Microsoft’s VASA-1 can make images sing and talk from any audio reference.
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Staple Add-Ons
Watch the Mona Lisa Rap, Courtesy of Microsoft’s AI
Microsoft has announced a new artificial intelligence technology called VASA-1, which can turn a photo of someone’s face and a short clip of their voice into a lifelike computer-powered video.
Microsoft AI CEO: AI is ‘a new kind of digital species’
Mustafa Suleyman, chief executive of Microsoft AI, said during a talk at TED 2024 that AI is the newest wave of creation since the start of life on Earth, and that “we are in the fastest and most consequential wave ever.”
Mark Zuckerberg did not see the GenAI wave coming.
In early 2022, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO and co-founder, embarked on an unprecedented acquisition of a substantial number of GPUs, driven by his commitment to the metaverse and enhancing the content recommendation system for Reels on Instagram and Facebook.
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Watch the Mona Lisa Rap, Courtesy of Microsoft’s AI
Thanks to this breakthrough, the company was able to create a lifelike video of Leonardo da Vinci’s famed painting, the Mona Lisa, performing actress Anne Hathaway’s viral 2011 rap, Paparazzi.
Top news of the day!
Daily Additions
Canva is helping educators to lead the way in AI visual communication
As visual communication and AI become increasingly crucial in the workplace, educators are embracing the challenge of integrating these tools into classrooms to enhance student learning, improve teaching experiences, and reduce administrative burdens.
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OpenAI is rumored to be dropping GPT-5 soon: Here’s what we know so far
Amidst speculation and anticipation, OpenAI is rumored to release GPT-5, a multimodal AI model that is expected to significantly outperform its predecessor in reasoning, coding, knowledge, and conversation.
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Google releases two new free resources to help you optimize your AI prompts
Google’s recent blog series and “Prompting guide 101” ebook offer valuable insights and techniques for crafting effective prompts to maximize the benefits of AI chatbots, with tips applicable to various platforms like ChatGPT and Copilot.
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Microsoft AI CEO: AI is ‘a new kind of digital species’
Mustafa Suleyman believes the AI industry needs to find the right analogies for AI’s future potential to prioritize safety and ensure it serves and amplifies humanity.
- Suleyman suggests thinking of AI as a “new kind of digital species” rather than just tools.
- The AI industry should confront potential dark scenarios to maximize AI’s benefits while mitigating risks.
- He envisions a future where everything will be represented by an interactive, knowledgeable AI persona.
Curated media to add to your diet!
Common Denominators
Apple acquires French startup behind AI and computer vision technology
Apple has reportedly acquired Datakalab, a French startup known for its expertise in AI compression and computer vision technology, which could potentially contribute to Apple’s upcoming AI features in iOS 18 and its Vision Pro ambitions.
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Tech Industry Sees Massive Challenges with Tesla, Google, and Nvidia
The tech industry faces significant challenges and changes, with companies like Tesla reducing prices, Google facing employee protests and restructuring, and the ongoing AI development race between Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Meta, all while Wall Street expects a struggle in the tech sector.
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AI helps Finnish Baristas Create New Coffee Blends
A Helsinki-based coffee shop has introduced “AI-conic,” an AI-generated coffee blend that combines beans from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Guatemala, demonstrating how AI can enhance the artisanal coffee industry by creating unique and well-balanced blends, optimizing roasting processes, and ensuring authenticity and quality.
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Mark Zuckerberg did not see the GenAI wave coming.
Despite not initially considering generative AI as a priority, Zuckerberg was determined to be prepared for the unexpected and doubled Meta’s GPU investment, enabling the company to adapt to new technological advancements.
Best of Reddit today!
Reddit-Wrapped
r/ChatGPT • ChatGPT is my only good coworker.
r/singularity • Grok integration is coming to Teslas!
r/mildlyinteresting • “Had my first AI drive-through experience.”
r/LocalLLaMA • Voice chatting with LLaMa 3 8B. Step-by-step guide.
r/singularity • Adobe presents VideoGigaGAN. A new video upscaling model that can upscale a video up to 8x with rich details.
Superb AI tools to add to your life!
Top-Up Your Toolbox
Magic Slides • Create professional presentations in seconds.
Panjaya • Localize your video content for any audience, in any language.
Salina • Convert video into blog posts, action items, or social media posts.
Image to Caption • Caption generators for social media managers in a hurry.
Chat with LLaMA • Chat with LLaMA 3, the BEST open-source model to date.
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