Artificial Intelligence
Google’s AI Overviews Now Reach More Than 1.5 Billion People Every MonthJay Peters | The Verge
“Google started to widely roll out AI Overviews last May. Despite some awkward suggestions found shortly after their launch, the company has continued to expand upon the tool with updates, showing AI Overviews for more types of queries, and even officially adding ads as it aims to compete with other AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity.”
FUTURE
Waymo Might Be Willing to Sell You a Self-Driving Car, Says Sundar PichaiUmar Shakir | The Verge
“Pichai was asked about the long-term business model for Waymo, and he responded that it includes expanding partnerships like it has with Moove in Miami and Uber in Austin and, soon, Atlanta, but also mentioned ‘future optionality around personal ownership.’”
Robotics
Stumbling and Overheating, Most Humanoid Robots Fail to Finish Half-Marathon in BeijingZeyi Yang | Wired
“Only six of the 21 robots in the race crossed the finish line, highlighting just how far humanoids are from keeping up with their real human counterparts. …The fastest robot, Tiangong Ultra, developed by Chinese robotics company UBTech in collaboration with the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, finished the race in 2 hours and 40 minutes after assistants changed its batteries three times and it fell down once.”
Tech
OpenAI Forecasts Revenue Topping $125 Billion in 2029 as Agents, New Products GainSri Muppidi | The Information
“For two years, ChatGPT has been OpenAI’s cash cow. But by the end of the decade, the company has told some potential and current investors it expects combined sales from agents and other new products to exceed its popular chatbot, lifting total sales to $125 billion in 2029 and $174 billion the next year, according to documents seen by The Information.”
Computing
Meta Is Bringing Smart Glasses Live Translation and AI to More PeopleWill Shanklin | Engadget
“Live translation, previously available in early access, is now rolling out in every region where Ray-Ban Meta glasses are available. Handy for trips abroad or chats with locals who speak a different language, the AI-powered feature speaks a translation in your preferred language in real time. You can also view a translated transcript on your phone.”
Tech
The Hottest AI Job of 2023 Is Already ObsoleteIsabelle Bousquette | The Wall Street Journal
“Prompt engineering jobs, once buzzy and high-paying, are becoming obsolete due to AI advancements. AI models now intuit user intent, negating the need for specialized prompt engineers. Companies are training existing employees in AI prompting, further reducing the demand for dedicated roles.”
Future
Slate Truck Is a $20,000 American-Made Electric Pickup With No Paint, No Stereo, and No TouchscreenTim Stevens | The Verge
“Slate is presenting its truck as minimalist design with DIY purpose, an attempt to not just go cheap but to create a new category of vehicle with a huge focus on personalization. That design also enables a low-cost approach to manufacturing that has caught the eye of major investors, reportedly including Jeff Bezos.”
Computing
TSMC Shows Off 1.4nm Chip Tech That Will Appear in Future iPhones and Other DevicesSteve Dent | Engadget
“The technology promises a 15 percent performance boost, plus a 30 percent reduction in power draw compared to 2nm processors set to go into production later in 2025, TSMC said. The 1.4nm tech is likely to be used in processors for Apple, Intel, and AMD.”
Artificial Intelligence
Generative AI Is Reshaping South Korea’s Webcomics IndustryMichelle Kim | MIT Technology Review
“The digital clone of Lee would generate new comics with his artistic intuition, perceiving its environment and making creative choices as he would—perhaps even publishing a series far in the future starring Kkachi as a post-human protagonist. ‘Fifty years from now, what kinds of comics would Lee Hyun-se create if he saw the world then?’ Lee asks. ‘The question fascinates me.’”
Tech
Microsoft Made an Ad With Generative AI and Nobody NoticedDominic Preston | The Verge
“Knowing that AI was involved, it’s easy enough to guess where—shots of meeting notes that clearly weren’t hand-written, a Mason jar that’s suspiciously large, the telling AI sheen to it all—but without knowing to look for it, it’s clear that plenty of viewers couldn’t spot the difference. The ad’s quick cuts help hide the AI output’s flaws, but suggest that in the right hands, AI tools are now powerful enough to go unnoticed.”
Future
XPrize in Carbon Removal Goes to Enhanced Rock WeatheringEmily Waltz | IEEE Spectrum
“The company spreads crushed basalt on small farms in India and Africa. The silica-rich volcanic rock improves the quality of the soil for the crops but also helps remove carbon dioxide from the air. It does this by reacting with dissolved CO2 in the soil’s water, turning it into bicarbonate ions and preventing it from returning to the atmosphere.”
The post This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through April 26) appeared first on SingularityHub.