It was only back in November 2022 when OpenAI released ChatGPT which quickly became a hit registering 100 million users in just two months since its launch. ChatGPT is a trained chatbot capable of interacting conversationally with users. The conversational AI became the rage on the internet with various companies jumping on the trend and releasing their own versions of a similar AI. Now, OpenAI is ready to release the next generation large language model (LLM), GPT-4 as soon as next week. Interestingly, while ChatGPT is restricted to answering user questions in a text format, the next generation of the language model might have the ability to generate AI-powered videos, images, and more!
GPT-4 on the way
The fourth generation of the LLM, GPT-4 is likely to be released next week by OpenAI. This time around, multimodality, video processing, ability to produce AI-generated videos from simple text prompts are among some of the new features. It will reportedly be more powerful than GPT-3.5 which currently powers ChatGPT. Besides multimodality, GPT-4 may also solve ChatGPT’s current issues regarding sluggish response time to user queries.
Reportedly, OpenAi might also be working on a mobile app powered by GPT-4. As of now, even ChatGPT is a web-based model having no mobile application. It is highly likely that GPT-4 will make its way to Bing search eventually, however, both Microsoft and OpenAI have not hinted towards it as of now.
On the other hand, the Bing search engine with ChatGPT capabilities has now surpassed 100 million daily active users. The integration of ChatGPT features has allowed the company to grow Bing search usage within a month like never before. Reports suggest that roughly one-third of daily Bing preview users are using the AI chat on a daily basis. The AI race only seems to gear up right now as even Discord has updated its bots with ChatGPt-like features.
AI has been the talk of the town lately thanks to ChatGPT bringing it to the forefront. AI is now capable of generating human-like conversations which in itself is a trip, but that’s not all as the technology is helping automate various tasks in day-to-day life. Sure, there is a flip side to this AI development as concerns about it replacing many human jobs stand strong. However, its jaw-dropping abilities in the current scenario are worth acknowledging. Just when humanity was catching up to AI being able to have casual conversations with real people, researchers have now revealed that the technology can generate images based on people’s brain activity!
AI images from brain activity
Sounds like science fiction, but researchers have successfully trained an artificial intelligence system to recreate images people have looked at based entirely on brain scans. Researchers Shinji Nishimoto and Yu Takagi from Japan’s Osaka University have recreated Hi-Res images from scans of brain activity. The study held at Osaka University suggests that AI algorithm processed information gathered in different regions of the brain that are responsible for perceiving images. The system interpreted information from the occipital and temporal lobes of the brain via fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans of the brain.
When people look at any image, the temporal lobes register information about its content, whereas the occipital lobes record layouts and perspective. All of this information was recorded using an fMRI that can detect the changing blood flow to the active regions of the brain. The recorded information can then be converted into an imitation of the image according to the researchers. The study was backed by an online data set provided by the University of Minnesota which consisted of brain scans of four people who each viewed over 10,000 pictures.
While this is a big achievement in the world of AI and the technology shows a lot of promise, it still has some limitations. The AI can only recreate images or objects included in its training material which includes data from only four people. Broadening the module will require it to include individual brain scans which is a time-consuming process. As of now, this technology will not be widely accessible anytime soon.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 will go down in history as one of the busiest mobile conventions in several years. The pandemic surely took a toll on in-person events like CES and MWC in the past few years but 2023 saw a complete turnover. This year the MWC attracted over 88,500 attendees from 202 countries. GSMA Ltd’s CEO, John Hoffman revealed in an official statement that the support from partners, businesses, and policymakers exceeded their hopes and expectations. The vibrant display of mobile technology featured more than 2,400 exhibitors and over 1,00 speakers and thought leaders. With a saturation of almost every key player in the mobile industry, it was natural that the MWC brings about a slew of announcements and developments.
