Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Pledges Call of Duty to 100% Stay on PlayStation

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June 30, 2023

Microsoft Sony call of duty PlayStation — Image Credits: NDTV

In an effort to defend the largest video game contract in history from a regulatory assault, Microsoft‘s CEO reiterated his company’s commitment to retain Activision Blizzard best-selling Call of Duty on rival Sony’s PlayStation console.

Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, and Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision, were invited to testify in San Francisco federal court on Wednesday to support Microsoft’s claim that the $69 billion deal between the two businesses won’t reduce competition in the console and subscription-based game marketplaces.

After the US Federal Trade Commission was unsuccessful in its legal challenge to Meta Platforms’ acquisition earlier this year, the case offers a significant test of the agency’s power to obstruct digital mergers in court.

To maintain the Call of Duty shooter game on Sony’s gaming platforms, Nadella pledged his “100%” commitment. Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft Gaming, also swore last week not to block the game from being played on PlayStation consoles.

The assurances were given to US District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley, who must choose whether to delay the Microsoft merger, which has a deadline for completion of July 18 while the FTC’s legal challenge to the blockbuster transaction plays out.

Amazon’s Autonomous and Electric Zoox Expands Testing in Vegas

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Tejaswini Kasture

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June 30, 2023

Amazon’s Autonomous Electric Vehicle Zoox Vegas — Image Source: Zoox

Technology giant Amazon has kick-started its driverless robotaxi business, Zoox, with test drives on the street of Las Vegas with the company’s employees.

The vehicle is a whole new form of conveyance to make public transportation simple, cleaner, and safer. It is a compact, all-electric four-wheeler that seats up to four people. Zoox can travel up to 35 miles per hour without fuel, steering wheels, or pedals.

Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Zook, Jesse Levinson informed that Zoox’s headcount has increased from 1,900 to 2,200 at the beginning of the year. They are also expecting to maintain a similar rise in headcount throughout the year.

He further added Amazon-owned Zoox autonomous robotaxi would only be functioning on the Vegas Strip once done with the testing, which is one step away from their commercial launch. Moreover, he mentioned they are planning to hire employees in the city, specifically for maintaining and charging the electric robotaxi.

Currently, Zoox is being tested for handling traffic lights, intersections, and driving speeds of upto 35 miles per hour.

In Feb 2023, Zoox completed rigorous testing on private roads in California and already has approval from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to operate its robotaxi on the state’s public roads. It is the first purpose-built autonomous, self-certified to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), permitted vehicle on California public roads.

Similarly, the company follows all the regulations from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles that permits Zoox to test drive robotaxi on Vegas roads. The company has yet to open up its autonomous electric robotaxis to the public.

OpenAI Introduces Bing Search to ChatGPT on iOS

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Sahil Pawar

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June 30, 2023

OpenAI introduces Bing Search to ChatGPT iOS — Image Credits: AD

OpenAI announced the availability of its ChatGPT for iOS users last month. The company has now revealed that its chatbot will also be able to access the internet through Bing Search, expanding its capabilities even further.

Currently, the new function is only accessible to ChatGPT Plus subscribers, who pay a $20 monthly subscription fee. The release states that users can now use Browsing to obtain detailed answers and up-to-date information on news and events that go beyond the model’s initial training data.

Users must enable Browsing in the “new features” settings area in order to test it out. Then select “Browse with Bing” from the drop-down option after selecting GPT-4 in the model switcher. Finally, users are able to get above the 2021 knowledge cutoff for chatbots. Earlier, ChatGPT plugins were added to the browser interface to accomplish this.

Additionally, the organization has improved search history. Users can now more easily and conveniently browse their previous conversations. While OpenAI’s site promises ChatGPT for Android users, there is currently no ChatGPT software for Android users to download yet.

Furthermore, users will be able to create and share ChatGPT discussions using shared links, according to a statement from OpenAI. The chat can be viewed or copied by the recipients if they want to continue it. The next several weeks will see the rollout of this feature to all users, which is currently undergoing Alpha testing with a small sample of users.

People Are More Likely to Believe AI-Generated Tweets

By

Amulya Reddy Avanaganti

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June 30, 2023

People More Likely Believe AI-Generated Tweets — Image Source: Phys.org

In a groundbreaking study published in Science Advances, researchers have discovered that tweets written by artificial intelligence (AI) language models are more convincing to people than tweets created by humans. The study raises concerns about the potential impact of AI-generated disinformation on public perception and trust.

To conduct the study, researchers turned to OpenAI’s renowned language model, GPT-3. The AI was assigned to generate tweets with either informative or misleading content on various topics prone to misinformation, such as vaccines, 5G technology, Covid-19, and the theory of evolution. Real tweets on the same subjects were also collected for comparison.

A total of 697 members participated in an online quiz, where they had to determine whether the tweets presented to them were AI-generated or collected from Twitter. They also had to assess the accuracy of the content. Surprisingly, participants were 3% less likely to believe false tweets from humans than from AI.

