A new AI service, SantaPhoneCalls.com, offers personalised phone calls from Santa to children. Using generative AI, it creates interactive conversations customised with parent-provided details. Priced between £7.95 and £15.95, it aims to enhance families' festive experiences. This represents a growing trend of AI applications in holiday-themed services.
Country singer Randy Travis has released an AI-generated song after losing his ability to sing. This has sparked interest in AI's potential in music, despite general industry caution about the technology.
A new play called "Data" explores the potential consequences of a partnership between a tech leader and an authoritarian US government. Set in Silicon Valley, it examines the human element behind AI algorithms.
Spotify introduced an AI DJ feature that creates personalised playlists based on users' listening history, greets them, and provides commentary. While aiming to replicate radio DJs, it lacks human connection and diverse selections. This feature reflects a trend of tech companies incorporating AI into products, possibly overestimating demand for AI-generated creative content.
The Beatles have been nominated for two 2024 Grammy awards for their AI-enhanced song 'Now and Then'. The track, based on a 1978 John Lennon demo, was created using AI technology to clean up the original recording. This technique was inspired by similar methods used in a 2021 Beatles documentary series.
ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, has created X-Portrait 2, an AI tool that transforms photos into realistic video animations. It can mimic famous movie scenes with accurate facial expressions, potentially impacting the animation industry. The technology's advanced realism, likely due to TikTok's vast video database, raises concerns about potential misuse for creating misleading content. ByteDance is expanding its AI research globally.
Lionsgate has partnered with AI firm Runway to create an AI model for their film and TV content. Executives claim filmmakers are using the tool, emphasising it will be used within guardrails and may reduce costs. The deal has reportedly received support from industry partners after clarification. This partnership marks a significant step in AI integration in filmmaking.
ChatGPT search, combining AI chat with real-time web info, has launched for select users with a Chrome extension. Key uses include trend spotting, recipe finding, and trivia hosting, offering personalised and up-to-date information.
A global phishing campaign called CopyRh(ight)adamantys has been discovered, targeting individuals and organisations. It uses AI-generated emails to impersonate legitimate groups, claiming social media copyright violations. The attackers employ Rhadamanthys malware and older AI models for customisation. Google acknowledges the threat and states their AI protections are effective against it.
Amazon has introduced AI-generated recaps for some Prime Video original series. Called X-Ray Recaps, the feature uses Amazon Bedrock to analyse video content and create spoiler-free summaries. Viewers can access episode, season-so-far, and previous season recaps for select Amazon MGM Studios shows.
3D artist Liz Edwards outlined traits of AI-generated 3D models in game development, including baked-in lighting, high polygon counts, and messy UV maps. These models often lack symmetry and have melded parts, causing animation difficulties. Concerns exist about transparency in AI asset creation, particularly on marketplaces where AI-generated models may not be tagged as such. This can lead to issues in game development pipelines and hiring processes.
AI safety advocates at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 stressed the need for ethical considerations and safeguards in AI development. They highlighted concerns about rapid deployment without considering long-term consequences, addressing issues like content moderation, misinformation, and copyright. The speakers emphasised implementing guardrails in AI product development, proper licensing of artists' work, and red-teaming AI models to mitigate unintended consequences.
Generative AI art is evolving, but humans remain essential for creation and interpretation. This technology is changing how people interact with and create art, raising questions about human creativity and agency in AI-generated artwork.
Director Bertrand Bonello discussed AI's impact on filmmaking at a recent event. His film 'The Beast' explores a future dominated by AI. Bonello expressed concerns about AI replacing roles in the film industry, particularly in TV writing. He emphasised the importance of personal creativity to differentiate from AI-generated content. Bonello also noted changes in cinema due to streaming and evolving audience habits, stressing the need for filmmakers to adapt while respecting traditional cinema.
A Polish state-funded radio station experimented with AI-generated content, including an interview with a deceased poet. The controversial attempt to boost listenership was quickly terminated following public outcry and criticism.
Disney has formed a new Office of Technology Enablement to explore AI and emerging tech opportunities across its operations. Led by Jamie Voris, the group will focus on responsible use of AI and Mixed Reality, aiming to position Disney as a leader in these fields. The OTE will coordinate efforts company-wide but won't centralise all work in these areas.
Greg Hildebrandt, a renowned artist known for his work on major franchises like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, has passed away. He and his twin brother were known as the Brothers Hildebrandt until beginning separate careers. Their notable works include the 'Style B' Star Wars poster for UK audiences. Hildebrandt's extensive portfolio spans comics, calendars, and illustrations for various publications. Recently, he contributed to a comic book series supporting Ukrainian refugee relief efforts.
Troveo, a new platform for licensing content to AI companies, has launched with £4.5 million in seed funding. It aims to help content owners license their material whilst retaining ownership rights. Troveo has secured deals with AI companies to pay over £5 million to content owners by year-end. The platform allows content owners to upload material and receive licensing deals and revenue from AI companies for machine learning model training.
A startup has launched Oasis, a platform for AI-generated experiences using advanced real-time video inference technology. The company aims to overcome hardware limitations in AI applications. Sequoia Capital has led their seed funding round. The startup is based in Tel Aviv with operations in the Bay Area.
