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Artificial Intelligence

DeepMind's Genie 3: A Leap Towards General-Purpose AI Agents

Google DeepMind has unveiled Genie 3, a foundation world model designed to train general-purpose AI agents, marking a significant step towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). Genie 3 can generate interactive 3D environments at 720p resolution and 24 frames per second from simple text prompts.

The model builds on Genie 2 and Veo 3, incorporating a deep understanding of physics to maintain consistency in its simulations. It allows for promptable world events and remembers previous generations, enabling a grasp of physics akin to human understanding.

Genie 3's capabilities facilitate training agents for general-purpose tasks, a key element in achieving AGI. It has limitations, including the range of actions an agent can take and the ability to model complex interactions between multiple agents, and can only support a few minutes of continuous interaction.

Despite these limitations, Genie 3 represents a step forward in enabling agents to plan, explore, and learn through trial and error, potentially ushering in a new era for embodied agents and AI's ability to discover strategies beyond human understanding.

Cybersecurity

SonicWall Urges Immediate SSLVPN Shutdown Amidst Escalating Ransomware Assaults

SonicWall is advising its customers to disable the SSLVPN feature on its Generation 7 firewalls due to a surge in ransomware attacks. Security researchers indicate that hackers are exploiting SonicWall devices to infiltrate networks, potentially leveraging a zero-day vulnerability. Arctic Wolf has observed intrusions since mid-July, while Huntress Labs suspects the Akira ransomware gang is involved, targeting domain controllers after exploiting the firewall vulnerability. SonicWall is currently investigating the incidents.

Artificial Intelligence

DeepMind's Genie 3: A Leap Towards Artificial General Intelligence

Google DeepMind has unveiled Genie 3, a real-time interactive general-purpose world model, marking a significant advancement toward achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). Genie 3 can generate diverse, interactive 3D environments at 24 frames per second with 720p resolution from simple text prompts, extending up to several minutes of simulation. Unlike its predecessors, Genie 3 exhibits a deep understanding of physics by learning from its own generated content, enabling it to simulate coherent and physically plausible environments over time. This capability makes it an ideal training ground for general-purpose agents, allowing them to adapt, learn, and improve through self-driven, embodied learning. While limitations remain in complex interactions and continuous interaction time, Genie 3 represents a compelling step forward in teaching agents to plan, explore, and seek out uncertainty, potentially ushering in a new era of embodied agents capable of novel actions in the real world.

Audio Streaming

Spotify Launches Audiobooks+ Plan in the U.S., Expanding Access to Family Plan Members

Spotify is expanding access to its audiobooks service in the U.S. with the launch of the Audiobooks+ plan, priced at $11.99 per month. This plan allows subscribers on Family or Duo plans to add 15 hours of audiobook listening per month. The offering makes audiobooks available to household members for the first time in the U.S. market.

The Audiobooks+ plan gives subscribers the option to add on recurring access to 15 additional hours every month, on top of the Premium plan’s existing monthly allotment. The U.S. joins other markets with access to Audiobooks+, including Ireland, Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

This expansion comes after a tough quarter for Spotify, where it missed expectations and reported weak guidance. However, active users grew 11% to 696 million, and paid subscribers grew 12% to 276 million during the second quarter. Spotify aims to extract more money from existing customers with the new plan. In December, HarperCollins teased a solution for household members' inability to access audiobooks. Last month, Spotify expanded audiobook access to plan members with the launch of Audibooks+ in several non-U.S. markets.

Audiobook listening hours are up more than 35% year-over-year in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Spotify also announced that its subscription prices are increasing from €10,99 to €11,99 across markets in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. Spotify says it will experiment with other options for book fans in the future, including direct sales.

Aerospace Manufacturing

Jeh Aerospace Secures $11M to Revolutionize India's Aircraft Component Manufacturing

Indian startup Jeh Aerospace, founded by Vishal Sanghavi and Venkatesh Mudragalla, secured $11 million in Series A funding to scale the production of metallic components for aero engines and aerostructures. The company aims to ease global supply chain bottlenecks and establish India as a key destination for aerospace component manufacturing.

