Deloitte India Launches Global Generative AI Market Incubator

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September 24, 2023

Deloitte India Launches Global Generative AI Market Incubator — Image Credits: Deloitte

On Tuesday, Deloitte announced the opening of its global artificial intelligence (AI) market incubator, which will support Indian and international businesses and foster innovation in generative AI.

The company said in a statement that the AI incubator will leverage the in-depth industry knowledge and AI expertise of their professionals, including data scientists and engineers. To ensure speed, lower time to market, and instant value generation in crucial projects, these professionals collaborate using a multidisciplinary model based on design thinking, the release said.

According to Deloitte, it has signed over 100 firms in the last six months and presently has active global engagements in the fields of medicine discovery, customer experience, content creation, and personal avatars.

According to Deloitte, the establishment of the Global Generative AI Market Incubator is also in line with the government’s broad strategy for fostering digital talent and prospects fueled by AI.

Sathish Gopalaiah, president, consulting at Deloitte India said, “Through this initiative, we aim to resolve unique industry cases by providing the right strategy and drawing on the strengths of our collaboration with alliance partners.”

In order to assist businesses with strategic breakthroughs, talent development, and a collaborative alliance ecosystem, Deloitte established its generative AI practice in India in June. The practice will assist clients in comprehending the dangers, limitations and ethical problems related to generative AI, during the creation, implementation, and commercialization of AI solutions.

Indian Government Plans Major GPU Cluster to Boost AI Industry, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar

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Sahil Pawar

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September 23, 2023

Indian Government GPU Cluster to Boost AI Industry

The Indian government is gearing up to bolster startups venturing into artificial intelligence (AI) model training by establishing a substantial Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) cluster as part of the India AI program, according to Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s announcement on September 22.

This GPU cluster will consist of a network of computers, each equipped with GPUs, primarily designed to facilitate the training of neural networks for image and video processing.

Minister Chandrasekhar highlighted the government’s commitment to support both startups and foreign companies aiming to foster domestic intellectual property in AI-focused chip design. This initiative falls under the design-linked incentive scheme, with an allocated budget of Rs 1,100-1,200 crore.

Chandrasekhar emphasized the importance of AI in practical applications, focusing on sectors such as healthcare, governance, and education. The government aims to create specialized AI-integrated circuits tailored to these fields.

In conjunction with this announcement, he mentioned the groundbreaking of a semiconductor packaging and assembly plant by Micron in Gujarat’s Sanand. This $2.75 billion investment demonstrates India’s growing significance in the global electronics value chain and sets a precedent for other chip companies and investors.

The project will receive substantial support, with 50 percent fiscal backing from the central government and additional incentives representing 20 percent of the total project cost from the state of Gujarat. Construction of the assembly and test facility is scheduled to commence in 2023, with Phase 1 becoming operational in late 2024.

Swaayatt Robots CEO Unveils Remarkable Advancements in Autonomous Driving

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Sahil Pawar

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September 22, 2023

In a LinkedIn post accompanied by a captivating video, Sanjeev Sharma, the Founder and CEO of Swaayatt Robots, has unveiled remarkable progress in the realm of autonomous driving. The video presentation showcased Swaayatt Robots’ autonomous vehicle navigating through challenging off-road terrain, confronting both static and dynamic obstacles with an astonishingly low margin of error.

The company utilized very sparse stochastic HD maps for stochastic projection of boundary information in the presented demonstration. One of the most noteworthy aspects of this demonstration was the vehicle’s ability to negotiate bi-directional traffic on a single-lane off-road path, thanks to novel motion planning and decision-making frameworks.

According to the CEO, this remarkable achievement demonstrates the company’s commitment to creating cutting-edge technology for autonomous vehicles. The Indian-based company, Swaayatt Robots, is renowned for its pioneering work in the field of robotics and autonomous vehicles, pushing the boundaries of what’s achievable in this dynamic industry.

