The World This Week in AI (15th Oct 2024)

Elon Musk Unveils His ‘Cybercab’ Robotaxi

Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s futuristic robotaxi, the "Cybercab," at an event in Los Angeles, highlighting the company's vision for affordable, driverless transportation. The Cybercab, which features no steering wheel or pedals, will offer rides for 20 cents per mile and is expected to launch by 2027. Tesla plans to introduce autonomous technology across its lineup, potentially allowing owners to rent out their cars as self-driving cabs.

Musk emphasized the convenience and time-saving benefits of autonomous vehicles, envisioning a world where people can work, relax, or even sleep during rides. While the self-driving tech will debut in the Cybercab, Tesla is also working on a 20-seat "robovan" with a luxurious interior. However, full implementation depends on regulatory approval, starting in states like California and Texas as early as next year.

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Zoom Introduces AI Companion 2.0 With a Customizable Add-on for Personalized AI

Zoom is advancing its AI capabilities by introducing customizable AI avatars that can attend meetings and deliver messages on your behalf. To create an avatar, users will record a video that the AI will use to generate a lifelike representation in both appearance and voice. These AI avatars will work through Zoom's Clips feature, allowing brief, pre-recorded updates. Zoom has implemented security measures, including authentication, watermarking, and strict policies, to prevent misuse, such as deepfakes. The AI avatar feature will be available early next year as part of a $12 per month add-on.

In addition to avatars, Zoom’s new AI Companion add-on will expand AI integration with third-party productivity tools like Zendesk and Asana. The add-on will also introduce personalized options, such as customizable meeting summary templates. CEO Eric Yuan envisions a future where digital versions of users can handle meetings, emails, and other tasks, offering more flexibility and automation for professionals.

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Google Introduces New Way to Search by Filming Video

Google has introduced a new video-based search feature that lets users film an object, ask a question, and get instant results. This feature is available globally on Android and iPhone with the "AI Overviews" setting, initially supporting only English. By integrating AI, Google aims to make searching more intuitive, with users able to capture real-time experiences, like identifying fish in an aquarium. This builds on earlier AI tools like Google Lens, which lets users ask questions about still images.

Google also unveiled updates for shopping searches and a music-identifying tool to compete with Shazam. These advancements come as Google faces growing competition in the AI search space, particularly from OpenAI's SearchGPT, which allows chatbot-based searches. Despite these challenges, Google remains dominant, cornering over 90% of the global search market. These new features highlight its commitment to evolving search technology through AI, aiming to personalize and enhance everyday user experiences.

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Microsoft Launches New Healthcare AI Tools

Microsoft has recently unveiled new AI tools designed to enhance the healthcare sector, focusing on reducing the workload of medical professionals and improving collaboration among healthcare teams. The introduction of multimodal AI models allows for the analysis of diverse data types, such as medical images and clinical records, facilitating the development of more advanced healthcare applications. These models aim to revolutionize how hospitals manage imaging data, especially in pathology, by enabling the use of whole-slide models for better mutation prediction and cancer subtyping.

Additionally, Microsoft has introduced AI agents that can assist healthcare professionals by automating processes and answering queries with built-in clinical safeguards. These agents are particularly useful in helping doctors identify relevant clinical trials and respond to patient inquiries, streamlining their workflow significantly. While these innovations are currently in the early stages and available for testing, they reflect Microsoft's commitment to transforming healthcare through AI, positioning the company as a key player in this rapidly evolving field.

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