Jeh Aerospace's approach involves:

  • Using a software-based, precision manufacturing facility in Hyderabad.
  • Combining precision machinery, robotics, and IoT to reduce product introduction lead times.
  • Focusing on Tier 1 and Tier 2 manufacturers in the supply chain.
  • Building deep relationships with fewer, high-value customers.

The company has experienced significant growth, delivering over 100,000 flight-critical components and tools, reaching $6 million in annualized recurring revenue (ARR), and achieving profitability after taxes. Jeh Aerospace plans to use the new capital to invest in next-generation digital production technologies.

The founders aim to strengthen India's position in the global aerospace market, taking advantage of increased sourcing from companies like Airbus and Boeing. The company's advisory team includes former executives from Boeing India and Airbus India.

Design Platforms

Dribbble Bans Top Designer Gleb Kuznetsov, Sparks Competitor Startup

Dribbble permanently banned designer Gleb Kuznetsov for violating its new rules against sharing contact information with prospective clients before payment.
Kuznetsov, a prominent figure on the platform, lost his account with over 210 million followers. He claims he was banned for sharing his email after a client request.
Dribbble's policy change requires designers to take payments through the platform, giving Dribbble a cut of their revenue, which Kuznetsov views as an attempt to increase profits.
Kuznetsov is now launching a competitor to Dribbble, leveraging AI for design inspiration and creation. He aims to create a resource for designers that enhances their capabilities and earning potential.

Artificial Intelligence & Cybersecurity

AI Bug Hunter Big Sleep Uncovers 20 Security Flaws in Open Source Software

Google's AI-powered bug hunter, Big Sleep, has identified and reported 20 security vulnerabilities in open source software like FFmpeg and ImageMagick. Developed by DeepMind and Project Zero, Big Sleep found these flaws without human intervention, though a human expert reviews the reports before submission.

While details of the vulnerabilities are withheld until fixes are available, this achievement highlights the potential of AI in automated vulnerability discovery. Other tools like RunSybil and XBOW are also emerging in this field. The rise of AI in bug hunting also brings challenges, including concerns about inaccurate or hallucinated bug reports.

Business and Transportation

Joby Aviation Acquires Blade's Rideshare Business to Expand Air Taxi Operations

Joby Aviation is set to acquire Blade Air Mobility's helicopter rideshare business for up to $125 million. The acquisition includes Blade's brand and passenger operations in the U.S. and Europe, excluding its medical division. Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal will continue to lead the business as a Joby subsidiary. This deal provides Joby with a network of 12 terminals in key markets, including New York City. Joby plans to integrate its software to manage air taxi operations into Blade's passenger service, eventually transitioning to electric air taxis. The acquisition supports Joby's commercial operations launch in Dubai and its global rollout.

Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT Soars: Approaching 700 Million Weekly Active Users

OpenAI's ChatGPT is rapidly expanding its user base, projected to hit 700 million weekly active users. This milestone follows significant growth, with the app reaching 500 million weekly active users by the end of March. The platform has seen a 4x increase in usage since last year.
The introduction of an upgraded image generation feature, powered by GPT-4, in March boosted the app's popularity. Over 130 million users created more than 700 million images shortly after its launch.
ChatGPT has also experienced growth in its subscriber base, with 5 million paying business users, up from 3 million in June. Users are engaging with ChatGPT for an average of more than 12 days per month, spending approximately 16 minutes per day on the app.

Autonomous Vehicles

Lyft and Baidu Partner to Launch Robotaxis in Europe

Lyft is expanding into Europe through a partnership with Baidu to deploy Apollo Go autonomous vehicles.
The companies aim to launch robotaxi services in Germany and the United Kingdom in 2026, pending regulatory approval.
Baidu's RT6 vehicles, equipped with the Apollo Go self-driving system, will be integrated into Lyft's ride-hailing app.
Lyft acquired FREENOW earlier this year to enter the European market, expanding beyond the U.S. and Canada.
Uber is also pursuing robotaxi partnerships, including deals with May Mobility, Volkswagen, Momenta, WeRide, and Baidu.
Lyft plans to add autonomous shuttles from Benteler Group to its network in 2026 and AVs from May Mobility in Atlanta later this year.