According to the post, the company plans to further enhance this capability by incorporating multi-agent intent analysis and bi-directional negotiation policies developed through deep unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning techniques. As the company takes its initial steps towards this grand vision, they will soon execute a similar high-speed demo in a single-lane on-road environment.

Moreover, Swaayatt Robots is actively working on eliminating the reliance on high-definition maps for autonomous driving in off-road conditions. They aim to have their autonomous vehicles build cost-maps and understand environmental boundaries using GPS nodes as waypoints, driven by unsupervised deep learning.

Seventeen Other Prominent Authors Sue OpenAI Over Copyright Infringement

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Sahil Pawar

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September 22, 2023

Seventeen Other Prominent Authors Sue OpenAI

In a growing legal battle, more authors have joined the fray by suing OpenAI for copyright infringement. They are aligning with fellow writers in their pursuit of legal action against generative AI companies, which have been utilizing their literary works to train AI models.

The Authors Guild, along with 17 prominent authors such as Jonathan Franzen, John Grisham, George R.R. Martin, and Jodi Picoult, recently filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. The plaintiffs are seeking to have their filing designated as a class action.

The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI engaged in the wholesale copying of the plaintiffs’ works without obtaining proper permission or providing compensation. OpenAI then incorporated these copyrighted materials into their extensive language models.

The complaint emphasizes the significance of the authors’ creative endeavors as their source of livelihood. It contends that OpenAI’s Language Models pose a direct threat to fiction writers’ income, as these LLMs enable the automatic and cost-free generation of text that would otherwise require payment to writers for their creation.

Moreover, the authors express concern that OpenAI’s LLMs may give rise to derivative works that imitate, condense, summarize, or rephrase their books, potentially impacting their market and income. The lawsuit also criticizes OpenAI for its choice to utilize copyrighted material without compensating authors, arguing that the company could have employed works in the public domain as an alternative.

This lawsuit is the most recent in a series of legal actions taken by renowned authors against OpenAI, alleging copyright infringement. Recently, Michael Chabon, the author of “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,” and others pursued legal action against the company for using their books to train GPT. Similarly, Paul Tremblay and Mona Awad lodged their complaint in June.

Bollywood Star Anil Kapoor Wins Landmark AI Lawsuit

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Sahil Pawar

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September 22, 2023

Bollywood Star Anil Kapoor Wins Landmark AI Lawsuit — Image Credits: Variety

Renowned Indian actor Anil Kapoor has achieved a significant legal victory in a New Delhi court regarding the unauthorized use of his likeness through artificial intelligence technology. Kapoor stressed that this legal action isn’t just for his benefit but also for the future protection of his personality and its potential benefits for his family.

Kapoor, acclaimed for his roles in numerous Bollywood hits and the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, secured an interim order against 16 defendants. The court has ruled that these parties are “restrained from in any manner utilizing Anil Kapoor’s name likeness, image, voice, or any other aspect of his persona to create any merchandise, ringtones, either for monetary gain or otherwise.”

Expressing his views on the decision, Kapoor emphasized the progressive nature of the ruling, stating, “I think the decision is very progressive and great not only for me but for other actors also, because of the way AI technology is evolving every day.”

The actor took legal action in response to the widespread use of distorted videos, gifs, and emojis bearing his likeness. He also sought protection for his catchphrase, “jhakaas,” which he coined in the 1985 film “Yudh” and roughly translates to “awesome.”

This legal development occurs amid a broader debate between US writers, actors unions, and studio representatives. A central issue in this debate is the use of AI to generate profits from an actor’s image indefinitely, without their consent or appropriate compensation.

Kapoor expressed solidarity with actors in the US who are currently on strike for their rights. He hopes that his victory will be seen as positive news for their cause, emphasizing that every actor, regardless of their popularity, deserves protection.

