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NEW YORK (AP) — The maker of ChatGPT is now diving into AI-generated video. The model can also generate video from an existing still image. Getting an AI system to generate videos is newer and more challenging but relies on some of the same technology. Still, industry analysts stress the apparent quality and and impressive length of Sora videos shared so far. Although Sora's abilities have astounded observers since Thursday's launch, anxiety over ethical and societal implications of AI-generated video uses also remains.

Persons: Sora —, Sora isn't, Sam Altman, OpenAI, “, Sora isn’t, Fred Havemeyer, ” Havemeyer, “ You’re, — Forrester, Rowan Curran, Curran, “ We’re, Sora, ” OpenAI’s, Anna Makanju, Sora “, ________________ O'Brien Organizations: San Francisco, Meta, Associated Press, ” Tech, European Union, Munich Security Conference, OpenAI, Microsoft, The New York Times Locations: San, Macquarie, Providence , Rhode Island

The board of ChatGPT-maker Open AI said Friday it has pushed out its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman after a review found he was “not consistently candid in his communications” with the board. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” the artificial intelligence company said in a statement. Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, will take over as interim CEO effective immediately, the company said, while it searches for a permanent replacement. While not trained as an AI engineer, Altman, now 38, has been seen as a Silicon Valley wunderkind since his early 20s. Forrester analyst Rowan Curran said Altman's departure, “while sudden,” does not likely reflect problems with OpenAI's business.

Persons: Sam Altman, “, Mira Murati, Altman, what’s, He's, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Adam D’Angelo, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Mira, ”, Paul Graham, “ Sam, Graham, ” OpenAI, Elon Musk, Musk, Elon ”, Rowan Curran, ” Curran, Haleluya Hadero, Kelvin Chan, Michael Liedtke, David Hamilton Organizations: Associated Press, OpenAI, Economic Cooperation, Georgetown Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Microsoft Locations: openai, London, Asia, San Francisco, New York

☆ Amazon Alexa gets more human-like with generative AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Amazon’s Alexa is about to bring generative AI inside the house, as the company introduces sweeping changes to how its ubiquitous voice assistant both sounds and functions. The company announced a generative AI update for Alexa and, subsequently, of all Echo products dating back to 2014, at a press event Wednesday at its new campus in Arlington, Virginia. Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that can create new content, such as text and images, in response to user prompts. ‘Alexa, let’s chat’When Limp said “Alexa, let’s chat,” it launched a special mode that allowed for a back-and-forth exchange on various topics. Rowan Curran, an analyst at Forrester Research, said the news marks a major step forward in bringing generative AI to the home and allowing it to accomplish everyday tasks.

Persons: Alexa, Dave Limp, Limp, Rowan Curran, Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, ChatGPT, “ We’re, ” Organizations: CNN, Alexa, Amazon, BMW, Forrester Research, Big Tech Locations: Arlington , Virginia

☆ AI is a concern for writers. But actors could have even more to fear
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —How many actors does it take to make the movies and shows produced by studios and streaming services? SAG-AFTRA, the actors union that has had 160,000 members on strike since last week, is afraid that artificial intelligence will lead to far fewer employed actors in the future. And winning limits on AI is an issue for the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike against the same studios and streaming services since May 2. The fight over virtual actors and performancesComputer-generated imagery, or CGI, to create virtual actors and extras is somewhat old hat in Hollywood. “The actors and writers, they’re kind of a canary in the coal mine,” said David Gunkel, a communications professor at Northern Illinois University who tracks AI in media and entertainment.

Persons: ”, Fran Drescher, AFTRA, Tom, “, Duncan Crabtree, AMPTP, don’t, Anthony Palomba, wasn’t, Nancy Marchand, Tony Soprano’s, HBO’s, Rowan Curran, Forrester, Joshua Glick, Bard, University of Virginia’s Palomba, “ I’m, Andrea Schneider, Goldman Sachs, David Gunkel Organizations: New, New York CNN, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Alliance, Motion Pictures, Television Producers, University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, University of Virginia’s, Cardozo Law School, Northern Illinois University, UPS Locations: New York, Hollywood, Ireland

☆ TV and film writers are fighting to save their jobs from AI. They won’t be the last
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

A powerful new crop of AI tools, trained on vast troves of data online, can now generate essays, song lyrics and other written work in response to user prompts. While there are clearly limits for how well AI tools can produce compelling creative stories, these tools are only getting more advanced, putting writers like August on guard. But as part of their demands, the WGA is also fighting to protect their livelihoods from AI. Stephanie Elam/CNNWhile film and TV writers in Hollywood may currently be leading the charge, professionals in other industries will almost certainly be paying attention. “Watch this #WGA strike carefully,” Justine Bateman, a writer, director and former actress, wrote in a tweet shortly after the strike kicked off.

☆ AI and the future of work: Everything is about to change
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Suddenly, AI tools, which have long operated in the background of many services, are now more powerful and more visible across a wide and growing range of workplace tools. Google’s new features, for example, promise to help “brainstorm” and “proofread” written work in Docs. A long list of startups are also developing AI writing assistants and image generators. The pitch from tech companies is clear: AI can make you more productive and eliminate the grunt work. Curran said just how much these AI-powered tools will change work depends on the application.

Powering AI Dungeon's text-generation software was the GPT language technology offered by the Microsoft -backed AI research lab OpenAI. The high cost of training and "inference" — actually running — large language models is a structural cost that differs from previous computing booms. Many entrepreneurs see risks in relying on potentially subsidized AI models that they don't control and merely pay for on a per-use basis. Companies making the foundation models, semiconductor makers, and startups all see business opportunities in reducing the price of running AI software. "Latitude is going to continue to evaluate all AI models to be sure we have the best game out there."

☆ ChatGPT introduced AI to the masses and it's already affecting us
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Magdalena Petrova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

ChatGPT is part of a growing field of AI known as generative AI. Funding for generative AI companies reached $1.37 billion in 2022 alone, according to Pitchbook. "Generative AI is very different. But generative AI still faces a number of challenges, including developing content that is inaccurate, biased or inappropriate. Watch the video to learn more about how generative AI like ChatGPT works and what the technology may mean for businesses and society as a whole.

☆ Generative AI Startups Attract Business Customers, Investor Funding
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Angus Loten | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Based on keyword prompts, generative AI platforms can then mimic these sources to produce fanciful stories and pictures of their own. Other generative AI startups offering enterprise applications include Replikr, a New Zealand startup that uses generative AI to create customer-service avatars, and Dutch startup Musico Ltd., which can be used to create original copyright-free advertising jingles. GoCharlie.AI, an early-stage startup based in San Francisco, in May launched a generative AI marketing assistant designed to create promotional social-media posts. By promising to save workers hours of productive time creating promotional materials, the commercial value proposition around generative AI has always been clear, he said. Rowan Curran, an AI and data science analyst at IT research firm Forrester Research Inc., said he expects generative AI to impact enterprises from top to bottom.

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