Dropbox Launches $50M Venture Fund for AI-focused Businesses

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June 22, 2023

Dropbox has announced Dropbox Ventures, a new $50 million venture effort, to promote the revolutionary potential of artificial intelligence in defining the future of work. This project is concentrated on funding the next generation businesses that are using AI in cutting-edge ways to transform business operations.

Dropbox Ventures’ portfolio businesses will benefit from mentorship opportunities in addition to financial resources, enabling them to create and offer novel experiences to Dropbox’s large user base of more than 700 million registered customers.

Dropbox VP and GM Sateesh Srinivasan said, “We at Dropbox have a unique perspective on what it takes to assist these kinds of businesses in moving to the next level of growth and having an effect because we started as an early-stage startup with a straightforward idea that expanded to a service used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.”

Since a few years ago, VCs have progressively boosted their investments in AI, recently encouraged by the rise of generative AI. For instance, the venture capital arm of Salesforce, Salesforce Ventures, intends to invest $500 million in firms creating generative AI solutions. A $175 million fund has also been formed by OpenAI, the company behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, to invest in AI startups.

“We’ve been investing in AI and machine learning for a long time, and we started incorporating machine learning across our products as far back as 2016 to make work more efficient for our customers’ and help them save time. Recent developments in AI and machine learning have opened up a whole new universe of possibilities in the last several months, and we believe that this will help us advance in our mission to create a more enlightened way of working,” Srinivasan added.

Indian Railways to Install AI-based Cameras During Mahakumbh for Surveillance

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Sahil Pawar

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June 22, 2023

Indian Railways install AI-based cameras Mahakumbh — Image Credits: AIN

In 2025, devotees who come to the city for the Mahakumbh will be closely monitored by Indian Railways, in partnership with the Smart City Project, using “AI-based” cameras placed at strategic locations across the city.

This was decided at a meeting on Monday night to talk about the Mahakumbh 2025 preparations, which was presided over by the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) for Prayagraj division.

Chandra Mohan Garg, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Smart City Project and Municipal Commissioner, was present at the meeting. Together with their respective expert teams, the two authorities talked about cooperating during the Mahakumbh in 2025.

Administrations in the civil and railway sectors are getting ready to communicate information more promptly. In order to notify devotees of crucial information, live train feeds, the Mela area, and other city areas, it was intended to install sizable LED display boards at various spots.

The artificial intelligence-based cameras, which will be installed at each of the city’s train terminals as well, will help track the movement of millions of worshippers, enabling extensive analysis and predictions.

Cameras will also be an essential component of the worshippers’ security. The DRM, Himanshu Badoni, declared during the meeting that advanced technology would be used to guarantee the Mahakumbh’s success.

“We have asked railway officials to give us a list of places where such high-tech cameras can be installed so that they can be used to monitor the movement of devotees as well as to look out for any fraudulent activities,” Garg continued.

Cisco Launches the Silicon One Series of New AI Networking Chips

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Sahil Pawar

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June 21, 2023

The Silicon One series of networking chips, which mark Cisco Systems’ debut into the AI supercomputing market, have just been introduced. With dedicated chips for AI-driven applications, Cisco will now be able to compete directly with market leaders Broadcom and Marvell Technology.

Five of the six major cloud providers are now evaluating Cisco’s networking chips. The company withheld the names of the cloud providers, however, Bofa Global Research reports that major firms including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are involved.

The importance of effective communication between individual chips has been underscored by the expanding demand for AI applications, such as ChatGPT, making Cisco’s networking solutions more and more important.

Cisco, a well-known manufacturer of networking hardware, including ethernet switches, claims that its newest generation of ethernet switches, the G200 and G202, would perform twice as well as its forerunners. Up to 32,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) can be efficiently connected by these switches.

According to Cisco, their chips would allow AI and machine learning activities to be completed with 40% fewer switches, reducing latency and increasing power efficiency.

The news follows Broadcom’s April launch of the Jericho3-AI processor, which similarly bragged about its ability to link up to 32,000 GPU components. This development is a sign of the intensifying industry competitiveness as key competitors compete for control in the market for AI supercomputing, which is expanding quickly.

Apple’s Ali Farhadi Appointed CEO of Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence

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Sahil Pawar

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June 21, 2023

Apple's Ali Farhadi appointed CEO Allen Institute Artificial Intelligence — Image Credits: LinkedIn

Ali Farhadi, a computer vision expert and startup founder who most recently oversaw Apple’s machine learning programmes, will rejoin the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI2) in Seattle. He will be the second CEO in the history of the non-profit research organization.

