Meta Unveils Movie Gen: AI-Powered Video Creation Coming to Instagram
Meta has announced Movie Gen, a suite of AI models for video and audio generation. Set to launch on Instagram in 2025, Movie Gen allows users to create and edit videos using text prompts. The system can produce high-definition videos up to 16 seconds long, generate synchronized audio, and enable precise editing of specific elements within videos. Movie Gen’s capabilities include personalized video creation, where users can feature themselves in AI-generated content.
Meta claims the technology outperforms competitors in various aspects, positioning it as a tool for both casual users and professionals. The company trained Movie Gen on a vast dataset of videos and images, employing novel techniques to enhance its performance. As Meta prepares for the 2025 release, it aims to refine the technology and explore potential applications in content creation.
Squarespace Introduces Design Intelligence: AI-Powered Website Creation with a Human Touch
Squarespace has launched Design Intelligence, a new AI-powered website builder that aims to blend automated generation with human customization. The tool allows users to create websites through prompts, generating designs, text, and images while maintaining a professional look. Squarespace emphasizes the importance of curation and taste in their AI approach, leveraging partnerships with major AI companies while focusing on prompting and content curation.
The company aims to enhance, not replace, the design process, allowing for extensive customization and maintaining brand individuality. Squarespace views AI as an opportunity for designers to work more efficiently, rather than a threat to their profession. The goal is to provide users with better results faster while adhering to their vision and maintaining Squarespace’s design-forward approach.
Google Expands Gemini AI Integration to Gmail on iOS
Google has extended its Gemini AI chatbot feature, Gmail Q&A, to select iOS users. Previously available on Android, this tool allows Google One AI Premium subscribers and certain Google Workspace account holders to interact with Gemini directly within the Gmail app. Users can ask specific questions about their emails, request summaries on particular topics, or seek out unread messages from specific senders. The feature aims to enhance email information retrieval beyond traditional search methods. While currently limited to inbox content, Google plans to expand its capabilities to include Drive information in the future. This update, along with recent improvements to Gmail’s organization tools, demonstrates Google’s commitment to maintaining Gmail’s competitiveness in the email service market.
AI Pioneer Fei-Fei Li Addresses AGI Ambiguity and Future of AI Development
Fei-Fei Li, renowned AI researcher and creator of ImageNet, has expressed uncertainty about the definition of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), despite her significant contributions to the field. Li, who leads Stanford’s Human-Centered AI Institute and co-founded World Labs, emphasizes the importance of focusing on practical AI applications rather than abstract concepts. She advocates for evidence-based approaches in AI development and regulation, cautioning against penalizing technology itself. Li is currently advising California on AI regulation while pursuing “spatial intelligence” through her startup. She stresses the need for diversity in AI development and envisions a future where AI can understand and interact with the 3D world, bridging the gap between perception and action.
ElevenLabs’ Rapid Growth Attracts Investor Interest in AI Voice Technology
ElevenLabs, a startup specializing in AI-powered voice synthesis, is drawing significant investor attention as it reportedly prepares for a new funding round. The company, known for its tools in audiobook narration and real-time video dubbing, has experienced substantial growth in its annualized recurring revenue. Investors are eager to participate, with some willing to value the company at up to $3 billion. This potential valuation represents a threefold increase from ElevenLabs’ previous funding round earlier this year. The company’s success highlights the growing demand for advanced AI voice technologies, particularly in applications that can clone human speech. Despite competition from tech giants and other startups, ElevenLabs’ rapid expansion positions it as a leader in the synthetic voice generation market.
