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AI is ‘a new kind of digital species,’ Microsoft AI chief says

Also: Studio Ghibli fans reject 'live action' AI renditions of 'Spirited Away' characters

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AI KATANA
April 22, 2024

Hi!

In today's newsletter, we explore diverse perspectives on AI's impact across different sectors. Microsoft's AI chief, Mustafa Suleyman, at TED 2024, heralded AI as a "new kind of digital species," envisioning a future marked by personalized AI counterparts enhancing productivity in critical fields like healthcare and education. Meanwhile, Studio Ghibli enthusiasts have expressed disapproval of AI-generated live-action renditions of "Spirited Away," viewing them as lacking the soul of Miyazaki's original creations. In the corporate realm, SoftBank announces a significant investment to boost its AI capabilities, while Cognizant and Microsoft are expanding their partnership to foster generative AI adoption across enterprises. Additionally, the phenomenon of AI boyfriends in China reflects growing social reliance on AI for emotional support, demonstrating AI's nuanced role in modern lifestyles. Together, these developments highlight AI's transformative potential and the complex ethical and social dynamics it engenders across the globe.

Sliced:

  • 🤖 AI is ‘a new kind of digital species,’ Microsoft AI chief says

  • 🇯🇵 Studio Ghibli fans reject 'live action' AI renditions of 'Spirited Away' characters

  • 💵 SoftBank to spend $960m to boost computing power for generative AI

  • 🆕 Cognizant and Microsoft announce global partnership to expand adoption of generative AI in the enterprise

  • 🇨🇳 Young Chinese women are resorting to AI boyfriends for better communication

In a recent talk at TED 2024, Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's AI chief, described AI as a "new kind of digital species," highlighting its emergence as the most consequential wave of creation since the start of life on Earth. Suleyman emphasized the need for appropriate analogies to convey AI's potential, moving beyond the simplistic label of "tools" to better reflect its capabilities and the safety measures required to harness this potential responsibly. He envisions a future where everyone, from individuals to governments, is represented by "personal AI," characterized as infinitely knowledgeable and reliable. Suleyman posits that if AI's potential is even partially realized, it could significantly enhance productivity in diverse fields such as healthcare, education, and climate solutions, potentially marking the upcoming decade as one of the most productive in human history.

The recent viral presentation of Studio Ghibli's iconic "Spirited Away" characters through AI-generated live-action renditions has sparked significant controversy among the film's fanbase. These AI recreations, which aimed to reimagine the film's beloved characters such as Yubaba, Chihiro’s parents, No-Face, and others for a hypothetical live-action version, were introduced online by artist Liber. Despite garnering millions of views and likes across social media platforms, the renditions were criticized for failing to capture the essence and emotional depth of the original animation, with some fans and critics deeming them disrespectful to the film's director, Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki himself has been a vocal critic of AI in creative processes, famously denouncing AI-generated art as "an insult to life itself," reflecting a broader debate on the role of AI in art and creativity.

SoftBank, the Japanese telecom giant, is set to invest 150 billion yen ($960 million) by 2025 to substantially enhance its computing capabilities, aiming to develop and refine world-class generative AI technologies. This initiative will position SoftBank among the top in Japan in terms of computing power. The investment will primarily fund the acquisition of advanced GPUs from Nvidia, which will be used not only for SoftBank’s projects but also to support other companies. This strategic move is part of SoftBank's broader goal to create a Japanese-language-specific AI that can compete globally. Additionally, the company plans to develop a high-performance large language model (LLM) with 1 trillion parameters by next year, following the completion of a model with 390 billion parameters this fiscal year.

Cognizant and Microsoft have announced a significant expansion of their partnership aimed at bolstering the adoption of generative AI within enterprises, enhancing operational efficiency, and fostering cross-industry innovation. This collaboration leverages Microsoft's Copilot technologies and Cognizant's digital transformation services to provide strategic business transformation opportunities, potentially impacting a wide range of industries. As part of this initiative, Cognizant has acquired 25,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot seats to enhance employee productivity and customer experiences. Furthermore, the partnership is designed to help deploy Copilot solutions to over a million users across Cognizant's extensive client network, potentially accelerating AI adoption significantly. The combined efforts are anticipated to contribute to substantial economic growth, with generative AI expected to add significant value to the GDP in both the United States and India.

In China, young women are increasingly turning to AI-based companionship apps like Glow, Weiban, and Wantalk, to find comfort and connection amid their fast-paced and isolated urban lifestyles. The Glow app, developed by the Shanghai-based startup MiniMax, offers user-friendly interfaces for interactive and sometimes romantic exchanges with AI chatbot boyfriends. Despite concerns over data privacy with Chinese tech companies, the apps are popular for their ability to provide empathetic and tailored interactions, often seen as more understanding and accommodating than human partners. Users like Tufei appreciate the AI's capacity to offer comfort during physical or emotional distress and its adaptability in conversation, which improves over time by recalling past interactions.

🛠️ AI tools updates

GitLab has recently launched its Duo Chat feature as part of the GitLab Duo Pro add-on, enhancing its suite of DevSecOps tools with AI integration. This chat interface facilitates communication across different stages of the software development lifecycle, offering features like code explanation, refactoring, and automated test generation to improve developer productivity and code quality. Recognizing the importance of security, especially as AI tools often have access to sensitive data, GitLab has introduced robust AI privacy controls for its Premium and Ultimate users, enabling detailed control over sensitive data at various organizational levels. These enhancements come amid increasing reliance on AI tools in software development, aiming to provide a more secure, efficient, and user-friendly development environment. Additionally, GitLab is planning future updates that will include model personalization and options for self-hosted model deployment to offer users even greater control over their AI security measures.

💵 Venture Capital updates

The Pentagon has committed a substantial $53 billion to technology firms, focusing on AI innovations, between 2019 and 2022. This funding, channeled to both established Big Tech entities and rising Silicon Valley startups, highlights a strategic push to integrate advanced AI-driven technologies in military applications, such as cloud computing and AI-driven military technologies. Companies like Amazon and Microsoft have received significant contracts, exemplified by Amazon's $10 billion deal with the NSA for cloud services. This extensive investment not only continues the long-standing relationship between the Pentagon and Silicon Valley, dating back to the Cold War, but also marks a modern shift towards engaging a new generation of tech firms and smaller startups, driven by venture capital interests.

🫡 Meme of the day

⭐️ Generative AI image of the day