What's Inside

• Meta's SeamlessM4T: A Multimodal AI Model for Speech and Text Translation

• Microsoft Paint in Windows 11 could be upgraded with AI-based features

• Meta's Thread Launching Web Version Soon

• IBM WatsonX AI to translate COBOL code to Java

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Meta's SeamlessM4T: A Multimodal AI Model for Speech and Text Translation

• SeamlessM4T is a foundational multilingual and multitask model that seamlessly translates and transcribes across speech and text. SeamlessM4T supports:

  • Automatic speech recognition for nearly 100 languages

  • Speech-to-text translation for nearly 100 input and output languages

  • Speech-to-speech translation, supporting nearly 100 input languages and 35 (+ English) output languages

  • Text-to-text translation for nearly 100 languages

  • Text-to-speech translation, supporting nearly 100 input languages and 35 (+ English) output languages. Source

Microsoft Paint in Windows 11 could be upgraded with AI-based features

Another Text to Image News, Microsoft is considering incorporating AI-powered features into Windows 11 apps, including Microsoft Paint.

The features could enable generating images from text prompts, similar to Bing's Image Creator tool. An internal mock-up showcases a "Magic Paint" button and a description-entry sidebar.

The Snipping Tool and Camera app could gain optical character recognition (OCR) technology, simplifying text extraction from images. Although it's uncertain if these features will be released, Microsoft's recent history of launching AI tools suggests it's a plausible move. Source © Windows Central

Meta's Thread Launching Web Version Soon

More Buzz about Meta - announced the launch of the web version of Threads. This move is aimed at retaining professional users and gaining a competitive edge over its rival, formerly known as Twitter.

Threads users will now have the option to access the microblogging platform via their computers, as indicated by Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed in a Threads post that the web version's availability will gradually extend to users in the coming days. This anticipated rollout is expected to broaden Threads' appeal to power users such as brands, company accounts, advertisers, and journalists.

These users will benefit from utilizing the platform on larger screens. Threads experienced a decline in popularity as users returned to the more familiar X platform after the initial surge. Source

IBM WatsonX AI to translate COBOL code to Java

• Looking to present a new solution to the problem of modernizing COBOL apps, IBM today unveiled Code Assistant for IBM Z, which uses a code-generating AI model to translate COBOL code into Java.

• Running locally in an on-premises configuration or in the cloud as a managed service, Code Assistant is powered by a code-generating model, CodeNet, that can understand not only COBOL and Java but also around 80 different programming languages.

MIT Research: Light-based machine learning may create stronger, more efficient big language models

• MIT system demonstrates greater than 100-fold improvement in energy efficiency

• 25-fold improvement in compute density compared with current systems.

• In the July 17 issue of Nature Photonics, the researchers report the first experimental demonstration of the new system, which performs its computations based on the movement of light, rather than electrons, using hundreds of micron-scale lasers. Source

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Buzz in the Business

• Nvidia shares are now up a whopping 315% since last October: No other S&P 500 company has gained more than 128% over the stretch.

• Meta confirms AI ‘off-switch’ incoming to Facebook, Instagram in Europe

• VMware Explore 2023: Innovations in Ransomware and Disaster Recovery

Product Launches

• Adobe Firefly created an AI-powered image generator and claims no artists' work was stolen in the process.

• Hypergiant acquired by Trive Capital - this acquisition provides the necessary capital for accelerated growth, according to CEO Mike Betzer in a recent TechCrunch interview.

• Cerby lands $17M to manage access to ‘nonstandard’ enterprise apps

• ElevenLabs expands AI voice: Aims to expand its AI models into voice dubbing, emulating startups like Papercup and Deepdub, to transfer emotions and intonation between languages.

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