Nov 9, 2024

AI is poised to drive Southeast Asian business growth, but hurdles remain

AI's economic impact in Southeast Asia: Artificial intelligence is poised to drive significant growth in Southeast Asian digital economies, with the region projected to reach $263 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2024. The latest e-Conomy SEA report, jointly released by Temasek, Google, and Bain & Company, highlights the increasing importance of AI in fueling economic expansion across six key Southeast Asian markets. Profitability in the region is expected to reach $11 billion in 2024, marking a 24% increase from 2023 and a 101% jump from 2022. Revenues are forecasted to grow by 14% year-on-year, hitting $89 billion in...

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Why Apple’s AI future shines bright despite early missteps

Apple's delayed entry into AI market: Apple has released its first set of AI tools under the "Apple Intelligence" brand, marking a significant but belated step into the competitive AI landscape. The release includes features like Writing Tools, Text Summaries, and enhanced Photos capabilities in iOS 18.1, with more advanced features planned for iOS 18.2. Apple's approach appears rushed, potentially compromising quality and consistency in an attempt to catch up with competitors. The staggered rollout and beta labeling of features suggest Apple is trying to balance market expectations with technical readiness. Key features and rollout strategy: Apple Intelligence encompasses a...

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The top use cases for AI marketing

AI revolutionizes digital marketing landscape: Artificial Intelligence is transforming how marketers approach data analysis, content creation, personalization, and campaign management, offering unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. AI tools are enabling marketers to gather and analyze data from multiple channels, providing comprehensive insights for strategy development and decision-making. Content creation is being streamlined with AI assistance, ranging from social media posts to video captions, though human refinement remains crucial. Personalization efforts are significantly enhanced through AI's ability to analyze user behavior and deliver tailored experiences across various platforms. Data-driven decision making: AI's capacity to process vast amounts of information is reshaping how...

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Google may accelerate its Gemini 2 AI model release timeline

Google's AI advancements: Google is potentially on the brink of releasing Gemini 2, the next iteration of its advanced AI model, earlier than anticipated. Gemini, first introduced in December 2023, replaced the Bard chatbot and became the default AI model across Google's product ecosystem. Since its initial release, Google has launched version 1.5 and implemented several smaller upgrades to enhance the model's capabilities. Unexpected discovery: A tech enthusiast has uncovered evidence suggesting that Gemini 2 might be closer to release than previously thought. Alexey Shabanov of Testing Catalog reported finding a new "experimental model" in the Gemini web app, labeled...

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AI startups anticipate looser regulations under Trump

AI policy shift on the horizon: Donald Trump's expected return to the White House has AI executives and investors anticipating a more innovation-friendly approach to artificial intelligence regulations and policies. Trump has vowed to repeal President Biden's landmark AI executive order, which established initial regulatory frameworks for the generative AI boom, focusing on safety and national security. Many in the tech industry view Biden's order as stifling and burdensome, with some arguing it puts the U.S. at a disadvantage in AI development. Trump's campaign platform emphasizes AI development rooted in free speech and human flourishing, signaling a potential loosening of...

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AI SDRs fail for 83% of companies, but change is coming

AI SDRs in B2B sales: Recent surveys reveal that while many companies are deploying AI-powered Sales Development Representatives (SDRs), the technology has yet to deliver significant revenue results. A survey presented by Tomasz Tunguz at SaaStr Annual showed that numerous B2B companies have implemented AI SDRs, but few have closed deals as a result. A similar survey corroborated these findings, indicating that AI SDRs are still in the early stages of proving their effectiveness in sales. Survey results breakdown: The survey provides insight into the current state of AI SDR adoption and success rates in B2B sales. 83% of respondents...

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AI-powered RivalSense now tracks competitors with weekly updates

AI-powered company monitoring tool: RivalSense has introduced an innovative solution for businesses to stay informed about their competitors, key accounts, and even their own company through AI-curated weekly email updates. RivalSense leverages artificial intelligence to monitor and analyze company information, providing users with concise, relevant updates on a weekly basis. The tool can be used to track competitors, key accounts, or a company's own performance, offering versatile applications for various business needs. Launched in the categories of SaaS, Artificial Intelligence, and Business Intelligence, RivalSense aims to streamline the process of gathering competitive intelligence and market insights. Key features and functionality:...

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How to create stunning mockups and logos using Flux AI and Segmind

The power of AI-generated mockups: Fine-tuning AI image generators with custom logos or brands opens up unprecedented possibilities for creating unique and attention-grabbing marketing visuals, particularly in the print-on-demand (POD) industry. AI models like FLUX and Stable Diffusion can generate stunning images by combining known subjects, as exemplified by the viral image of Pope Francis in a puffer jacket. However, these models struggle to accurately represent lesser-known brands or logos that weren't part of their training data. This limitation can be overcome through fine-tuning, allowing businesses to create custom mockups and marketing materials featuring their specific branding elements. The challenge...

