Welcome to the Daily AI News Podcast.
We're gonna take a deep dive into all the AI news today.
We've got news articles, company announcements,
research snippets, the whole nine yards.
It's amazing how much is happening in AI every single day.
Right.
Things are changing so fast.
And speaking of fast moving, let's talk about open AI.
Yeah, open AI.
There's a lot of buzz around their next big model.
Orion. Orion, right.
December seems to be the target.
At least for some companies,
they're letting a few get early access.
A little preview.
Exactly, for product development, things like that.
And get this, Microsoft engineers are getting ready
to host it on Azure.
On Azure, already.
It could be as early as November, even.
Wow.
So it's really happening.
It is, and there's no official name yet, but...
Everyone's saying Orion, right?
Yeah, Orion, it's likely the successor to GPT-4.
And they're saying it could be a hundred times more powerful.
A hundred times, really?
What could you even do with that?
The possibilities are kind of mind blowing
when you think about it.
But wait, there's more.
Open AI wants to combine all their big models.
All of them?
To create an even more capable model,
which might even lead to artificial general intelligence.
AGI, that's like the ultimate goal, right?
Exactly, a machine that thinks and learns like we do.
But it's not all smooth sailing at open AI.
What do you mean?
Well, some important people have left recently.
The CTO, Mir Merati,
and the chief research officer, Bob McGrew.
Ah, that's interesting.
Any idea why they left?
Well, there's talk that things aren't so great
between open AI and Microsoft.
Seems like open AI needs more resources.
Like what kind of resources?
Mostly computing power and server capacity,
all that stuff to run these huge AI models.
Yeah, I can imagine.
Apparently it's putting a strain
on their partnership with Microsoft.
Oh, so they're not too happy about it.
You could say that.
Open AI actually renegotiated their deal
to partner with Oracle.
With Oracle? For what?
To get even more servers.
Seems like they need all the power they can get.
But you have to wonder who's really in control here.
Yeah, open AI or Microsoft.
Right, Microsoft needs open AI's models for their products.
Like for 365 Copilot, right?
That makes them look pretty good in the AI game.
Exactly, but if open AI reaches AGI first,
then Microsoft could be left behind.
It's a possibility.
And it looks like both of them are taking it seriously.
What do you mean?
They've both hired investment banks to advise them.
On what? On equity stakes.
And governance rights.
You know, open AI started as a nonprofit
focused on ethical AI.
What did I remember?
And now they're a multi-billion dollar company
that makes you think about their original mission, you know.
That's a good point.
It seems like things have changed a lot.
They have.
And on top of all that,
they're competing more and more directly with each other.
Open AI's GBC4O, the faster, cheaper model.
That kind of hurts Microsoft's paid AI services on Azure.
Ouch, so what's Microsoft doing about it?
They're working on new APIs for things like search
and speech recognition.
All connected to GPT4.
You got it.
They might even launch them
at their Ignite conference in November.
So the battle continues.
Absolutely.
It's like an AI arms race.
Open AI is really changing the game, definitely.
And they're not the only ones.
Oh, right.
What else is going on?
Clawed.AI, they're a competitor to open AI,
and they just came out with a new analysis tool.
For their Clawed model.
Exactly.
What can it do?
Well, it can write and execute JavaScript code.
Wait, the AI can actually code now?
Yep.
I don't even know what that means, really.
What's that good for?
Well, for one, it lets Clawed do some pretty complex math.
Okay.
It can analyze data in real time,
and find insights that go beyond simple questions
and answers.
So it's not just giving you information,
it's actually understanding it.
Exactly.
It uses its reasoning and its coding skills
at the same time.
Wow, that's pretty impressive.
What else is happening?
Well, Met has been busy, too.
They've released what they call quantized versions
of their Lama models.
The Lama model.
Yeah, their Lama 3.2, the 1B and 3B versions.
I know what that means.
It means they're smaller and faster,
enough to work on mobile devices.
Wait, so my phone could run a powerful AI?
Potentially, yeah.
And they've managed to do it
without sacrificing quality or safety.
That's amazing.
How do they even do that?
They used some pretty advanced techniques,
like something called Quantization Aware Training
and Spin-Hwant.
I have no idea what that means,
but it sounds impressive.
It is.
