China Leads

The AI World Today

• US Senate Pushes AI Funding

• China Leads AI Patents

• Meta Launches 3DGen Pipeline

• ElevenLabs Launches Iconic Voices

• EC Pushes AI Codes Of Practice

• South Africa AI Talent Demand

• Perplexity Upgrades Pro Search

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• Heads Up

• Save the Date

• Good Reads

Senate Proposes $32 Billion Annual AI Funding

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and three colleagues propose the U.S. government spend at least $32 billion annually by 2026 on non-defense AI systems, including research and development in both government and private sectors. This plan, part of the Bipartisan Senate AI Working Group, aims to bolster U.S. AI leadership, drive advanced research, and address AI-related risks. The group, including Senators Mike Rounds, Martin Heinrich, and Todd Young, released a roadmap for AI policy after extensive discussions and AI Insight Forums with experts like Google CEO Sundar Pichai and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The proposal also calls for studies on AI's job market impact and recommends a federal data privacy law and regulations to prevent job loss, copyright violations, and discrimination.

China Dominates Generative AI Patent Filings

China leads the global race in generative AI inventions, filing six times more patents than the United States, according to U.N. data released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Over the past decade, more than 50,000 generative AI patent applications have been filed, with a quarter of them in 2023 alone. China filed over 38,000 patents between 2014-2023, compared to 6,276 by the U.S. South Korea, Japan, and India rank third, fourth, and fifth, respectively, with India growing the fastest. Major applicants include China's ByteDance, Alibaba Group, and Microsoft's backer of OpenAI. Generative AI's impact spans sectors from autonomous driving to drug development, with a further surge in patents anticipated

Meta Unveils Rapid Text-to-3D Generation

On July 2, Meta AI unveiled Meta 3D Gen (3DGen), an advanced pipeline for rapid text-to-3D asset generation. 3DGen can create high-quality 3D shapes and textures with high prompt fidelity in under a minute, supporting physically-based rendering (PBR) for real-world application relighting. It also allows generative retexturing of existing 3D shapes using additional textual inputs. Key components include Meta 3D AssetGen and Meta 3D TextureGen, which combine to represent 3D objects in view, volumetric, and UV spaces. Achieving a win rate of 68% over the single-stage model, 3DGen surpasses industry standards in prompt fidelity and visual quality. This technology holds significant potential for applications in video games, VR, and product design.

ElevenLabs Introduces AI Hollywood Voices Feature

ElevenLabs announced the launch of its new "Iconic Voices" feature, enabling users to have text read by AI-generated voices of Hollywood stars such as Judy Garland, James Dean, and Burt Reynolds. This innovation stems from licensing agreements to ensure authentic recreations of these iconic voices. ElevenLabs, known for its cutting-edge AI voice generation and text-to-speech technologies, continues to expand its capabilities. The company aims to cater to various creative needs, including video gaming, podcasting, and audiobook production. This feature enhances the realism and cultural diversity of AI-generated voices, offering users a unique and immersive experience in content creation

EC Develops New AI Practice Guidelines

The European Commission plans to allow providers of ChatGPT-like AI models to draft their own Codes of Practice for compliance, with civil society in a consultation role. This approach, part of the AI Act, will be valid until harmonized standards are established. The Commission is currently seeking consulting firms to draft these codes. By the first quarter of this year, the U.S. had 34% of AI enterprises, while China had 15%. The Codes of Practice will be prepared within nine months of the AI Act's implementation, which has been delayed to early August. Civil society organizations express concerns over an industry-led process, fearing it may inadequately protect EU citizens' safety and rights.

AI Officer Roles Increase in South Africa

As South African companies increasingly integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations, demand for Chief AI Officers (CAIOs) is rising. Recruiters report that AI's transformative potential is driving this trend, with businesses reaping significant benefits. According to ITWeb, AI has become essential across sectors like banking, telecommunications, healthcare, and agriculture. Mary Khutlane of PPC Recruitment notes a steady increase in CAIO hires in South Africa, though at a slower rate than in developed markets. Anja Bates of Pnet highlights a 180% increase in AI job vacancies and applications since 2021.

Perplexity Enhances Pro Search with New Features

Perplexity has launched an upgraded version of Pro Search, enhancing its capabilities for advanced problem-solving and research. The new Pro Search now tackles complex queries with multi-step reasoning, advanced math, and programming capabilities, thanks to the integration of the Wolfram|Alpha engine. It can perform in-depth searches, analyze results, and take intelligent actions, making it ideal for professionals needing comprehensive insights. Users can access Pro Search five times every four hours for free, while Perplexity Pro subscribers enjoy nearly unlimited access. This upgrade aims to revolutionize knowledge discovery by offering faster, more efficient, and thoroughly researched answers, empowering users to make more informed decisions across various fields.

Heads Up

AI Health: AI is Supercharging Disease Diagnosis

Gen AI: Apple Joins OpenAI Board as Observer

AI Funding: Runway Seeks Funds at $4B Valuation

AI Privacy: Brazil Suspends Meta's AI Privacy Policy

AI Human Rights: Children’s Photos Misused to Power AI Tools 

Save the Date

July 4: China Hosts Shanghai's World AI Conference

July 5-7: Belgium Hosts AI Governance Global 2024 Conference

Good reads

July 2: Efficient Document Retrieval with Vision Language Models

June 29: Mapping AI Startups in Africa