OpenAI became the nexus of tech in 2023; gaming is generative AI's proving ground; large language models will move from experimentation to adoption; researchers use Harry Potter to understand AI
South Korea is harnessing AI to tackle a super-ageing crisis; one of the oldest newspapers in the world adopts AI-assisted reporting; Wired interviews Meta's Yann LeCun
While most of us were still indulging in yet another post-Christmas serving of mince pies, The New York Times came out roaring out of the traditionally quiet Twixmas news cycle with their lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement. While The New York Times is the first major media company to sue an AI company for copyright infringement, this is just one in a series of lawsuits focused on alleged copyright infringement caused by Common Crawl and other data sets used by many companies to train their large language models.
To me however, this wasn’t the biggest story of the week. Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this feature from CNBC on how generative AI could change gaming.
It makes sense that gaming would be one of the early adopters of generative AI. After all, games were also the perfect training ground for reinforcement learning which catapulted DeepMind to global fame. And non-player characters (NPCs) were one of the earliest practical applications of AI in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Case in point — Justice Mobile from NetEase Games has been the first mass-market example of generative AI adopted at scale in a mainstream game: more than 40 million players signed up for the martial arts-themed MMO when in launched in July 2023. NetEase’s AI lab developed its own custom large language model and trained it on Song dynasty literature to power the NPCs’ in-game responses, including the characters’ voices and expressions, creating a more authentic experience compared to the standard, pre-defined responses that you get in most online games. In addition, players can give NPCs tasks to accomplish in the game on their behalf, making them one of the first examples of LLM-powered AI agents in the wild.
Justice Mobile also features an LLM-powered character configuration option, where players can type certain character features and the game generates corresponding characters on the fly. And players even have the ability to stop at various points on the map and use generative AI to compose poetry inspired by the worlds you're exploring - think the haikus in Ghost of Tsushima, but much better!
As I’ve discussed in a recent interview with The Daily Upside, tech and entertainment have been in a complicated relationship for the past three years: as social media apps have moved away from connecting you to other people and more towards connecting you to creators and entertainment, the entertainment industry has been forced to come out of its comfort zone and try new things on the internet (oh hi there, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, Starz, ESPN+, Showtime, et al.) in order to remain competitive in an attention-driven economy.
Meanwhile, the gaming industry has always been fascinating to watch: oftentimes sidelined by the traditional business and technology press, gaming has skyrocketed to become the dominating force in mainstream culture by keeping one foot in the entertainment boat and one in the tech one. It has navigated every pivot and new trend masterfully: the invention of the PC, the widespread adoption of the internet, the shift to mobile, and even pioneered cloud adoption.
With generative AI, gaming has a chance to prove once again that it has been and always will be at the forefront of innovation.
❤️Computer loves
Our top news picks for the week - your essential reading from the world of AI
OpenAI became the nexus of the technology world in 2023 [Engadget]
How one of the world’s oldest newspapers is using AI to reinvent journalism [The Guardian]
The first minds to be controlled by generative AI will live inside video games [CNBC]
How South Korea is harnessing AI to ease its ‘super-ageing’ crisis [The Telegraph]
Year in a word: LLM [FT]
Sam Altman’s Knack for Dodging Bullets—With a Little Help From Bigshot Friends [WSJ]
Google’s ChatGPT competitor Bard is nearly as good — just slower [The Verge]
Top robotics names discuss humanoids, generative AI and more [TechCrunch]
