There's a lot to cover in this week's Tech Recap, with Google's AI search giving users inappropriate answers, OpenAI being accused of copying Scarlett Johansson's voice, and Microsoft unveiling a new AI PC. Without further ado, let's take a look at the top five news stories making waves in the tech world.
Top tech news this week:
1) Scarlett Johansson accuses OpenAI of copying her voice.
Earlier this week, Avengers actress Scarlett Johansson claimed that OpenAI had copied her voice for ChatGPT's “Sky” system. In response to the allegations, the Sam Altman-led company removed the ChatGPT audio in question and also said that the voice for the Sky system was not an imitation of Johansson, but rather belonged to another professional actress.
Johansson said that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman first approached her to voice ChatGPT in September 2023. However, Johansson said that despite turning down the offer, Altman continued to pursue a voice that sounded just like her for the “ChatGPT 4.0 system.”
“When I heard the demos released to the public, I was shocked, outraged and in disbelief that Altman was pursuing a voice that was so eerily similar to mine that even my closest friends and the press could not tell the difference,” Johansson said in a statement.
2) Google AI Search tells users to eat a rock:
Months after Gemini's text-to-image conversion feature caused a major controversy, another Google AI feature has landed the company in hot water: Google Search's AI Summary feature, which was introduced in the stable version of Google Search earlier this month, has been found to be making a number of questionable suggestions to users.
In response to one question, AI Search quoted a scientist from the University of California, Berkeley, who said it is recommended to eat “at least one pebble per day” because it contains minerals and vitamins that are important for digestive health.
In response to the question “cheese won't stick to pizza,” the AI ​​summary feature suggested the user add a “non-toxic glue” to the pizza to make the sauce more “sticky.” Even more shocking than this answer is the fact that the feature relied on an 11-year-old Reddit post as its source.
In a statement provided to 9to5Google, the company said that “the vast majority of our AI summaries provide high-quality information,” but that “we have seen instances where they have been falsified or are impossible to reproduce.”
“We took swift action under our content policies and are using these cases to drive broader improvements to our systems, some of which are already being implemented,” Google said in a statement.
3) Truecaller's AI-powered features can recreate your voice.
Truecaller has launched a new AI-powered “Personal Voice” feature that allows users to create a digital version of their own voice that can be used to greet users and identify the purpose of the call. The new feature, which is part of Truecaller's AI assistant, is powered by Microsoft Azure AI voice technology.
Truecaller's AI assistant has been a part of the application for some time now – it can handle tasks like answering and screening calls, taking messages, replying on the user's behalf, recording conversations, etc. But the new feature will allow Truecaller to answer calls with the user's “real” voice, instead of a synthesized voice from a digital assistant.
Truecaller said the new feature will provide callers with a more engaging experience when interacting with its virtual assistant. To use the feature, users will need to record a few seconds of their voice while the AI ​​assistant is being set up.
4) Microsoft announces AI PC and Team Copilot at Build 2024 event:
Microsoft has taken on Apple by unveiling its new Copilot AI PC, which is powered by the new ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite chipset and delivers 58% better performance and 20% longer battery life than the M3 chipset-powered MacBook Air.
The Satya Nadella-led company also announced Team Copilot, a new version of Copilot aimed at improving group collaboration, which acts as a meeting assistant and can take notes, summarize key points and track deadlines.
5) WhatsApp may introduce a new AI-assisted feature for creating profile pictures.
A WABetaInfo report earlier this week suggested that WhatsApp may soon introduce an AI-powered feature to help users create profile pictures. According to screenshots shared, users will be able to input text prompts into an AI image generator, which will then create a personalized profile picture based on the details the user enters.
The report does not reveal which AI model Meta is using to develop this feature, nor is there a firm timeline as to when this new feature will be introduced in the stable version of the WhatsApp application.
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