YouTube is going all in on generative AI with nine new generative features announced at the Made on YouTube creator event in New York. Google DeepMind’s AI video generation model, Veo, is coming to YouTube Shorts later this year, enabling “even more incredible video backgrounds, breathing life into concepts that were once impossible to visualize,” as well as six-second standalone AI segments that can be incorporated into short videos. “Imagine a BookTuber stepping into the pages of the classic novel ‘The Secret Garden,’” suggests YouTube Chief Product Officer Johanna Voolich in describing the new AI-powered features. Continue reading YouTube Unveils New AI-Powered Features at Creator Event

A newly redesigned Snapchat experience is built around a three-tab user interface called Simple Snapchat. As part of that effort, the social platform is launching more generative video features, including text-to-video as part of the app’s Lens Studio AR authoring tool. Easy Lens allows the quick generation of Lenses by typing text prompts, making it possible to do things like experiment with Halloween costumes or explore looks for back to school. Launching in beta for select creators, Snap says the new features are designed for all ability levels. The company is also updating its GenAI Suite and adding an Animation Library of “hundreds of high-quality movements.” Continue reading Snapchat Is Getting a Redesign and Generative Text-to-Video

AI-powered ad campaigns “are continuing to deliver big results for businesses large and small,” according to Google, which has put Gemini to work for Google Ads. The company announced at the DMEXCO digital marketing event in Cologne a new suite of Gemini-powered tools aimed at making the experience even better by providing additional insights and more control over where and how marketing assets are deployed globally using Google Ads. For starters, Gemini’s “conversational experience” for search campaigns will expand its language palette, making auto-generated headlines and images available in German, French and Spanish in the months ahead. Continue reading Google Unveils Gemini-Powered Ad Features and AI Image ID

The OpenAI board’s Safety and Security Committee will become an independent board oversight committee, chaired by Zico Kolter, machine learning department chair at Carnegie Mellon University. The committee will be responsible for “the safety and security processes guiding OpenAI’s model deployment and development.” Three OpenAI board members segue from their current SSC roles to the new committee: Quora founder Adam D’Angelo, former Sony Corporation EVP Nicole Seligman and erstwhile NSA chief Paul Nakasone. OpenAI is currently putting together a new funding round that reportedly aims to value the company at $150 billion. Continue reading OpenAI Bestows Independent Oversight on Safety Committee

Google announced the company is making its new AI assistant Gemini Live available free to all Android users. The move follows the feature’s release last month to Gemini Advanced subscribers. This general release will occur gradually, and only in English for the time being. Gemini Live lets users have a more natural, free-flowing conversation with their phones than was available through Google Assistant via the “Hey, Google” prompt. Gemini inquiries are meant to be conversational, eliciting a back and forth that queriers can interrupt, adding more detail or veering to another topic entirely. Continue reading Google Begins Rolling Out Gemini Live Free to Android Users

OpenAI is previewing a new series of AI models that can reason and correct complex coding mistakes, providing a more efficient solution for developers. Powered by OpenAI o1, the new models are “designed to spend more time thinking before they respond, much like a person would,” and as a result can “solve harder problems than previous models in science, coding, and math,” OpenAI claims, noting that “through training, they learn to refine their thinking process, try different strategies, and recognize their mistakes.” The first model in the series is being released in preview in OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT and in the company’s API. Continue reading OpenAI Previews New LLMs Capable of Complex Reasoning

Backed by Alibaba and Tencent, Chinese startup MiniMax has launched a new text-to-video model called Hailuo AI that is quickly gaining traction on social media based on its impressive capabilities, with comments ranging from “fantastical” to “hyper-realistic.” The free, web-based tool has already triggered videos that have gone viral, despite the current limitation of only 6-second clips. However, an image-to-video model is reportedly coming soon, in addition to a version 2 that promises longer video duration and improved motion. Unlike the Jimeng AI text-to-video model that was issued by ByteDance last month, the MiniMax technology is available outside of China. Continue reading Hailuo AI: China’s MiniMax Releases Free Text-to-Video App

Adobe is showcasing upcoming generative AI video tools that build on the Firefly video model the software giant announced in April. The offerings include a text-to-video feature and one that generates video from pictures. Each outputs clips of up to five seconds. Adobe has developed Firefly as the generative component of the AI integration it is rolling out across its Adobe’s Creative Cloud applications, which previously focused on editing and now, thanks to gen AI, incorporate creation. Adobe wasn’t a first-mover in the space, but its percolating effort has been received enthusiastically. Continue reading Adobe Publicly Demos Firefly Text- and Image-to Video Tools

