Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
📹 Amazon is working on an AI video model
🤖 xAI to launch chatbot app soon
🇦🇺 Australia bans social media for under-16s in world first
⚖️ FTC launches Microsoft antitrust probe
🧠 Alibaba releases an ‘open’ challenger to OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model
🎁 + 6 other news you might like
🔮 + 6 handpicked research papers and tools
📹 Amazon is working on an AI video modelLINK
Amazon is creating an AI model named Olympus for video analysis, which could assist users in searching for specific scenes within large video archives, according to The Information.
This new AI tool by Amazon is similar to Anthropic's existing multimodal model that also processes images and videos, a startup to which Amazon has committed $8 billion in total investments.
Olympus's potential launch at the AWS re:Invent conference could signify Amazon’s strategic move to lessen its reliance on Anthropic by offering its own AI solution for video content.
🤖 xAI to launch chatbot app soonLINK
xAI, created by Elon Musk as a rival to OpenAI, is reportedly planning to launch a standalone application for its Grok chatbot as early as December.
Currently, Grok can be accessed through X, but only subscribers have access, and xAI also develops customer support features for Starlink through Musk's SpaceX.
While competitive chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude already have their own applications, Grok is considered a standout since it does not yet have a standalone app.
🇦🇺 Australia bans social media for under-16s in world firstLINK
Australia has enacted a novel law restricting social media access for individuals under 16, making it one of the strictest such laws globally.
The legislation, driven by concerns for children's mental health, will become effective by the end of next year, blocking platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok for kids 16 and below.
The law faced bipartisan support, but critics worry it might isolate young people, potentially harming vulnerable groups by cutting off digital support networks.
⚖️ FTC launches Microsoft antitrust probeLINK
The US Federal Trade Commission has launched a broad antitrust investigation into Microsoft, focusing on its cloud computing, software licensing, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence sectors.
The investigation has intensified following numerous cybersecurity incidents, and involves a lengthy information request from Microsoft, signed off by FTC Chair Lina Khan, as a key part of her regulatory tenure.
Complaints from companies like Salesforce and Zoom highlight how Microsoft's bundling practices, particularly with its Teams software, are viewed as anticompetitive and challenge rival firms' ability to compete.
🧠 Alibaba releases an ‘open’ challenger to OpenAI’s o1 reasoning modelLINK
Alibaba has unveiled a new AI reasoning model, QwQ-32B-Preview, designed to challenge OpenAI's o1 model, available for download under a permissive license.
With 32.5 billion parameters, QwQ-32B-Preview outperforms OpenAI's o1 models on AIME and MATH tests, indicating higher reasoning capabilities.
Despite being openly accessible for commercial use under the Apache 2.0 license, only certain parts of QwQ-32B-Preview are released, limiting insights into its full system.
Other news you might like
Elon Musk is straining Nvidia's supply of AI chips.LINK
OpenAI moves to trademark its o1 ‘reasoning’ models.LINK
Google sues former engineer for leaking Pixel chip secrets.LINK
Former Android leaders are building an ‘operating system for AI agents’.LINK
A Chinese ship is suspected of sabotaging undersea cables.LINK
Tiny 4-fingered DNA robot hand grabs COVID virus, shields cells from infection.LINK
Latest research and tools
ThinkPad X230 Webcam Control Tools: tools allowing malware to disable the webcam LED and secretly record video by modifying webcam firmware, illustrating a potential security risk in similar laptops with USB-connected webcams.LINK
Voice-Pro: a tool for quick voice cloning, real-time transcription, translation, and text-to-speech with support for voice separation, YouTube downloading, and podcast creation using celebrity voices on Windows 10/11.LINK
Float Self-Tagging: float introduces a feature that allows users to automatically label their transactions by analyzing descriptions and amounts without manual input.LINK
Bananas: a simple screen sharing tool for Mac, Windows, and Linux using peer-to-peer connections without requiring an account.LINK
DeviceDetector: a library that analyzes user agents and browser client hints to identify devices, clients, operating systems, brands, and models.LINK
Footstep recognition as people identification: a systematic literature review highlights advancements in using footstep patterns for identifying individuals.LINK
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