Welcome to another edition of Horizon AI,

Google Maps introduces five exciting new AI-powered features that promise to redefine your navigation experience. Meanwhile, OpenAI hits pause on ChatGPT Plus sign-ups due to overwhelming demand.

Let's jump right in!

Read Time: 3.0 min

Here's what's new today in the Horizon AI

• Google Maps Gets an AI Makeover: 5 New Features to Try 🌎

• ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions Paused Amid Soaring Demand

• AI Research: DeepMind's GraphCast AI Model

• AI Image of The Day🎨: Imaginary dachshund hybrids

• The Latest in AI and Tech 💡

AI News

GOOGLE

Google Maps Gets an AI Makeover: 5 New Features to Try 🌎

Google Maps is rolling out some major AI-powered updates that will change how you plan trips and navigate. As these features become available over the next weeks and months, here's what to look out for:

• Immersive View - Get a detailed 3D preview of your driving, walking, or cycling route. See simulated traffic, weather, and more to help plan departure times. Now available in select cities.

• Lens in Maps - Use AR and AI to explore surroundings. Point your phone's camera at your location to see nearby restaurants, shops, transit stations, and more. Expanding to 50+ cities.

• Enhanced Navigation - More realistic landscapes, buildings and lane guidance powered by AI, launching soon in 12 countries. US users will get HOV lane alerts.

• EV Charging Info - Find compatible chargers and see real-time availability and speed. Rolling out wherever EV data is available.

• Smarter Search - Search results include photo-first recommendations based on billions of Google Maps pics. Tap a photo to learn more.

Google's AI advancements will completely change how we explore and get around. Keep an eye out for these new features landing on your phone soon.

Source

OPENAI

ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions Paused Amid Soaring Demand

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman just announced that the company is temporarily halting new sign-ups for their ChatGPT Plus premium subscription. The move comes in response to a massive surge in interest following OpenAI's Developer Day conference last week.

ChatGPT web traffic was already approaching record levels from April 2023 even before the increased interest generated by the DevDay conference.

This is not the first time the company has struggled to handle soaring demand, as the decision to suspend new subscriptions comes after ChatGPT experienced a series of outages over the past week. Those outages were attributed by OpenAI to a surge in user activity and reported cyber attacks.

It is worth noting that most of the newly unveiled features at the DevDay conference are exclusive to ChatGPT Plus subscribers.

Source

AI RESEARCH

Revolutionizing Weather Forecasting: DeepMind's GraphCast AI Model

Google's AI firm DeepMind has developed an AI model called GraphCast that can predict the weather faster and more accurately than existing methods.

• In tests, GraphCast outperformed leading numerical weather prediction models that take hours to run on supercomputers. It was more precise on 90% of atmospheric forecasts.

• The model is trained on historical weather data, learning complex relationships between variables like temperature, wind, and humidity. It uses current conditions to predict ahead up to 10 days.

• Researchers still need to evaluate reliability, potential biases, and energy use.

For the near future, GraphCast will likely complement rather than replace traditional physical weather models. But it represents a shift towards AI-powered forecasting.

Source

AI Image of The Day

Send your AI-generated images for a chance to get published here: [email protected]

Source: @daichshunds on X

The latest in AI and Tech

Fake news anchors? AI audio clones German broadcasters

AI-generated fake audio clones of popular German news anchors from the "Tagesschau" program are circulating online. The convincing deepfakes contain false claims and conspiracy theories. Experts warn these audio fakes undermine trust in news media as AI technology improves.

Read more

Airbnb bets on AI with $200 million acquisition

Airbnb acquired AI startup GamePlanner, co-founded by Siri creator Adam Cheyer, for around $200 million. GamePlanner's tech will reportedly focus on "accelerating" AI projects and integrating tools into Airbnb's platform. The move aligns with CEO Brian Chesky's vision to build an AI "travel concierge" that adapts to users.

Read more

Baidu CEO warns china's AI model rush risks resource waste

Baidu's CEO Robin Li warns that China's rush to develop large AI language models could lead to an enormous waste of resources. With over 200 models but few practical applications, Li says firms should focus on developing native apps rather than recreating foundations. While generative AI attracts interest in China, Li argues constant rebuilding of core models is inefficient. Companies should leverage existing models like Baidu's Ernie for innovation.

Read more

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Gina 👩🏻‍💻