News
1. AI and music
YouTube has two experimental projects, titled “Dream Track for Shorts” and “Music AI tools,” developed in collaboration with Google DeepMind. The primary goal is to explore AI’s role in fostering creativity in music, enhancing the connection between artists, creators, and fans (YouTube).
2. Digital hide-and-seek
A viral game in China has reinvented the traditional hide-and-seek for the digital age. This “cat-and-mouse” game involves players using Amap, a Chinese map app, to share real-time locations in a large area like a city park, with 90% designated as “mice” who hide and the rest as “cats” who seek (MIT Tech Review).
3. Starship rocket
SpaceX successfully launched its Starship rocket for the second time. The launch saw all 33 Raptor engines of the Super Heavy booster ignite and function properly throughout the mission, a notable enhancement from the first launch. This test flight demonstrated a new stage separation technique, “hot staging,” but both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage were intentionally destroyed midair as part of the test (CNBC).
4. Inflection-2
Inflection-2 is announced as the best model in its compute class and the second most capable large language model (LLM) in the world (Inflection).
5. Synthetic yeast chromosome
The synthetic yeast chromosome XI (synXI) was created by assembling a 660-kb synthetic yeast genome from synthesized DNA fragments and then refined through a CRISPR-based process of debugging, redesigning, and repairing (Cell Genomics).
6. Run AI models on Windows
Microsoft and Nvidia have launched Windows AI Studio, a new platform to help developers and enterprises with local AI development and deployment on Windows (The Verge).
7. New CRISPR systems
Researchers have discovered new, rare CRISPR systems using an algorithm to analyze millions of genomes, which could enhance genome-editing tools (Nature).
Articles
1. What is death? (MIT Tech Review)
The understanding of death is evolving, moving away from the traditional view of it as a binary event to a more nuanced perspective where dying is seen as a process without a definitive moment of irreversibility.
2. Micro Utility With Gen AI: Shopify’s Miqdad Jaffer (Sloan Management Review)
Miqdad Jaffer from Shopify discussed how the company is leveraging generative AI to empower entrepreneurs. This initiative is part of Shopify’s broader strategy to integrate advanced AI capabilities into their platform.