Farhadi developed and served as CEO of AI2 spinout Xnor.ai before selling the AI firm to Apple in 2020 for an estimated $200 million. It is one of the institute’s largest commercial successes to date.

His resignation from Apple and return to AI2 on July 31 coincides with a turning point in the development of artificial intelligence, as the world’s attention is focused on generative AI technologies driven by massive language models.

Farhadi replaces Oren Etzioni, who was chosen by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to lead the launch of AI2 over ten years ago. Last year, Etzioni made the decision to leave his position as CEO, but he promised to stay on as a board member, counselor, and technical director of the AI2 Incubator. Peter Clark, a longtime leader in AI2 research, has been acting as interim CEO.

With the help of AI2’s distinctive status as an independent charity, Farhadi will be entrusted with solidifying and improving AI2’s position. In addition to leading AI2, Farhadi is anticipated to continue teaching at the University of Washington’s Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering.

Along with his competence in AI, the board members of AI2 claim that Farhadi’s prior positions as the CEO of a startup and a leader within a big business have given him a distinctive viewpoint and range of knowledge for to equip him for this position.

High Court Directs to Halt Payment for Safe Kerala AI Traffic Camera Project Due to Alleged Corruption

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Sahil Pawar

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June 21, 2023

High Court halt payment Safe Kerala AI traffic camera project corruption — Image Credits: Stock Images

On Tuesday, the Kerala High Court ordered the State government to stop paying installments for the Safe Kerala Project, which oversaw installation of artificial intelligence (AI) cameras throughout the State in an effort to lower traffic accidents. The State was instructed by a division bench consisting of Chief Justice SV Bhatti and Justice Basant Balaji not to make any additional payments until further directions are issued by the Court.

The request for a court-monitored investigation into the Safe Kerala Project was made in a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Ramesh Chennithala, a fellow Congress leader and member of the Legislative Assembly, and VD Satheesan, a Congress member and the opposition leader in the Kerala assembly.

Senior Advocate George Poonthottam, speaking on behalf of the petitioners during the hearing, informed the Court that the petitioners are only against the alleged corruption in the State government’s decision-making process and not the project as a whole.

The PIL petition claimed that nepotism, favoritism, and corruption, including violation of privacy, arose from the awarding of tenders for the installation of AI cameras. It was argued that the State government had violated both the right to privacy and the terms of the Motor Vehicle Act by entrusting private companies with public information.

Additionally, it was alleged that the project had been corrupted in a pyramidal fashion from the very beginning when a State government company by the name of KELTRON was given the job despite the finance department’s strong concerns about their ability to carry it out.

Jamia Millia Islamia Introduces 3-week Training Programme in AI and Machine Learning

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Sahil Pawar

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June 21, 2023

Jamia Millia Islamia introduces 3-week training programme in AI and machine learning — Image Credits: NDTV

A short-term training programme in machine learning and artificial intelligence has been announced by Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI). Registration for the course is already underway.

According to the university’s brochure, the programme, which is being run by the department of computer engineering, will go on for three weeks, from July 4 to July 22. The programme runs from 10 am to 1 pm, Monday through Saturday. Both online and offline classes would be offered, according to the institute.

According to the university, the course consists of both lectures and practical work done under the supervision of qualified experts. There are 80 seats available for the course, with 30 reserved for those taking it in person and 50 for those taking it online. Seats will be assigned according to first come, first served basis. The course is open to all undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students as well as faculty members with a background in mathematics.

Applied Data Science with Python, Machine Learning Algorithms, Deep Learning for Computer Vision using Keras and Tensorflow, and Deep Learning for Natural Language Processing using Keras and Tensorflow will make up the majority of the course’s five sections.

The course will be instructed by JMI academics with experience in the industry, as well as by lecturers from the IITs, NITs, and IIITs as well as foreign universities, according to the course brochure. Throughout the course, students would be graded on a variety of quizzes and assignments. After finishing their course, the pupils will also get a certificate from the university.

According to the brochure, the registration fee is ₹4,000 for Jamia students and professors, and ₹6,000 for those from other universities. All students would receive the reference materials and session slides from the lectures.

German Tabloid Bild to Replace Various Editorial Jobs with AI

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Sahil Pawar

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June 21, 2023

German tabloid Bild replace editorial jobs AI — Image Credits: BILD

The biggest-selling newspaper in Europe, the German tabloid Bild, has informed staff via email that it aims to use artificial intelligence to replace a number of editorial positions as part of a €100 million cost-cutting programme.

The newspaper is also restructuring its regional newspaper operations, a move that is anticipated to result in hundreds of layoffs. The newspaper’s owner, Europe’s largest media publisher, Axel Springer SE, informed staff via email that it will “unfortunately be parting ways with colleagues who have tasks that in the digital world are performed by AI and/or automated processes.”