Be it Google, OnePlus or Motorola, MWC 2023 saw big brands making bigger splashes in the mobile arena. Granted, not all companies introduced new devices as they focused on the advancement of mobile technologies. However, these developments are worth looking out for tech enthusiasts out there. Here is Exhibit’s special recap of (almost) everything showcased at the MWC 2023 –
Xiaomi
Xiaomi brought its A-game during the MWC 2023 as it not just announced the global launch of the Xiaomi 13 smartphone series but also its Wireless AR Glass Discovery edition. Firstly, the company introduced the extensive lineup of the Xiaomi 13 smartphone series including Xiaomi 13, 13 Pro, and 13 Lite. Interestingly, only the Xiaomi 13 Pro has made its way to India at a price tag of Rs 79,999 and the rest of the lineup is yet to be announced in the country. The Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses won’t be making it to the market anytime soon as they are a concept pair. They offer an immersive AR experience free of any wires and dongles. They feature two Micro OLED screens with a free-form light-guiding prism module that projects content in front of your eyes. The glasses are cool and futuristic, and we definitely cannot wait to see them in action.
OnePlus
OnePlus is currently basking in the glory of its recent OnePlus 11 series launch which is making waves around the world. OnePlus purists are happy at the company’s return to its roots offering flagship killer devices at competitive pricing. Adding ‘Cool’ to the fire, OnePlus introduced a new concept device which brings a closed-loop liquid cooling system to smartphones. OnePlus is calling this new cooling system ‘Active CryoFlux’ and claims the system can reduce the device temperature up to 2.1 degrees. The Active CryoFlux system is based on a ceramic piezoelectric micropump which circulates fluid through a series of tubes. The back cover of the concept phone is aesthetically pleasing as it allows users to see the tubing underneath which has been illuminated. OnePlus emphasized device cooling by introducing a 45W external liquid cooler which attaches to a smartphone and improves heat dissipation. The company claims that the external liquid cooler can reduce the phone temperature by 20 degrees. OnePlus has not announced whether it will be using the Active CryoFlux system in a production smartphone as not every concept makes it to the end consumer.
Google
Google was not expected to bring the heat with new hardware at MWC but it surely surprised everyone by announcing new Android features. Google introduced features page zoom on Chrome for Android and noise cancellation in Google Meet. Previously, if users were to pinch-to-zoom on Android, it would pinch the entire page. As of now, Chrome Beta users can pinch-to-zoom and only increase the size of the text, images, video, and more while still retaining the original page layout. Other features include freehand PDF annotations in Drive, faster pairing of earbuds on Chromebooks, Tap-to-pay animations in Wallet, new sounds and display mode for Wear OS and much more.
Motorola
Motorola had fans surprised as they unveiled their latest innovation at this year’s MWC. Motorola introduced the Moto Rizr at MWC which quickly became one of the most talked-about devices from the entire event. Moto Rizr is the world’s rollable smartphone featuring a 5-inch display that can be rolled up to a 6.5-inch display with just two taps. The device sticks to Moto’s staple pOLED display which expands vertically. The basic idea behind the device is to allow users to have a compact phone which can be extended when they need more screen space for content consumption, gaming and much more. Readers should note that the Moto Rizr will not be making its way to the market anytime soon as it is a prototype device.
TCL
Though TCL is not a big player in the Indian market, it holds a significant position on the global stage. At MWC 2023, TCL announced a bunch of budget devices exclusive to the US market and two new 11-inch tablets. The TCL 40 X brings capable specifications like Dimesnity 700, a 6.5-inch 90Hz LCD display and a 50MP primary camera at the price of $200. The company also introduced its cheapest 5G device with TCL 40 XE priced at just $170. All the new mobile devices introduced by TCL feature a waterdrop notch putting them in the budget category for the US market.
Tecno
Who would have thought that Tecno will take away all the attention from legacy players in the mobile arena? With its debut appearance at the MWC, Tecno debuted all guns blazing showcasing two new smartphones including the company’s first foldable smartphone, the Phantom V. The Tecno foldable device is also the world’s first foldable device to feature a left-right foldable design boasting the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chipset. The smartphone also sports a 5-lens camera system featuring a 50-MP primary sensor coupled with two lenses at the back and the front. It also introduced the MegaBook S1 laptop with 13th Gen Intel Core processors. Additionally, Tecno left no tables unturned unveiling TWS earbuds, a Wi-Fi security camera, and a Wi-Fi router at MWC.
