This week, AI was in the headlines again, with tech giants Google, Microsoft, IBM and AWS all making big moves in the field. From generative AI to advanced foundation models, and from conversational AI to ML-powered fulfillment, the tech world is abuzz with AI advancements. If you’re curious to learn more about the latest AI news, then this blog post is for you. We’ll explore the top five stories of the week of February 6, and discuss why AI is becoming increasingly important in the tech world.
Microsoft’s Search Reimagined with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Generative AI
Microsoft announced this week that it is “going to move fast” with the launch of a reimagined Bing search engine, Edge web browser and chat powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and generative AI. The new Bing for desktop is available on a limited preview, and a mobile version is expected to launch in the coming weeks. The search engine is running on a new, next-generation language model, Prometheus, which is more powerful than ChatGPT and customizable for search. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the partnership the “beginning of a new era” with the aim to get AI into the hands of more people.
Cohere AI Offers Natural Language Processing Powered by Large Language Models
Cohere AI is an OpenAI and Google rival that offers developers and businesses access to natural language processing (NLP) powered by large language models (LLMs). The company’s platform can be used to generate or analyze text for writing copy, moderating content, classifying data and extracting information — all at a massive scale. There are rumors that Cohere is in talks to raise a funding round in the hundreds of millions.
Amazon Leverages ML to Improve Fulfillment Efficiency
Amazon customers have high expectations for ultrafast delivery, and Amazon uses Amazon Monitron, an end-to-end machine learning (ML) system, to detect abnormal behavior in industrial machinery and provide predictive maintenance. As a result of the technology, Amazon has reduced unplanned downtime at the fulfillment centers by nearly 70%, which helps deliver more customer orders on time.
Google’s Bard Conversational AI Search Tool Powered by LaMDA Model
Google has declined to offer much new information about its Bard conversational AI search tool powered by the LaMDA model. After Microsoft’s event, Google shares plunged 8%, and Google will initially release Bard with a lightweight, modern version of LaMDA to trusted testers before launching more broadly.
IBM Builds AI Supercomputer to Serve as Foundation for Foundation Model-Training
IBM announced this week that it has built out its AI supercomputer to serve as the foundation for its foundation model–training research and development initiatives. Named Vela, it’s been designed as a cloud-native system that makes use of industry-standard hardware, including x86 silicon, Nvidia GPUs and ethernet-based networking. The software stack that enables the foundation model training makes use of a series of open-source technologies including Kubernetes, PyTorch and Ray.
As you can see, AI is becoming increasingly important in the tech world. From generative AI to ML-powered fulfillment, and from conversational AI to foundation model-training, the possibilities are endless. If you want to stay up to date on the latest AI news, be sure to check out all the on-demand sessions from the Intelligent Security Summit here.