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Meta’s Joelle Pineau is at the forefront of determining how AI will shape society

AI pioneer's journey: From voice recognition to shaping the future of technology: Joelle Pineau, Meta's vice-president of AI research, has been at the forefront of artificial intelligence development for over two decades, navigating the complex landscape of innovation, ethics, and societal impact. Pineau's first encounter with AI bias occurred 25 years ago during a voice recognition project for helicopter pilots at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, where she helped address the lack of female pilot voices in the training data. Her early experiences instilled a rigorous scientific approach to identifying and addressing bias in AI systems, a crucial skill in...

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New OpenAI model accelerates media generation by 50X

Breakthrough in AI-generated media speed: OpenAI researchers have developed a new model that dramatically accelerates the generation of AI-created multimedia, potentially revolutionizing real-time applications in the field. The innovation: A new type of continuous-time consistency model (sCM) has been introduced that can generate high-quality samples in just two steps, significantly faster than traditional diffusion models. The model, developed by OpenAI researchers Cheng Lu and Yang Song, increases the speed of multimedia generation by 50 times compared to traditional diffusion models. Images can now be generated in nearly a tenth of a second, compared to more than 5 seconds for regular...

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Essential considerations when choosing an AI model for your business

The evolving landscape of AI models for businesses: As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the business world, companies face crucial decisions in selecting the right AI models to drive their operations and innovation. The choice between large and small AI models is not a one-size-fits-all solution, but rather depends on specific use cases and business needs. Domain-specific models, tailored to particular industries or topics, are emerging as a powerful trend in AI implementation. The future of AI in business lies in customized models that effectively leverage a company's proprietary data. Domain-specific opportunities reshape AI strategies: Companies are increasingly recognizing the...

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How Roboflow saved 74 years of developer time with Meta’s SAM model

Meta's Segment Anything Model (SAM) has transformed the landscape of image segmentation, dramatically reducing the time and effort required to create training data for AI models. This innovation has far-reaching implications across various industries and applications. Key developments in SAM technology: Meta released the first SAM model in 2023, enabling flexible interactive and automatic image segmentation. SAM 2, launched in July 2024, expanded capabilities to include real-time, promptable object segmentation for both images and videos. The open-source nature of SAM has fostered collaboration and continuous improvement, leading to significant advancements between versions. Quantifying the impact: Roboflow, a company leveraging SAM...

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AI expert Bruce Schneier on why society needs ‘public AI models’

AI's dual impact on cybersecurity and society: Bruce Schneier, a renowned security expert, delivered a keynote speech at the SOSS Fusion Conference, highlighting the promises and potential threats of artificial intelligence in the realms of cybersecurity and broader societal implications. Schneier emphasized that AI's primary advantage lies in its ability to enhance human capabilities in terms of speed, scale, scope, and sophistication, rather than being inherently "better" at tasks. The exponential increase in speed and scale enabled by AI can lead to fundamental changes in various domains, with political bots influencing elections serving as a prime example. AI systems, while...

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UK universities are struggling with fostering AI literacy while curbing academic dishonesty

The growing challenge of AI in higher education: Universities are grappling with the dual task of promoting AI literacy among students while discouraging its misuse for cheating, as highlighted by a recent case of a student using AI to complete an essay. A student, referred to as Hannah, admitted to using AI tools to write an essay when she was ill with Covid and facing multiple deadlines, leading to an academic misconduct panel review. Hannah's case was dismissed due to insufficient evidence, despite her admission, which she believes was intended as a warning to other students about the potential consequences...

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India is experiencing a surge in AI development and adoption

India's AI Revolution: India is experiencing a rapid surge in artificial intelligence development and adoption, positioning itself as a major global player in the AI landscape. Over 2,000 Indian AI startups are now part of Nvidia's Inception program, a free initiative designed to accelerate innovation and growth in the AI sector. More than 100,000 Indian developers have been trained in AI technologies, contributing to a global pool of 650,000 developers trained in Nvidia AI technologies. India has become one of the top six global economies leading generative AI adoption, with the number of startups skyrocketing from under 500 in 2016...

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Companies are using AI to screen job candidates — here are the AI tools that might outsmart them

AI revolutionizing job hunting: Tools to beat the bots and secure interviews: The job application process has been transformed by artificial intelligence, with nearly all Fortune 500 companies now using AI tools to screen candidates and almost half of job seekers utilizing AI in their applications. The rise of AI in recruitment: AI-powered tools are increasingly being used by companies to streamline the hiring process and by candidates to enhance their applications. Almost all Fortune 500 companies now use AI tools to track applications and scan CVs for job specification matches. Nearly half of job seekers report using AI tools...

