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‘THERE'S NO PRICE' MICROSOFT COULD PAY APPLE TO USE BING: ALL THE SPICIEST PARTS OF THE GOOGLE ANTITRUST RULING

This article contains a summary of the facts uncovered in the United States v. Google antitrust case.

POSTING

Posting is an HTTP client that enables efficient keyboard-centric workflows.

Last week, Meta AI launched SAM 2 - a new, open foundation model

that enables the precise segmentation of any object in any video or image.

FIGURE 02

Figure has released its newest humanoid robotics with new smarts and improved design.

STRUCTURED OUTPUTS IN OPENAI API

Requesting JSON or other structured output from language models is challenging. This new feature in OpenAI's API supports structured output from language model generation that can be consumed by downstream deterministic programs.

META IS REPORTEDLY OFFERING MILLIONS TO USE HOLLYWOOD VOICES IN AI PROJECTS

Meta is negotiating with celebrities like Awkwafina and Judi Dench to use their voices for its AI digital assistant, seeking extensive usage rights across its platforms. Striking a deal could mean millions in fees for the actors, with safeguards from SAG-AFTRA for AI-generated likenesses. The company aims to present these AI features at its Connect conference in September, after recently canceling a celebrity voice chatbot project.

MESHANYTHING V2

This work generates artistic quality meshes from 3D, 2D, or textual input. It uses improvements in the vertex representation and uses adjacent tokens to efficiently sample.

AUTOMATED REVIEW GENERATION

Researchers have developed an automated review generation method using LLMs to help manage the overwhelming volume of scientific literature.

EFFICIENT CONTRASTIVE LEARNING FOR MEDICAL IMAGING

CLEFT is a Contrastive Learning method designed for medical imaging that addresses the limitations of existing CLIP-like approaches that require extensive resources.

COGVIDEO

Open source text-to-video model that is close to the performance of closed video generation models.

MINICPM-V 2.6

Incredible vision language model that can almost run in real time. It outperforms closed models on a number of benchmarks.

IMPROVING IMAGE STITCHING

RecDiffusion is a framework that enhances the process of making stitched images visually pleasing without cropping or distorting them.

I'M SWITCHING INTO AI SAFETY

After eight years on Google's robotics team, Alex Irpan has transitioned to the AI safety team at Google DeepMind, driven by a mix of personal reasons and a belief in the importance of addressing safety challenges as AI systems advance towards superhuman capabilities. They express concerns about the reliability of current AI safety measures, the increasing risks of unchecked AI development, and their commitment to contributing to AI safety, despite the complexities and controversies surrounding the field.

WITH SMUGGLERS AND FRONT COMPANIES, CHINA IS SKIRTING AMERICAN A.I. BANS

Despite U.S. restrictions aimed at preventing the export of AI chips to China, an active black market thrives, allowing sizable transactions like a reported $103 million deal involving Nvidia chips. Efforts to circumvent bans involve creating new companies, deceptive shipping practices, and relying on international distribution gaps. The underground trade persists, catalyzing debates over the effectiveness of U.S. export controls and their impact on American tech companies versus Chinese competitors.

GPT-5: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

This in-depth analysis of OpenAI's GPT-5 explores its potential improvements in reasoning, agents, and multimodality while considering OpenAI's technical and business challenges in the competitive AI landscape. It analyzes GPT-5's anticipated advancements and market expectations, forecasting that while GPT-5 will enhance existing capabilities, it may fall short of becoming a fully autonomous AI agent. OpenAI's holistic approach is expected to push the boundaries of large language models and maintain its influence in the AI industry.

NVIDIA BLACKWELL GPUS ALLEGEDLY DELAYED DUE TO DESIGN FLAWS

Nvidia's upcoming Blackwell AI GPUs are delayed from Q4 2024 to potentially Q1 2025, impacting large customers like Microsoft and Meta.

OPENAI SAYS IT'S TAKING A ‘DELIBERATE APPROACH' TO RELEASING TOOLS THAT CAN DETECT WRITING FROM CHATGPT

OpenAI is considering releasing a tool that detects assignments written by ChatGPT but is cautious due to risks and potential unfair impact on non-English speakers.

ZUCKERBERG TOUTS META'S LATEST VIDEO VISION AI WITH NVIDIA CEO JENSEN HUANG

Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently introduced Segment Anything 2 (SA2), an ML model for video segmentation that demonstrates notable progress from last year's image-only predecessor.

SEC CLAIMS COINBASE'S SUBPOENA FOR MILLIONS OF DOCUMENTS IS A WASTE OF TIME

The SEC has criticized Coinbase for excessively subpoenaing documents, including emails from Gary Gensler, labeling the demand as unnecessary and irrelevant to the case. It claims that it has already provided over 240,000 documents and that meeting Coinbase's request for millions more would involve an impractical review of potentially privileged communications, far exceeding the actual case requirements.

