The week's developments in AI, quantum, and biotech, explained | 4.10.23

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This week, Meta unveiled AI Studio, which allows users to create their own AI chatbots on Facebook and Instagram. Meanwhile, Paris-based startup Mistral has launched Mistral 7B, its first generative AI model, which reportedly can outperform existing open source models such as Llama 2.

The European Space Agency (ESA) initiated its Terrae Novae exploration program, looking to expand Europe's presence in low-Earth orbit and the first manned missions to Mars. Plus, scientists unveiled a new cutting-edge technique involving fluorescent dye markers to train AI systems for precision movement tracking.

Explore these topics — and the latest developments on autonomous medical robots and a new AI video editing tool — in the CogX Must Reads.

I hope you enjoy it!

Charlie and the Research and Intelligence Team

P.S. Did you miss any speakers? The CogX Festival 2023 is now available on demand - watch our curated AI & DeepTech playlist for all the top sessions exploring biotech, quantum, and the future of AI on our YouTube channel now.

CogX Must Reads

Innovation and Releases

Meta launches AI Studio for personalised chatbots

Meta has unveiled AI Studio, a new platform that allows businesses to build personalised AI chatbots for Facebook and Instagram. The launch showcased 28 AI chatbot characters based on celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton and Mr Beast, and its long term goal is to enable personal AI development for the wider metaverse. (Meta)

Paris-based Mistral releases its first open generative AI model 

Paris-based startup Mistral is making waves with the launch of Mistral 7B, their inaugural generative AI model, which is freely accessible under the Apache 2.0 licence. This versatile model excels in low-latency text and code completion tasks, reportedly outperforming larger models such as Meta’s Lama 2 in standard English and code benchmarks. (The Next Web)

Amazon’s Bedrock AI service goes mainstream

Amazon has launched its Bedrock generative AI service, offering a selection of generative AI models from both Amazon and third-party partners via an API. These models empower developers to create AI "agents" capable of automating various tasks such as travel bookings or inventory management. (Amazon)

ESA Launches Terrae Novae Program

The European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated its Terrae Novae exploration program, inviting tech companies to propose small missions to the Moon as part of its 2030+ strategy. Ambitions include sending the first European astronaut to the Moon and the first human mission to Mars.  (The Next Web)

Latest Research

Fluorescent dye technique for movement tracking 

Scientists developed GlowTrack, a groundbreaking method using fluorescent dye markers to capture ultra-precise body movement. AI trained on this movement data can autonomously track body parts in real-time and with high definition - unlocking new insights into brain-controlled behaviour and movement disorders. (Science Daily)

Robot successfully steers needles through living tissue

Researchers at the University of North Carolina have unveiled an autonomous robotic needle capable of manoeuvring through complex lung tissue, avoiding obstacles, and reaching medical targets with unprecedented accuracy. The robot leverages AI and 3D modelling to navigate in real-time, potentially leading to safer and more effective treatments. (UNC)

Researchers have 'mixed feelings' about AI

A survey of more than 1,600 researchers worldwide shows mixed sentiments toward the increasing use of AI tools in scientific research. While more than half anticipate AI's importance in the next decade, concerns about overreliance on pattern recognition, data bias and fraud are common. (Nature)

AI Tools of the Week

AI virtual agent automation platform 

Môveo AI is a no-code platform for building personalised virtual agents, combining conversational AI and ChatGPT to enhance customer support and automating tasks.

AI video editing with voice enhancement

KwiCut allows users to edit videos with AI voice enhancement. Its features include voice cloning, text-to-speech and AI video generation.

Chrome extension for AI-assisted web tasks

HARPA AI is a versatile Google Chrome extension designed to streamline various online tasks, including writing emails, posting comments on DMs and summarising web pages.

In case you missed it

Renowned technology futurist, Pablos Holman, took centre stage at CogX Festival 2023 to explore the potential transformative impact of DeepTech:

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