Shareholders Push for Apple to Open Up About AI Use

 At Apple's yearly meeting, big shareholders have a chance to suggest changes. This year, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) wants Apple to share how it uses AI and its rules for using this technology safely.

Norges Bank Investment Management and Legal & General, two of Apple's biggest shareholders, are backing this idea. Norges Bank says Apple should think about how its work and products affect society. Legal & General talked to Apple about being more open with its AI plans but didn't get the details they wanted. They think Apple should be clear about how it uses AI and how it manages any risks.

A big advisory group, Institutional Shareholder Services, is telling Apple's investors to support this AI proposal. They believe Apple's current rules don't fully cover the risks of using AI. This makes it hard for shareholders to understand the dangers.

Apple, however, doesn't want this proposal to pass. The company says the report being asked for is too broad and could make them share secrets that could hurt their competitive edge. In the U.S., even if shareholders like an idea, it doesn't force the company to do it. But if more than 30% of investors like an idea, it usually makes the company think seriously about it.

• Also read: Microsoft Copilot Can Soon Be Your Digital Assistant On Android By Replacing Google Assistant Or Bixby

Everyone is watching to see if Apple will introduce new AI features at its WWDC event this year. This push for more openness about AI use at Apple is part of a bigger conversation on how big tech companies handle new technologies and their impact on society.

Image: Digital Information World - AIgen

Stability AI Launches Stable Diffusion 3 to Lead in AI-Generated Images

 Stability AI has just announced Stable Diffusion 3, its newest and most advanced AI for making images. This release seems to be a move to stay ahead of new AI technologies from OpenAI and Google. While we're still waiting for more details, it's clear that Stable Diffusion 3, or SD3, introduces a fresh setup and aims to work well on many types of computers, although you'll need a strong one.

SD3 is built on an updated method called "diffusion transformer." This idea started in 2022, got an update in 2023, and is now ready to be used more widely. It shares some concepts with Sora, OpenAI's video-making tool. SD3 also uses "flow matching," a new way to make better-quality images without making the system too heavy.

The new version comes in different sizes, from smaller setups with 800 million parts to huge ones with 8 billion parts. This range means SD3 can run on various computers. Unlike AI tools from OpenAI and Google, you don't need to use an online service to access SD3.

Emad Mostaque, who leads Stable Diffusion, said on X that SD3 can understand and create videos too, which is something other big AI companies are focusing on with their online services. These features are still in the planning stage, but it looks like there won't be technical problems adding them later.

It's hard to say which AI model is best because none are fully out yet. However, Stable Diffusion is already popular for making all kinds of images with fewer restrictions on how or what you can create. With the launch of SD3, it's likely to start a new wave of AI-made content, once they figure out how to keep it safe.

Google Chrome’s Latest ‘Help Me Write’ Assistant Uses AI To Make Better Text Suggestions

 Google just rolled out a useful AI writing tool called ‘Help Me Write’ that can be found on the Chrome Browser.

The latest initiative makes text suggestions depending upon the context of the website it comes face to face with.

The new AI writing assistant can be found on Chrome and it provides ideas that assist users in producing things like reviews and inquires. Moreover, this feature is up for grabs in the English language only for those located in the US for now. But with time, we can see it do wonders for more people.

The tool first made headwaves after being unveiled by the Android maker in January of this year. And after the successful launch carried out this week, many cannot wait to get their hands on it.

The tool helps with producing all kinds of things like online reviews and inquiries as well as classified advertisements as well.

Google promises that with this new tool, writing is bound to become so much simpler for users. This has to do with the fact that it makes use of the firm’s Gemini model dubbed Help Me Write. The latter produces text depending on the context of websites that they happen to be browsing and the writing text field that it encountered at that moment in time.

For instance, when a user opts to sell items online, the Help Me Write tool could take on small product descriptions and expand those into something more polished and detailed in nature.

A recent blog post was generated by the company in this regard about how the tool can comprehend the context of pages that users happen to be on that make such relevant types of suggestions about content.

For instance, when you write reviews for track shoes, Google Chrome pulls out key points from a certain product’s page that show support for a recommendation. In this way, it gets more valuable for shoppers keen on making a purchase.

