Hashtag Trends Podcast, December 14, 2023 – This week: Google Gemini launches, Beeper Mini stops working, a French AI startup called Mistral AI and a hybrid biocomputer called Brainoware.
Please note that Hashtag Tendances will be paused for the next two weeks due to the holidays.
We'll be back for you on Thursday, January 4th.
Introducing Google Gemini
Last week, Google announced Gemini, a family of multimodal AI models that it hopes can compete with OpenAI's GPT-4, which powers the paid version of ChatGPT. According to Google, Gemini “exceeds current state-of-the-art results on 30 out of 32 academic benchmarks commonly used in large language model research and development.”
A specially adapted English version of its medium Gemini model is now available in more than 170 countries as part of the Google Bard chatbot, but not in Canada, the EU or the UK.
Like GPT-4, Gemini is multimodal. This means it can handle text, code, images and even audio. The goal is to create a type of artificial intelligence that can precisely solve problems, give advice and answer questions in a wide range of areas, from everyday to scientific. Google says this will usher in a new era of computing and hopes to tightly integrate the technology into its products.
Google says Gemini will be available in three sizes: Gemini Ultra (“for highly complex tasks”), Gemini Pro (“suitable for a variety of tasks”) and Gemini Nano (“for tasks on a device like the Google Pixel 8″).” ). The complexity of each differs by the number of parameters. More parameters means a larger neural network, which is generally better at performing more complex tasks but requires more computing power. This means that Nano, the smallest version, is designed for local execution is designed for consumer devices, while Ultra can only run on data center hardware.
Beeper Mini no longer works
Beeper, a startup that reverse-engineered Apple's iMessage app to create Beeper Mini, an Android app for communicating with Apple users via iMessage, suffered an outage shortly after launch. And it looks like Apple may be to blame, TechCrunch reports. Users with access to the app were seeing error messages when attempting to send text messages through the new Beeper Mini and the messages were not being forwarded. The error message reads: “Server search failed: search request has expired” in red font.
In response to a TechCrunch query about whether Apple had found a way to stop the Beeper Mini from working, Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky replied: “Yes, all the data points to it.” »
The latter also argued that Beeper Mini is not only beneficial for Android users who finally want to join their friends' group chats on iMessage, but that it also increases security for iPhone users.
However, Apple considers iMessage to be one of the most important tools for retaining users in its ecosystem, which is why it does not offer an iMessage app for Android. Although there was some hope that European regulations could force iMessage to be more interoperable, recent reports suggest that iMessage will be exempt from these rules because the service is not popular enough among professional users.
A French AI startup called Mistral AI
French startup Mistral AI has officially closed its Series A funding round. The company has raised 385 million euros. According to Bloomberg, the company is now worth around $2 billion.
Mistral AI had already raised $112 million less than six months ago to create a European competitor to OpenAI. Co-founded by Google graduates DeepMind and Meta, Mistral AI works on fundamental models with an open technological perspective.
In September, Mistral AI launched its first model called Mistral 7B. This large language model is not intended to compete directly with GPT-4 or Claude 2, as it was trained on a “small” data set of around 7 billion parameters.
Instead of allowing access to the Mistral 7B model via APIs, the company made it available for free download for developers to run on their devices and servers.
The model was released under the Apache License 2.0, an open source license that imposes no restrictions on use or reproduction beyond attribution. Although the model can be run by anyone, it was developed behind closed doors using a proprietary, undisclosed data set.
Mistral AI has also played an important role in shaping discussions around European AI law. The French startup is pushing for a complete exemption from basic models, saying regulations should apply to use cases and companies working on products used directly by end users.
A hybrid biocomputer called Brainoware
Researchers have built a hybrid biocomputer that combines lab-grown human brain tissue with conventional electronic circuits and can perform tasks such as speech recognition.
This technology, described in Nature Electronics 1, could one day be integrated into artificial intelligence systems or form the basis for improved models of the brain in neuroscience research.
Researchers call the system Brainoware. It uses brain organoids – bundles of tissue-like human cells used in research to model organs. Organoids are made from stem cells that can specialize in different cell types. In this case, they have been converted into neurons, similar to those we find in our brains.
To create Brainoware, researchers placed a single organoid on a plate with thousands of electrodes to connect brain tissue to electrical circuits. They then converted the input information into a pattern of electrical impulses and transmitted it to the organoid. The tissue response was captured by a sensor and decoded using a machine learning algorithm.
To test Brainoware's capabilities, the team used the technology to recognize speech by training the system on 240 recordings from eight people. The organoid produced a different pattern of neural activity in response to each voice. The AI learned to interpret these answers to identify the speaker with 78% accuracy.
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Hashtag Tendances, December 7, 2023 – New materials, microrobots, Spotify cuts and fundraising for X.AI
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Hashtag Tendances, November 23, 2023 – Crisis in OpenAI, Microsoft chips and big investments in Quebec for Microsoft
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