Don’t try for AI perfection, just get going, says engineer [The Times]
How AI-created fakes are taking business from online influencers [FT]
⚙️Computer does
AI in the wild: how artificial intelligence is used across industry, from the internet, social media, and retail to transportation, healthcare, banking, and more
How AI helped to create a clear vision for Cubitts spectacles [The Times]
LG developed a two-legged AI-powered robot that can watch your pets for you [Engadget]
Samsung’s new AI-enabled smart fridge can design recipes based on your dietary needs [The Verge]
How AI is helping businesses to work smarter — and harder [The Times]
Artificial intelligence promises to transform diagnosis of heart disease [FT]
From Goldman to Bridgewater, here's everything we know about how Wall Street is embracing AI [Business Insider]
AI kettles and fridges reduce hospital readmissions in NHS pilot [FT]
AI isn’t about shortening game development, but enhancing it [VentureBeat]
Samsung's next Galaxy phones to feature instant call translation [Nikkei]
Employers Are Offering a New Worker Benefit: Wellness Chatbots [WSJ]
Chinese AI champion SenseTime introduces Go playing robot to Japan, South Korea [South China Morning Post]
Siri Will Stop Being an Idiot in 2024. Your Life Will Never Be the Same. [Gizmodo]
BotBuilt wants to lower the cost of homebuilding with robots [TechCrunch]
Omnicom is leveraging AI to optimize workflows with a virtual assistant [Business Insider]
How to Use OpenAI’s ChatGPT to Create Your Own Custom GPT [Wired]
AI flood prediction could save lives as increasingly dangerous flooding threatens a fifth of the world [Business Insider]
2024: The year AI gets real [Axios]
Chinese University of Hong Kong team says AI helps junior doctors better spot colon tumours in cancer fight [South China Morning Post]
Hong Kong start-up HairCoSys uses AI to bring personalised care to the masses [South China Morning Post]
Humane AI Pin orders will start shipping in March [Engadget]
Microsoft Copilot is now available as a ChatGPT-like app on Android [The Verge]
Apple Explores A.I. Deals With News Publishers [New York Times]
Researchers Have a Magic Tool to Understand AI: Harry Potter [Bloomberg]
Naver’s Rookie robots-on-wheels test new ways of office working [FT]
ChatGPT will call restaurants and book a table for you [The Telegraph]
AI to help churches and castles fight wave of graffiti and vandalism [The Guardian]
AI can now tell if your Louis Vuitton handbag is fake [Business Insider]
Son uses AI to create one-of-a-kind Christmas gift honouring late father [The Independent]
🧑🎓Computer learns
Interesting trends and developments from various AI fields, companies and people
Pinecone's CEO is on a quest to give AI something like knowledge [ZDNet]
The ‘super’ AI models that could soon upend the economy [The Telegraph]
ChatGPT-like Ernie Bot has more than 100 million users according to Baidu's CTO
Singapore PM Lee issues warning after deepfake video of him ‘promoting’ crypto investment emerges [South China Morning Post]
Microsoft’s next Surface laptops will reportedly be its first true ‘AI PCs’ [The Verge]
A.I. Can Make Art That Feels Human. Whose Fault Is That? [New York Times]
Ambani Targets Completing Reliance’s AI Transformation in 2024 [Bloomberg]
Self-driving cars could be on UK roads by 2026, says transport secretary [The Guardian]
Japan's 'omotenashi' culture can offer an edge in the AI age [Nikkei]
Pika Labs’ text-to-video AI platform opens to all [VentureBeat]
Generative AI’s breakout year produced hefty profits for Nvidia and lofty experiments for others [CNBC]
Apple’s iPhone Design Chief Enlisted by Jony Ive, Sam Altman to Work on AI Devices [Bloomberg]
AI, Metaverse, Chatbots: Workplace Trends to Watch for in 2024 [Bloomberg]
What’s Next in Artificial Intelligence? [New York Times]
Generative AI will move from hype to actually being helpful [Semafor]
‘Sing in Me, Chatbot …’ [New York Times]
Generative AI will have four major effects on banks, McKinsey & Company says [CNBC]
A.I. Is the Future of Photography. Does That Mean Photography Is Dead? [New York Times]
Wall Street is gearing up for an AI shopping spree. Meet 11 bankers poised to come out on top [Business Insider]
The AI boom could force you to enter the gig economy [Business Insider]
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