It means the models need less memory,
they run faster, and they're easier to move around.
And Met is not stopping.
Right, they're working with partners to use NPUs.
NPUs, what are those?
Neural Processing Units, special hardware just for AI.
So even more power and efficiency is coming.
It looks like it.
That's pretty wild.
Okay, what else have we got?
Well, Apple's up to something interesting.
They're offering a pretty big reward.
A reward, what for?
Up to a million dollars, actually.
A million dollars, what do you have to do to get that?
Find vulnerabilities in their new private AI cloud service.
What's it called?
Private cloud compute.
And they'll pay a million dollars if you can break into it.
We'll find a serious vulnerability, yeah.
Wow, they must be really confident about their security.
They are.
Crowd sourcing security testing.
With a big incentive.
So what is this private cloud compute anyway?
Well, Apple says it's designed to extend the capabilities
of their on-device AI.
Which is?
Apple Intelligence.
You know, their on-device AI model.
But they also emphasize that they want to keep
user privacy a priority.
So more power without compromising privacy.
That's the idea, it's a tough balance.
It is, I wonder how they'll pull it off.
OK, so what else is going on in the world of AI?
Well, remember Google and that whole antitrust case?
Oh, yeah, right.
The Justice Department said they had an illegal monopoly.
Exactly.
What's happening with that?
Well, the Justice Department is saying that Google's using
generative AI to stay in control.
In control of what?
Of search.
They think Google is using AI to keep its dominance,
even with the remedies they have to implement.
So AI could actually be used to make a monopoly stronger?
That's what they're arguing.
And the judge seems to be taking it seriously.
What's he going to do about it?
He wants to look at more documents about AI,
specifically about products like Google's overview AI
function and their Gemini chatbot.
So they're trying to show that these AI features are giving
Google an unfair advantage.
That's right.
And they're using Google's own definition of AI.
Their own definition, where did they get that from?
From a subpoena they sent to Microsoft.
Huh, interesting.
So what does that definition say?
Basically, it says any product that combines search engine
technology and AI counts as AI.
So they're really trying to understand how Google is using
AI in search.
Yeah.
And whether it's hurting competition,
this case could be a big deal for AI regulation in the future.
This is definitely something to watch.
But it's not all doom and gloom with AI.
True.
There's some pretty positive things happening too.
Oh yeah.
Like what?
Well, there was a Google survey recently about developers.
What kind of developers?
Bofor developers and IT professionals.
What did they find?
More than 75% of them are using AI for their work.
Really?
That many?
At least one task every day.
What kind of tasks?
All kinds of things.
Writing code, fixing bugs, analyzing data,
even automating some of their work.
So they're using AI to help them get their work done.
Makes sense.
It does.
And most of them said it was actually a good thing.
Good in what way?
It made them more productive, improved the quality of their work,
and even made them feel better about their jobs.
So AI is actually making work better for a lot of people.
It seems that way.
But there's a catch.
That's that.
Almost 40% of them don't really trust AI-generated code.
So even though it helps them, they don't fully trust it.
Not yet, anyway.
Interesting.
So what's the takeaway?
Well, we have to be careful about how we use AI.
We need strategies to make sure it's implemented properly.
What kind of strategies?
Focus on empowering employees.
Get rid of those boring, repetitive tasks.
Have clear guidelines for how to use AI,
and be open about how it's affecting everyone.
It's all about finding a balance between humans and AI.
Exactly.
So what else is going on in the world of AI?
Well, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, CMA,
they're investigating Google again.
What, the same watchdog that was looking at Microsoft
and Activision?
That's the one.
This time, it's about Google's partnership with Anthropic.
Anthropic.
Remind me what they do again.
They're an AI startup.
They focus on AI safety and making sure it's reliable.
OK, right.
And what's the problem with their partnership?
Well, Google invested a ton of money in them, billions,
actually.
The CMA is worried that it could be bad for competition.
Other AI companies might not be able to keep up.
So Google's getting too big, maybe.
That's what they're trying to figure out.
What does Google have to say about all this?
They're saying that Anthropic is free to work
with other companies, too, and that they don't demand
any special rights to Anthropic's technology.
It sounds like the CMA is really trying to keep things
fair in the AI world.
They are.
It's a big deal.
Governments are getting more and more involved
with regulating AI.
