AI is currently one of the hottest topics in the tech industry, and it’s almost impossible to keep up with the speed at which news cycles change. There’s a lot going on as chatbots like ChatGPT and Bing Chat continue to grow in this burgeoning space.
Here are some of the most interesting AI-related news topics you may have missed last week.
Grimes lets AI musicians use her voice
Musician Grimes was one of the first major artists in the world to officially approve the use of her voice in an AI-generated track.
- The singer allows the use of her voice for the same royalty splits that are agreed with other artists.
- Grimes claims that he is “energized by the idea of open sourcing all art and eliminating copyright.”
- She’s already working on a program to simulate her voice, but she’s also considering releasing an a cappella track to help others train their models.
Important reasons: The music industry is notorious for lawsuits, and in recent weeks has been stunned by an AI-produced viral track featuring Drake and The Weeknd. Grimes is setting a precedent that hopefully other musicians will follow. AI is taking hold. It’s safer to stand in front of AI than consult a lawyer.
UK government pledges £100m to explore building its own AI models
The UK was in Microsoft’s news cycle this week for all the wrong reasons, but it’s more promising on the AI front.
Important reasons: There has been much talk, especially in the EU, about the model behind the recent wave of chatbots like ChatGPT. Especially regarding privacy. AI has the potential to be very useful in public life, but there are always questions about how private entities handle data. In theory, a model of state-sponsored public services could allay many of these concerns. But time will tell.
HuggingChat is the modern alternative to ChatGPT
ChatGPT is making a lot of headlines, but there is another option that is making its way around the world.
- HuggingChat is an open source AI chatbot published by HuggingFace.
- Unlike the GPT model that powers ChatGPT and Bing Chat, HuggingChat uses an open source model developed by Open Assistant. The model of AI image creation tool Stable Diffusion is also the company.
- HuggingChat can be tried out from the web interface and integrated with other apps and services using the HuggingFace API.
Important reasons: HuggingChat is unlikely to surpass ChatGPT, but open source alternatives are welcome. GPT-4 is completely closed. So only people inside OpenAI really know what’s in the model. Not only does the open-source model make AI tools more accessible and affordable, Open Assistant also seeks to reduce the burden on hardware so that it can be used on consumer-grade hardware. It’s a long way to go, but it will be a project worth following.
ChatGPT is ready for business
ChatGPT continued to be updated, and the long-awaited browsing feature began appearing for Plus subscribers the same week. There’s also talk about upcoming enrollments for businesses.
- ChatGPT’s business subscription gives companies more control over how their data is managed and how their employees use the tool.
- By default, user data is not used for training future OpenAI models.
- It will be available “in the coming months.”
- Consumers this week received the ability to turn on “incognito mode,” where chat history is not saved and used to train models.
Important reasons: It is clear that OpenAI uses the data input to ChatGPT to further train the GPT model behind it. This is fine for a lot of the data we put in there, but definitely not for sensitive companies or other types of public institutions. Sounds silly, but it should help in regions that have been less receptive to ChatGPT, especially in Europe, where GDPR and privacy regulations are particularly stringent.
Bill Gates believes AI will be teaching children in two years
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has shared his thoughts on AI in a recent public outing, especially how he thinks it relates to our children.
- Gates was in a fireside chat at the ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego.
- He believes AI chatbots will be used to teach children reading and writing skills, and that could happen within just 18 months.
- “AI will acquire that ability and become as good a tutor as humans can,” he said.
Important reasons: Much has been said about students cheating using tools like ChatGPT, but less attention has been paid to the potential positive impact of AI in youth education. Children are already made to use computers for much of their education, but as Gates pointed out, they have no cognitive abilities at all. AI can certainly improve this, transforming computers from mere tools into ones that can react and respond in ways that truly nurture a child’s education. It certainly could be a more accessible way to offer dedicated tutoring to everyone.
AI tools and extensions to try
As AI continues to grow in popularity, so does the amount of browser extensions, plugins, and specialized tools. Here are some things you should definitely check.
- Voicewave: ChatGPT does not yet have native voice input/output. You can add that with this great free and open source extension. Get it from the Chrome Web Store or Microsoft Edge Add-ons. (opens in new tab).
- Microsoft Designer: This alternative to Microsoft’s Canva can now be tried without the waiting list, using AI to generate images or complete graphic project ideas with a single text prompt.Try it for free (opens in new tab) Now available with just a Microsoft account.
- Bing chat history: Microsoft’s chatbot doesn’t have history yet, but if you’re using it in your browser, it adds this must-have free extension. Get it from the Chrome Web Store for all Chromium-based browsers.
