NEWS
►Meta plans launch of new AI language model Llama 3. Meta Platforms, is planning to release the newest version of its artificial-intelligence large language model Llama 3 in July which would give better responses to contentious questions posed by users, The Information reported.
►Google Genie lets users generate AI outputs resembling video games. Generative AI developers at Google DeepMind have taken on the world's highest grossing entertainment industry with the introduction of "Genie." The new artificial intelligence system from Google researchers can create playable worlds resembling video games from images and text prompts. Genie is not available to the public yet.
►Meta's first true AR glasses to be revealed this year. Meta is set to reveal its first "true" augmented reality glasses this fall at the company's Connect event for third-party developers, according to Business Insider. While Meta reportedly wants to have a working demo of the glasses for reveal later this year, a consumer version available for purchase is still likely several years away.
►A virtual drawing studio for Meta Quest. Gesture VR is a drawing app with an emphasis on figure drawing. It offers artists a private virtual drawing studio where beginners and professionals can practice and improve their drawing skills anywhere at any time. Artists can choose to draw either on a digital 2D paper pad or in the 3D space around them. The app is releasing this month on the Quest Store.
►Elon Musk sues OpenAI for abandoning original mission for profit. Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has sued ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, saying they abandoned the startup's original mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity and not for profit.
►Meta and LG Confirm Partnership to “Accelerate XR Business”. LG announced a collaboration with Meta focused on strengthening the XR business of both companies. According to the announcement, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met at LG’s Seoul headquarters with top executives, including William Cho, CEO and Park Hyoung-sei, President of the company’s Home Entertainment division. As for the conclusion of the meeting and newly announced partnership, “LG envisions that by bringing together Meta’s platform with its own content/service capabilities from its TV business, a distinctive ecosystem can be forged in the XR domain, which is one of the company’s new business areas,” the announcement reads.
►Nokia’s Technology Strategy. Nokia’s Technology Strategy 2030 report focuses on building a future network architecture to serve the emerging innovations market. Nokia anticipates a 22%–25% increase in network demand from 2022 through 2030. Federico Guillén, president of network infrastructure at Nokia, attributed the rise to the recent mainstream introduction of generative AI and virtual reality devices.
► Honda unveils Honda XR Mobility Experience. Honda will bring its XR Mobility Experience to SXSW 2024 in Austin, Texas on March 10 to 13, 2024. This experience will combine the UNI-ONE powered-wheelchair with virtual reality goggles. This allows users to navigate virtual worlds while rolling about in reality for a heightened virtual experience. The XR experience will be an exploration of the potential uses of the wheelchair for virtual reality and extended reality entertainment.
►Apple reportedly expands Vision Pro production capacity. According to a report from independent tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, US demand for the $3,500 mixed reality headset has slowed over the past month, however the company may be ramping production above original estimates thanks to better-than-expected market performance. US shipments of Vision Pro are projected to account for 200,000–250,000 units this year, which is better than Apple’s alleged estimate of 150,000–200,000 units in the US.
PERSPECTIVE
►Trends and predictions for XR in 2024. We have entered a new cycle for immersive realities. Something new has started, and it is not clear where it will lead us, but this new cycle will be an important step for immersive realities. One of the most encouraging signs of this new cycle is that all the big players are now in the immersive realities field. There’s a new optimism around XR: if all the major players are entering the field again, it means that something big is cooking.
►How Selective Forgetting Can Help AI Learn Better. A team of computer scientists has created a nimbler, more flexible type of machine learning model. The trick: It must periodically forget what it knows. And while this new approach won’t displace the huge models that undergird the biggest apps, it could reveal more about how these programs understand language.