Cisco Acquires Cybersecurity Company Splunk for $28 Billion

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Sahil Pawar

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September 22, 2023

In a landmark move, Cisco Systems announced its acquisition of cybersecurity powerhouse Splunk for a staggering $28 billion, marking the largest technology deal of the year. This strategic acquisition is set to bolster Cisco’s software business and harness the growing wave of artificial intelligence.

The purchase comes as Cisco seeks to diversify its revenue streams and reduce dependency on its extensive networking equipment division, which has grappled with supply chain disruptions and a post-pandemic drop in demand. Chuck Robbins, Cisco’s CEO, emphasized the importance of this merger, stating that it unites two industry leaders in security and observability, domains critical to customers in an era marked by ever-evolving threats.

Splunk is renowned for its data observability capabilities, aiding companies in monitoring cybersecurity risks and other vulnerabilities. The company utilizes a subscription-based pricing model. While discussions between the two firms have occurred in the past, this time, the deal appears to be moving forward.

Cisco’s offer of $157 in cash per Splunk share, reflecting a 31% premium over the stock’s last closing price, has garnered attention. Splunk’s shares traded above $145.04, below the offer price, partly due to concerns about regulatory scrutiny, while Cisco’s shares dipped by 4%.

This acquisition will amplify revenue growth and boost gross margins for Cisco in the fiscal year following the deal’s closure. Splunk, which counts industry giants such as Coca-Cola and Intel among its 15,000+ customers, experienced a surge in revenue growth last year but faced a slowdown in 2023 due to rising interest rates and persistent inflation.

Microsoft Appoints Pavan Davuluri as New Chief Product Officer, Panay Steps Down

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Sahil Pawar

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September 22, 2023

Microsoft Appoints Pavan Davuluri Chief Product Officer — Image Credits: LinkedIn

Microsoft has announced a significant leadership change as Pavan Davuluri takes the helm as Corporate Product Chief, succeeding Panos Panay. This transition places Davuluri in a pivotal position as he will be reporting directly to Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella.

In parallel, Panay is set to join Amazon to head the unit responsible for the company’s Alexa and Echo products, stepping into the role previously held by David Limp, who plans to retire this year. Panos Panay, after nearly two decades at Microsoft, during which he played a crucial role in creating the Surface line of computers and overseeing the launch of Windows 11, steps down.

This leadership shift comes as Microsoft holds its product launch event, where new additions to the Surface lineup are anticipated, alongside the unveiling of the company’s latest AI innovations.

Pavan Davuluri, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and the University of Maryland, has been an integral part of Microsoft since the early stages of his career, starting in 2001 as a Reliability Component Manager.

His most recent role before this promotion was as Corporate Vice President, overseeing Windows Silicon and Systems Integration. In his new role, Davuluri is tasked with leading a team focused on the development of silicon and systems.

Davuluri will play a key role in Microsoft’s emphasis on integrating generative AI into its wide array of products, spanning cloud services, search, and productivity software. This highlights the company’s commitment to advancing technology in an increasingly AI-driven world.

GitHub’s AI-powered Coding Chatbot Copilot Chat Now Available for Individual Subscribers

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Sahil Pawar

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September 21, 2023

GitHub has announced that it has expanded access to its programming-centric chatbot, Copilot Chat, to all current GitHub Copilot for Individual subscribers using Visual Studio and VS Code. Previously, Copilot Chat was exclusively available to organizations with a Copilot for Business subscription. This move allows individual users to access the chatbot’s features at no additional cost, provided they have the $10/month Copilot for Individual subscription.

Copilot Chat resides in the integrated development environment (IDE) sidebar, facilitating multi turn conversations about coding, including discussions about the code currently being worked on. GitHub emphasizes that Copilot Chat’s ability to understand and provide context-specific assistance sets it apart from general-purpose chat assistants.

Shuyin Zhao, VP of Product Management at GitHub, believes that the integration of Copilot Chat with GitHub Copilot creates a powerful AI assistant, capable of helping developers work efficiently in their preferred natural language. This, in turn, reduces repetitive tasks and positions natural language as a universal programming language.

