Here is the top trending news from the world of technology. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
YouTube launches Music AI incubator, partners with Universal Music
YouTube has announced the launch of its Music AI Incubator, a new program that will explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music. To run this Incubator, YouTube has partner with Universal Music Group, which is one of the largest music companies in the world. This AI music incubator, which is first of its kind, will mainly focus on how AI can be used to create new music from scratch, or to modify existing music. It will also focus on how AI powered tools can be used to help artists and musicians with tasks such as songwriting, mixing, and mastering. YouTube has roped in several top artists like Anitta, Max Richter, and Rosanne Cash for this project.
2)
Musk directly spoke with Putin about Starlink’s interference in Ukraine war
In a shocking revelation, Pentagon’s former top official Colin Kahl has said to The New York Times that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk directly spoke to Russian President Vladmir Putin in October last year. Kahl added that Musk spoke to Putin about his internet company Starlink’s role in helping Ukrainian forces and wanted to placate Russian government’s concerns. This revelation by Pentagon’s former top official sharply contrasts Musk’s repeated claim that he has spoken to Russian President only once in last 18 months. it also revives the controversy that came to forth after Musk posted Russia-Ukrainian peace deal on social media, which was supported by Russia and criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
3)
Open AI’s web crawler blocked by The New York Times
The New York Times’ official website has blocked OpenAI’s web crawler, GPTBot, from accessing its website. This means that OpenAI can no longer use content from the New York Times website to train its AI models. The news media company took this step after updating its privacy policy that prohibits the use of its content to train the AI model without proper consent. The company added that it is worried that AI models could be used for generating fake news. OpenAI has said that it is disappointed by the New York Times’ decision. OpenAI further added that it is still working on ways to train its AI models without using content from other websites.
4)
Snapchat working on new Generative AI feature ‘Dreams’
Snapchat is reportedly working on a new feature called “Dreams” that will use generative AI to create images of users in different scenarios. As per app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Dreams will allow users to take or upload a selfie and then choose from several backgrounds and props to create a new image. The AI will then generate a new image of the user in the selected background. Snapchat hasn’t still commented on this news report yet. However, it does demonstrate its growing commitment to AI. The platform had already launched a generative AI feature called ‘My AI,’ which has garnered mixed reviews.
5)
SoftBank backed chipmaker Arm files for Nasdaq IPO
Arm Holdings Limited, the British chip designer owned by Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., has filed for a Nasdaq listing. Currently valued around $70 Bn, Arm’s chips are used by in a wide variety of devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, and servers. SoftBank acquired substantial stake in Arm in 2016 for around $32 billion and now it aims to sell minority stake in the company during the IPO listing. However, the company has not disclosed exactly how many shares it plans to sell during the IPO. Arm’s public issue will be one of the biggest IPOs this year. This listing is considered not only significant development for the semiconductor industry but also a major milestone for Japan’s SoftBank.