Makes sense.
It's a powerful technology.
It's going to affect everyone, so it's important to make sure
it's used responsibly.
Absolutely.
And speaking of responsibility, we
can't forget about the legal battles brewing between AI
companies and traditional media.
Right.
There's a lot of tension there.
Who owns the information that's used to train these AI systems?
That's the million dollar question, literally.
Because perplexity.
Perplexity, the AI search startup.
Yeah, that's the one.
They're being sued.
By who?
Dow Jones and the New York Post.
And they're both owned by?
Newscore.
Big players in the media world, so what's the problem?
Copyright infringement.
The publishers say perplexity used their content
without permission.
To do what?
To build their search engine.
So it's a classic case of old media versus new technology.
You got it.
The news organizations are protecting their content.
And the AI companies say they need access to tons of data.
Exactly.
It's a tough situation.
It is.
It seems like we're going to see a lot more of these kinds of cases
as AI gets more popular.
Probably.
But you know what else is interesting?
How AI is being used to understand other species.
Other species, like animals.
Yeah.
Researchers used AI to have a conversation with a whale.
A whale?
How is that even possible?
It was a humpback whale named Twain.
Twain?
Like Mark Twain?
Yeah, apparently.
They were off the coast of Alaska.
So what happened?
This team, they call themselves Whale SETI.
They played recordings of whale calls.
Twain responded.
They talked to a whale using AI.
Well, they think it was intentional communication,
like a conversation.
That's amazing.
So the AI is helping us to understand whales.
Exactly.
And maybe even other intelligent life out there, who knows.
Wow.
This AI stuff is really incredible.
It is.
And it reminds us that we need to protect
these amazing creatures and their habitats.
I agree.
It's amazing how AI can help us connect with other species.
So what else is going on?
Well, how about this?
Scientists have created an AI that
can understand pig emotions.
Wait, seriously?
Yeah.
Pig sounds like they're grunts and oinks.
So it can tell if a pig is happy or sad.
It can tell if they're feeling positive or negative.
That's incredible.
What's that good for?
Well, think about it.
Farmers could use it to understand
how their pigs are feeling.
That's a great idea to make sure they're being treated well.
Exactly.
They could create a better environment for the pigs,
make them more comfortable.
That's fantastic.
I love that AI is being used to help animals.
Me too.
And it really shows how AI can be used for good.
Absolutely.
It really shows how AI can be used for good.
And the research actually suggests
that pigs are happier when they have more freedom.
Really?
Yeah, they looked at pigs in different environments.
The ones in more natural settings,
with room to move around, made fewer stress calls.
So the AI could help farmers figure out the best way
to raise pigs.
Exactly.
It's like giving the pigs a voice,
maybe even an app that translates pig sounds into emotions.
That would be amazing.
So are we done talking about animals, or is there more?
That's it for the animal news for now.
But we were talking about governments and AI earlier.
Right, about how they're trying to regulate it.
Exactly.
And it seems like the UK is really taking it seriously.
The CMA, right?
The Competition and Markets Authority.
That's the one.
They're all over this Microsoft Activision deal.
Yeah, and now they're looking into Google's partnership
with Anthropic.
Right.
They want to make sure that Google's not using its power
to squash the competition.
So they're trying to protect the smaller AI companies.
In a way, yeah.
They want a fair market for everyone.
It's interesting.
This whole balance between letting
these big companies innovate.
But also making sure they don't become too powerful.
Exactly.
It's a tough job for these regulators.
It is.
And speaking of tough situations.
Oh, right.
That lawsuit against perplexity.
Yeah.
It really highlights this conflict
between AI and traditional media.
Who gets to use the information?
Who owns it?
It's a mess.
It is.
With publishers want to protect their content,
and understandably so.
But the AI companies need data, lots of it,
to train their system.
Exactly.
And it doesn't seem like there's an easy answer.
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
Not just for perplexity, but for the whole AI industry.
Absolutely.
Now remember that million-dollar reward
Apple is offering.
Yeah.
I was wondering what that was all about.
It sounds kind of mysterious.
Well, it's not for solving some AI puzzle
or anything like that.
Oh.
What is it for then?
It's for finding security flaws.
Security flaws?
In what?
Their new private AI cloud service.
Private cloud compute, it's called.