Giovanni Spitale, the lead researcher from the University of Zurich, expressed uncertainty about the reasons behind this phenomenon. However, the study suggested that the way GPT-3 structures information might contribute to the credibility of AI-generated content. Notably, participants found it difficult to differentiate between AI-generated and organic tweets, highlighting the advanced capabilities of GPT-3.

While participants were more effective at identifying misinformation from real Twitter users, GPT-3-generated tweets with false information managed to deceive them slightly more.

The study serves as a wake-up call, and the findings highlight the influence of AI-generated content and the challenges it poses in shaping public opinion. As AI technology continues to advance, it becomes crucial to develop strategies and safeguards to tackle the spread of AI-generated disinformation.

Government soon to Open Draft Digital India Bill for consultation

By

Tejaswini Kasture

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June 29, 2023

Government to open draft Digital India Bill for consultation — Image Source: techobserver

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) held the first-ever consultation on the proposed Digital India Act on March 10th. Further, they discussed rules for handling data captured by invasive devices and stated the draft of the Act to be passed by April 2023.

The bill was due to be released this month but was held back for additional consultations. However, the much-awaited draft of the Digital India Bill for public consultation will be released within the next two weeks.

Currently, there are over 850 million internet users in India, marking a significant increase from the 5.5 million in 2000. Over the years, the internet has witnessed a rise in cyber crimes, violent content, and improper use of government-issued identity cards, and the old Act is inadequate to address these concerns. Hence, certain provisions are needed to update and re-evaluate rising situations.

Amid the growing threat of misleading information, the Indian government plans to enforce more innovation, and startups, at the same time, protect citizens’ data in terms of security, accountability, and trust.

The new Digital India Act 2023 aims to replace the existing Information Technology Act (IT Act) of 2000. It aims to provide a strict legal framework to support India’s techade goals, taking into consideration the need to protect users from the growing threat of AI-related misinformation. The Act will cover a range of topics, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybercrime, data protection, online safety, and deepfakes. The need for responsible and ethical use of online technologies will not only shape the technological future of India but also safeguard users’ confidential information.

Meta Introduces $250,000 Mixed Reality Fund for 5 Indian Startups

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 29, 2023

Meta $250,000 mixed reality fund 5 Indian startups — Image Credits: AD

On Wednesday, Meta revealed a brand-new mixed reality (MR) programme for India that includes a $250,000 award for local companies and developers to create experiences and apps. According to a statement from the corporation, the fund aims to support creativity and create an ecosystem for extended reality (XR) technology in the nation.

The fund, according to the company, will assist developers in creating apps for the Meta Quest Platform and metaverse using Meta’s Presence Platform, which offers a wide range of machine perception and AI capabilities.

A chosen group of up to five Indian businesses and developers will benefit from the program’s financial grant as well as specialized mentoring and advice from the specialists at Meta Reality Labs. They will also have the chance to join Meta’s expanding developer ecosystem by uploading their creation to Quest App Lab, according to Meta.

At the conclusion of the programme, the top local venture capital funds will be introduced to the startups who made the short list. The fund is already accepting applications, encouraging established and up-and-coming entrepreneurs and developers to test out the capabilities of the Presence Platform.

“Meta is dedicated to creating the India XR ecosystem. According to Sandhya Devanathan, vice president for Meta in India, “The Presence Platform is a key component of the metaverse vision, seeking to make virtual experiences more tangible and accessible.”

“We think that this fund and programme will hasten the development and uptake of VR and MR experiences in the nation and provide Indian developers with a chance to make their innovations global,” Devanathan continued.

Infosys Using Generative AI to Handle 50 client Projects: CEO Salil Parekh

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 29, 2023

Infosys using generative AI handle 50 client projects — Image Credits: Infosys

Salil Parekh, chief executive officer of Infosys, claims that the company, which just unveiled an AI-first service, is utilizing generative AI in 50 customer projects. Parekh said, “We currently have 50 active client projects where we are using generative AI, and this is increasingly becoming a part of the new world that will be defined on an AI-first basis.”

During Infosys’ annual general meeting on June 28, shareholders raised a number of important issues with the company’s leadership, including the usage of AI and concerns about productivity, hazards, and more.

The business is also doubling in on AI, which explains all the concerns. The company said that it was in discussions regarding Infosys Topaz, a new product that blends data analytics, artificial intelligence, and generative AI, with over 300 clients at the time of its debut.

“We will revolutionize our clients with AI by utilizing our Topaz infrastructure and AI-first approach. We’ll use responsible AI to accomplish that, making sure it abides by legal requirements as well as privacy and accuracy standards. With the right safeguards, we think AI can be a force for good,” Chairman Nandan Nilekani stated.

Chairman Nandan Nilekani issued a warning in his speech, pointing out that while generative AI has made significant strides, there are still a number of practical, ethical, and intellectual property-related challenges that need to be addressed.

“We are aware that scaling AI in the workplace is not going to be easy. But the AI-first approach we’ve adopted is already paying off for us. We have restructured our organization to carefully balance people, technology, and procedure while also segmenting work into cognitive tasks to carry out,” he stated.

