New AI gear includes a pin to replace your smartphone and Elon Musk's answer to ChatGPT

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The future of artificial intelligence may be in the palms of our hands: Humane, a startup founded by former Apple employees, has unveiled a wearable, screenless device that purports to streamline tasks with AI. The product’s launch was part of what experts say was arguably the most momentous week for AI since last year’s launch of ChatGPT. Today we’re spotlighting the new developments to plug you into the tech race and see where it may be headed.

WHAT IS AN AI PIN?

• Humane’s new Ai Pin is a small blinking gadget that attaches to clothing. It’s aimed at eventually replacing smartphones, offering the ability to answer calls and perform various tasks without having to hold a clunky device. It makes up for the lack of a screen by projecting a display onto the user’s hand.
• The company says it features a handful of AI-powered tools, including the ability to search, send messages and manage email clutter.
• To achieve this, the Ai Pin is packed with depth and motion sensors and features an ultra-wide camera.
• There are some big concerns: “Always-on AI that collects and processes data will really take a leap of faith from society which at present most are unlikely to take,” says an analyst at ABI Research. A more basic concern is battery life – Humane promises all-day, but experts are anxious to see how it holds out with the array of functions promised.

• The Ai Pin goes on sale in the US this week, starting at about $700.

GTPs vs GROK

• Last week, ChatGPT maker OpenAI hosted its first developer conference, unveiling a series of AI tool updates, including the ability for developers to create their own “GPTs” – custom versions of the groundbreaking generative AI tool.?
• OpenAI says GPTs can help with a range of activities like math tutoring, marathon training or designing stickers – no coding experience necessary. OpenAI is also rolling out a GPT Store this month to allow GPTs to become searchable. The company says developers will be able to earn money based on how many people use their GPT.
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also showed off GPT-4 Turbo, the latest version of the technology that powers ChatGPT. He says it now can support input equal to about 300 pages of a book – roughly 16 times longer than the previous iteration.
• The arrival of Grok: As OpenAI touted a beefed-up ChatGPT, Elon Musk announced Grok, a rival chatbot developed by his startup xAI. Musk co-founded OpenAI but stepped down as chairperson five years ago partly over disagreements about the company’s direction. “Grok is designed to answer questions with a bit of wit and has a rebellious streak, so please don’t use it if you hate humor!” xAI says of the new creation.
• Musk says Grok is trained by having “real-time access” to information from X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that Musk bought a year ago.
• Musk says Grok is still in the early stages of testing but will soon come to X’s Premium+ service in the US, which includes features such as the blue checkmark for $16 a month.

AI ARMS RACE SPEEDS UP

• Experts say last week’s explosive developments are indicative of the speed with which the AI market is moving, as major tech companies continue to invest in and expand their AI applications.
• Amazon is reportedly investing millions in training an AI tool code-named “Olympus,” which is expected to have double the data parameters of ChatGPT’s new upgrade.
• YouTube is testing AI tools that answer questions about content, makes recommendations and summarizes topics in the comment sections of videos.
• While not all companies will create huge AI models, many will continue to build smaller and specific ones to improve their products, automate tasks and gain a competitive edge, says an analyst at research and advising firm Gartner.

SECURITY WORRIES

• Two days after the developer conference, OpenAI experienced large-scale outages to its services, which it later attributed to potential targeted attacks on its servers. The company told CNN no user information was compromised.
• US lawmakers are raising questions about the use of AI in certain fields. Last week a Senate subcommittee held a hearing about the emerging tech’s use in health care, during which expert witnesses called for new protections to reduce the risk of “malicious and consequential misuse of AI-enabled biology.”
• Developers could inadvertently introduce biases into the models that are being developed in AI health care systems, Thomas Inglesby, the director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told senators. He also urged policymakers and firms to ensure that privacy is protected so that individual patient information is not inappropriately accessed or shared publicly.

What concerns do you have about the increasing use of AI? Are you worried about privacy if it means swapping your smartphone for something more seamless? We’d love to hear your take in the comments section below.

Other stories people are clicking on today:

Speaker test: House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing his first major test with just four days to avert a government shutdown. Johnson unveiled a two-part funding plan this weekend but already faces opposition because it doesn’t include the deep spending cuts that far-right GOP members have been holding out for. As of now, enough Republicans have come out against the plan to block it unless some Democrats get onboard – and it didn’t end well for former GOP Speaker Kevin McCarthy when he went the bipartisan route.

Traffic trouble: Los Angeles’ traffic woes just got a lot worse. A downtown portion of Interstate 10 is closed indefinitely after a fire at a storage yard over the weekend spread under the freeway, which normally sees more than 300,000 vehicles every day. Residents got an alert ahead of this morning’s commute to “expect significant traffic,” and the mayor said the issue “is not going to be resolved in one or two days.”

Scott drops out: Republican Tim Scott is suspending his presidential campaign. The South Carolina senator failed to gain traction in the primary, and his presidential prospects dimmed notably in recent weeks, beginning with his super PAC's move to pull its ads.

Shots fired: A US Secret Service agent on the security detail of President Biden's granddaughter shot at individuals trying to break into a government vehicle in Washington, DC, CNN has learned. The individuals fled, and no one is believed to have been hurt. The Secret Service and DC police are investigating.

Sex assault conviction: Former fashion mogul Peter Nygard has been found guilty of four counts of sexual assault in Toronto. Five women accused him of attacking them during a series of incidents in the 1980s to mid-2000s. Nygard, 82, also could be extradited to the US on an indictment accusing him of preying on young, sometimes underage women by promising them money, drugs and a modeling career. A spokesperson for Nygard denied the claims and said they’re meant to hurt his business.

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