ChatGPT Has Vision Now During Voice Mode, and Google Released an XR-Oriented OS on Android

⚡️ Quick Hits

🤖 AI

Broadcom forecasts Q1 revenue above estimates on strong AI chip demand - Broadcom anticipates significant revenue growth driven by AI chip demand, projecting a $60-90 billion opportunity by fiscal 2027. [Reuters]

Prime Video: What to Watch – Artificial Intelligence Topics - Amazon’s Prime Video highlights a curated selection of films and series exploring artificial intelligence themes. [Amazon News]

Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience - Meta introduces ‘Meta Motivo,’ an AI model designed to control digital agents’ movements, aiming to make Metaverse avatars more lifelike. [Reuters]

Harvard Is Releasing a Massive Free AI Training Dataset Funded by OpenAI and Microsoft - Harvard, with funding from OpenAI and Microsoft, is releasing a dataset of nearly one million public-domain books to aid AI research. [Wired]

🎨 Creative

Meta releases a tool for watermarking AI-generated videos - Meta unveils ‘Video Seal,’ an AI tool embedding invisible watermarks into videos to ensure content authenticity. [TechCrunch]

The Year Creators Took Over - 2024 marked a significant shift as individual creators gained unprecedented influence across media platforms. [The New Yorker]

Influencer classes are all the rage as colleges start to take wannabes seriously: ‘One of the most successful courses we’ve done’ - Universities are increasingly offering courses on social media influencing, recognizing it as a viable career path. [New York Post]

₿ Crypto

Exclusive | Trump Advisers Seek to Shrink or Eliminate Bank Regulators - This article is behind a paywall or inaccessible. [The Wall Street Journal]

⚖ Legal

How Character.AI Prioritizes Teen Safety - Character.AI implements new safety measures, including separate AI models for teens, to enhance user protection. [Character.AI Blog]

🧪 Research

Scientists call for all-out, global effort to create an AI virtual cell - Researchers advocate for a global initiative to develop an AI-powered virtual human cell to advance biological understanding. [Stanford News]

Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024 - A Pew Research Center study reveals that nearly half of U.S. teens are online almost constantly, with YouTube and TikTok being the most popular platforms. [Pew Research Center]

Scaling Laws – O1 Pro Architecture, Reasoning Training Infrastructure, Orion and Claude 3.5 Opus “Failures” - An analysis of AI scaling laws discusses recent developments and challenges in model training and infrastructure. [SemiAnalysis]

🎱 Random

Apple nears switch to in-house Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip for iPhone, smart home, Bloomberg reports - Apple plans to transition to proprietary Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips for its devices starting in 2025, reducing reliance on Broadcom. [Reuters]

🔌 Plug In To These Details

ChatGPT Advanced Voice Mode Can See Now

OpenAI has started rolling out an enhanced version of ChatGPT’s Advanced Voice Mode, now featuring vision capabilities, to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers. The update introduces real-time video calls, screen sharing, and the ability to interpret on-screen visuals.

• Real-Time Interaction: Users can now engage in live video conversations with ChatGPT for more interactive communication.

• Screen Sharing Feature: ChatGPT can analyze and explain shared screens, providing tailored assistance for tasks like troubleshooting or problem-solving.

• The feature works through a new video icon in the mobile app, with screen sharing available through a separate menu option.

👁️ OpenAI’s integration of vision and voice in ChatGPT marks a leap toward more intuitive AI interactions, and also towards Joaquin Phoenix falling in love with Scarlett Johansson’s voice.

Android XR — OS for Mixed Reality Headsets

Google has introduced Android XR, a new operating system for extended reality devices like headsets and smart glasses. Developed with Samsung, it integrates Google’s Gemini AI to blend digital and physical environments. The first device, a Samsung-built headset codenamed Project Moohan, is set to launch in 2025.

• Android XR is jointly developed by Google and Samsung to support immersive technologies.

• Gemini AI powers the OS, offering intuitive control and contextual awareness.

• Project Moohan, Samsung’s XR headset, will run the OS and debut in 2025.

• Developers can use familiar tools like ARCore and Unity to build XR applications.

• The OS positions Google as a strong competitor in the growing XR market.

🔍 Android XR highlights Google’s push to make AI-driven immersive tech more accessible, bridging physical and digital worlds through innovative devices.

ChatGPT: Past, Present, and Future

ChatGPT, launched by OpenAI in November 2022, began as a modest research preview but rapidly gained global traction, amassing over 30 million users within two months. Despite initial technical limitations, such as challenges with arithmetic and factual accuracy, its user base has now expanded to 300 million weekly active users, generating over 1 billion daily messages.

• OpenAI’s initial user estimates were modest, anticipating between 10,000 to 50,000 users; the platform surpassed 1 million users within five days of launch.

• The rapid adoption led to server overloads, notably with users in Japan crashing the servers shortly after launch.

• ChatGPT’s popularity has significantly influenced the tech industry, prompting competitors like Google and Microsoft to accelerate their AI developments.

• OpenAI continues to enhance ChatGPT’s capabilities, integrating features like web browsing and advanced reasoning models.

• The company is exploring monetization strategies, including a $200 ChatGPT Pro subscription offering unlimited access to advanced features.

🚀 ChatGPT’s evolution from a low-key release to a platform with hundreds of millions of users underscores the accelerating pace of AI integration into daily life, reshaping interactions across various sectors.

📸 Creator Corner

Sora Demos to Play with this Weekend

Storyboard is definitely the coolest feature they rolled out so far, it’s intuitive and simple but still has room for a keen eye to produce better results 🎞️

Looping looks quite useful for creating GIFs or stock footage replacement 👀

Blending is a trippy tool that’s sure to create some fun new memes 🤪

Recut makes it easy for non-video editors to make use of good pieces from generations, trimming out footage that is either bad or unwanted ✂️

Remix lets you use Sora like an AI video slot machine — see something you like? Spin the wheel and see what else comes out. 🎰

🤔 Final Thoughts

Well it didn’t take long to arrive at the true point of intersection between reality and Joaquin Phoenix’s fictional love story with an AI in “Her”.

I don’t know about you, but I have that Aladdin song stuck in my head now —

Jokes aside, ChatGPT’s vision and Google’s XR operating system are a poignant combination for today, pointing at the future of digital experiences becoming evermore visual. When our tech helps us navigate the real world as much as the digital one within it, we’ll be in for a truly mixed reality whether people opt-in or not.

~ JL