Google Continues AI Push with AI Studio, MusicFX, and Imagen 2

Google unveiled several AI advances across its products and platforms:

• Google unveiled AI Studio, a web tool for easily developing apps and chatbots powered by Gemini models. The generous free tier provides access to API keys and code for iterating. Google stresses responsible controls but still reviews usage data to improve quality.
• Google launched public-facing experiments for creating music and text via simple prompts. MusicFX in the AI Test Kitchen lets users generate original music with controls to ensure responsible use.
• It launched Imagen 2, an improved image generation model now available in Google Cloud's Vertex AI. Imagen 2 introduces new capabilities like text and logo overlay, though training data details remain undisclosed.
• Google also brought its multimodal AI model Gemini to search engine Bard, Pixel phones, and Vertex AI via the Gemini Pro API. The API enables text and image prompting for custom applications. Google Cloud highlighted safety features like content filtering and citation checks for Gemini.

The launches demonstrate Google's multi-pronged approach from internal research to developer tools to consumer products. But questions remain around training data and risks like misinformation. While Google touts safety measures, details are sparse and third-party auditing is absent.

Midjourney Alpha Access Opens up for Powerusers

Midjourney has launched an alpha version of its website for generating AI images, moving beyond its popular Discord server. The minimalist site lets users create images by typing prompts, without needing to input command text like on Discord.

Access is limited to accounts with over 10,000 lifetime image generations for now. The site features an "Explore" tab showing public images and "Photo" tab with the user's generation history. Users can search prompts and like images.

The interface removes jargon and uses visual menus for adjusting settings like aspect ratio and style versus typing text commands on Discord. Users can also view, manage, and create images in one place rather than across bot chats.

Midjourney likely aims to make its top-rated image AI more accessible to a mainstream audience with the simplified web interface. But for now, Discord login is still required during the alpha test phase.

The launch comes as rival AI image services like Visual Electric emerge with web-first models tailored to professionals. But Midjourney boasts superior quality and an established user base from Discord.

Meta Unveils Audiobox, Ray-Ban AI-powered Smart Glasses, and Instagram AI Backgrounds

Meta unveiled several new AI tools for generating audio and editing visual media:

• Its Facebook AI Research team built Audiobox, a system that clones voices and creates ambient sound effects from text prompts. Audiobox was trained on large datasets of speech, music, and sounds.

Meta released interactive demos of Audiobox, including cloning a user's voice and generating new voices from descriptions. However, use is restricted to research purposes only for now. Meta plans to provide access to select researchers to further develop the technology responsibly.

• Meanwhile, Meta rolled out multimodal AI capabilities for its Ray-Ban smart glasses, summonable by saying "Hey Meta." The assistant can identify objects in view, suggest matching items, translate text, and more. However, access is limited to a small test group of US users initially.
• On Instagram, users can now leverage generative AI to edit photo backgrounds through textual prompts in Stories. Others can use prompts to apply the same backgrounds to their images.

• AI plushie voiced by Grimes is named Grok… just like Elon’s X AI Grok
• EU AI Act passed
• Google unveils MedLM, a family of healthcare-focused generative AI models

• Mistral AI, a Paris-based OpenAI rival, closed its $415 million funding round
• OpenAI suspends ByteDance’s account after it used GPT to train its own AI model
• Spotify confirms test of prompt-based AI playlists feature

Sipher Odyssey’s Cinematic Teaser!

Exciting news — Sipher Odyssey has released a short teaser of its upcoming cinematic trailer. While kept mostly in shadow, the brief video reveals the spawning of the three main characters, Inu, Neko, and Buru. Even in the dim lighting, the high graphical quality is evident, with smooth animation and rich environmental details teased.

Check it out for yourself 👇

Epic Games Wins Antitrust Trial vs Google

Epic Games has won its antitrust trial against Google, with the jury unanimously deciding Google Play and its payment system constitute an illegal monopoly.

The verdict found Google's requirement that developers use its billing system for all transactions to be anti-competitive. Google's Project Hug initiative to incentivize staying on Google Play was also deemed anti-competitive.

Epic sued Google in 2020 after Fortnite was removed from the Play Store for directing players to Epic's own payment system, bypassing Google's 30% transaction fee. Google countersued over contract breach.

Epic stated the verdict proves Google abuses its monopoly to charge excessive fees, stifle competition, and limit innovation. It called for legislation addressing Google and Apple's app store dominance.

Google plans to appeal, arguing it competes fiercely against Apple and other platforms. It remains committed to Android partners and users.

