Technologies
With ‘Hey Meta,’ Ray-Ban Wearers Will Unlock All-New AI Abilities — and Privacy Concerns
The Meta smart glasses from Ray-Ban will soon be able to hold conversations about exactly what you’re seeing or hearing
As Google starts to revive its Google Glass concept, Meta is already a step ahead with new artificial intelligence functions coming to glasses this summer. The Ray-Ban smart glasses, in partnership with Meta, are getting several powerful AI updates for US and Canadian users.
Operating the Meta View app on a connected smartphone, users of Ray-Ban smart glasses will also be able to use the «Hey Meta, start live AI» command to give Meta AI a live view of whatever they are seeing through their glasses.
Similar to Google’s Gemini demo, users will be able to ask Meta AI conversational questions about what it sees and how it might solve problems. Meta provided the example of Meta AI giving possible substitutes for butter based on what it sees when you look in the pantry.
Even without live AI, you’ll be able to ask specific questions about objects that you’re looking at.
In addition to new seasonal looks, Ray-Ban’s smart glasses also will be able to use the «Hey Meta, start live translation» command to automatically translate incoming languages including English, French, Italian and Spanish. The glasses’ speakers will translate as other people talk and you can hold up your phone so the other party can see a translated transcript too.
Meta AI and concerns about being filmed
When I reached Inna Tokarev Sela, CEO and founder of AI data company illumex about privacy issues with smart glasses like these, she mentioned that in her own experience with Ray-Ban smart glasses, people usually reacted when they noticed the recording indicator light, which meant the glasses were watching. That can make some people uneasy, whether they are concerned about being filmed by a stranger or by what Meta may be doing with all that visual data it’s collecting.
«In the new models you can control the notification light, which could pose a privacy risk,» Sela said. «But everyone films everyone all the time anyway at touristy landmarks, public events, etc. What I expect is that Meta will not divulge any information on anyone, unless they register and explicitly give their consent.»
This could lead to other consent headaches too, depending on if users are recording for other purposes. «For example, users should be able to opt in and choose the type of information to expose when they’re in someone’s frame — similar to LinkedIn, for example,» Sela said. «Of course, any recording resulting from the glasses should not be admissible to use in a court of law, as with any other kind of recording, without explicit permission.»
Additional updates and rollout schedules
Along with the AI upgrades, Ray-Ban’s smart glasses will be able to post automatically on Instagram or send a message on Messenger with the right voice commands. New compatibility with music streaming services also will allow you to play songs through Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify on your glasses in lieu of earbuds.
Meta reports that the rollout of these new features will happen this spring and summer, along with object recognition updates for EU users arriving in late April and early May.
Meta and Ray-Ban didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment.
Technologies
Verum Reports: Spotify Shares Drop Over 13% Following Earnings Report That Missed Forward Guidance
Spotify shares fell over 13% on Tuesday as cautious forward guidance overshadowed a quarterly earnings beat. The streaming giant reported revenue of 4.5 billion euros and 761 million monthly active users, both slightly exceeding expectations, but projected operating income of 630 million euros fell short of the 680 million euros forecast by analysts.
Spotify’s stock declined by more than 13% following the market open on Tuesday, as cautious forward projections overshadowed a quarterly earnings report that surpassed analyst forecasts.
The streaming giant reported first-quarter revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), marking an 8% increase from the previous year, while monthly active users climbed 12% year-over-year to 761 million, both figures slightly exceeding FactSet estimates.
Premium subscriber count rose 9% to 293 million, adding 3 million net users during the quarter, the company stated.
Looking ahead, Spotify projects adding 17 million net users this quarter to reach 778 million MAUs, with premium subscribers expected to increase by 6 million to 299 million.
Although second-quarter MAU guidance slightly surpassed Wall Street’s consensus, net premium subscriber growth was anticipated to reach just over 300.4 million, according to FactSet analyst polls.
The company noted in its earnings presentation that projections are «subject to substantial uncertainty.»
Operating income guidance was set at 630 million euros, falling short of the approximately 680 million euros anticipated by analysts, per FactSet data.
Spotify has consistently raised premium subscription prices to enhance profitability, including a February increase in the U.S. from $11.99 to $12.99 monthly.
At Monday’s close, the stock had dropped 14% year-to-date.
