Meta’s open-source speech AI models support over 1,100 languages

Advancements in machine learning and speech recognition technology have made information more accessible to people, particularly those who rely on voice to access information. However, the lack of labelled data for numerous languages poses a significant challenge in developing high-quality machine-learning models.

In response to this problem, the Meta-led Massively Multilingual Speech (MMS) project has made remarkable strides in expanding language coverage and improving the...

23 May 2023 | Applications

OpenAI CEO: AI regulation ‘is essential’

sam altman senate committee ai regulation artificial intelligence openai

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified in front of a Senate judiciary committee panel and emphasised the importance of regulating AI.

Altman highlighted the potential benefits of AI technologies like ChatGPT and Dall-E 2 to help address significant challenges such as climate change and cancer, but he also stressed the need to mitigate the risks associated with increasingly powerful AI models.

Altman proposed that governments consider implementing licensing and testing...

16 May 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

EU committees green-light the AI Act

The Internal Market Committee and the Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament have endorsed new transparency and risk-management rules for artificial intelligence systems known as the AI Act.

This marks a major step in the development of AI regulation in Europe, as these are the first-ever rules for AI. The rules aim to ensure that AI systems are safe, transparent, traceable, and non-discriminatory.

After the vote, co-rapporteur Brando Benifei (S&D,...

11 May 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

AI ‘godfather’ warns of dangers and quits Google

Geoffrey Hinton, known as the "Godfather of AI," has expressed concerns about the potential dangers of AI and left his position at Google to discuss them openly.

Hinton, alongside two others, won the Turing Award in 2018 for laying the foundations of AI. He had been working at Google since 2013 but resigned to speak out about the fast pace of AI development and the risks it poses.

In an interview with The New York Times, Hinton warned that the rapid development of...

2 May 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

FTC Chairwoman: There is no ‘AI exemption’ to existing laws

FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan has warned that the US government will not hesitate to clamp down on harmful business practices involving AI.

Speaking at a virtual press event, Khan was joined by top officials from US consumer protection and civil rights agencies.

Together, the officials emphasised that regulators are committed to tracking and stopping any illegal behaviour associated with biased or deceptive AI tools.

Khan warned that, in addition to the...

26 April 2023 | Applications

Google creates new AI division to challenge OpenAI

Google has consolidated its AI research labs, Google Brain and DeepMind, into a new unit named Google DeepMind.

The move is seen as a strategic way for Google to maintain its edge in the competitive AI industry and compete with OpenAI. By combining the talent and resources of both entities, Google DeepMind aims to accelerate AI advancements while maintaining ethical standards.

The new unit will be responsible for spearheading groundbreaking AI products and advancements,...

21 April 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI is not currently training GPT-5

Experts calling for a pause on AI development will be glad to hear that OpenAI isn’t currently training GPT-5.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman spoke remotely at an MIT event and was quizzed about AI by computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman.

Altman confirmed that OpenAI is not currently developing a fifth version of its Generative Pre-trained Transformer model and is instead focusing on enhancing the capabilities of GPT-4, the latest version.

Altman was asked...

17 April 2023 | Applications

​​Italy will lift ChatGPT ban if OpenAI fixes privacy issues

Italy’s data protection authority has said that it’s willing to lift its ChatGPT ban if OpenAI meets specific conditions.

The Guarantor for the Protection of Personal Data (GPDP) announced last month that it was blocking access to OpenAI's ChatGPT. The move was part of an ongoing investigation into whether the chatbot violated Italy's data privacy laws and the EU's infamous General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The GPDP was concerned that ChatGPT could recall...

13 April 2023 | Applications

Alibaba unveils ChatGPT rival and custom LLMs

Chinese tech giant Alibaba has unveiled a ChatGPT rival and the ability to create custom LLMs (Large Language Models) for customers.

Alibaba’s ChatGPT rival is called Tongyi Qianwen and will be integrated across the company’s various businesses in the “near future,” but it is yet to give a rollout timeline.

"We are at a technological watershed moment driven by generative AI and cloud computing, and businesses across all sectors have started to embrace...

11 April 2023 | Applications

Biden: AI can help with difficult challenges, but risks must be addressed

President Biden believes that AI can help solve some of the world's most difficult challenges, but says that risks to society, the economy, and national security must be addressed.

In a meeting on Tuesday with the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, President Biden said that “AI can help deal with some very difficult challenges like disease and climate change, but we also have to address the potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national...

5 April 2023 | Applications