Amazon Unveils New Generative AI Tools that Enhance the Online Shopping Experience

Amazon has introduced a range of new generative AI tools aimed at enhancing the shopping experience for customers and sellers on its platform. One of the key features is a personalized product recommendation system that uses customers' preferences, search history, and purchase data to suggest relevant products on the Amazon homepage. This system will provide larger category-based recommendations, such as products for holiday events or sporting activities, rather than just suggesting similar items.

The company is also leveraging a large language model to recommend products with specific features and will curate more relevant product descriptions around user interests. For example, if a customer regularly searches for gluten-free items, the term "gluten-free" will appear more prominently in the descriptions of relevant products.

In addition to these customer-facing features, Amazon is also releasing a range of tools for third-party sellers, including a free video generator tool that can produce AI-generated clips based on a product's image and features. The company is also introducing a live image feature that allows users to partially animate still images and a chatbot assistant called "Project Amelia" that provides personalized recommendations, insights, and troubleshooting assistance to help sellers improve their business performance.

Runway Announces API for its Video-generating AI Models, Inks Deal with Lionsgate

Video-generating AI startup Runway has announced an API that allows companies and developers to build its models into third-party platforms, apps, and services. The API, currently in limited access, offers a single model, Gen-3 Alpha Turbo, and two plans, Build and Enterprise.

The company has also partnered with Lionsgate, a major film studio, to build a custom AI video production and editing model trained on Lionsgate's library of over 20,000 film and TV titles. This partnership marks the first time a major film studio has signed a deal directly with an AI video model provider, and it's expected to significantly impact the film and TV industry. Runway's technology can generate realistic moving imagery, including fantastical effects, in mere seconds, making it useful for filmmakers of all levels.

Runway's video-generating models were trained on a vast number of examples of videos, but the company refuses to disclose the source of its training data, citing competitive advantage. This has raised concerns about potential IP-related lawsuits, as some vendors have been accused of training on copyrighted data without permission. Despite these concerns, Runway is moving forward with its plans, and its API is expected to be widely available in the coming weeks.

YouTube to Add AI Tools to Generate Ideas, Titles, and Full Videos

YouTube has announced a series of AI-related features aimed at helping creators produce content more easily. One of the features is the Inspiration tab in the YouTube Studio app, which uses AI to suggest video concepts, titles, and thumbnails, as well as write outlines and opening lines. This tool can be used to brainstorm ideas or even create entire projects.

Another feature is Veo, a DeepMind video model that allows creators to make AI-generated videos. Veo is integrated into the YouTube Shorts editor and can be used to create full videos or add AI-generated backgrounds to existing clips. However, the AI-generated clips are limited to six seconds long, and any videos created using Veo will be watermarked with a visual indication that they were generated by AI.

These features are part of YouTube's effort to lower the bar to becoming a creator and compete with other social media platforms. The company believes that AI can make every part of a creator's job easier, from brainstorming ideas to producing videos. However, it remains to be seen how creators will use these features and whether they will lead to a flood of AI-conceived and AI-produced videos that all look and sound the same.

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EA’s Free-to-Play “Skate” Game Riding to Early Access in 2025

EA's revival of the skateboarding franchise, skate., will be launching in Early Access in 2025. This marks a departure from the typical release strategy for EA games, as the publisher is seeking to gather player feedback before the game's full release. By launching in Early Access, Full Circle, the developer behind the game, aims to test the game's multiplayer features and gather feedback from players to improve the game.

The Early Access launch is part of a larger effort by Full Circle to engage with the community and gather feedback throughout the game's development. The studio has already held closed community playtests and provided regular updates on the game's development through blog posts. A console playtest is also planned for later in 2024, although details on this have not been released.

The decision to launch in Early Access is a notable shift for EA, as the publisher typically releases games more traditionally. However, the live-service, cross-platform nature of skate. makes it a good candidate for an Early Access launch, as it allows the developer to test and refine the game's multiplayer features before the full release.

Nintendo and Pokémon Sue Palworld Developer Pocketpair for Alleged Patent Infringement

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Pocket Pair, the developer of Palworld, a game that has been compared to Pokémon due to its similar character designs and gameplay mechanics. The lawsuit was filed on September 18th, 2024, in the Tokyo District Court, and seeks compensation for the damage Palworld has allegedly caused through multiple patent infringements.

The lawsuit comes almost eight months after The Pokémon Company announced its investigation into a "game released in January 2024," which was heavily speculated to be Palworld. At the time, The Pokémon Company stated that it intended to "investigate and take appropriate measures to address any acts that infringe on intellectual property rights related to the Pokémon".

The patent in question is believed to be related to the gameplay mechanic of capturing Pals in a Pal Sphere, which is similar to the Poké Ball mechanic in Pokémon. The lawsuit is not focused on the character designs themselves, but rather on the gameplay mechanics that are similar to those found in Pokémon.

