The Apple Siri AI icon is displayed on a smartphone with Apple Intelligence … [+]
“Siri is getting an AI brain transplant,” wrote Brian X. Chen of the NY Times. Thanks to an “Apple Intelligence” upgrade this fall, Siri will understand us better and “learn” our preferences. It will also be able to “see” the smartphone screen for context. Apple has added a “Playground” where users can generate images from text prompts and create animated “Genmojis.” For more complex requests, Siri will call ChatGPT. Other Gen-AI tools, such as Google Gemini, may be similarly connected in the future. There have been some nice improvements to the Apple ecosystem. The new feature allows you to capture smartphone screens on other devices. AI features will only be available on iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max and iPads or Macs with M1 chips or later and only if their language is set to English. The features will begin rolling out this fall in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.
Influencer iJustine wears her Vision Pro at the Apple Vision Pro launch at Apple The Grove in … [+]
Vision Pro has added some necessary updates. It will now be available worldwide. Among the new features, users can now upgrade 2D photos to 3D photos. Guest mode has also received some much-needed attention.
Arthur Mensch, the French founder of the artificial intelligence start-up Mistral AI, participates in the debate … [+]
Paris-based AI startup Mistral has raised $600 million Founded last year by ex-Google Deepmind engineers, the company is working on core models to compete with today’s top-performing models such as OpenAI GPT-4o, Anthropic’s Claude 3, and Meta’s Llama 3. Investors include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Nvidia, Samsung Venture Investment Corporation and Salesforce Ventures. The investment values the new company at the end six billion dollars.
A hot ticket to nightlife was the Sandbox party, where Paris Hilton DJ’d a set.
‘The Sandbox’ Ethereum Game Values $1 Billion With New Funding. With partnerships with more than 400 celebrities and brands, including Snoop Dogg, Gucci and Paris Hilton, The Sandbox is one of the most visible blockchain games. However, the price of its NFT lands has dropped from 3.9 ETH ($11,700) in 2022 to 0.08 ETH ($300) today. next year.
Stock photo of VR chat.
VR Chat lays off 30% of its employees. The Metaverse gives and the Metaverse takes. The popular social VR platform cited slow growth, over-hiring during the pandemic and slow adoption of a “more conventional corporate structure”. Founded in 2014, VR Chat has secured $80 million in Series D funding in 2022, led by Anthos Capital, bringing its total outside investment to $95.2 million and valuing the company at more than $1 billion. Their plan to introduce a Roblox-like virtual economy has yet to materialize.
Spiideo Raises $20M to Automate Sports Broadcasting A Swedish startup says it will revolutionize sports broadcasting with its AI-driven camera system with technology that mimics professional camera operators. It is trained to fully automate broadcasts for 15 different sports. Spiideo reports that more than 6,000 venues and 4,000 teams (including major soccer clubs and NBA franchises) already use its advanced video analytics and live game data products.
Luma Labs It launches an impressive text-to-video AI that will challenge Sora and everyone. And now it’s open to the public with a generous free trial. “Artificial intelligence can be very time-consuming, but by the time I grab my coffee and come back, Luma’s Dream Machine will turn hours of work into quick, game-changing brilliance,” said Ellenor Argyropoulos, AI Filmmaker and creator of the Mermaid Toast course in Cinematic AI. “The speed and realism of the Dream Machine is a game changer for rapid material creation. Simply stunning!”
Text-to-video scene generated by Chinese Kling.
Kling, China’s answer to OpenAI’s Sora. In addition to Luma Labs, Sora’s other Chinese competitor, Kling, has dropped samples of its text-to-video generative AI, and it’s stunning. Registrations are limited to Chinese email addresses. Earlier this year, Vidu AI made waves as the country’s inaugural rendition of Sora, capable of producing 16-second videos in pristine 1080p resolution.
Award-winning Gender Identity-themed VR experience ‘Body Of Mine’ launches in-store Quest For Pride Month. The winner of the 2023 SXSW Special Jury Prize is now available.
This column, once called “This Week in XR,” is also a podcast hosted by author Charlie Fink, Ted Schilowitz, former studio head and co-founder of Red Camera, and Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap. This week our guest is Jeri Ellsworth, founder and CEO of Tilt5. You can find us on Spotify, iTunes and YouTube.
What we read
Plays MR chess (Record)
Can Apple save the Vision Pro (New York Times)