Qualcomm envisions future smartphones with on-device AI capable of answering questions by consulting multiple apps. This 'agentic AI' technology is expected to be more prevalent by 2025, not in next year's Android phones. The concept involves AI distilling data from apps and devices for personalised information. Similar developments include Galaxy AI, Google Gemini extensions, and Apple's Siri with personal context understanding.
AI model compression techniques optimise large language models for faster, cheaper predictions whilst maintaining performance. Key methods include model pruning, quantization, and knowledge distillation. These enable deployment in resource-constrained environments, reduce latency, lower costs, and improve energy efficiency, particularly for real-time AI applications and edge devices.
Google Meet for Android is introducing AI-generated meeting backgrounds using Google Gemini technology. Users can create custom backgrounds in various styles, including a new Christmas theme. The feature requires a Gemini for Google Workspace add-on or Google One AI Premium subscription and is expected to be widely available soon.
French AI startup Mistral AI has launched a content moderation API using their Ministral 8B model. It detects harmful content in 9 categories across 11 languages, analyzing both text and conversations. Available through Mistral's cloud platform, this positions them to compete with major AI companies on safety issues. Recent partnerships with Microsoft, Qualcomm and SAP boost Mistral's enterprise presence. Their focus on edge computing and safety features may appeal to European firms under strict data regulations.
Google is developing an AI-powered smart reply feature for its Phone app's call-screening function. This builds on existing capabilities, potentially allowing AI to generate responses based on caller input during screening.
Lumen Technologies has secured over £3.5 billion in new AI-related business, focusing on data-centre connectivity. The company partnered with Google Cloud and aims to reduce debt with these deals. Despite a Q3 net loss, Lumen increased its full-year free cash flow forecast. The company's stock value has surged by over 450% in the past year due to its AI initiatives.
OpenAI claims its AI transcription tool Whisper has near human-level accuracy, but may have a significant flaw. Full details are unavailable, likely due to a paywall.
