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Snapchat's AI Makeover + The Rise of AI Voice Cloning Scams

Discover Snapchat's new AI-powered features, the future of NPUs, and how AI voice-cloning scams are on the rise.

Author

Brent Moreno
September 18, 2024

Snapchat's New AI-Powered Makeover: What You Need to Know

Image Source: Snap

Quick Byte:

Snap is giving Snapchat a major redesign and infusing more AI-driven features to enhance user experience. The updates range from fun, AI-generated selfies to a streamlined app interface, making navigation simpler for users. The changes are starting with Snapchat+ subscribers before rolling out more widely.

Key Takeaways:

  • AI-generated selfies: "My Selfie" lets Snapchat+ users create AI-powered images of themselves and friends in unique poses and situations.

  • Grandparents lens: AI can now show what users might look like in their senior years.

  • Enhanced Memories: Snapchat will add AI-driven features to enhance old snaps with new captions and effects.

  • Smarter MyAI assistant: The chatGPT-powered MyAI can now solve problems by interpreting photo snaps, like identifying plants or translating menus.

  • Redesign test: Snap is testing a streamlined, three-tab layout for Snapchat, combining conversations, Stories, and a new Watch feed for algorithmic recommendations.

Bigger Picture:

Snapchat has always been a platform that pushes creative boundaries, but its UI has historically been a pain point for many users. With these new updates, Snap is doubling down on making AI a core part of the user experience while also simplifying the app’s interface to encourage more seamless interaction. Plus, with AI’s growing role in personalization, this could give Snap a boost in competing against other social media giants.

1X World Model: Pushing the Limits of Robotic Simulation

Image Source: 1x

Quick Byte:

1X is using cutting-edge world models to help robots simulate and predict future scenarios based on their actions, improving how they interact with objects and environments. By training a simulator on thousands of hours of raw sensor data from robots performing tasks in real-world settings, 1X aims to make robots smarter, more reliable, and capable of handling complex tasks—like folding a t-shirt or avoiding obstacles. They're also launching a public challenge with cash prizes to accelerate the field of world models for robotics.

Key Takeaways:

  • World models: These AI-driven simulations help robots "imagine" how the world will react to their actions, allowing them to learn and adapt in real time without manual inputs.

  • Diverse object interactions: From moving boxes to folding t-shirts, the model can simulate interactions with rigid, deformable, and articulated objects.

  • Challenges and limitations: Current world models sometimes struggle with object coherence, physical laws, and recognizing the robot's own reflection, indicating there’s still a long way to go.

  • Open competition: 1X is releasing 100 hours of vector-quantized video data and baseline models for developers to push the boundaries of robotic simulation with a three-stage challenge offering cash prizes.

Bigger Picture:

The ability to simulate the world accurately is the next big leap for robotics. By building AI models that can predict how objects will behave and adapt to changing environments, robots will become more useful across a wide variety of industries—from manufacturing to healthcare. The 1X World Model Challenge offers an exciting opportunity for researchers and developers to be at the forefront of this transformation, accelerating the pace of innovation in robotics and bringing us closer to a world where robots are reliable partners in everyday life.

Beware of AI Voice-Cloning Scams Targeting Social Media Users

Quick Byte:

AI voice cloning is making it easier for scammers to trick people by mimicking voices from social media videos. A new study from Starling Bank shows that 28% of people have been targeted by these scams in the past year, but nearly half don’t even know this type of fraud exists. Starling is urging people to protect themselves with safe phrases and be cautious when receiving unexpected requests for money.

Key Takeaways:

  • Voice-cloning scams on the rise: Scammers only need a few seconds of voice from social media videos to replicate your voice and trick your friends and family into sending money.

  • Safe phrases to the rescue: Starling Bank suggests using a safe phrase with loved ones to verify calls before acting on any urgent requests for money.

  • Massive fraud incidents: Even major companies have fallen victim to AI-enabled scams, as seen in a Hong Kong case where deepfake tech tricked an employee into transferring $20 million.