Google rolled out plenty of examples about how the Help Me Write tool works and what users can expect after utilizing it.

The latest Help Me Write AI feature assists in producing content through the use of contextual cues.

For instance, it would give rise to suggestions depending on the type of content available online and the specific text field that users might be interacting with.

For different kinds of writing tasks like producing online reviews and classified ads, it would enhance composition by displaying an expansion of small-scale descriptions into something more detailed in nature.

Lastly, it ensures content produced is quality-controlled and the best out there today. It draws from different types of product details regarding a certain webpage so that it can make the most informative content that potential readers can benefit from.

Interestingly, it can assist marketers in leveraging the tool to produce things like advertisements or online listings.

Study Shows Where to Go to Find an AI Job

 It’s a brave new world: we’ve got self-driving cars, airport robots helping you find your gate, and refrigerators that can tell you when you need milk. Regardless of their purpose, smart tech has more Americans attuned to the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape these days.

For many, that means excitement about the growing cache of AI jobs out there. It’s true that opportunities in AI are taking off, and a new study by moveBuddha shows hotspots where this niche job market is booming.

With California’s long-time dominance in tech and startups, it only makes sense that almost 25% of the country’s AI jobs are in the Golden State. But there’s plenty of gold to go around. Up-and-comers are competing for dominance, and two states even have more AI jobs per capita than California: Virginia and Maryland each have 6 jobs available for every 10,000 residents.

The study shows where AI jobs are taking off — and where job seekers might want to take off and relocate. This post shares more insight on what makes a state shine, and some ways digital tech watchers can predict future superstar AI locations.

Where are AI Jobs Growing?

It turns out that it’s pretty tough to knock a long-time tech king off its throne. With plenty of jobs, lots of jobs on a per-resident basis (which should put large states like California in perspective), and high salaries for engineers in AI, California is home to more AI jobs than other states. By a long shot.

But other states are seeing their share of the AI pie, too. Here’s the top ten list:

1. California
2. Virginia
3. Washington
4. Maryland
5. Texas
6. Colorado
7. Massachusetts
8. Pennsylvania
9. Missouri
10. North Carolina

Best and Worst States Infographic

Why are AI Jobs Growing?

California’s longstanding position as #1 can be attributed to a number of factors:

• Leading universities: With a research and talent pipeline, AI jobs bubble out of educational institutions.
• Existing tech and AI companies: While new states are luring companies all the time, California has some high-profile heavy-hitters. From Meta to Google and Apple, AI jobs with these companies put the state on top. Note that #3 Washington is also home to existing large tech enterprises that are behind the high number of job openings, like Amazon and Microsoft.
• A robust venture capital ecosystem: AI ventures are fairly new, and new companies need a nurturing system in which to develop ideas and grow. It all takes funding, so newcomers often follow that cash to places like Silicon Valley.
• Network effects: With existing traction, AI players go where the action is. That creates more opportunities, ideas, new companies, and eventually, even more jobs.
What’s the lesson here? Some common elements help small ecosystems gain traction and grow as AI hubs. It starts with a research and capital commitment to AI. New cities that can anchor their digital tech industries with these two key elements can see their AI sectors growing.


Ranking the 50 U.S. states by best for AI jobs in 2024 Table

Virginia and Maryland’s Growing AI Hubs

It can be difficult to replicate California's magic elsewhere, but some strong AI hubs are capitalizing on these core factors and their own strengths to make it happen.

For example, #2 Virginia is a powerhouse near national government services and contractors. They’re strong in industries like defense, where AI is becoming indispensable. Northern Virginia, in particular, plays host to a network of defense, cybersecurity, and intelligence firms. And those companies could easily kick-start the network effects that catapulted California to the top of the tech industry.

Further, Northern Virginia has also been a hub for data centers. Outside the pricy reaches of the D.C. beltway, the expansive Virginia suburbs provide space to support the nation’s computing needs. That’s led to hardware and software experts finding jobs and support in the area. It may be inevitable that those who specialize in machine learning are now finding their services in high demand there.

There are also strong universities including those in Washington, D.C., and nearby Maryland (which also makes the top ten list).