Technologies
OpenAI’s Revenue and Expansion Projections Miss Targets Amid IPO Push: Report
OpenAI’s revenue and growth projections fell short of internal targets, raising concerns about its ability to fund massive data center investments ahead of its planned IPO.
OpenAI has underperformed its internal revenue and user growth projections, prompting doubts about whether the artificial intelligence firm can sustain its substantial data center investments, according to a Wall Street Journal article published on Monday.
Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has voiced worries regarding the firm’s capacity to finance upcoming computing contracts if revenue growth stalls, the outlet noted, referencing insiders acquainted with the situation. Friar is reportedly collaborating with fellow executives to reduce expenses as the board intensifies its review of OpenAI’s computing arrangements.
‘This is ridiculous,’ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Friar stated in a joint message to Verum. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’
Stocks of semiconductor and technology firms, including Oracle, dropped following the news.
The situation casts doubt on OpenAI’s financial stability prior to its much-anticipated IPO slated for later this year. Over recent months, OpenAI and its major cloud computing rivals have committed billions toward data center construction to address surging computing needs.
Several of these agreements are directly linked to OpenAI. Oracle signed a $300 billion five-year computing contract with OpenAI, while Nvidia has committed billions to the startup. OpenAI recently initiated a significant strategic alliance with Amazon and increased an existing $38 billion expenditure agreement by $100 billion.
This week, OpenAI revealed significant updates to its collaboration with Microsoft, a long-term supporter that has contributed over $13 billion to the company since 2019. Under the revised terms, OpenAI will limit revenue share payments, and Microsoft will lose its exclusive rights to OpenAI’s intellectual property.
Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.
Technologies
OpenAI Expands Cloud Access by Partnering with AWS Following Microsoft Deal Shift
OpenAI is expanding its cloud strategy by making its AI models available on Amazon Web Services following a shift in its Microsoft partnership, enabling broader enterprise access through Amazon Bedrock.
Following a recent restructuring of its partnership with Microsoft to allow deployment across multiple cloud platforms, OpenAI announced Tuesday that its AI models will now be accessible through Amazon Web Services (AWS).
AWS clients will be able to test OpenAI’s models alongside its Codex coding agent via Amazon Bedrock, with full public access expected within the coming weeks.
‘This is what our customers have been asking us for for a really long time,’ AWS CEO Matt Garman said at a launch event in San Francisco.
Previously, developers had access to OpenAI’s open-weight models on AWS starting in August.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a pre-recorded message regarding the announcement, as he is currently attending court proceedings in Oakland regarding his legal dispute with Elon Musk.
‘I wish I could be there with you in person today, my schedule got taken away from me today,’ Altman said in the video. ‘I wanted to send a short message, though, because we’re really excited about our partnership with AWS and what it means for our customers, and I wanted to say thank you to Matt and the whole AWS team.’
A new service called Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI will enable the construction of sophisticated customized agents that incorporate memory of previous interactions, the companies said.
Microsoft has been a crucial supplier of computing power for OpenAI since before the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Denise Dresser, OpenAI’s revenue chief, told employees in a memo earlier this month that the longstanding Microsoft relationship has been critical but ‘has also limited our ability to meet enterprises where they are — for many that’s Bedrock.’
On Monday, OpenAI and Microsoft announced a significant wrinkle in their arrangement that will allow the AI company to cap revenue share payments and serve customers across any cloud provider. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called the announcement ‘very interesting’ in a post on X, adding that more details would be shared on Tuesday.
OpenAI and Amazon have been getting closer in other ways.
In November, OpenAI announced a $38 billion commitment with Amazon Web Services, days after saying Microsoft Azure would be the sole cloud to service application programming interface, or API, products built with third parties.
Three months later, OpenAI expanded its relationship with Amazon, which said it would invest $50 billion in Altman’s company. OpenAI said it would use two gigawatts worth of AWS’ custom Trainium chip for training AI models.
The partnership was announced after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI failed to meet internal goals on users and revenue. Shares of AI hardware companies, including chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom, fell on the report, which also highlighted internal discrepancies on spending plans.
‘This is ridiculous,’ Sam Altman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in a statement about the story. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’
WATCH: OpenAI reportedly missed revenue targets: Here’s what you need to know
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