brain called Meta’s Llama 2.
• Premium Version:
  • For $15 a month, folks can get Leo Premium which uses a different smart brain called Claude Instant from Anthropic and offers even better conversations, quicker responses during busy times, and a sneak peek at new features before others get them.
• Expandability:
  • One of the co-founders of Brave mentioned that Leo is made in a way that they can add more smart brains to it over time, giving people more options to choose from.
• Caution:
  • Brave mentions that while Leo is smart, the answers it gives should be checked for any mistakes or wrong info, just to be safe.

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Instagram

Instagram is working on a new feature called “AI friend” where users can create a chatbot buddy to talk to. They can choose how the chatbot looks and acts, like its age or hobbies. Some people are worried because this fake friend might trick users into thinking they are talking to a real person, which can be risky. This new idea is still being worked on, and it raises the question, should Meta be building something like this?

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Google Invests $2 Billion in Anthropic

If you’ve been following the blog, you already know that AI is a big deal these days. Now, Google is giving up to $2 billion to a new company called Anthropic to help them make even smarter AI. Anthropic has big plans for the future like creating virtual helpers and smarter search engines. Big companies like Google are teaming up with new companies to see who can make the coolest AI first. Anthropic even has a chat buddy named Claude, and they think the race to lead in AI could be decided as soon as next year!

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Apple Health: An Apple a Day…

Apple is diving into the world of healthcare with some new tech ideas, one of which is a special blood sugar monitor for people with diabetes that doesn’t need to poke the skin. This idea started back in 2011, called Avolonte Health, and was something Steve Jobs really wanted to do. While Apple is cooking up other healthcare projects too, there’s a bit of a debate among the people working there about whether they should create stuff for healthy people or for those who are sick. Here’s a bit more detailed breakdown:

• Main Project:
  • A noninvasive blood sugar monitor for diabetics, which means it can check blood sugar levels without having to poke the skin.
• Project Origins:
  • Started in 2011 with a fancy name, Avolonte Health, and was a special mission from Steve Jobs.
• Other Healthcare Initiatives:
  • Apple is also working on more healthcare projects besides the blood sugar monitor.
• Internal Debate:
  • There’s a discussion among Apple employees about whether they should focus on making things for healthy people or for sick people.
• Goal:
  • Ultimately, Apple is stepping into the healthcare world to possibly make it better with their technology.

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AI Safety Summit

The UK hosted the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park. This meeting gathered people from governments, universities, and companies who are creating super smart computer programs known as “frontier AI” to talk about keeping the technology safe. Some really important people from around the world attended this meeting. The UK wants to help bring together big regions like the US, China, and Europe to talk about AI safety.

During this event, a US official also shared the news about a new place focused on AI safety. This new place will work with others around the world to make sure AI is handled correctly. Below is a more detailed explanation:

• New Policy Paper:
  • Introduction of the Bletchley Declaration, which is a big plan on dealing with AI’s challenges safely.
• Core Principles:
  • AI should be:
    • Safe
    • Focused on humans
    • Trustworthy
    • Used responsibly
• Future Meetings:
  • More gatherings like this are planned:
    • One in Korea in six months
    • Another in France six months after that
• New AI Safety Institute:
  • U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, announced a new place for AI safety within the Department of Commerce.
• International Cooperation:
  • This new institute aims to work with other AI safety groups from different countries, including a new one planned in the U.K.
• Political Leaders’ Thoughts:
  • They talked about being inclusive and responsible with AI, but there are still many questions on how to make these ideas real.

This event and the announcements made there are big steps towards making sure AI is developed and used in a safe and responsible way globally!

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The Beatles Final Song

The Beatles have released a new song “Now and Then,” marking their first since 1995, crafted using machine learning to refine an old John Lennon demo. Initially attempted in the ’90s, the project faced technical hurdles until recently when technology developed during Peter Jackson’s “Get Back“ documentary enabled the separation of music components into distinct tracks. McCartney and Starr revisited “Now and Then,” and despite mixed fan reactions, all parties involved are satisfied with the outcome. Check out the short film below.

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That’s all folks. If you missed last week’s ‘Last Week in AI,’ check it out here. Until next week, stay engaged, stay curious, and continue exploring the digital frontier that AI unfolds.