OPPO
While the Find N2 Flip was OPPO’s premiere device to showcase at the MWC, it also unveiled a number of IoT devices like a Wi-Fi 6 router, Zero-Power Tag, MariSilicon Y Bluetooth audio SoC, Air Glass 2, and much more. The Find N2 Flip marks OPPO’s first-generation flip device featuring a 3.26-inch cover screen. It features a Hasselblad camera branding similar to the OnePlus flagship devices. One of the key elements of the N2 Flip is that it folds flat when closed. This ensures that nothing gets in between the screen when the device is in your pocket. The device comes with a large battery capacity and charges at 44W. While foldable devices are clearly a niche amongst tech enthusiasts, having more options never harmed anyone.
Realme
Realme launched its latest flagship device, the Realme GT3 at the MWC 2023. The GT3 comes equipped with 240W charging prowess making it one of the fastest charging devices in the world. It offers the maximum charging power possible under USB-C standards as it is equipped with three maxed-out charging chipsets which work together in achieving 240W charging power. Realme claims that the device’s 4600mAh battery can be charged up fully in just 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
Honor
Honor may have fallen in trouble in China and US legislations but that did not stop the company from bringing in the heat at the MWC. Honor took the stage to announce the global launch of its premium lineup – Magic5 Pro and Magic5. Both devices are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and support 66W wired charging. Honor also launched its first foldable device outside China titled – Magic.
OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT has been making waves on the internet ever since it launched back in November 2022. The conversational AI has been the talk of the town gaining 100 million users in just two months since its release. What followed was a number of tech giants releasing ChatGPT-like services be it Microsoft’s revamped Bing search or Google’s Bard. Where other tech companies are struggling to implement AI properly in their systems, OpenAI is well ahead of the curve and will be making the ChatGPT tool available to companies to incorporate into their own apps.
ChatGPT for companies
OpenAI is swiftly moving into the next phase of the ChatGPT expansion offering paid access to businesses and developers who want to use the software’s ability to answer questions and generate texts in their own applications and products. Customer’s in near future will be able to hook their apps into ChatGPT’s programming interface. This will give them access to ChatGPT 3.5 model which OpenAI itself uses at a cost 10 times lower than the company’s existing model. Shopify, Snap, and Instacart are some of the companies that are already using ChatGPT API in their products.
While ChatGpt has undoubtedly become the best-known chatbot AI on the internet, the company needs to figure out how to accelerate its growth in revenue. Back in January 2023, OpenAI negotiated Microsoft Corp.’s investment in the company reportedly adding $10 billion. In February, OpenAI introduced a waitlist for companies and developers who want to use ChatGPT in their own applications and started selling a premium version to individuals.
Instamart, USA’s largest online grocery-delivery company will be implementing ChatGPT into its online application. Customers will be able to ask the app to suggest healthy options for kids and also provide recipes. However, one subjective concern with ChatGPT implementation for consumer apps will be its integration into customer services.
The Mobile World Congress is underway in Barcelona right now with a number of new developments in the world of smartphones being announced left and right. It was OnePlus that unveiled its OnePlus 11 Concept device which made waves on the internet. TECNO also announced its entry into the foldable phone market with PHANTOM V Fold. While smartphone leaders around the world brought their A-game revealing hardware updates to their devices, Nothing went a different route and `used MWC as an avenue to meet with vendors and other big names in the industry.
Nothing Phone (2) with Snapdragon 8 series SoC
Nothing’s Carl Pei announced at the Mobile World Congress that the Nothing Phone (2) will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 series processor. This will mark the company’s first device to feature the flagship-level SoC as the Nothing Phone (1) rocked the midrange Snapdragon 778+ chipset. During the same announcement, Nothing CEO Carl Pei also revealed that the company would be launching a new product next month. Given Nothing’s track record, we won’t be surprised if it’s a new TWS.