Sony’s $700 PlayStation 5 Pro promises improved graphics and gameplay. The midcycle upgrade, releasing next month, aims to keep the console competitive with — or better than — ever-evolving game PCs. Sony says the new model supports 8K gaming, an upgrade to the native 4K available with the PS5. For those gamers interested in a disc drive for the PS5 Pro, an $80 model is available. Sony Interactive Entertainment’s popular “Gran Turismo 7” racing simulation game is poised to be the first 8K title for the PS5 Pro. Sony says the GPU on the PS5 Pro has 67 percent more compute and 28 percent faster memory, for rendering that is 45 percent faster than its predecessor. Continue reading New Sony PS5 Pro Supports 8K and Improves 4K Ray Tracing

Senza is a connected TV app that parent Synamedia says can “transform the economics of reaching viewers” by offloading streaming controls from set-top boxes and dongles to the cloud. Synamedia claims Senza can reduce streaming costs by up to 90 percent while maintaining content security. The platform can be used to deliver to home TV screens as well as offsite locations such as bars, hotels and stadiums. “Senza moves the user experience from devices — such as connected TVs and streaming sticks — into the cloud and offers an HTML5 interface to quickly launch free, low-cost or premium services,” according to the company. Continue reading Synamedia Reimagines TV Streaming with New Cloud Device

Amazon is aiming to speed up production of its Audible audiobooks by inviting a small group of narrators to clone their voices using generative artificial intelligence. The U.S. beta test will roll out later this year according to Amazon, which announced the move on Audible’s creator marketplace. “There is a vast catalog of books that does not yet exist in audio and as we explore ways to bring more books to life on Audible, we’re committed to thoughtfully balancing the interests of authors, narrators, publishers, and listeners,” Amazon explains. Continue reading Amazon Is Inviting Audible Narrators to Create AI Voice Clones

IBM is the first cloud customer for Intel’s Gaudi 3 AI accelerator chip, which it will make available in early 2025. The Gaudi 3 will be available for hybrid and on-site environments via the IBM Cloud, as part of Watsonx AI and on IBM data platforms. Gaudi 3, which began shipping in Q2 and is expected to go into mass production later this year, is IBM’s AI challenger to GPU accelerators from Nvidia and AMD, the latter having in January begun shipping its own HPC solution, the MI300X. Unlike that chip and Nvidia’s Hopper H100 and more recent Blackwell B200, the Gaudi 3 is not a GPU, but built on an architecture specifically for inference and deep learning. Continue reading IBM Cloud Is First to Widely Implement Intel Gaudi 3 AI Chips

China’s Huawei has unveiled a trifold smartphone with an OLED panel that has two vertical folds, opening to a 10.2-inch, 16:11 display. The Mate XT — which comes in red and black and offers three storage options ranging in price from $2,809 to $3,371 — is due to arrive in Chinese stores September 20, the same day that Apple’s new iPhone 16 lineup hits retail shelves there. Huawei and Apple are among the top brands currently battling for market share in what is the world’s largest cellphone market. With Huawei under U.S. sanctions, it is unlikely the trifold phone will be released here. Continue reading Huawei Unveils Mate XT Phone with 3 Panels, 10-inch Screen

The White House has implemented a program to help fill roughly 500,000 open tech positions across the United States. The program, Service for America, was developed by the White House Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to help connect Americans with available jobs in cybersecurity, technology and artificial intelligence. “Our nation has a critical need for cyber talent,” explains ONCD Director Harry Coker, Jr., who notes many of the open cyber positions do not require a computer science degree or deeply technical background. Continue reading White House Launches Effort to Fill 500,000 Technology Jobs

During yesterday’s Glowtime event in Cupertino, Apple introduced its iPhone 16 lineup with Apple Intelligence features, A18 chip, and new camera control button to access “visual intelligence” functionality. The company also unveiled a redesigned Apple Watch with polished titanium option and new S10 chip; a new Satin Black color for the Apple Watch Ultra 2, alongside a collection of updated bands with darker hues; and two new versions of AirPods wireless earbuds, one touting active noise canceling. The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus models feature aluminum bodies while the 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max bodies are made of titanium. The first Apple Intelligence features for the new iPhones will launch in beta next month. Continue reading Glowtime: Apple Unveils iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, AirPods 4