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What’s happening in AI right now

The AI art aesthetic: convergence, concerns, and creativity

Midjourney's canvas revolution

Midjourney, a leader in AI image generation, has launched a powerful new web-based interface featuring a canvas editor that significantly enhances user control and precision in AI art creation. This update, which includes a unified "Create" tab, improved image generation speed, and expanded access for subscribers, represents a major leap forward in user-friendly AI art tools. However, as AI art platforms evolve, a curious phenomenon has emerged: despite the variety of generators available, AI-produced art is converging on a distinct aesthetic pattern.

This convergence is characterized by vibrant colors, idealized figures, and dramatic lighting, raising questions about the creative limitations of current AI systems. As the market for AI art generation shifts towards integration into existing platforms, exemplified by X's recent launch of an AI image generator, the uniformity in AI art aesthetics may become increasingly apparent.

AI driven content creation

The rise of AI in creative fields is not limited to visual arts. In a controversial move, Cosmos Magazine replaced freelance writers with AI-generated content without informing them, sparking debates about transparency, ethics, and the future of content creation in the media industry.

The rise of AI driven content creation extends beyond journalism. In the entertainment industry, SAG-AFTRA actors are on strike against video game companies, demanding protections against AI replication of their performances without consent. This strike highlights the physical demands of motion capture work, the nuanced performances that are difficult for AI to replicate, and the potential impact on entry-level opportunities in the industry.

The "move fast and break things" philosophy in AI

Eric Schmidt's recent comments at Stanford University touched on the idea that some startups are using copyrighted content without permission to achieve rapid success, choosing to handle legal issues later. This approach mirrors early tactics of major tech companies like YouTube and Google Search, prioritizing growth over immediate legal compliance.

While this strategy may accelerate AI development, it raises serious concerns about intellectual property rights and could disadvantage smaller creators who lack resources for legal action or to negotiate licensing deals. The long-term sustainability of this approach is questionable, given the potential for regulatory scrutiny.

The convergence of AI art aesthetics, ethical concerns in content creation, and aggressive growth strategies in the AI industry signal a critical juncture. How we navigate these challenges will shape the future of creativity, content, and technology. As we move forward, the key question remains: How can we harness the power of AI to enhance human creativity rather than replace it?

News roundup

The top stories in AI today.

FUTURE OF WORK

Jobs are changing — are you?

• Procreate CEO Sparks Debate With Bold Anti-Generative AI Stance

• 74% of IT Professionals Believe AI Will Make Them Obsolete, Survey Finds

• Why AI Literacy Training is Crucial for Cybersecurity in the AI Era

• Cosmos Magazine is Slowly Replacing its Writing Staff with AI

• New Survey Sheds Light on AI Adoption Trends Across the Country

• Practical Tips for Educators Learning to Use AI

• How AI is Redefining Entrepreneurship

ENTERTAINMENT

Content creation, books, movies, tv & gaming

• The SAG-AFTRA Strike is a Bellwether for How AI May Reshape Entertainment

• What ‘AI Seinfeld’s’ Rise and Fall Reveal About the Future of AI Entertainment

• Why Does All AI-Generated Art Tend to Look Similar?

• AI Video Flaws Spark Viral Human Parody Trend on TikTok

• Why AI-Generated Content is More Powerful and Less Harmful Than You Think

NEW LAUNCHES

The latest features & products in AI innovation.

• Sparkle Uses AI to Organize all Your Desktop Files and Reduce Digital Clutter

• Claude’s ‘Prompt Caching’ Feature Allows Longer Prompts, Lower Costs

• How Midjourney’s Powerful New Canvas Editor Works

• Amazon Unveils RAGChecker to Boost AI Accuracy

• Klaxon AI Secures UK Grant to Make AI-Generated Podcast Ads

• Ghost 8B Beta is a Powerful AI Companion for Your Personal Computer

GADGETS

Computers, phones, wearables & other AI gizmos.

• The Latest Leaks and Rumors on iPhone 16’s AI-Powered Features

• Google’s New AI Photo Editing Tools Are Making Photographers Uncomfortable

• Google’s Gemini AI Represents a Significant Leap for Smartphone Capabilities

GOVERNMENT

Press releases, regulation, defense & politics.

• How AI is Transforming Military Space Operations and Warfare

• Supreme Court Justice Releases New Book on AI’s Potential to Rescue Law

• SF Attorney Launches Lawsuit Against 16 AI ‘Undress’ Websites

• Justice Department Engages Stakeholders to Shape AI Policy

• What the ‘Move Fast and Break Things’ Philosophy Implies for the AI Industry

• Why Eric Schmidt Thinks the Next 2 Years Will Bring Shocking Change

• Google’s Recent Antitrust Loss Reignites Talks of a Break-Up

FINANCE & ECONOMICS

Economics + the movers & shakers on Wall Street.

• AMD Buys ZT Systems for $4.9B to Boost AI Capabilities

• AI Fraud Detection Backfires, Freezing Customer’s £12,800 Transfer

• Arm’s Stock is Up But the Company Faces Complex Hurdles

AI research changing the world

Pinterest research: pixie AI ushers in era of hyper-personalized digital experiences

Imagine a digital world where every recommendation feels tailor-made, as if the platform knows what you want before you do. This isn't a distant dream, but a reality unfolding now, thanks to Pinterest's groundbreaking Pixie AI system. In a leap that could redefine personalization across industries, Pixie tackles the Herculean task of recommending from over 3 billion items to 200+ million users in real-time, outperforming traditional systems and boosting user engagement by up to 50%. But Pixie's implications stretch far beyond social media.

This technology could revolutionize how businesses interact with consumers, from e-commerce giants predicting your next purchase to streaming services curating the perfect content mix. However, as AI becomes eerily adept at anticipating our desires, we must grapple with profound questions: In a world of hyper-personalization, are we sacrificing serendipity and diverse experiences? Could such systems inadvertently create echo chambers, reinforcing our existing views and preferences?

As businesses rush to adopt similar technologies, we're witnessing the dawn of a new era in customer engagement – one where the line between convenience and privacy grows increasingly blurred. The race is on for companies to harness this power, but at what cost to consumer choice and data privacy? As Pixie demonstrates the potential for AI to process 1,200 recommendations per second, we must ask: Are we prepared for a future where our digital experiences are so precisely tailored that they shape our choices before we make them?

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