OpenAI has a competitor?
OpenAI has some competition with a new Parisian AI startup, iPhone 15 seems to have its overheating issues resolved and snapchat potentially faces a fine from UK data watchdog.
OpenAI has a competitor?
Mistral AI, a Paris-based startup, has recently garnered attention with the release of its groundbreaking language model, Mistral 7B. Despite being a mere six months old, the company managed to secure a record-breaking $118 million in its seed round, marking the largest seed funding in European history. Their innovative Word Art logo is just a glimpse of the creativity and technological prowess they have showcased.
The above logo is literally their logo, you love to see it!
Founded by distinguished alumni from tech giants like Google's DeepMind and Meta, Mistral AI's primary objective is to harness AI for practical enterprise applications, utilising public data and customer contributions. Their newly introduced Mistral 7B, a 7.3 billion parameter model, is a testament to the company's capabilities. Notably, it surpasses even larger models in performance, such as Meta's Llama 2 13B. Its multifaceted design allows it to handle tasks in English and coding simultaneously, catering to a plethora of enterprise-specific needs. Furthermore, Mistral AI has taken a generous approach by open-sourcing Mistral 7B under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing developers and enterprises to adapt and deploy the model without any constraints.
iPhone 15’s cooldown
Apple's recent iOS 17.0.3 update seems to have addressed more than just the widely discussed overheating issue. A less-publicised problem that caught the attention of YouTuber Phone Repair Guru and repair conglomerate iFixit was a glitch related to the iPhone 15's front-facing camera. When the camera module of one iPhone 15 was exchanged with that of another, it malfunctioned. iFixit attributed this anomaly to Apple's serialisation policy, which essentially "pairs" specific components with the device's logic board. This means that even identical parts from the same model can't be swapped without hindering some features unless Apple's proprietary calibration tool is utilised. However, Ricky Panesar of iCorrect has found a potential workaround. After updating to iOS 17.0.3, the previously disabled camera features in a repaired iPhone 15 were restored.
The broader context sees Apple in the crosshairs of the repair community for its stringent serialisation practices. Such practices hinder the use of even genuine Apple components unless paired correctly. Recent developments like Apple's reversal on California's right-to-repair bill SB 244, which mandates more accessible device repairs, have put the tech giant's repair policies under scrutiny. While it remains uncertain whether this update signifies a shift in Apple's approach or is just a mere bug fix, the overarching sentiment is clear: consumers and repair experts believe that genuine parts shouldn't necessitate navigating through Apple's intricate repair maze. Panesar articulates this sentiment aptly, suggesting that devices should be able to recognise and approve genuine components, while potentially restricting features for non-authentic parts.
Snapchats Oversight?
Snapchat is potentially facing a hefty fine from the UK's Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) due to concerns surrounding its AI chatbot, My AI. The preliminary enforcement notice issued by the ICO alleges that Snapchat failed to sufficiently evaluate the privacy risks that My AI could pose to its users, especially the younger demographic. With a significant user base of 21 million monthly active users in the UK, almost half of which are aged 24 or under, and 18% aged between 12 to 17, the potential exposure to privacy risks is concerning. John Edwards, the information commissioner, expressed his apprehension over Snap's (Snapchat's parent company) alleged oversight in assessing the privacy implications for children and other users prior to the launch of My AI. While the findings remain provisional, the ICO has given Snap until 27 October to present its case before a conclusive decision is made.
The ramifications for Snapchat could be substantial if the ICO's final verdict is against them. A conclusive enforcement notice would necessitate Snap to halt all data processing related to My AI, effectively blocking the service for its UK users until a comprehensive risk assessment is conducted. The ICO, while primarily focused on ensuring user privacy and compliance of My AI, also holds the authority to impose a fine amounting to 4% of Snap's global turnover, which could translate to a staggering £17.5 million. Powering the My AI service is the cutting-edge GPT technology by OpenAI, marking a significant incorporation of generative AI in a major UK messaging platform. Snap, on its part, maintains that the My AI feature underwent a rigorous legal and privacy review prior to its public launch and has expressed its commitment to working closely with the ICO to address the concerns raised.
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