Welcome to the newest edition of ID Tech’s AI update. Here’s the latest big news on the shifting landscape of AI and identity technology:
Nvidia unveiled its next-gen “Blackwell Ultra” AI chip at its NVIDIA GTC 2025 show. The chip offers a 50 percent increase in computing power, and is slated for launch in the second half of this year. Nvidia also revealed “GR00T N1”, a customizable foundation model for robot intelligence that lets humanoid robots understand their environments and plan their actions accordingly. But Nvidia’s cute Star Wars-inspired robot, Blue, stole the show.
A new AI platform allows users to “clone” a voice with just three seconds of audio. Cartesia’s main aim is to develop realistic and emotive voice models for call centers and online media. Users can easily create and alter synthetic voices, and also have the option of uploading their own voice audio, which can then be cloned for use in a custom synthetic voice model.
Tencent has unveiled new AI tools designed to turn text and images into three-dimensional visuals. The China-based company launched five new open source models on its Hunyuan3D-2.0 platform, including “turbo” versions that can produce realistic 3D images in just 30 seconds.
Meta plans to require disclosure of the use of AI in political ads for an anticipated federal election in Canada. Facebook’s parent company will focus its requirements on deepfakes, targeting ads that contain realistic images, videos, and/or audio that have been generated or manipulated by AI.
Nvidia and Elon Musk’s xAI are joining the AI Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), teaming up with Microsoft, BlackRock, and the Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX to develop AI infrastructure. The partnership initially aimed to raise $30 billion, but it has the potential to mobilize up to $100 billion in total investments, including debt financing.
SoftBank has sealed a $6.5 billion deal to buy Ampere Computing, a semiconductor firm that designs and develops ARM-based microprocessors. It’s the latest of the Japanese investment firm’s big bets on AI, and a logical move given SoftBank’s 90 percent ownership stake in Arm Holdings.
Organized crime is embracing AI, using it for everything from social engineering attacks to document-scraping malware to evading voice and image recognition, according to the new European Serious Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA) 2025 report. It isn’t news to those in the digital security industry, but it’s a notable warning from Europol, whose Executive Director says “AI-driven attacks are becoming more precise and devastating.”
The Swedish government has proposed legislation that would allow police to use AI-powered facial recognition to identify and track criminal suspects. It is a controversial bill that has drawn criticism from privacy and civil rights advocates, but Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer has defended it as a crucial tool targeted at preventing serious crimes.
The chatbot’s take: We managed to elicit a bit of a PSA from GPT-4.5:
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March 21, 2025 – by Alex Perala
