What's new in AI - week ending April 19th

Caity Belta

Happy Friday!

Here is this week's news recap of the latest AI industry news, brought to you by folks who scroll so you don't have to. This is certainly not everything that happened this week, but it's definitely some of the things. 

1.  Zoom just got an AI update! The platform’s new features include automated transcriptions for meetings and real-time translation capabilities, making Zoom more accessible to a global audience. Zoom gets its first major overhaul in 10 years, powered by generative AI

2. Zyphra released Zamba, an open-source SSM-hybrid tool that helps put AI on resource-constrained devices like phones, IoT devices, and even wearables. Zamba also helps keep things private and safe by doing most of the work on the device itself. It's a big step in making AI easier to use everywhere without needing traditional cloud-based solutions. Zyphra releases Zamba, an SSM-hybrid foundation model to bring AI to more devices (VentureBeat)

Stray thoughts: Perhaps my fridge could let my washing machine know I'm having spaghetti marinara for dinner and adjust the wash cycle accordingly. 

3. Adobe has introduced a new feature for reading PDFs, called "Liquid Mode," which uses AI to make documents easier to read on mobile devices. This feature adjusts text size, spacing, and layout to fit the screen better, making it more comfortable for users to read without constant zooming and scrolling. However, this new tool is only available for users who subscribe to Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. Adobe's PDF-Reading AI Assistant Is Here, But It'll Cost You (Inc.)

4. Meta debuted early versions of its open source LLM, Llama 3. In the coming months, Meta will introduce new capabilities, including the ability for Llama 3 models to take in text, images, and even video, and then generate outputs in all of those different formats. Additionally, they released a new version of Meta AI, the company’s assistant, which will now be powered by Llama 3 and integrated into the search boxes at the top of WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. This integration will enable real-time knowledge from Google and Bing to enhance its responses. Meta Releases Early Versions of its Llama 3 AI Model (Inc.) 

Stray thoughts: Meta got me with that Llama branding. *shakes fist* 

5. Salesforce enhances Slack's AI capabilities with Smart Recaps and support for more languages. Smart Recaps automatically summarizes meetings and highlights key points, making it easier for users to catch up on missed discussions or reference important details. Additionally, Slack now supports seven more languages, expanding its accessibility to a broader global audience. Salesforce bolsters Slack AI with smart recaps, more languages (VentureBeat)

Which of these intrigue you the most? Comment 

Caity Belta

I'll go first - Mobile PDF viewing has been an awful user experience since....forever? I'm fairly certain my quality of life would improve slightly if viewing PDFs on mobile wasn't so awful.