Other Top Ten Keys for Unlocking AI Jobs

Why are other states on the top ten list? Here are some big components of their success:

• Texas plays host to large tech giants: Dell, IBM, and Texas Instruments have long had large presences in the state. Oracle, Hewlett Packard, and Tesla have moved their headquarters from California.
• CU Boulder (Colorado) scored a huge grant for an AI learning center that led to collaborations with students, industry, and researchers. It’s all growing the area’s research prowess but also network effects and talent pool. It’s also 8th in the country in venture capital investment.
• Massachusetts’ universities feed its AI pipeline: Harvard, M.I.T., and a host of East Coast ivies feed this biggest city in New England, keeping the talent coming. Its venture capital network ranks second, behind California, to keep that talent and companies in the state, learning and growing.
• Pennsylvania boasts Carnegie Mellon University, with a top computer science department and a long history of AI research. There’s also the University of Pennsylvania, a public Ivy League brainiac.
• Missouri AI job listings come from a diverse group of companies across industries. That economic foundation has helped spawn Kansas City and St. Louis tech incubators to nurture more talent. It seems to be paying off.
• North Carolina has a growing population, and is especially focused on cybersecurity sectors in banking hubs like Charlotte, while the north of the state has the “research triangle,” including reputable research universities churning out not only AI tech patents but a startup ecosystem to nurture the companies that emerge from its universities.
• While none of these emergent competitors comes close to the amount of support California companies have enjoyed, they’re on their way. And as California has shown, once there are a few players in the area, a hub attracts new talent, companies, and capital more easily. In the case of AI, tech hubs all over the country have begun finding they’re able to fuel growth outside the Bay Area.
  
  That diversity is great for jobs and for job seekers who aren’t into fog, or who are seeking better housing prices, fewer earthquakes, a different climate, or just want to realize their company’s potential without uprooting from their favorite states.
  

  Where to Go to Become an AI Superstar

  If you’re looking for a job in AI, consider educational hubs. They often come with the young energy of new companies, research support, and startup incubators. Not only are college towns great places for big arts and cultural innovation. They’re also bubbling over with tech ideas and have the educational resources to support them.
  
  AI engineers who aren’t interested in startups should also look to corporate roles. After all, AI is going to play a role in company growth regardless of whether a company is a tech power or a design house. Even pet food firms are getting in on AI, with data learning behind everything from inventory to security and beyond. These roles are growing in more diverse sites across the country, including Charlotte, North Carolina, and Kansas City, Missouri.
  
  Overall, AI job seekers are in a stronger spot than ever. AI jobs are becoming increasingly common everywhere, and pretty soon candidates may not have to ask, “Where should I move?” at all, but will have their choice of multiple remote jobs in the industry no matter where they choose to call home.
•  In the meantime, job seekers should watch job listings in states with strong education and industry connections. Or, perhaps obviously, train their AI to do it for them.
• 
  

Research Finds that Many of the Adults in the UK Are Not Aware that AI Generated CSAM is Illegal

 Research by The Lucy Faithfull Foundation found out that 40% of the people in the UK thought that sexual abuse material generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence) is legal in the UK and they didn’t know that it was illegal. The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is a UK based foundation that provides prevention and awareness against sexual abuse. The research also found out that 66% of people in the UK believe that AI is going to have harmful effects on children. On the other hand, 70% of the individuals in UK didn’t know that AI is being used for generating child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

88% of people in UK said that sexual or abusing images of people under 18 generated by AI should be illegal in the UK, 40% said that they assumed that it is legal in the UK. Keep in mind that it is completely illegal to generate, distribute and view sexual images of children in the UK. The foundation is working on raising awareness about how the offenders are using pictures of real children to make CSAM but there are serious consequences for these offenders in the UK.

According to the foundation, AI isn’t the only one responsible for making sexual images of children. The offenders also use faces of children who have been previously abused to turn their images into CSAM. Children who have been abused in the past go through the trauma again after their images turn into what they have faced in the past. The director of Stop It Now helpline, Doald Findlater, says that the public isn’t fully aware of how AI is being used to create sexual images of children. As AI is advancing, the public should make them educated on what harmful effects AI can cause to other people. There are also some speculations that some certain machine learning models are trained on CSAM. But this can only be done by combining two concepts like “child” and “explicit content”.