So if you can hack it, you get a million bucks.
Well, not hack it exactly.
More like find a serious vulnerability.
OK.
Same difference.
But why are they doing that?
Well, they're really emphasizing security with this service.
I guess they want to make sure people feel safe using it.
Exactly.
Especially since it's all about expanding
their on-device AI capabilities.
Right.
Apple intelligence.
They want to make sure that user data stays private.
That's good.
Privacy is important.
So what happens if someone actually finds a flaw?
Well, they get paid anywhere from $150,000 to $1 million,
depending on how serious it is.
Wow.
That's a pretty good incentive to find those bugs.
It is.
It's a smart move by Apple.
It shows they're serious about security.
And it gets people talking about their new service.
Exactly.
It's a win-win.
But you know, all this talk about AI and companies and security.
It's easy to forget about the people involved.
The ones whose jobs might be affected by all this.
That's a good point.
There's a lot of fear about AI taking over jobs.
And it's already happening, right?
Factories, customer service, even writing.
Yeah.
But it's important to remember that AI is a tool.
And like any tool, it depends how you use it.
So you're saying it's not all doom and gloom.
Not at all.
AI can also create new opportunities.
New jobs.
In what?
Well, we'll need people to design AI systems,
to build them, to maintain them.
And to make sure they're being used ethically.
Absolutely.
And there are also jobs that AI can't do.
Like what?
Jobs that require creativity, critical thinking,
things like that.
The human touch.
Exactly.
So it's not about AI replacing us.
It's about AI working with us.
But people still need to adapt, right?
Absolutely.
We have to learn new skills, keep up with the technology.
It's like a whole new world of work is opening up.
It is.
And it's going to require us to be flexible,
to be adaptable, to be lifelong learners.
It's a challenge, but it's also exciting.
I think so too.
It's all about how we approach it.
We can choose to see AI as a threat.
Or as an opportunity.
Exactly.
We have the power to shape how AI is used.
And to make sure it's used for good.
That's the key.
Now let's shift gears a bit and talk about,
it's all about how we approach it.
We can choose to see AI as a threat or as an opportunity.
It's really up to us.
That's a good point.
We have the power to decide how AI is used.
To make sure it's used ethically and responsibly.
Exactly.
And that brings us to one of the biggest challenges with AI.
What's that?
Bias.
Right.
We've seen examples of that already.
Like facial recognition systems that
are less accurate for certain groups of people.
Yeah.
And hiring algorithms that discriminate
against certain candidates.
Even loan approval systems that are biased.
That's a serious problem.
It is.
We need to make sure that AI systems are fair and unbiased.
So how do we do that?
Well, for starters, we need more diversity
in the people who are developing AI.
More diversity.
Yeah.
People from different backgrounds, different cultures,
different perspectives.
So they can spot potential biases that others might miss.
Exactly.
And we also need to be careful about the data that's
used to train AI systems.
Because the data is biased.
The AI will be biased too.
It's like teaching a kid bad habits.
So it's a multifaceted problem.
It is.
We need to be thinking about bias
at every stage of AI development.
From the data to the algorithms to the people
who are building it.
It's a big challenge.
Yeah.
But it's one that we have to address if we want AI
to benefit everyone.
Absolutely.
We need open discussion and collaboration
between everyone involved.
Researchers, developers, policymakers, the public.
It's a team effort.
It is.
We're all in this together.
And we need to figure out how to use AI in a way that's
fair, ethical, and beneficial to all of humanity.
Well said.
This has been an incredible deep dive into the world of AI.
We've covered a lot of ground today.
From whale conversations to pig emotions
to million dollar bounties and antitrust lawsuits.
It's amazing how much is happening in this field.
Every day brings new breakthroughs, new challenges,
new possibilities.
It's an exciting time to be following AI.
But it's also a time to be cautious,
to be thoughtful, to ask the tough questions.
Absolutely.
AI is a powerful tool.
And like any powerful tool, it can be used for good or for bad.
It's up to us to make sure it's used for good.
To shape the future of AI in a way that benefits everyone.
Exactly.
So stay informed, stay engaged, and keep
those conversations going.
The AI revolution is just beginning.
And we'll be here to cover it every step of the way.
Thanks for listening to the Daily AI News Podcast.
And stay tuned for more.