💫 AI is going supernova

AI is helping us search the stars. Welcome to the AllThingsAI newsletter. Let’s get into it.

The breakdown

Read time: 3 mins

• Northwestern is using AI to find dying stars.

• Google will defend you for using its AI.

• YouTube rolls out AI tools for advertisers.

• The promise and the pitfalls of Neuralink’s mission

• Some exciting AI apps to try out.

• Plus a handful of recommendations and reviews.

AI news

AI is watching the skies

A collective of international universities, led by Northwestern, has detected a supernova using an AI-powered automated system.

Dubbed Bright Transient Survey Bot (BTSbot), the system doesn’t need people to help find exploding stars; as Northwestern notes, humans have spent more than 2,000 hours over the last six years trying to identify supernovae, but BTSbot will make the whole process much quicker. The institute also says the AI system will help mitigate against human error.

Now we just need AI to help us find aliens.

Northwestern | Link to story.

Google has got your back

Generative AI is cool and all, but what if you get sued for inadvertently trampling over someone else’s copyright? Fear not, Google is here to protect you.

The Mountain View-based tech giant has announced it will help to defend those facing copyright lawsuits relating to AI-generated content. The company says it will come to the aid of users who find themselves in legal hot water for using its AI tools, provided they can show they didn’t intentionally infringe on others' copyrights.

Google’s commitment covers both AI training and outputs. It follows similar moves by Microsoft, Adobe, and others who have also said they will protect users from AI litigation.

Legal Dive | Link to story.

Targeting the moments

YouTube has announced Spotlight Moments - an AI feature that lets advertisers automatically run ads alongside videos connected to cultural moments. In real-world terms it means marketers will be able easily pair their ads alongside popular videos covering topics like Christmas or the Olympics.

Google-owned YouTube has also revealed broader availability for its Video Reach and Video View offerings - tools that make use of AI to help advertisers better target their content.

While Google is many things to many people, the lion’s share of its revenue comes from ads, so it’s likely we’ll see more AI products like Spotlight Moment going forward.

Search Engine Journal | Link to story.

Musk’s mission to get in your head

Vox has profiled Neuralink, Elon Musk’s AI brain-chip implant company.

The report notes Neuralink has secured FDA approval for human testing, and has recently begun recruiting those living with paralysis for trials.

Vox notes Musk’s stated goal is to not just to help the physically disabled, but to someday “achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence.” However, former Neuralink employees say animal tests show there is a real risk of damage to the brain.

Other experts quoted in the report suggest invasive brain-chip implants could be unnecessary, as existing technologies already allow for interfacing with the brain.

Vox also cites the privacy concerns that are inherent in merging a person’s inner thoughts with chips, citing instances of the Chinese government mining data from caps that scan workers’ brainwaves.

Vox | Link to story.

Poll

Results from our last poll: Are existing LLMs like ChatGPT and Bard really the first signs of AGI?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ✅ Yes. These tools can come up with answers I would never have thought of.

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ❎ No. They’re not really as useful as some would have you believe.

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AI tools you should try

Codelita (free with paid options): Codelita’s pitch is “anyone can code.” And with AI under the hood, that might actually be true. The learning program takes you through a series of tasks, teaching you the fundamentals of coding. And with iOS and Android apps that also include coding keyboards, it really is a great way to get to grips with code.

Visla (free with paid options): Visla is an all-in-one video creation platform with some AI bells-and-whistles. From a feature that removes pauses to a tool for automatically summarizing the content of your video, Visla is certainly worth checking out.

Translate.Video (free with paid options): With the prevalence of online video, it has become evermore important to make sure people can understand the content you’re putting out. Translate.Video’s proposition is that it can automate translations for subtitles, generate human-like dubbed voices, and more. As a new user, you get five minutes free, so you can kick the tires to see if it works for you.

Best bets

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