Image: Digital Information World - AIgen

Tech Giants OpenAI, Meta, Google, And Microsoft Unite In Effort To Fight AI Election Deepfakes

 The rise in deepfake images continues to go strong and that’s one reason why tech giants are concerned as the election period is set to take center stage in the US and around the globe.

Plenty of people were seen expressing serious concern on this front and that’s probably why Google, Microsoft, Meta, and OpenAI have united on this front. The news is even more concerning now than ever as AI-generated images of the leading star Taylor Swift started to flood across the popular X social media network.

Some reports went on to delineate how pictures produced on this front were done through Microsoft’s popular AI picture generator called Designer.

Remember, this year is the year where the US is set to get a new head of the nation and there happens to be even more concern linked to AI deepfake pictures being used negatively to influence voters throughout the election period.

This is why tech giants feel it’s better now than ever to make use of the best resources to combat using AI technology in a deceptive means for the election period.

This agreement was rolled out at this year’s Munich Security Conference and was dubbed AI Elections Accord. The firms on board with the agreement included a press release that stated how the above-mentioned companies would now follow a set of regulations to combat misinformation taking center stage.

The press release stated how a leading number of organizations were working toward fighting against election efforts like deepfakes. They hope to roll out great technology that limits the risks on this front while also working toward using open-source tools when and if it’s deemed appropriate.

They similarly hope to work towards detecting content distribution on these apps and assess the model to understand any risks attached in terms of deceiving election content. Lastly, they hope to offer greater support to ensure public awareness is intact, not to mention great media literacy and leading resilience.

The head of Microsoft was among the leading executives who stated in a new press release how they hoped to embrace AI benefits while speaking of a great responsibility to ensure tools do not begin weaponized throughout the election period.

The head of Microsoft happened to be among all the company executives who stated inside press releases how this was more necessary now than ever as the goal right now is to ensure deception flourishes.

Another stark example was put into the limelight including how a robocall featuring the voice of US President Joe Biden took center stage where he urged him to voice in the New Hampshire region. After a prompt investigation on this front, it was mentioned how calls were soon found to be produced through the likes of a firm based in Texas and therefore were made using AI technology.

Image: Digital Information World - AIgen

The Arrival Of Gemini 1.5 - Google Unveils Its Latest Iteration Of Its Conversational AI System

 Google just unveiled Gemini 1.5, its latest rendition of the conversational AI system. The product is said to entail a greater array of advances in better efficiency, long-form reasoning, and enhanced performance.

The latest system was detailed in a post by Google’s AI head that entailed a large figure of architecture enhancements, ensuring the core model can perform on the same level as the big Gemini 1.0 Ultra endeavor, without using extra computing resources. This latter was rolled out in the past week.

The biggest leap comes at a time when there’s a huge window for carrying out experiments that the company says have to do with long-form context comprehension. The standard model of Gemini analyzes several prompts within a small 128k token context. With this new upgrade, the model will have a large number of data to process which can now be done quicker than before.

This huge leap arose at a time when we saw the firm’s CEO analyze and classify as well as summarize a huge figure of data within a short period. Some have even gone as far as to mention how we can expect to see it summarizing content that’s as long as a 44-minute long movie in complete.

This extended version enables Gemini 1.5 to analyze everything seamlessly and classify the huge figures of content within small prompts. Experts stated how the latest Gemini 1.5 ensures the latest performance, despite the context window growing in the millions figure. It’s not clear yet when or how the popular model from Google fares against the likes of arch-rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus but from what we’re seeing right now, it’s quite obvious that it’s bound to provide stiff competition across the board.

The news of the rebranding comes just seven days after we saw the search engine giant rebrand the whole conversational AI system. Be it Bard or Gemini, we’ve seen the conversational AI systems from the tech giant get a proper rebranding, not to mention a new paid tier that’s powered by the Ultra 1.0 model. For a while now, Gemini continues to be branded as a top-of-the-line rival that comes face to face with the ever-so-famous ChatGPT Plus system.

Photo: Digital Information World - AIgen

Microsoft Vows To Fight Against Deepfake Images And Abusive Content Generated Through AI

 The number of incidents involving AI technology giving rise to misleading content has been on the rise for months.