Alphabet and Airtel Partner to Bring Affordable Internet to Indian Villages

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 29, 2023

Alphabet Airtel partner bring affordable internet Indian villages — Image Credits: Taara

Google declared at the beginning of 2022 that it will invest $1 billion in Airtel, of which $700 million was to be used to acquire a 1.28% interest in the company. The parent firm of Google, Alphabet, is now working with Bharti Airtel with the aim of bringing reasonably priced internet to rural areas across the nation.

This company’s goal will be carried out through the Taara project, a component of Alphabet’s X innovation lab, which aims to offer faraway people high-speed internet. The plan is to employ light beams to distribute internet services, and according to the business, Taara’s light beams will give its users fiber-optic internet without the need for cables.

Taara’s executive director, Mahesh Krishnaswamy, claims that because of Airtel, the company is almost ready to begin a large-scale deployment of the technology and its services across the nation.

In addition to Airtel, Taara has agreements with another Indian internet service provider, Bluetown. Additionally, Project Taara is being developed in 13 additional nations, including Australia, Fiji, and Kenya.

Randeep Sekhon, CEO of Airtel, has said that the firm would be able to provide faster internet services in metropolitan areas as well with the aid of the most recent technology created by Taara and that it is less expensive than burying fiber-optic cables beneath the surface.

Taara lines provide an affordable and speedy deployment option for bringing high-speed connectivity to towns and cities. Taara linkages have the ability to assist thousands of people in accessing the educational, commercial, and communicative advantages of the web by filling important gaps to key access points like cell towers and WiFi hotspots.

Harvard University Employs AI Chatbot as CS Instructor

By

Amulya Reddy Avanaganti

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June 29, 2023

Harvard University Employs AI Chatbot as CS Instructor — Image Source: Howtoai.ai

It seems that the jobs of teachers are in danger as AI continues to make advancements. Harvard University is taking bold steps in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its coding program. The university has announced its plan to employ an AI chatbot equipped with ChatGPT’s capabilities as an instructor in its renowned course “Computer Science 50: Introduction to Computer Science (CS50).”

According to course instructors, the AI teacher will be developed using OpenAI’s advanced GPT 3.5 or GPT 4 models. The program is set to launch in September, and enrolled students will be encouraged to utilize this AI tool.

Professor David Malan, who teaches CS50, expressed hope for the AI integration, stating, “Through AI, we can eventually approximate a 1:1 teacher-student ratio for every CS50 student, providing them with software-based tools that support their learning at their own pace and style.” He highlighted the challenge of providing personalized support to online students and emphasized the benefits of AI chatbots for both on-campus and off-campus learners.

This move comes at a time when AI tools are gaining immense popularity. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, launched in November 2022, quickly became the fastest-growing app of all time, attracting 100 million active users within two months. Users are drawn to ChatGPT’s versatility, from generating computer code to composing poetry and essays. Google DeepMind’s CEO recently announced the development of Gemini, a futuristic algorithm that can outperform OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

However, concerns over accuracy and reliability persist with AI-generated content. Google recently cautioned users that its AI-powered chatbot Google Bard may not always provide correct information.

Professor Malan recognizes these concerns and emphasizes the importance of critical thinking when interacting with AI-generated content. He encourages students to exercise their own judgment while evaluating information. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic about the future of these tools, highlighting the value of feedback from students and teachers in refining AI’s capabilities.

Harvard University’s employment as an AI chatbot instructor marks a significant milestone in integrating AI and education, paving the way for potential transformations in teaching and learning methodologies.

Celestial AI Raises $100M in Series B Funding Round

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 29, 2023

Celestial AI raises $100M Series B funding round — Image Credits: Celestial AI

A $100 million Series B financing headed by IAG Capital Partners, Koch Disruptive Technologies, and Temasek’s Xora Innovation fund was announced by Celestial AI on Wednesday.

The additional funding, which increases Celestial AI’s total amount collected to more than $165 million, will be applied to expanding the company’s engineering, sales, and technical marketing divisions in order to assist the development of Celestial’s photonics platform. Currently, Celestial employs about 100 people, but founder Lazovsky predicts that figure will increase to 130 by the end of the year.

Technology experts David Lazovsky and Preet Virk, who have backgrounds in semiconductor engineering and photonics, realized several years ago that workloads for AI and machine learning would quickly run into a data movement problem. They projected that if AI models became larger than what could be stored on the die of any one memory chip, it would get harder to transfer data to and from computational devices.

They came up with an optical interconnect technique for compute-to-compute, compute-to-memory, and on-chip data transmission, which was designed by Phil Winterbottom, a former researcher at the prestigious Bell Labs. Lazovsky, Virk, and Winterbottom established Celestial AI as a firm to market the technology. The startup is now attracting significant investors.

“Compute and memory are now tightly connected,” Lazovsky said. “Whether the additional compute is required or not, the only method to add more high bandwidth memory is to add more compute. Memory disaggregation is enabled by Celestial’s technology.”