Author: GT

A startup called Palabra AI, which develops an AI-powered speech translation engine, is tackling one of the more difficult aspects of teaching large language models (LLMs) to understand multiple languages. Today, LLMs make it easier to convert text from one language to another, but speech translation is not as simple, according to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. “AI can generate content and translate text. But [Speech] Translation is a unique problem because it requires real-time language switching, and the voice also needs to sound human,” Ohanian said. Ohanian and his venture firm Seven Seven Six (776) believe that Palabra AI could…

Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister Ralph Regenvanu (C) delivers a speech as he attends a demonstration ahead of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) session tasked with issuing the first Advisory Opinion (AO) on States’ legal obligations to address climate change, in The Hague on July 23, 2025. John Thys | Afp | Getty ImagesGripped by corporate earnings season and U.S. President Donald Trump’s back-and-forth tariff policy, investors largely shrugged off a historic climate ruling from the world’s top court.But for some, the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) recent advisory opinion on state’s legal obligations in the face of climate change…

Google on Thursday announced a new AI-powered search tool to help travelers find flight deals — even as regulators continue to question whether the search giant’s dominance in travel discovery stifles competition. Called Flight Deals, the new tool is available within Google Flights and is designed to help “flexible travelers” find cheaper fares. Users can type natural language queries into a search bar — describing how and when they want to travel — and the AI surfaces matching options. These queries can be like “week-long trip this winter to a city with great food, nonstop only” or “10-day ski trip…

One of Europe’s most prominent AI startups has released two AI models that are so tiny, they have named them after a chicken’s brain and a fly’s brain. Multiverse Computing claims these are the world’s smallest models that are still high-performing and can handle chat, speech, and even reasoning in one case.  These new tiny models are intended to be embedded into Internet of Things devices, as well as run locally on smartphones, tablets, and PCs.  “We can compress the model so much that they can fit on devices,” founder Román Orús told TechCrunch. “You can run them on premises,…

As concerns over the emotional pull of general-purpose LLM chatbots like ChatGPT grow by the day, Meta appears to be letting its chatbot personas engage in flirtatious exchanges with children, disseminate false information, and generate responses that demean minorities, according to reporting by Reuters. According to an internal Meta document seen by Reuters, Meta had policies on AI chatbot behavior that allowed its AI personas to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.”  Meta confirmed to Reuters the authenticity of the document, which contained standards for the company’s generative AI assistant, Meta AI, and chatbots on Facebook,…

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. What started as a tool to supercharge productivity through writing essays and code with short text prompts has evolved into a behemoth with 300 million weekly active users. 2024 was a big year for OpenAI, from its partnership with Apple for its generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, the release of GPT-4o with voice capabilities, and the highly-anticipated launch of its text-to-video model Sora. OpenAI also faced its share of internal drama, including the notable exits of high-level execs like co-founder and longtime chief…

Eastman Kodak is denying reports that it’s shutting down. On Wednesday, media outlets like CNN and CNBC detailed the company’s ongoing financial challenges, including statements made in its earnings report that warned investors it didn’t have “committed financing or available liquidity” to meet debt obligations coming due within 12 months. However, Kodak quickly published a press release to counter these claims, noting it has “no plans to cease operations” or file for bankruptcy protection. Rather, it claims to have plans to “repay, extend, or refinance” its debt before the due date and expects to have a stronger balance sheet by…

Since nothing Taylor Swift ever does is small, her two-hour conversation with boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce on their “New Heights” podcast is a watershed moment for a media format that has already outlived the device it was named for.By Thursday afternoon, Wednesday night’s talk had already been seen more than 11.7 million times on YouTube. But that’s only a fraction of its circulation — clips distributed on Instagram, TikTok, X and elsewhere have received more than 400 million views, and the episode was also available for streaming on audio platforms.Swift, who infrequently gives interviews to journalists,…

Sam Altman turned OpenAI into a cultural phenomenon with ChatGPT.Now, three years later, he’s chasing where the real money is: Enterprise.Last week’s rollout of GPT-5, OpenAI’s newest artificial intelligence model, was rocky. Critics bashed its less-intuitive feel, ultimately leading the company to restore its legacy GPT-4 to paying chatbot customers.But GPT-5 isn’t about the consumer. It’s OpenAI’s effort to crack the enterprise market, where rival Anthropic has enjoyed a head start.One week in, and startups like Cursor, Vercel, and Factory say they’ve already made GPT-5 the default model in certain key products and tools, touting its faster setup, better results…

Apple usually announces its new hardware in the fall, and this year is likely no different. The event is reported to be on September 9, and Apple is expected to release its iPhone 17 lineup, along with updates for the Apple Watch and AirPods.  As always, there are many rumors circulating, including bigger screens and improved cameras for the iPhone 17 models and the introduction of an ultra-thin iPhone Air that could replace the Plus model. iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max The iPhone 17 is expected to get a significant makeover to align more closely with the…