A recent incident that gained massive attention around the world had to do with music sensation Taylor Swift where deepfake pictures of the star went viral, causing great concern. It featured the most explicit category of images and before we knew it, the internet was flooded with such an ordeal.

This was the time when we saw software giant Microsoft enter the line of fire as the culprit behind the act made use of Microsoft Designer to get the images. The firm elaborated more on this front and how it saw no proof of the act arising from its precincts but it did manage to make further changes to its system to avoid such acts from arising in the first place.

The goal was to enhance text filtering and address matters about service misuse from the software giant. Today, the company’s head has decided to elaborate more on this front through a post published on Microsoft’s official blog.

He failed to reference the singer and her shocking incident or any use of the company software designer to produce the pictures. But one thing is for sure, Smith mentioned how the company looks at this as a concerning affair and how the rise of abuse generated through the likes of AI and threat actors was at its peak, thanks to AI tools being easily accessible.

Smith was seen speaking about several areas of interest that the software giant hopes to focus on to combat matters linked to abusive AI content generation. The first one has to do with boosting the secure use of tools via the likes of particular text prompts, and tests, and for immediately banning users that carry out such unlawful acts.

The first means through which effective measures will be in place for safe tool usage is barring specific prompts while barring users who abuse such tools. In another ordeal, they hope to identify content produced through AI means.

The company is said to be in the process of adding watermarks and fingerprinting technology so the future can benefit.

In the same way, the software giant hopes to collaborate with plenty of individuals in the tech world to combat deepfakes in the world of AI. Smith is also adding a more ambitious approach that has to do with working alongside leading governments to create new laws to ensure such content is banned.

The goal is also to get rid of abusive content from the likes of LinkedIn and Xbox.

Smith also wishes to work alongside those in the tech world, alongside a host of law enforcement officials to better find a solution. Other matters on the card include making the public more aware of AI programs and systems, along with which education tools can be used to put various types of content on display, and what’s fake.

Photo: Digital Information World - AIgen

Businesses Need to Bridge the “AI Gap” Now to Demonstrate Benefits to Customers

 According to LivePerson’s just-published State of Customer Conversations 2024 report, business leaders need to start seriously rethinking their plans for AI. In fact, there’s a clear divide coming up between business leaders and their customers regarding AI adoption, enthusiasm, and education. In other words, an "AI Gap" has erupted thanks to all of the hype, backlash, and confusion around AI – and it’s time to figure out how to close the gap if we want the general consumer population to get onboard.

Among the report’s key findings: despite the advances and attention around AI (especially generative AI) over the past year, only half of consumers feel positive about using AI to interact with brands, while a massive 91% of business leaders feel positive about using AI to engage with customers. This gap may stem from the average consumer's unfamiliarity and need for clarity about how AI can be used to make their lives easier and more convenient. As it turns out, business leaders are more familiar with and educated about AI, with 92% saying they are learning to work with AI to do their jobs — compared to just 36% of consumers.

But there's good news for business leaders hoping to reap the rewards of their investments in AI — consumers do anticipate benefits from AI over the long term, with two out of every three saying they expect how they work with a business to improve over the next five years thanks to AI. Gen Z is even more positive, anticipating the benefits coming within the next calendar year. That's a bright spot for brands, because 80% of 18-24-year-olds say their loyalty to a company would go up if they could communicate with automation for faster service.

However, the report also revealed AI gaps between different age groups — with vast differences of opinion emerging between Gen Z (18-24-year-olds) and Baby Boomers or seniors (65 and up). It found that 64% of Gen Z is more comfortable with AI this year than just 36% of Baby Boomers. The survey data also revealed that 84% of Gen Z would prefer to buy from companies whose AI limits bias, compared to just 57% of seniors. Gen Z is also much more interested in AI that can predict what they want (64% vs 40%) and recommend gifts for others (68% vs 36%). Finally, all age groups prefer to buy from companies whose AI is supervised and managed by human agents that can intervene as needed.

