AI-Powered news roundup: Edition 7

Not a week goes by without dozens of artificial intelligence and generative AI articles making the headlines, and we're here to help. Our bi-weekly AI news roundup will get you up to speed with the most important developments – in less than 5 minutes.

In this edition of the newsletter:

1. Ai-powered voice to deliver Paris 2024 Olympics recaps
2. Google's Gemini AI gets integrated into Gmail's side panel
3. Claude.ai Projects to enhance team collaboration
4. ElevenLabs introduces the Reader App
5. Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro: expanded capabilities for developers
6. Figma UI3 redesign: better, simpler interface

1. AI-Powered voice to deliver Paris 2024 Olympics recaps

Source: The Verge

The upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics will, surprise surprise, showcase AI recaps narrated by a synthesized voice of famed sportscaster Al Michaels. Developed by Israeli startup AI21 Labs Labs, this technology utilizes advanced machine learning to recreate Michaels' iconic voice, providing nightly highlight reels that capture the excitement and drama of the day's events. This innovation promises to deliver personalized, engaging recaps for fans who might miss the live broadcasts.

AI21 Labs' technology not only replicates Michaels' tone and inflection but also adapts to various sports, ensuring accurate and dynamic commentary. The recaps will be available on multiple platforms, including the Olympics official app and various streaming services, making it accessible to a global audience.

This initiative reflects a broader trend of integrating AI into sports broadcasting, aiming to enhance viewer experience through real-time analysis and personalized content. As AI continues to evolve, its application in media and entertainment sectors like sports broadcasting could set new standards for how we consume and interact with live events.

2. Google's Gemini AI gets integrated into Gmail's side panel

Source: Google Workspace Updates

Google has announced the integration of its Gemini AI directly into the side panel of Gmail, enhancing user productivity with advanced AI-powered features. This update brings a suite of tools designed to streamline email management, improve communication, and increase overall efficiency for Gmail users.

Gemini AI offers intelligent email categorization, prioritizing important messages while filtering out less relevant ones. Additionally, it provides smart reply suggestions and predictive text, facilitating quicker and more efficient responses. The AI also assists with drafting emails, offering contextual suggestions and correcting grammar and spelling errors in real-time.

Beyond email management, Gemini AI integrates seamlessly with Google Workspace applications, allowing users to create and edit documents, schedule meetings, and manage tasks without leaving their inbox. This interconnected functionality aims to reduce the time spent switching between apps and streamline workflow processes.

Available to both personal and business accounts, the Gemini AI update is rolling out gradually, with users able to access these features directly from the Gmail side panel. This integration underscores Google's commitment to leveraging AI to enhance user experience and productivity across its suite of tools.

3. Claude.ai Projects to enhance team collaboration

Source: Anthropic

Anthropic has introduced 'Projects' for Pro and Team users of Claude.ai , designed to streamline workflows by organizing chats and knowledge into one place. This feature allows users to share and collaborate on their best interactions, enhancing idea generation and decision-making.

Powered by the advanced Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Projects support a 200K context window—equivalent to a 500-page book—enabling comprehensive integration of documents and insights. Users can also define custom instructions for each Project, tailoring Claude’s responses to specific needs and accelerating task completion.

The 'Artifacts' feature further aids collaboration by displaying generated content like code snippets, documents, and designs alongside user chats. Shared project activity feeds inspire team innovation and improve skills through collective knowledge.

4. ElevenLabs introduces the Reader App

Source: ElevenLabs

ElevenLabs has launched the ElevenLabs Reader App, a new tool that allows users to listen to any text content using high-quality voices. Ideal for commuters, the app turns articles, PDFs, ePubs, newsletters, and other texts into audio, expanding the scope of audio content beyond traditional podcasts and audiobooks.

Key Features:

• High-Quality Voices: Access an extensive and growing library of voices to match any content, mood, or occasion.
• Versatile Text Conversion: Convert various text formats into audio, making it easier to consume information on the go.
• User-Friendly Interface: Designed for seamless use, ensuring a smooth listening experience.

Beta testers have praised the app for its exceptional enunciation, tone, and fluidity, highlighting its usefulness for reviewing documents, catching up on reading, and even assisting those with visual impairments.

Upcoming Features:

• Offline Support & Sharing: Download content for offline listening and share audio snippets.
• Multilingual Support: Expand the app to all 29 languages supported by ElevenLabs' Multilingual model.
• Enhanced Content Integration: Add content through RSS feeds, AI summarization, and more.

The app is currently available for free on iOS, with an Android beta version also open for testing. The app is available for iOS users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. ElevenLabs’ Reader App will launch globally soon.?

Download the ElevenLabs Reader App it on iOS here or join the Android waitlist here.

5. Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro: Expanded capabilities for developers

Source: Google AI Blog

Google's latest update for Gemini 1.5 Pro introduces several powerful features, including a groundbreaking 2 million token context window, code execution capabilities, and the addition of Gemma 2 in Google AI Studio.

Key Features:

• 2M token context cindow: Now available to all developers, this feature significantly expands the amount of contextual information the model can handle. Compared to Claude's 200K token window, Gemini's context window is ten times larger, allowing for more detailed and complex inputs.
• Context caching: Helps manage input costs by storing repeated tokens across multiple prompts, making the use of large contexts more economical.
• Code execution: Enables the model to generate and execute Python code, improving its ability to handle mathematical and data reasoning tasks. This feature runs in a sandbox environment with essential numerical libraries, enhancing the model's accuracy and efficiency.
• Gemma 2 in Google AI Studio: Provides developers with hands-on access to Google’s open models, allowing for experimentation and integration via API keys.

Applications of Gemini 1.5 Flash:

• Envision: Helps visually impaired users understand their surroundings in real time through an app or smart glasses.
• Plural: Assists NGOs and policy enthusiasts by summarizing complex legislation documents.
• Zapier: Uses the model’s video reasoning capabilities to automate video editing tasks.
• Dot: Leverages the model for summarization, filtering, and re-ranking tasks, aiding in the development of personalized AI systems.

Future Developments:

• Text Tuning: Expected to enhance production robustness and reliability, this feature will be gradually rolled out, providing developers with more control and customization options.

These advancements reflect Google’s commitment to making AI tools more powerful and accessible, setting the stage for innovative applications across various industries. For more details, join the conversation on the Google AI developer forum.

6. Figma UI3 redesign: better, simpler interface

Source: Figma Blog

Figma's UI3 redesign focuses on enhancing the user experience by maximizing canvas space and simplifying the interface. The update introduces resizable panels, a bottom toolbar, and improved properties panel, ensuring a clutter-free workspace.

The redesign aims to balance the needs of new users and professionals while supporting modern design practices like AI-assisted features and reusable components. This redesign lays a foundation for Figma's evolving ecosystem, fostering a cohesive and adaptable toolset for designers.

Figma AI has been integrated into Actions, offering swift access to powerful tools designed to streamline your workflow. These features facilitate quick completion of time-consuming tasks, such as finding specific components or generating text and images, all without interrupting your ongoing projects.