Common use cases for Copilot Chat include real-time guidance on best practices, tailored code-related tips and solutions, and assistance with code analysis and security issue resolution, all within the IDE, eliminating the need to switch between tools.

GitHub’s goal is to promote “natural language as a new universal programming language” to democratize software development. This aligns with the company’s recent emphasis on enabling developers to work more efficiently and effectively.

OpenAI Unveils DALL-E 3, Latest Version of its Text-to-image Tool DALL-E

By

Sahil Pawar

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September 21, 2023

OpenAI unveils DALL-E 3 — Image Credits: Medium

OpenAI has unveiled the third iteration of its generative AI visual art platform, DALL-E, with enhanced features and a focus on safety. DALL-E 3, known for converting text prompts into images, has made significant strides in understanding context compared to its predecessor.

here is dalle 3, which imo is quite amazing: https://t.co/UcPPehWxnQ

it will ramp to all chatgpt+ users over the next couple of weeks.

fantastic work by @model_mechanic (head of dall-e), @neobjb @gabeeeegoooh @jingli911 (the other lead dalle ICs), and the entire team. pic.twitter.com/8wtWffpXkQ
— Sam Altman (@sama) September 20, 2023

One notable addition to DALL-E 3 is its integration with ChatGPT, allowing users to generate prompts more easily. Users can request ChatGPT to provide a detailed prompt, and the chatbot will craft a paragraph that DALL-E 3 can work with, simplifying the creative process.

The new version of DALL-E will first be available to ChatGPT Plus and ChatGPT Enterprise users in October, followed by research labs and its API service in the fall. OpenAI has not provided a specific timeline for a free public release.

DALL-E’s journey began in January 2021, preceding other text-to-image generative AI art platforms. However, with the release of DALL-E 2 in 2022, OpenAI faced criticism for issues like generating explicit images and displaying bias. The platform was initially put on a waitlist but later made accessible to the public.

OpenAI has emphasized robust safety measures in DALL-E 3 to prevent the creation of inappropriate or harmful images. External red team testing and input classifiers have been employed to enhance safety. Additionally, DALL-E 3 will not generate images of public figures unless explicitly mentioned in the prompt.

While OpenAI expresses confidence in the safety measures, it acknowledges that the model continues to improve and is not flawless. DALL-E 3 has also been trained not to mimic the styles of living artists, unlike DALL-E 2, which could replicate certain artistic styles when prompted.

Microsoft AI GitHub Repository Breach Exposes 38TB of Private Data

By

Sahil Pawar

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September 21, 2023

Microsoft AI GitHub Repository Breach exposes 38TB Private Data

Microsoft has taken immediate action to address a significant security incident that led to the exposure of a staggering 38 terabytes of private data. The breach was identified within the company’s AI GitHub repository and is believed to have occurred inadvertently during the publication of open-source training data, according to Wiz, a cybersecurity research team.

This breach included a backup from the workstations of two former employees, containing sensitive information like secrets, keys, passwords, and over 30,000 internal Teams messages.

The repository, named “robust-models-transfer,” has been made inaccessible. Before its takedown, it housed source code and machine learning models related to a 2020 research paper titled “Do Adversarially Robust ImageNet Models Transfer Better?”

Wiz’s report revealed that the breach resulted from an overly permissive Shared Access Signature (SAS) token, an Azure feature that facilitates data sharing in a challenging-to-track and revoke manner. Specifically, the repository’s README.md file inadvertently allowed developers to download models from an Azure Storage URL that also granted access to the entire storage account, exposing additional private data.

To address this issue, Microsoft promptly revoked the SAS token and blocked external access to the storage account. The company’s investigation found no unauthorized exposure of customer data and confirmed that no other internal services were compromised.

The company also identified a bug in its scanning system that led to the false flagging of the specific SAS URL in the repository. To enhance future security measures, Microsoft has expanded its secret scanning service to include SAS tokens with overly permissive settings.