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How AI can open new leadership paths for women in tech

AI's potential to transform leadership opportunities for women: Artificial intelligence holds promise in addressing gender disparities in leadership roles, offering both challenges and opportunities for advancing women's representation in senior management positions. Current state of gender disparity in leadership: Despite increased female participation in the global workforce, women remain underrepresented in leadership roles, particularly at the senior management level. In the UK, women occupy over a third of board positions in FTSE 350 companies, but gender parity in senior management remains elusive. McKinsey identifies a "broken rung" hampering women's progress from entry-level positions to junior management, where crucial leadership skills...

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7 AI prompts to create stunning images with Flux

Unleashing creativity with AI image generation: Flux, an open-source AI model, offers powerful capabilities for creating photorealistic images through carefully crafted prompts. Golden Hour Market: Capture the vibrant atmosphere of a bustling farmer's market at sunset. Prompt: "A bustling farmer's market at golden hour, with warm sunlight illuminating colorful produce stalls and shoppers browsing. Wide-angle lens, photorealistic style." Urban Crossroads: Depict a busy city intersection with a focus on road safety. Prompt: "Busy city intersection at rush hour, pedestrians crossing safely, digital billboard displaying 'Drive Safely' message. High angle view, photojournalistic style." Coffee Craft: Showcase the artistry of latte-making in...

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Swarovski unveils the world’s first AI-enabled binoculars

Innovative AI-powered binoculars revolutionize wildlife observation: Swarovski Optik has introduced the AX Visio, the world's first AI-enabled binoculars capable of identifying over 9,000 bird species in real-time, along with some mammals and insects. The AX Visio, co-developed with industrial designer Marc Newson, features an onboard computer, built-in camera, and computer vision software for species identification. Priced at €4,600 (approximately $5,000), these binoculars offer a unique combination of traditional optics and cutting-edge AI technology. The device uses image-recognition models and GPS data to identify wildlife, with different settings for birds, mammals, butterflies, and dragonflies. Technology and functionality: The AX Visio combines...

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‘Multimodal RAG’ is all the rage — here’s what it is and how to get started

The rise of multimodal RAG: Retrieval augmented generation (RAG) systems are expanding to include images and videos, offering businesses a more comprehensive view of their data across various file types. Multimodal RAG allows companies to surface information from diverse sources such as financial graphs, product catalogs, and informational videos. This technology relies on embedding models that transform different data types into numerical representations readable by AI models. Companies like Cohere have recently updated their embedding models to process images and videos, reflecting the growing demand for multimodal capabilities. Best practices for implementation: Experts advise enterprises to start small and gradually...

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AI-generated tattoo designs: More efficient art or soulless creations?

AI-generated tattoos spark controversy: The use of artificial intelligence to create tattoo designs is causing debate in the tattoo community, with some artists and clients expressing concerns about authenticity and artistic integrity. A Helsinki resident, Kaarina Vuorinen, was shocked to learn mid-session that her tattoo artist had used AI to generate her gothic sword tattoo design. Vuorinen ultimately allowed the artist to complete the piece but felt disappointed, stating that while the tattoo is "pretty," it "doesn't have a soul." The incident highlights a growing trend of using AI image generators in tattoo design, which has led to mixed reactions...

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How Apple is monetizing AI without have to charge users directly

Apple's AI monetization strategy: Apple has found a clever way to monetize its new Apple Intelligence features without directly charging users, leveraging its partnerships with third-party AI companies. Apple Intelligence, launched recently with more features coming in iOS 18.2, is offered to users for free. The latest iOS 18.2 beta reveals a new 'Upgrade to ChatGPT Plus' option in the Settings app, indicating Apple's strategy to profit from partner subscriptions. This approach allows Apple to maintain its free AI offerings while potentially earning a cut from premium subscriptions to third-party AI services. The role of services revenue: Apple's focus on...

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How AI infrastructure will power the future tech

The AI revolution in SaaS: J.D. Weinstein, Head of the Global VC Practice at Oracle, and Aaref Hilaly, Managing Partner at Bain Capital Ventures, discuss the importance of AI infrastructure for SaaS applications and the future of AI at SaaStr Annual. AI infrastructure encompasses everything behind AI experiences like ChatGPT, including silicon chips, GPUs, data centers, language models, and developer tools. The application layer has evolved significantly, with multiple powerful models available from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, offering more choices for developers. Inference costs, which are incurred each time an AI model is used, have dramatically decreased, making...

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How Museums can embrace generative AI to enhance visitor experiences

The AI revolution in cultural institutions: Museums and other cultural organizations are exploring specialized AI tools to address longstanding issues and enhance their operations beyond general-purpose applications. The Transforming Collections research project, part of the Towards a National Collection program in the UK, aimed to develop machine learning solutions tailored to the specific needs of cultural institutions. Professor Mick Grierson from the University of the Arts London's Creative Computing Institute led the research, which focused on creating AI tools that can be customized and easily used by museum staff. Interdisciplinary collaboration is key: The development of effective AI solutions for...

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