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Apple Reveals NEW AI Tool 🍎

Apple Reveals NEW AI Tool 🍎

The Future AI
December 20, 2023

Read time: 3 mins

Welcome Futurist,

Apple just released a new research project for a generative AI tool that can turn short-form videos of humans into digital avatars. It’s an awesome breakthrough. Also, Bill Gates made some big predictions about AI in his must-read annual letter that you don’t want to miss. We have all the most important details for you.

Let’s dive in!

⚡ TODAY’S BREAKDOWN

Apple reveals ‘HUGS’ AI tool that creates digital avatars
Bill Gates makes bold prediction about the future of AI
Japanese government to mandate AI content detection tech
Game-changing AI productivity tools
AI job opportunities
Mesmerizing AI art

🤖 AI x TECH

Apple Reveals ‘HUGS’ AI Tool That Creates Dancing Digital Avatars

(credit: Apple)

Apple has revealed a new research project for a generative AI tool that can turn short-form videos of humans into digital avatars in 30 minutes. Apple’s Human Gaussian Splats (HUGS) tool can create the avatar from as few as 50 frames (A breakthrough!), and the character can be animated in any way, and can also be deployed in a wide variety of scenes. Apple said it is able to create “state-of-the-art” avatars of humans and scenes in high-definition video at 60 frames per second.

Apple showed off its own example of the AI tool, which features three human-like digital avatars dancing in sync together in an outdoor environment.

“While HUGS has no immediate application, it will likely form part of the Apple Vision mixed-reality ecosystem in the future,” Tom’s Guide reports. “With its Vision Pro headset announcement earlier this year, Apple revealed techniques for creating virtual versions of the wearer to represent them in FaceTime calls and meetings. This is likely an extension, providing full-body avatars without 3D scanning equipment.”

HUGS is still in the early stages of development and is unlikely to be available in the near future.

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Researchers in Switzerland developed an AI robot that learned in only six hours how to beat humans at the popular labyrinth marble game. The victory marks one of the first instances of AI beating humans at direct physical applications
Nvidia's largest Chinese rival--Moore Threads--debuted the MTT S4000, its latest graphics card for AI workloads.
Microsoft Copilot can now compose songs due to its integration with AI music creation tool Suno.
Ludo, an AI platform for game concept creation, introduces a text-to-video generator tool for game developers.
A Chinese professor used AI to write a science fiction novel and it was among the winners of the Jiangsu Youth Popular Science Fiction Competition.

📈 AI X BUSINESS

Bill Gates Makes Bold Prediction About AI

(credit: Bill Gates)

Billionaire Bill Gates has published his annual end-of-year letter in which he predicted that innovations in AI next year will set the stage for a “massive technology boom later this decade” in the jobs, health care, and education sectors.

Gates wrote that he believes the United States is 18-24 months away from widespread adoption of AI, while Africa is likely 3 years away.

In his letter, Gates conceded that even he needs to brush up on his skills when it comes to using AI. The Microsoft co-founder thought he would use AI to author this year’s letter, but opted to do it the old-fashioned way.

“I thought I would use AI tools for the foundation's strategy reviews this year, which require reading hundreds of pages of briefing materials,” Gates wrote, yet “I ended up preparing for them the same way I always do.”

“If you haven't figured out how to make the best use of AI yet, you are not alone,” he added.

Gates said he is placing intense focus on how to leverage AI to help children get “an equal chance to survive and thrive' and thinks 'we can learn a lot from global health about how to make AI more equitable.” For example, Gates believes AI can address health care challenges by making suggestions to medical workers for “the best drug, dosage, and duration” for patients.

“The main lesson is that the product must be tailored to the people who will use it,” he added.

More top stories

Dutch neobank Bunq launches its own chatbot called Finn and has replaced the search function on the financial institution’s app.
Harvey.ai raises $80 million, bringing the generative AI legal technology startup's valuation to $715 million.
Stability AI debuts a paid membership option for commercial use of its models.
Google will restrict Bard and its Search Generative Experience from answering election-related questions as the 2024 U.S. Presidential election approaches.
AI-powered go-to-market solutions startup Ignition raises $8 million.
AI weather forecasting startup Excarta raises $2.5 million.

🛠️ TOOLS

CodeDesign: AI-powered service for creating websites in minutes

Devi AI: Monitors keywords on social media to find leads

Juno: AI research assistant that conducts user interviews

HiFy: AI tool for creating sales videos without coding skills

Nekton AI: Automate daily business and personal tasks

🌎 AI x POLICY

Report: Japan to Mandate AI Content Detection Tech

(credit: Prime Minister's Office of Japan)

The Japanese government will reportedly require AI developers to create technology capable of detecting AI-generated content and identifying its provenance, according to a draft of the guidelines.

“The draft guidelines, details of which have been learned recently, will soon be presented to the AI Strategic Council, a government expert panel, to formulate a final draft,” Asia News Network reports. “The government will seek public comments for the draft and then release official guidelines as early as March next year.”

The guidelines detail 10 principles that AI-related businesses should focus on, such as “transparency” and “safety and security.”

The draft also calls for bolstering rules aimed at countering false information generated with AI and proposes the creation of content authentication and provenance tools that comply with G7 international rules and the Hiroshima AI Process.

More top stories

Britain’s Supreme Court rules that AI programs cannot be named as a patent inventor.
The European Union will boost support for AI startups to use the bloc's supercomputers to conduct model training.
The U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has begun seeking public input by February 2 for conducting testing to ensure the safety of AI systems.
Florida’s 2024 legislative session will likely tackle AI legislation.
The Indian army is ramping up its use of AI for security, deploying 140 AI-based surveillance systems along its borders with China and Pakistan.