Apple has introduced its new AI-powered Writing Tools in the iOS 18.1 developer beta, providing users with the ability to reformat or rewrite text using Apple’s AI models. However, the tool warns that AI-generated suggestions might not be of the highest quality when dealing with certain sensitive topics. Users will see a message alerting them when attempting to rewrite text containing swear words, references to drugs, or mentions of violence, indicating the tool wasn’t designed for such content.
Despite the warnings, the AI tool still offers suggestions even when encountering restricted words or phrases. During testing, replacing a swear word with a milder term resulted in the same AI-generated suggestion. Apple has been asked to clarify which specific topics the writing tools are not trained to handle, but no further details have been provided yet.
Apple appears to be exercising caution to avoid controversy by limiting the AI’s handling of certain terms and topics. The Writing Tools feature is not intended to generate new content from scratch but rather to assist in rewriting existing text. Apple’s cautious approach aligns with its history, as seen when it finally allowed autocorrect to learn swear words in iOS 17 after years of restrictions.
The release of these AI features also coincides with Apple’s alignment with OpenAI for future AI innovations and its support for the Biden administration’s AI safety initiatives. These steps underscore Apple’s commitment to responsible AI development while providing advanced tools to its users.
Once a leader in the computer chip industry, Intel, has faced significant challenges adapting to the AI era. Seven years ago, Intel had an opportunity to invest in OpenAI, a then-emerging non-profit focused on generative AI. Discussions between the two companies explored various investment options, including a $1 billion stake and hardware manufacturing deals, but Intel ultimately decided against it.
CEO Bob Swan doubted the near-term market viability of generative AI models, leading to the decision not to invest. OpenAI sought the investment to reduce reliance on Nvidia chips and develop its own infrastructure, but Intel’s data centre unit was unwilling to produce hardware at cost. Since then, OpenAI has launched ChatGPT and achieved a valuation of around $80 billion, marking a significant missed opportunity for Intel.
The decision was part of a series of strategic missteps that saw Intel fall behind in the AI chip market. The company’s stock recently plummeted, marking its worst trading day since 1974 and valuing it at under $100 billion for the first time in three decades. In contrast, rivals like Nvidia and AMD have surged ahead, capturing significant market share with AI-optimised GPU technology.
Despite recent efforts to catch up, such as developing the Gaudi AI chip and acquiring startups like Nervana Systems and Habana Labs, Intel still lags behind competitors. The company’s previous focus on CPUs over GPUs, which are better suited for AI tasks, has left it struggling to compete in the rapidly growing AI market.
An upgraded version of the Titan Image Generator has been introduced by Amazon, now available to AWS customers through the Bedrock generative AI platform. Titan Image Generator v2 offers enhanced capabilities, allowing users to guide image creation using reference images, edit existing visuals, remove backgrounds, and generate variations.
The new model can intelligently detect and segment multiple foreground objects. Users can now generate images based on a colour palette and shape their creations using the image conditioning feature. This model supports image conditioning by focusing on specific visual characteristics such as edges, object outlines, and structural elements. Fine-tuning with reference images, like a product or company logo, ensures consistency in the generated images.
AWS remains vague about the data used to train Titan Image Generator models, citing a mix of proprietary and licensed data. Many vendors keep training data details secret due to competitive and legal concerns. AWS offers an indemnification policy to cover customers in case of any copyrighted content being unintentionally reproduced by the model.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy expressed strong confidence in generative AI technology, despite increasing costs and enterprise hesitation. He highlighted the rapid growth potential of generative AI, emphasising its future development primarily in the cloud.
An up-and-coming startup company from Poland has secured over 2 million Polish zloty (464 thousand euros) in investment from AIP Seed and co-investor Marcin Zukowski. The funding will support Revoize’s mission to enhance real-time online communication by improving audio quality using Generative AI.
Founded by Stanisław Andrzej Raczyński, Revoize’s technology transforms poor-quality recordings into professional, studio-quality audio, making remote interactions as effective as face-to-face meetings. The platform supports all valid audio formats and processes files at a 44.1 kHz sampling rate. Currently available as a free beta offering 60 minutes of audio enhancement per month, Revoize is also working on developing an API.
AIP Seed, which invests in early seed and pre-seed stages, offers up to €200K alongside co-investors, focusing on startups in Central and Eastern Europe. The firm provides comprehensive support through eight Competence Hubs, addressing critical areas such as marketing, AI, finance, and legal guidance. As AI startups face financial constraints and merge with tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon, innovations in Generative AI, such as Meta’s Audiocraft for audio and music creation, continue to emerge.
Chinese internet technology company ByteDance has launched an AI video app named Jimeng AI, developed by its subsidiary Faceu Technology. Move like this one places ByteDance in direct competition with other Chinese tech firms and OpenAI, known for its ChatGPT model. The app, available on Apple’s App Store in China, was released on Android on 31 July.
Since the introduction of OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video model in February, several Chinese companies have developed similar tools. Kuaishou recently launched its Kling AI model globally, requiring only an email for registration. Additionally, Chinese AI startup Zhipu AI released its Ying model, followed closely by another startup, Shengshu, with its Vidu app.
Jimeng AI, operated under ByteDance’s Jianying business known for its CapCut app, offers users the ability to create AI-generated videos based on text prompts. Subscriptions are priced at 69 yuan monthly, 79 yuan for a single month, or 659 yuan annually, providing users with up to 168 AI videos per month.