According to the email, which was obtained by the rival Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper (FAZ), editors, print production staff, subeditors, proofreaders, and photo editors will no longer exist as they do today.

The statement comes after the publisher’s chief executive, Mathias Döpfner, said that it would be a “purely digital media company” in February. According to him, ChatGPT and other AI tools might replace independent journalism or make it better than it has ever been.

He asserted that AI would eventually surpass human journalists in the aggregation of information and that only publishers who produced the best original content, such as investigative journalism and original commentary, would endure. The number of jobs that could potentially be lost to AI wasn’t disclosed by Bild.

Google Launches Google News Initiative to Empower Local News Publications in India

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Sahil Pawar

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June 21, 2023

Google News Initiative local news publications India — Image Credits: CNET

Google has unveiled a new programme Google News Initiative (GNI) to assist Indian local news publishers in enhancing their online presence and gaining more readers.

Small and medium-sized news organizations that produce original news in nine languages, including English, Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil, and Marathi, will be given training, technical support, and funding as part of the Google News Initiative Indian Languages Programme.

With a variety of tools and best practices, the programme strives to provide publishers with the power to improve user experience and revenue creation on the web. It will have scalable inspiration series and online seminars on subjects including YouTube, News Consumer Insights (NCI), Core Web Vitals, and website optimisation.

The performance of the basic web vitals, page speed, and other pertinent factors will be evaluated as part of the diagnosis process for the chosen publishers. In order to enhance their user experience, some publishers will also profit from specialized advice and technical assistance.

Applications for the GNI Indian Languages Programme are accepted through June 30, 2023. Small or medium-sized Indian language news organizations with a functioning website, at least 50 full-time staff, and at least 12 months of continuous operation are eligible to apply.

Vimeo Introduces AI-powered Script Generator and Text-based Video Editor

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Sahil Pawar

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June 20, 2023

Vimeo, a provider of online video content, today announced plans to assist creators with their video production needs by integrating new AI-powered tools and services, such as a script generator and a text-based video editor.

Vimeo’s AI-powered script generator frees users from having to write their own scripts before they begin to create a film. The new functionality was developed by Vimeo using a generative AI model from OpenAI, the provider of the well-known ChatGPT AI chatbot.

From a brief description and drop-down menu, it may generate a whole video screenplay with a preset duration of one, five, or ten minutes and tones including inspirational, formal, or humorous. The AI then generates a script that can be changed or regenerated after the user has finished.

Once the user is satisfied with the script, a video recording can be made, which will display the script in a teleprompter on the screen that remains at eye level directly below where the camera is positioned so the user need not look away.

Secondly, the video editor now includes a text-based feature that enables users to edit their video alongside the timeline-based editor and view a transcript of what they really said in the video. With a text-based editor, users may identify the exact moments when certain words were spoken and have them deleted, unlike timeline-based editing, which allows users to cut and clip portions of a video based on where it is in time.

Beginning on July 17, the new AI-powered feature set will be accessible and priced according to the company’s Standard Plan. On the official website, users can also sign up to get invitations to be among the first to sample the new services as part of early access.

Coca-Cola Appoints Pratik Thakar as Global Head of Generative AI

By

Sahil Pawar

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June 20, 2023

Coca-Cola Pratik Thakar global head generative AI — Image Credits: Everything Exxperimental

Pratik Thakar has been promoted by The Coca-Cola Company to serve as the global head of generative AI. He announced his appointment to the position on his LinkedIn post. He wrote, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Global Head of Generative AI // Marketing Transformation Office at The Coca-Cola Company.”

Thakar will be in charge of creating innovative platforms that make use of AI technology to enhance the consumer experience across the whole portfolio of brands and product categories owned by The Coca-Cola Company.

At organizations like the World Federation of Advertisers, McCann WorldGroup, Grey Group, and Saatchi & Saatchi Asia, he had held a number of executive positions. Before being given the position of head of generative AI at Coca-Cola, Thakar was the global head of creative strategy and integrated content for the Coca-Cola portfolio.

The Coca-Cola Company has forayed into the field of generative AI by using the technology to create its latest advertisement. Coca-Cola launched an AI-powered campaign, Masterpiece, that has taken the world by storm, showing some of history’s most renowned artworks while using breakthrough artificial intelligence.

The VFX team at Electric Theatre Collective and creative firm Blitzworks collaborated to produce a magnificent commercial that flawlessly transitions between several forms of artwork using a mix of live-action images, digital effects, and AI.

In a recent blog post, Coca-Cola introduced “Create Real Magic,” an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that combines OpenAI’s GPT-4 and DALL-E technologies.