Bigger Picture:

As AI continues to evolve, scammers are finding new ways to exploit the technology for fraud. This isn’t just a problem for big businesses—it’s hitting everyday people through voice cloning from social media posts. By being aware and taking simple steps like using a safe phrase, you can protect yourself and your loved ones from falling victim to this high-tech scam.

What the Heck is an NPU?

Quick Byte:

The future of computing is here, and it's powered by NPUs (Neural Processing Units). Think of them as specialized AI processors that handle machine learning tasks with greater efficiency. Soon, NPUs will be standard in every PC, offering faster AI performance without draining battery life or overheating your laptop. Let's dive into what NPUs do and why they matter.

Key Takeaways:

  • What is an NPU?
    An NPU is a dedicated processor optimized for AI and machine learning tasks. It’s designed to handle neural networks efficiently by processing trillions of operations per second (TOPS) while consuming less power than GPUs.

  • CPU vs. GPU vs. NPU
    The CPU handles most of your device’s tasks. The GPU is a beast for graphics and high-performance AI tasks but can be power-hungry. NPUs, on the other hand, are fast at AI processing but use much less energy, making them ideal for mobile devices and laptops.

  • Why Should You Care?
    NPUs make it possible to run AI applications locally on your laptop without relying on cloud services, saving you both bandwidth and power. They also free up your CPU and GPU, leading to overall improved system performance.

Bigger Picture:

As AI continues to evolve, NPUs will be a game-changer for both consumers and businesses. They allow for faster, more efficient AI processing, which means better tools for productivity, creativity, and even entertainment. If your business relies on AI-driven applications, having devices with NPUs will be crucial to staying competitive. Plus, NPUs reduce dependency on cloud-based AI, giving you more control over your data and cutting costs on cloud services.

LinkedIn Is Using Your Data To Train Microsoft, OpenAI And Its Own AI Models–Here’s How To Turn It Off

LinkedIn doesn’t get explicit consent for training AI, requiring users to opt out.

OpenAI just made it easier to use its 'strawberry' reasoning model for free — here's what's new

o1 is now in ChatGPT Free

Google will begin flagging AI-generated images in Search later this year

Google says that it'll roll out an update to Search to flag images that were generated or edited using AI tools.

One AI Model to Rule All Robots

A new model can operate virtually any robot design, including arms, quadrupeds, and drones

How to use GPT-o1 Preview


Authors: Shitao Xiao, Yueze Wang, Junjie Zhou, Huaying Yuan, Xingrun Xing, Ruiran Yan, Shuting Wang, Tiejun Huang, Zheng Liu
Institution: Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence

Summary:
OmniGen introduces a novel diffusion model that aims to unify multiple image generation tasks into a single framework. This model stands out by its ability to perform various tasks, such as text-to-image generation, image editing, subject-driven generation, and visual-conditional generation. Unlike other diffusion models, OmniGen removes the need for additional modules (e.g., ControlNet or IP-Adapter) for diverse conditions. The paper demonstrates how OmniGen can manage a wide range of tasks while maintaining a simpler architecture and better knowledge transfer between tasks.

Why This Research Matters:
The ability to handle multiple image generation tasks in a single model could greatly streamline the workflow for creative and practical applications in industries such as media, entertainment, and computer vision. OmniGen’s unified approach not only simplifies the image generation process but also makes it more accessible by eliminating the need for task-specific models, saving time and computational resources.

Key Contributions:

  1. Unified Model: OmniGen can perform various image generation tasks, from text-to-image to visual-conditional generation, all within a single architecture.

  2. Simplicity: Unlike existing diffusion models, OmniGen doesn’t need complex additional components for different tasks, making the entire process more efficient.

  3. Knowledge Transfer: OmniGen effectively transfers knowledge between tasks, showing potential in handling unseen tasks and domains, a step toward more general-purpose AI.

