META LANGUAGE MODEL
Instagram’s 90-minute video bet could soon take it into direct confrontation with YouTube
Instagram is testing videos of up to 90 minutes with select creators in the US and Brazil as it looks to expand beyond short-form content and compete with YouTube and OTT platforms for viewers and advertising budgets. The move could bring podcasts, comedy specials and episodic shows to the platform, with creators using Reels to attract viewers to longer videos. Instagram is also working on a TV version of Reels to tap into connected TV (CTV) audiences. No India launch timeline has been announced.
ByteDance prepares Meta's Muse-like agent in push to close AI gap
ByteDance is preparing to release an AI assistant similar to Muse by Meta Platforms soon. Co-founder Zhang Yiming has shared his vision of competing with companies like Anthropic and OpenAI by 2030. The company intends to invest up to $70 billion in developing the Seedance video AI platform.
Meta unveils India pricing for AI agent Muse ahead of local launch
Meta has announced the pricing details for its AI companion, Muse, in India. The subscription options are set at ₹1,799 for the 'Power' tier and ₹8,999 for the 'Maximum' tier. Users currently outside supported markets can register via a VPN. Muse aims to enhance user experience by integrating with various Meta services, positioning itself against local competitors like Instinct, available worldwide.
Indian organisations on edge as sites fail to Captcha AI intruders
Personal AI agents such as Instinct, Muse, Grokbot and OpenClaw have taken over the consumer internet in the US. But last month, major US banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley, reportedly flagged AI agents such as Meta’s Muse accessing customer accounts using login credentials voluntarily shared by users laying bare the risks of handing AI agents the keys to consumers’ digital lives.
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s 10-year-old daughter vibe-codes several creations, including a messaging app, apps similar to GeoCities and a game inspired by FarmVille, with each project also featuring its own marketing and sales plan
Maxima Zuckerberg, daughter of Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, is interested in artificial intelligence and software development. She is currently experimenting with vibe-coding, which uses natural language to create software with AI tools. While her parents support her enthusiasm, they have imposed restrictions on developing online projects. Priscilla Chan specifically did not allow Maxima to create a dating website due to safety concerns.
AI shopping agents could threaten Amazon and Walmart's ad business
Retail powerhouses Walmart and Amazon are also the world's two largest retail media businesses, dominating the estimated $74.4 billion in US retail media spending with a combined 88% share of that market, according to projections from data firm Emarketer. But digital assistants could soon disrupt that business.
Dashverse shuts DashReels, seeks $40 million for AI push
The Bengaluru and San Franciscobased startup is pitching its businessto-business software platform, Frameo AI, to prospective investors as it moves away from acquiring and monetising viewers through its own app. The proposed fundraise is at an early stage, the people said.
China's CXMT to start advanced AI memory production despite poor yields
The decision highlights China's intense shortage of the AI memory chips, which are essential to a government-backed push to develop domestic alternatives to Nvidia's AI processors at scale amid US curbs on access to foreign-made technology.
AI companies turn to religion for moral guidance, but experts warn of oversimplification
As technology companies focus on developing powerful artificial intelligence, they are increasingly seeking religious guidance. Executives are collaborating with philosophers and faith leaders to navigate ethical challenges. Many warn that simplifying religion into rules may ignore its cultural complexities. Scholars express concern that this approach could distort certain traditions while favoring others. The ongoing dialogue raises important questions about how AI should reflect diverse moral viewpoints.
GTPL Hathway begins publishing TV viewership data from 10,000+ set-top boxes
GTPL Hathway has introduced audience viewership data for TV channels through its set-top boxes across various markets. This is an industry first and adheres to the guidelines from the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. It uses return path data to derive insights without collecting personally identifiable information from subscribers.
X Community Notes 'failed' to flag US election falsehoods, study says
A crowd-sourced verification system used by Elon Musk's X failed to flag a vast majority of false claims related to the US midterm elections -- including those promoted by the billionaire -- a study said Wednesday. "X's crowdsourced fact-checking program failed to flag 93.1 percent of false claims related to the US midterm elections," NewsGuard said.
Anthropic, music publishers square off on 'fair use' defense in AI copyright case
US District Judge Eumi Lee did not rule at a hearing in San Jose but pressed both sides on the fair use question, which could be key to dozens of other high-stakes copyright infringement cases in the AI era.
Amazon says its AI chips will work with popular coding language, challenging Nvidia
Amazon has unveiled TorchNeuron, a revolutionary tool that enables PyTorch code to be executed seamlessly on its Trainium AI chips. This innovation claims to minimize the need for extensive code alterations, making integration easier for developers. Over 30 early adopters have attested to remarkable cost efficiencies, prompting industry giants like Nvidia and Google to amp up their own offerings.
AI agents are only as good as the personal information you share, and that raises privacy concerns
Many have welcomed AI agents into their online lives, and raved about how personalized assistants like Muse can handle everyday tasks with ease - from snagging a dinner reservation or planning a trip, to organizing email inboxes. But like other AI bots, the agents are only as good as the information they have access to. They perform better the more they know about a user - and perhaps also that person's friends, family and even colleagues. That raises privacy concerns.
India’s family offices bet on homegrown AI firms to gain ground
India’s tech landscape is witnessing an influx of investments from family offices and wealthy individuals. Key players like Premji Invest and Claypond Capital are funding promising AI startups. With at least six companies achieving unicorn status, the environment for AI is becoming increasingly supportive. This shift highlights the need for sustained investment in India’s AI ecosystem. The growth potential is significant, despite challenges in funding and competition.
Sarvam plans big fundraise; HCLTech's Q2 profit jumps
Happy Tuesday! Sarvam is in talks for a big round that could double its valuation to $3 billion. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
AI startup Sarvam in talks for $300 million top-up; valuation may double to $3 billion
The startup builds Indian-language AI models and applications for government agencies and businesses, including banks and insurers. Its customers include Life Insurance Corp. of India, SBI Life, IDFC First Bank, Tata Capital and Cred. Maharashtra has approved deployment of Sarvam’s Indus AI workspace across departments for drafting, translation and document analysis, with government data hosted within India.
USA Today vs OpenAI: Key questions over ChatGPT training data, news copyright and whether publishers should be paid for their work
USA Today Co has initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI over alleged unauthorized use of its copyrighted articles. The complaint claims OpenAI used hundreds of thousands of articles for training its AI models. USA Today Co seeks damages exceeding $250 million along with an injunction to stop the infringement. This case reflects a larger legal struggle between media publishers and technology companies regarding copyright use.
US government, Google join Zuckerberg-backed Biohub in $1.8 billion push for AI biology data
The US government and tech heavyweights Meta Platforms and Google parent Alphabet are joining nonprofit Biohub to build open datasets to train AI models for biological reasearch, bringing total investment in the effort to $1.8 billion, Biohub said on Wednesday.
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