Along with a better chipset, the Nothing Phone (2) will be getting a proper release in the US this time around, something that was not done for its predecessor. Carl shared that the US market was the company’s top priority going forward. The Nothing Phone (2) should arrive sometime late in 2023. During his conversation at the MWC, the Nothing CEO also talked about the OnePlus 11 Concept phone mentioning the device’s illuminated cooling liquid. Carl Pei also acknowledged a small company named UniHertz that has developed a ‘carbon copy’ of the Nothing Phone (1) stating he is interested in checking that device out. However, when it comes to the upcoming Nothing Phone (2), I am convinced it won’t feature the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as the company would have chosen to reveal that right away. I believe the company will go for the 8+ Gen 1 platform or lower to keep the prices competitive.
OnePlus has been in an interesting spot lately with the launch of its OnePlus 11 series. The company seems to be getting its footing back after at least two turbulent years. The launch of the OnePlus 11 and 11R saw the return of the company to its original form offering flagship devices at competitive pricing. Sure, the launch of the OnePlus 11R pits the company against its very own flagship OnePlus 11 but that is something tech enthusiasts are not complaining about. besides, having a tablet and a foldable mobile device under its kitty for a near future launch, the brand is surely gearing up to make a full comeback in its best form. Building upon the momentum, OnePlus today unveiled its OnePlus 11 Concept device at MWC Barcelona.
OnePlus 11 Concept device
This won’t be the first time OnePlus dived into the concept phones arena as it previously developed the ‘OnePlus Concept One’ device which featured a disappearing camera. With the introduction of the OnePlus 11 Concept, the company aims to redefine industry standards when it comes to device cooling. The company has introduced a new cooling system titled – Active CryoFlux and the entire emphasis seems to be on this technology this time around. In simple terms, the Active CryoFlux technology brings PC-like liquid cooling to mobile devices, which is ‘cool’ to say the least. OnePlus has managed to fit two micropumps around the device’s camera region which suck the heat generated from its chipset. The heat is then dissipated via icy-cold liquid flowing through visible pipelines at the back of the device.
Picture Credit: Phone Arena
The company claims this new cooling tech allows the device to game efficiently with temperatures decreasing up to 2.1 degrees Celcius allowing the frame rate to increase by 3-4 FPS. On the other hand, the cooling tech has also been integrated during device charging where the temperature of the device is brought down by up to 1.6 degrees. As it is a concept device, the OnePlus 11 Concept will not be up for sale.
Large Language Models (LLMs) have taken over the tech industry by a wave in the last few years. These language models have been trained on a vast amount of data capable of performing various tasks. These tasks range from summarizing text and writing essays or poems to generating AI art prompts. One prime example of such LLMs is OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has overtaken the literary world. To the unversed, ChatGPT is a dialogue-based AI chatbot that can have conversations with users, answer questions, solve mathematical queries and much more. The AI race is gearing up quickly in the form of chatbots with various chatbot AIs popping up on the internet.
Interesting Fact: Right now a chatbot AI named ‘Gita GPT‘ is making waves in India where users can ask the AI questions and receive answers in the context of the Holy Bhagwad Geeta.
As the AI war heats up a key player in the tech industry i.e. Meta has stepped in and released a large language model for researchers.
Meta steps in the AI race
Meta Platforms Inc recently revealed that it’s releasing a new large language model to researchers. The model, titled ‘LLaMA’ is intended to help scientists and engineers explore the application of AI such as answering questions and summarizing documents. The new model has been developed by Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team which was established nearly a decade back in September 2013.
LLaMA is not ChatGPT or Bing Search alternative, which means it is not a system that users can hop on and have conversations with. Rather, it is a research tool which Meta believes will democratize access to AI in a fast-changing field. In simple terms, LLaMA has been made public to help experts dish out problems with AI language models in general. In recent times, there have been reports about Microsoft’s Bing search AI giving passive-aggressive and factually incorrect responses. LLaMA has been publicised to help solve issues like those.
Meta announced its new language model in a blog post writing – “We believe the entire AI community — academic researchers, civil society, policymakers, and industry — must work together to develop clear guidelines around responsible AI in general and responsible large language models in particular, given their centrality in many downstream language applications. A much broader segment of the AI community needs access to these models in order to conduct reproducible research and collectively drive the field forward.”
Google Docs, Drive, and Sheets are among the most popular online productivity tools. These tools have been continuously updated with new features and enhancements to help users work smarter, faster, and more efficiently. According to a new report, Google is giving a fresh makeover to Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides with Google’s Material Design 3.