Brands need to demonstrate AI's power to every generation if they want to sway consumer sentiment toward the technology and ensure their investments in it pay off. This is especially important to business leaders who touch CX, since most consumers' first experience with business AI is via the call center or customer service. This is not something that can afford to wait: the report also revealed an enthusiasm gap for AI in customer service. While 93% of business leaders are "excited" for AI to make an impact on customer service experiences, only 53% of consumers feel the same way.

Businesses that focus on the following three priorities can build a better customer journey with conversational AI that helps bridge these gaps:

1. Put conversations at the center of your CX strategy

73% of consumers say they are more critical of how businesses interact with them than a year ago. This is why brands must focus on facilitating meaningful conversations from customer inquiries and learning from them. No matter how strong your tech stack is, it's not about the AI — it's about the conversation. When brands start putting conversations at the center of their business, its impact can be felt throughout every part of the organization.

2. Despite consumer caution — don't hit the brakes on AI

Consumer caution around AI means opportunity for your organization — opportunity to exceed customer expectations for an AI chatbot and set the standard for AI-powered customer engagement. Brands that take advantage of the AI gap now will reap the benefits of customer loyalty and get ahead of lagging competitors.

3. Build trust in AI through intuitive automation

The only way to get your customers across the AI gap is to bridge it with trust. Creating no-nonsense AI that provides fast, accurate, and reliable solutions for your customers' most significant pain points is the key to easing customers into AI. The State of Customer Conversations 2024 report found that consumers are looking for AI that is monitored by humans, built on quality business standards, limits bias, and can take direction. Listen to customer feedback and create AI solutions that solve problems — not create new ones.

Despite the “AI Gap” manifesting in several ways today, businesses that put together engaging, helpful AI-powered experiences now will open up an advantage over their competition. They can do this by using AI to better understand what their customers are saying, empower their employees, and save everyone time by speeding up resolutions and using data to continuously improve the customer experience. Customers are telling you what they feel about AI — are you listening?

About author: Nirali Amin is Senior Vice President of Global Solutions and Success at LivePerson (Nasdaq:LPSN), a global leader in enterprise conversations. She leads a team passionate about helping customers achieve their goals using conversational and generative AI, and has more than 20 years of experience in digital and AI domains working across verticals including financial services, retail, telecom, travel, automotive, and SaaS.

ChatGPT’s Revenue Might Be On The Rise But Downloads Are Taking A Hit

 OpenAI’s ChatGPT tool has been the rage for a while now. The company just celebrated one year of success and the rollout on mobile devices in May brought about a massive on the App Store too, alongside Google Play.

So while the revenue continues to surge, the same cannot be said about downloads as they are stumbling downwards.

Yes, fewer people are installing the tool and that’s shocking considering how the company had to actually suspend growth and bar downloads for the premium subscription as they simply could not handle what was taking place.

According to AppFigures data, the month of November had the company barring signups but the suspension did not last a long time. While many thought the temporary fall in downloads would not last long, recent stats prove otherwise.

It’s just a matter of a few months, not! As per recent estimates coming from App Intelligence, the revenue for ChatGPT started to rise quite fast after subscriptions went back to normal. In October, ChatGPT earned a massive $5.6 million after fees were given to the App Store.

This net revenue rose to $6.7 million in November and that went further to $7.8 million in the month after that.

So while we do agree that OpenAI lost quite a few funds during the period deemed to be a pause, this meant ChatGPT’s premium tier continues to be popular. And not fairly popular, very popular as revenue in January rose massively.

This brought the tool to the forefront where it attained a massive revenue worth $11 million. So this is not what means after both Apple and Google got their respective fees and shares.

So while that’s the good news, let’s glance over the bad news. The installations for ChatGPT have continued to surge since it was rolled out in the past year. It grew steadily, month after month as plenty of competitors from the industry arose.

It took the company a whopping seven months to attain peak figures, which were close to 19 million in downloads, starting from November. This is the same month we saw subscriptions get paused, and also start to drop.

As per the estimates, ChatGPT was installed nearly 18 million more in December and just 15 million times last month. And to be more specific, that’s a 21% fall.

This fall might not have a serious effect on revenue as the company’s conversion rates remain high for those who feel they require it. But that also puts the revenue of the future growth under scrutiny. This is very true as plenty of rivals are arising in the industry, and big names like X, formerly Twitter, and Google pick up the pace and enter the race to reach the top.