Welcome to the newest edition of FindBiometrics’ AI update. Here’s the latest big news on the shifting landscape of AI and identity technology:
Investment in generative AI is way up, according to data compiled by The Information. Startups in this field raised $12.2 billion in Q2 of 2024, thanks in part to xAI’s $6 billion funding round in May. But even excluding that, investment was up 85 percent year-over-year.
The US Department of Justice is investigating Nvidia over alleged anti-competitive business practices. Among other things, rivals have accused the AI chipmaker of charging customers higher prices for networking equipment if they are also looking to buy chips from AMD or Intel. Nvidia’s acquisition of the Israeli startup Run:ai is also of concern to the DoJ.
Cerebras Systems, an Nvidia rival, has confidentially filed for an Initial Public Offering in the US. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Cerebras makes AI chips and is backed by investors including the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund and Coatue Management.
AMD increased its 2024 sales forecast for AI chips from $4 billion to $4.5 billion, citing strong demand. On a conference call, CEO Lisa Su said supplies will be tight through 2025. The company’s revenues for the latest quarter were up 115 percent.
Qualcomm has also projected higher-than-expected future revenues, beating Wall Street estimates with a Q4 sales forecast with a midpoint of $9.9 billion. But the company has taken a hit from America’s China sanctions: The US revoked a Qualcomm export license for Huawei, and Qualcomm says this will impact revenues for the current quarter and Q1 of fiscal 2025.
OpenAI has started rolling out its much-anticipated “voice mode” to select premium users. The fluid, conversational AI tool was first unveiled in May, but saw pushback from the actress Scarlett Johansson, who alleged that the firm had copied her voice. OpenAI says the tool has been reconfigured to prevent it from impersonating “both individuals and public figures.”
An AI deepfake depicting presidential contender Kamala Harris saying things she did not say has raised further concerns about the technology’s political implications. The video was shared by Elon Musk on his social media platform X, causing some confusion before Musk clarified that it was parody.
Google is making changes to its search engine to manage the rise of deepfake pornography that bases adult media on individuals without their consent. Rather than having to request that specific URLs be taken down, deepfake porn victims can now ask for their name to be removed from search terms, and Google will downgrade search rankings for sites that have a lot of removal notices.
FindBiometrics got to see deepfake technology in action thanks to ID R&D, which hosted a tour of its New York City headquarters. Perhaps more importantly, the ID R&D team showcased tools that can detect deepfakes in real time, including on a Zoom call. Watch the video.
The chatbot’s take: We had a question about Cerebras’ IPO move:
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August 2, 2024 – by Alex Perala
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