Google’s Workspace apps are getting a makeover, and the new design will borrow a lot from Gmail’s recently upgraded look. The toolbar and comments area seem to be getting additional dark colours from the search engine giant to stand out against the white style. With the latest version, the Share button now has more rounded edges.
The business has also improved Drive to make it easier for consumers to execute frequent tasks. After the revamp, users will see Share, Download, and Delete Multiple Files at Once in-line whenever they hover over a file in their Google Drive. The new interface will enable users to filter their content by type, owner, and last edited date using a search chip option, providing them with faster and more efficient access to their files.
The technology giant has announced additional smart chip functions to assist users in making data-driven decisions. Smart chips have a reputation for providing consumers with context-setting data straight from Sheets. Google is expanding the categories of data and information accessible throughout Workspace to help various projects.
Google has announced several new features to be released on its interface in the coming weeks, including Custom Building, Calendar Invite Template, Variables, Emoji Voting chips, and third-party smart chip capabilities. These updates are expected to enhance user productivity and provide a more efficient and effective working experience.
YouTube has once again hit the experimental phase where it is trying out something new. Gone are the days when social media and video platforms’ best performance was experienced by all users. Now, a big chunk of features gets blocked by a paywall where users have to shell out a monthly or a yearly fee to get the best features from their favourite platforms. It was the much-talked-about Twitter Blue subscription back in 2022 and 2023 started with Meta announcing its very own paid verification service that brings a higher set of features. Now, YouTube has decided to reserve a higher bitrate 1080p resolution for its paying users only.
YouTube tests higher bitrate for premium users
One YouTube user recently posted a screenshot on Reddit which shows the ‘1080p Premium’ option sitting right over the ‘standard’ 1080p option for video resolution. The option is currently available for a small group of YouTube Premium subscribers according to the company’s spokesperson Paul Pennington. As reported by The Verge, the 1080p Premium is an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p that provides more information per pixel which results in a higher-quality viewing experience. According to Pennington, there are no changes in the existing quality offerings for the 1080p resolution on YouTube. In the past, there have been reports that YouTube may be locking 1080p 60fps videos behind the Premium paywall which was a concern for many.
It was not long ago when YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki resigned from her position thus a change in the company’s strategy in the near future is inevitable. YouTube Premium currently costs Rs 129 per month through a subscription plan and Rs 139 per month as an individual plan. The years plan for the Premium YouTube experience is currently Rs 1,290. The benefits of YouTube Premium include ad-free videos, background playback, and offline video downloading, along with YouTube Music Premium. As of now, YouTube Premium and Premium reportedly have over 80 million paid subscribers. YouTube currently has over 2 billion users with 42.9% of global Internet users accessing it monthly.
Only a few months back in November 2022, Meta sacked roughly 11,000 employees from its global workforce. Firing 13 per cent of its global workforce made Meta the company to fire the most employees in 2022 followed by Twitter which sacked 5,000 of its workforce. Now, nearly just four months after the massive layoffs, Meta is gearing up to lay off thousands of employees soon.
Meta layoffs
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram is planning to lay off thousands of its employees soon as reported by The Washington Post. The new set of layoffs is said to disproportionately impact non-engineering roles. it is also reported that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is currently deputising lawyers, financial experts, top executives and human resources employees to draw up plans to deflate the hierarchy within the company. Back in November 2022, Meta cited that overhiring and poor macroeconomic conditions were the reason behind the mass layoff. It will be interesting to see what reason is cited by the tech giant for the fresh round of layoffs.
It is expected that Meta will be citing a similar reason for the layoffs and additional mitigating costs amid falling revenue will also be one of the reasons for the layoffs. The reports reveal furthermore that Meta is considering rather traditional spending cuts by slashing some projects. These cuts will be targeted at divisions across the company and will happen gradually.
As per reports, the development about the upcoming layoffs comes days after it was reported that the company purposely gave ‘subpar ratings’ to thousands of employees during their performance review. On the other hand, Meta seems to be desperately trying to increase revenues with its verified subscription plans.