The ruling could spur momentum for app store legislation, but faces strong opposition lobbying by Google and Apple. Overall impact remains uncertain amid legal wrangling.

Avatar Frontiers of Pandora Debuts at No.5 on UK Boxed Charts

The latest UK physical games chart sees Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora debut at #5, unable to displace EA Sports FC 2024 from the top spot. As the chart does not include digital sales, Avatar's overall launch performance is likely stronger.

Super Mario Bros Wonder took #2, followed by Hogwarts Legacy at #3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 at #4. Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition, including the base game and expansion, entered at #15 across platforms. This pushed the base Cyberpunk 2077 game up to #11 with a 3% sales increase.

The Sims 4: For Rent expansion debuted at #26. Several re-entries also occurred driven by promotions and new versions, including Football Manager 2024 at #18 with a new PS5 release. Wreckfest re-entered at #28 thanks to PS5 promotions spurring a 97% sales jump.

Elden Ring returned to the Top 40 at #25 following price cuts leading to 110% higher sales. Other returning titles included Mario Party Superstars, Super Mario Odyssey, Pokemon Violet, and Gotham Knights.

• E3 officially abandoned by the ESA
• Kojima Productions working on Death Stranding movie
• Naughty Dog ceases development of The Last Of Us Online

• Pokémon-themed amusement park to open in Tokyo
• Ubisoft pulls over The Crew
• Vintage animation shooter MOUSE gets new gameplay trailer and 2025 release window

Pudgy Penguins Unveils ‘Pudgy World Alpha’

Pudgy Penguins has announced Pudgy World Alpha, an open-world storytelling metaverse experience built on zkSync and releasing in Q1 2024. It aims to onboard millions to blockchain through accessible and engaging gameplay.

A sneak peek video shows Pudgy searching for Peaches in a lush, vibrant world. Pudgy World will include social interaction, quests like reuniting Pudgy and Peaches, and more. It has been teased at recent Pudgy events and will see community testing before full launch.

Pudgy World ties together Pudgy Penguins' physical and digital products. By marketing both to the masses, Pudgy serves as an introductory blockchain touchpoint for the mainstream public.

The physical Pudgy toys have QR codes to redeem traits and customize Forever Pudgy Penguins digitally. Pudgy World Alpha then elevates this experience by merging physical and virtual worlds.

New characters Pudgy and Peaches are introduced to make it easier for broader audiences to engage with Pudgy Penguins' storytelling.

Ledger Security Breach Leads to Over $450k Stolen

Hardware wallet company Ledger suffered a security breach when a malicious version of its Connect Kit library was deployed. The code allowed wallet-draining malware injection into Ethereum dapps using the library. Ledger and affected services like SushiSwap warned users to avoid interacting with any dapps during the crisis.

The attacker reportedly stole at least $484,000 in crypto by the time the malicious library code was removed and replaced around 90 minutes after discovery. The total impact may reach into the hundreds of thousands. Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier called it an "isolated incident" enabled by an employee falling for phishing, but promised strengthened controls.

A former employee's identity was found in the malicious code. But Gauthier said no single employee can deploy unreviewed code to most systems, and access is revoked when employees leave.

The vulnerability highlighted risks from dependencies on common third-party code like Ledger's. Critics argued it demonstrated the need for more transparency and auditing in Web3 libraries.

Ledger faced backlash for downplaying the gravity initially. But Gauthier later apologized and committed to helping affected users recover assets.

Gods Unchained Rated 'Adults Only' for P2E Elements, Booted From Epic Games Store

The blockchain-based digital card game Gods Unchained was removed from the Epic Games Store after receiving an "Adults Only" (AO) rating from the ESRB due to its play-to-earn elements. Epic does not permit AO-rated games on its platform.

Gods Unchained allows players to earn crypto tokens and NFT cards through gameplay, which can then be sold for real money. The ESRB said its ratings consider whether games reward items with real-world value like cryptocurrency.

Gods Unchained is appealing the rating to get reinstated on Epic's store. The AO rating presents a dilemma for blockchain game developers, as Epic requires ratings but AO games are barred.

Unrated games are treated as Mature, while AO is for 18+ due to intense violence or nudity. But Gods Unchained was rated AO solely for its crypto features, not content.

Critics argue this shows contradictions in Epic's blockchain game rules. While permitted on the store, the ESRB's linkage of crypto to AO ratings means play-to-earn models lead to removal.

Epic did not explain why AO games are prohibited while blockchain games are allowed.

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