Pocket Pair has responded to the lawsuit, stating that it will begin the appropriate legal proceedings and investigations into the claims of patent infringement. The company also stated that it will continue to improve Palworld and strive to create a game that its fans can be proud of.

Flappy Bird’s Comeback Not Related to Original Creator

The popular mobile game Flappy Bird is making a comeback, but the original creator, Doug Nguyen, is not involved in the project. Nguyen has publicly disassociated himself from the game, stating that he did not sell the game to the Flappy Bird Foundation, which is behind the re-release. He also expressed his disapproval of the use of cryptocurrency in the project.

The new version of Flappy Bird will feature new worlds, modes, and characters, including a robotic bird named Tekno and a penguin named Peng. The game will also include an "EZ Mode" for beginners and an online mode where 100 players can compete. The web version is set to launch in October, with iOS and Android releases planned for 2025.

The Flappy Bird Foundation, which is behind the re-release, claims to have acquired the legal rights to the game and worked with Nguyen's predecessor. However, Nguyen has denied this claim, stating that he has no relation to the game. The original Flappy Bird was delisted by Nguyen in a short window after launching, due to concerns about its addictive nature, and it appears that his stance on the game has not changed.

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Markets Rally as Fed Cuts Interest Rates for First Time After 4 Years

The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates for the first time in four years, lowering its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to a target range of 4.75% to 5.00%. This move marks the start of the Fed's easing campaign, to support a cooling U.S. labor market and reduce inflation.

The decision was made by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which stated that inflation has made progress towards the Committee's 2% objective, but remains somewhat elevated. Fed Chair Powell described the cut as a "recalibration" and noted that recent economic indicators have shown the economy continues to grow, but the upside risks to inflation have diminished and the downside risks to employment have increased.

The rate cut has been seen as a positive move for assets like Bitcoin, with analysts predicting that the dollar's strength will likely weaken as the Fed cuts rates, supporting the value of assets like gold and Bitcoin.

The Fed's decision has also been seen as a shift in its fight against inflation, which peaked at a four-decade high of 9.1% in 2022. With the pace of inflation slowing in recent months, the Fed's focus has moved towards supporting a cooling U.S. labor market. The Fed's projections indicate that the federal funds rate will settle close to around 4.5% by year's end and that the rate will fall to around 3.25% by the end of 2025.

BlackRock Publishes Bitcoin Whitepaper

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has published a white paper highlighting Bitcoin's potential as a hedge against monetary and geopolitical risks. The paper notes that Bitcoin's decentralized, permissionless nature makes it the world's first "truly open-access monetary system," not just a cryptocurrency. This unique characteristic allows Bitcoin to be largely detached from traditional macro risk factors, including banking system crises, sovereign debt crises, currency debasement, and geopolitical disruption.

According to the white paper, Bitcoin's adoption trajectory will be driven by the degree of macroeconomic concerns, such as global monetary instability, geopolitical disharmony, US fiscal sustainability, and US political stability. The paper also highlights Bitcoin's resilience during past major geopolitical events, showing that its returns surpassed those of the S&P 500 and gold prices.

BlackRock's white paper emphasizes that Bitcoin's decentralized nature and lack of traditional counterparty risk make it an attractive asset for investors seeking to diversify their portfolios. The paper also notes that Bitcoin's long-term performance will be driven by its ability to serve as a hedge against macroeconomic and geopolitical risks. As the issuer of the world's largest Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), BlackRock's endorsement of Bitcoin as a legitimate investment opportunity is significant.

Bored Ape Yacht Club Launches Dookey Dash: Unclogged

Yuga Labs, the creator of the Bored Ape Yacht Club, has released a free-to-play version of its sewer-based game, Dookey Dash: Unclogged. The game is available on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC in selected regions, and features a $1 million competition for top players. The game is similar to the original NFT-gated version but with the addition of a "creator mode" that allows players to upload 3D models or 2D art to create on-chain avatars, vehicles, and stickers that are playable in-game.

The game's season one has kicked off, with a weekly in-game leaderboard that allows players to battle it out to win a variety of prizes, including the prestigious "Golden Plunger" NFT. The Golden Plunger is a tradable NFT that will act as a player's ticket into the end-of-season tournament, where $1 million worth of prizes will be up for grabs. Players can get their hands on these NFTs by ranking in the top 250 finalists on the season leaderboard, or by getting lucky on "The Wheel of Dookey."

The game's release was delayed twice, first to make the game more "casual-friendly" and then to explore a "huge potential marketing opportunity" at the start of September. The game's tournaments will take place every quarter, with each season being three months long. The original NFT-gated version of the game was released last year, and the winner of the top prize, a one-of-a-kind NFT golden key, sold it for 3,333 Ethereum, or $1.63 million worth at the time.

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