This latest development signifies ByteDance’s commitment to expanding its AI capabilities and competing in the burgeoning text-to-video market. With the increasing interest in AI video generation, more companies are expected to introduce similar models to capture a share of this innovative market.
Alliant Energy has secured several power supply agreements with data centres in Iowa and Wisconsin, as confirmed during a recent post-earnings call. The rise in popularity of AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT has spurred the demand for high-performance data centres, necessitating substantial electricity to process large volumes of data.
The company has been actively working to attract new customers in both states, successfully signing multiple deals with data centres. These agreements highlight Alliant Energy’s strategic efforts to expand its customer base amidst the growing data demands driven by advanced AI technologies.
Despite these new deals, Alliant Energy reported a decline in second-quarter profit, impacted by a settlement agreement related to its Interstate Power and Light unit’s retail electric rate review. This led to a pre-tax non-cash charge of $60 million in the second quarter.
The company’s quarterly adjusted profit for its utilities and corporate services segment fell by 13.8%, equating to 56 cents per share, compared to the previous year. Overall profit for the quarter ended June 30 was $87 million, down from $160 million a year earlier.
Taco Bell is expanding AI voice technology in its drive-thrus to hundreds of US locations by the end of this year, according to parent company Yum! Brands. Customers at these locations may soon interact with a computer instead of a human when placing their orders, a move aimed at freeing up employees for other tasks and improving sales.
The expansion follows Taco Bell’s successful testing of AI at 100 locations across 13 states, which reportedly led to greater order accuracy, happier employees, and shorter wait times. This contrasts McDonald’s, which recently abandoned similar AI technology after customer complaints about incorrect orders.
‘Yum! Brands’ chief innovation officer, Lawrence Kim, expressed confidence in their approach, which involved two years of testing and improvements. Kim assured that AI would not replace human jobs but enhance the work experience by allowing employees to focus on priority tasks. He also highlighted the technology’s potential for broader applications across other Yum! Brands chains, including Pizza Hut, KFC, and The Habit Burger Grill.
Meta has informed investors that its heavy investments in generative AI won’t yield revenue this year but are expected to pay off in the long run. Founder Mark Zuckerberg explained that Meta is preparing for future computing needs, particularly its next AI model, Llama 4, which will require significantly more computing power than its predecessor. Despite the high costs, with capital expenditures projected to reach up to $40 billion this year, Meta aims to position Llama 4 as the industry’s most advanced model by next year.
CFO Susan Li acknowledged during the earnings call that generative AI would not contribute to this year’s revenue. However, she emphasised that Meta’s AI infrastructure is designed to be flexible and multifunctional, capable of supporting various AI needs, including content ranking and recommendations. Meta’s existing AI tools have already enhanced user engagement on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and new video recommendation tools have further boosted interaction with features like Facebook Reels.
Zuckerberg also discussed AI’s potential to transform Meta’s advertising business. He predicted that AI would eventually handle tasks like writing personalised ad copy and managing campaign objectives, simplifying the process for advertisers. This vision aligns with Meta’s broader strategy of leveraging AI to improve user experience and business outcomes.
Why does this matter?
Despite significant losses in its Reality Labs division, which focuses on metaverse-related technology, Meta reported solid financial performance. The company showed robust growth with quarterly revenues of $39 billion and net income of $13.5 billion. Additionally, Meta’s daily user base reached 3.2 billion, and its new social media app, Threads, is nearing 200 million monthly active users, contributing to investor confidence and a rise in Meta’s share price.
Meta’s AI ambitions have received a significant boost from WhatsApp’s 500 million users in India. During Meta’s second-quarter earnings call, CFO Susan Li highlighted that India has become the largest market for Meta AI usage, a remarkable achievement given the product’s recent launch. Users in India have generated billions of queries, showing high engagement and retention, particularly on WhatsApp.
Meta AI was initially launched in the US and expanded to India and over a dozen other countries with the upgraded Llama 3 model. Despite initial cultural challenges, such as generating images and jokes that were culturally insensitive, Meta has adjusted its algorithm to suit the Indian market better. Additionally, the AI now supports multiple languages beyond English, including Hindi and Spanish, broadening its accessibility.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasised the increasing computational demands for future AI models, stating that training the upcoming Llama 4 model would require nearly ten times the computing power used for Llama 3 and so demonstrating Meta’s commitment to advancing its AI capabilities.
Apart from AI, Meta’s social networks also show promise. The Threads platform is nearing 200 million users, and Facebook usage among young adults in the US is rising, indicating continued growth and engagement across Meta’s suite of products.
India’s central bank proposed new guidelines on Wednesday to allow a broader range of authentication methods for digital transactions. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) aims to enhance security by incorporating alternatives like fingerprints, passwords, and personal identification numbers (PINs) as additional factors of authentication.
Currently, text-based one-time passwords are the primary method used for authorising digital payments in India. The RBI’s draft circular suggests introducing other options such as passphrases, card hardware, or software tokens to verify users’ identities. This move is part of a broader effort to reduce fraud and cybercrime.
The proposal aligns with India’s broader technological initiatives, including the allocation of $1.24 billion for AI infrastructure and the introduction of biometric passports. Additionally, India has mandated USB-C ports for smartphones and tablets to curb e-waste, reflecting the country’s commitment to digital and tech security, as well as environmental sustainability.