  4. Chain-of-Thought for Image Generation: Similar to how language models perform chain-of-thought reasoning, OmniGen is capable of step-by-step image generation, resembling how human artists draw.

Use Cases:

  • Creative Industries: Artists, designers, and creators can benefit from the model’s ability to edit, generate, and modify images through simple prompts without requiring multiple tools.

  • Computer Vision: OmniGen’s multi-task learning allows it to perform traditional tasks such as object detection, image inpainting, and pose recognition.

  • Research and Development: The model can be applied to develop smarter tools in AI-driven fields, improving workflows by simplifying multi-step tasks.

Impact Today and in the Future:

  • Immediate Applications: OmniGen can be immediately useful for creative professionals, cutting down on the time and tools needed for image generation tasks.

  • Long-Term Evolution: This research pushes the boundaries of unified models, setting the stage for future advancements where one AI system could handle an even wider variety of tasks seamlessly.

Sam Altman Teases New Model Orion (GPT-5)

Pap - Probably my new favorite tool. It’s free and it saves you time and money by getting you refunds on your behalf when products you buy go on sale for a lower price than you paid.

SupaDemo - AI-powered platform that enables users to create interactive product demos quickly, enhancing engagement by offering personalized features such as dynamic variables, branching, and AI-generated voiceovers.

Pinpoint - AI-powered construction estimating platform that analyzes millions of data points using advanced Machine Learning algorithms.

Creem - Smooth Payments for SaaS Revenue. Better fees and less hassle payment collector.

Tripsy - Lets you effortlessly organize activities, plan detailed itineraries, receive real-time flight updates, track expenses, view travel stats, and much more

Instacharts - Data exploration tool. Create charts, graphs & tables from your data. Share online or embed your data visualizations into webpages.

Crisis Management Plan Development Prompt:


CONTEXT:
You are Crisis Management GPT, an expert in helping businesses prepare for and manage crises effectively. You specialize in developing plans that allow businesses to respond swiftly to unexpected challenges while minimizing damage and ensuring business continuity.

GOAL:
I want to create a comprehensive crisis management plan that prepares my business for potential risks and ensures that I can respond quickly and effectively to any unexpected challenges. The goal is to minimize the impact of a crisis on operations, protect the business's reputation, and ensure smooth recovery.

STRUCTURE:
Identifying Potential Risks:
Conduct a risk assessment to identify the most likely crises that could impact the business, from financial issues to operational disruptions or public relations challenges.

Developing Response Strategies:
Create clear response strategies for each type of crisis, ensuring that the business can react quickly and minimize damage.

Communication Plan:
Develop a communication plan to ensure that customers, employees, and stakeholders are informed and reassured during the crisis.

Recovery & Continuity Planning:
Outline steps for recovery after the crisis, ensuring business continuity and minimizing long-term effects on operations.

CRITERIA FOR EACH STAGE:

Identifying Potential Risks:

Suggest 3 methods to identify potential risks and crises that could affect my business.
Provide 3 examples of common crises (e.g., financial instability, data breaches, PR scandals) and how to prepare for them.

Developing Response Strategies:

Recommend 3 key strategies for responding to different types of crises quickly and effectively.
Propose 3 internal protocols to ensure employees are prepared and know their roles during a crisis.

Communication Plan:

Share 3 steps to develop a communication plan that keeps customers, employees, and stakeholders informed during a crisis.
Offer 3 tips for managing public relations and preserving the company’s reputation during a crisis.

Recovery & Continuity Planning:

Propose 3 actions to take for business recovery after the immediate crisis has passed.
Provide 3 strategies for ensuring business continuity during and after a crisis.

INFORMATION ABOUT MY BUSINESS:

Business Type: [Describe your business type (e.g., SaaS, e-commerce, services).]
Key Risks: [Identify any specific risks your business may face (e.g., operational, financial, reputational).]
Current Crisis Plan: [If applicable, briefly describe any existing crisis management plans or procedures.]