Trending in Tech: Google’s Gemini and Apple Vision Pro
Emerging Tech Roundup — February 16
The Quantious team’s top picks for timely trending news in the tech world.
This week in tech: Brilliant Labs Unveils Eyeglasses with ‘AI Superpowers’, The Class of 2024 Sets Their Sights on the Future, Google to Spend $26.9 Million on AI Training in Europe, Apple’s Vision Pro Headset Could be a Healthcare Game-Changer, OpenAI Board Chairman Launches AI Agent Startup to Elevate Customer Experiences, Slack Adds New Generative AI Features Including Thread Summaries and Conversational Search, and Google Makes More Gemini Models Available to Developers.
OpenAI-Buddy Brilliant Labs Unveils Eyeglasses with ‘AI Superpowers’
(Interesting Engineering, February 12)
Brilliant Labs has unveiled the Frame AI glasses, integrating AR and AI to provide translation, image recognition, internet search, and more seamlessly into everyday life. Partnering with industry leaders like OpenAI, Whisper, and Perplexity, Frame offers varied ‘superpowers’, including visual analysis, speech recognition, and research assistance. Demonstrated through flashing real-time insights, the glasses feature an AI assistant called Noa, utilizing large language models to find answers to any query and deliver accurate information sourced from Perplexity AI.
The Class of 2024 Sets Their Sights on the Future
(Join Handshake, February 12)
A Handshake trends report revealed that half of this year’s college graduates aim to acquire new skills in response to the rise of generative AI, with over half of tech majors planning to integrate it into their careers. Financial concerns loom as more than half of graduates anticipate carrying student loan debt, influencing their job choices, while a significant portion plan to supplement their income with gig work. Amidst COVID-19 fallout, burnout looms large for 80% of seniors, emphasizing the importance of work-life balance and mental health support from future employers.
Google to Spend $26.9 Million on AI Training in Europe
(PC Mag, February 12)
Google announced a €25 million pledge towards advancing AI education in Europe, emphasizing the region’s potential to lead in AI innovation and job creation. With a focus on supporting vulnerable and underserved communities, Google aims to equip workers with AI skills to prevent them from being left behind, including expanding, free AI courses and Google Career Certificates. Partnering with nonprofits like the Centre for Public Impact, Google aims to address workforce transitions brought on by AI through education and support initiatives.
Apple’s Vision Pro Headset Could be a Healthcare Game-Changer, Using Virtual and Augmented Reality to Enhance Treatment and Monitoring
(SCMP, February 12)
Apple’s recently unveiled Vision Pro headset offers medical professionals the capability to seamlessly integrate patient data — such as medical records and diagnostic imagery — directly into their field of view. Equipped with advanced features like ultra-high-resolution screens and precise hand and eye tracking, the technology represents a significant leap in merging virtual reality with healthcare — a field where VR has already found applications in therapies like exposure therapy for PTSD. However, the extent to which Apple’s latest innovation will catalyze the adoption of VR in healthcare remains uncertain.
OpenAI Board Chairman Launches AI Agent Startup to Elevate Customer Experiences
(Venture Beat, February 13)
Former Salesforce co-CEO and OpenAI board chairman Bret Taylor is venturing into conversational AI with Sierra, a startup aimed at providing AI agents for businesses. Sierra’s platform enables enterprises to deploy always-ready AI agents capable of handling vast customer conversations, saving time, and enhancing customer experience. Utilizing large language models, Sierra’s AI agents understand context, jargon, and emotions, offering personalized responses with empathy, and bridging the gap between human-like interactions and efficient automation in customer service.
Slack’s New Generative AI Features Include Thread Summaries and Conversational Search
(Engadget, February 14)
Slack has unveiled its long-awaited generative AI toolset, aiming to streamline the daily use of its work-focused chat platform. Key features include auto-generated channel recaps, ensuring users catch up on missed discussions without sifting through clutter, and a similar tool for threads, offering quick summaries for efficient catch-up. Additionally, conversational search allows users to query chat content in natural language, promising clear, concise answers based on relevant data.
Google Makes More Gemini Models Available to Developers
(Tech Crunch, February 15)
Google is broadening the availability of its Gemini large language models on the Vertex AI platform, with Gemini 1.0 Pro now generally accessible after a period in public preview. Gemini 1.0 Ultra is now available “via allowlist,” alongside the announcement of Gemini 1.5 Pro — an updated model boasting the capabilities of Gemini 1.0 Ultra and the ability to handle contexts of up to one million tokens. With new features like adapter-based tuning and integration with developer tools, developers can seamlessly incorporate Gemini models into their applications for enhanced performance and functionality.