BITCOIN FALLS TO ‘EXTREME FEAR' ON AUG. 5 AS ETFS OUTFLOW $168M

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index dropped to an "Extreme Fear" level of 17 out of 100 on Monday, marking its lowest point since July 2022. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw major outflows totaling $168M, highlighting a sharp decline in market sentiment and investor confidence.

A BREAKDOWN OF ARBITRUM'S SHORT-TERM INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Arbitrum's Short-Term Incentive Program (STIP) distributed 71M ARB to increase network activity, leading to $15.2M in sequencer revenue — 43% of total revenue during the period. However, with the program costing $85.2M, the $60M loss highlights the need for more efficient incentive strategies in the future.

INITIA ACQUIRES BLOCK EXPLORER CELATONE

Initia has acquired Celatone, a leading blockchain explorer from Alles Labs, to enhance its Initia Scan, which will now serve as the primary tool for navigating interwoven rollups. The acquisition adds 10 new team members to Initia Labs, focusing on expanding Initia Scan's dominance, integrations, and tooling.

HOW JAPAN'S INTEREST RATE MIGHT HAVE AFFECTED CRYPTO

A small 25 basis point interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan triggered a massive sell-off in risk assets, including a sharp drop in Ethereum, due to the unwinding of the carry trade. This trade, where investors borrow cheap Yen to invest in higher-yield assets, is now collapsing as higher interest rates strengthen the Yen, forcing traders to sell assets to cover their more expensive Yen-denominated loans, leading to a cascade of liquidations.

BLACKROCK, NASDAQ MAKE THE PUSH FOR OPTIONS ON SPOT ETHEREUM ETF

BlackRock and Nasdaq have submitted a proposal to the SEC to list and trade options for the iShares Eth Trust (BlackRock's spot Eth etf), aiming to provide investors with cost-effective tools for exposure and hedging related to eth.

RONIN BRIDGE HACKED AGAIN, WHITEHAT RETURNS FUNDS

The stolen ETH (~$10M) has been returned, with the USDC expected to follow later today, thanks to vigilant white hats who will receive a $500K bounty. The Ronin bridge will remain closed pending an audit, with plans to transition its operations to a new structure in collaboration with Ronin validators.

BITCOIN'S DIGITAL GILDED YEARS ARE A WAY OFF YET

TRUMP-THEMED MEMECOIN DJT RUG-PULLS

The Trump-themed $DJT token crashed by 90% after a wallet holding 20% of the supply suddenly dumped its holdings.

STARKNET CEO STEPS DOWN

Starknet Foundation CEO Diego Oliva has stepped down after leading the organization since March 2023, with James Strudwick taking over as Executive Director.

TRUMP AND LUMMIS HAVE PUSHED FOR US BITCOIN RESERVES BUT CRITICS EXPRESS DOUBTS

Sen. Cynthia Lummis and former President Donald Trump have proposed creating U.S. bitcoin reserves, arguing that it could act as a buffer against market fluctuations.

CRYPTO MARKET CRASH IN NUMBERS

The recent crypto market crash saw ~155K traders liquidated (~$573M in losses) and ~$300B wiped out from the crypto market cap.

SAFARI HAS NEW FEATURE THAT HIDES DISTRACTING ELEMENTS FROM WEBSITES

Apple has introduced a new feature in Safari called "Distraction Control" to improve user experience by hiding unnecessary elements like pop-up cookie settings during browsing. Users can activate this feature by selecting the "Hide Distracting Elements" option and choosing specific items to remove, which disappear with a smooth animation. Safari also remembers user preferences for future visits.

THE APPLE WATCH FOR KIDS REDESIGN IS LONG OVERDUE

THE NEST LEARNING THERMOSTAT GETS ITS BIGGEST UPGRADE IN OVER A DECADE

Google has unveiled the Nest Learning Thermostat, marking the first significant redesign in nearly a decade. It has a bigger screen, a slimmer profile, and curved glass similar to the Pixel Watch. It introduces features like improved AI for learning heating and cooling schedules, Soli radar sensors for precise presence detection, and smart home standard Matter support.

WHAT HARRIS AND TRUMP'S BRANDING CHOICES REVEAL ABOUT THE 2024 ELECTION

The 2024 presidential race features distinct branding from the Harris and Trump campaigns, with Harris emphasizing biographical themes and Trump focusing on slogans like "Back the Blue." While Trump's ads criticize Harris' handling of the border, Harris' ads target Trump. Both campaigns are adapting their online shops and fundraising strategies to fit their evolving brands.

THE END OF DESIGN?

AI is reshaping UX design by emphasizing efficiency over creativity, leading to concerns about the commodification of design roles. Future designers must be adaptable and confident in their decision-making to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven field.

THE FUTURE IS UP FOR GRABS WHEN ANYONE CAN MAKE DESIGNS

The rise of accessible design tools is transforming the creative landscape, enabling more people to produce and share their designs. This shift highlights the need to balance openness with preserving design quality and originality in an evolving environment.

BLACK FOREST LABS' FLUX.1

FLUX.1 is an image generation model with cutting-edge prompt following, visual quality, image detail, and output diversity. It's available in three variants: pro for top-tier performance, dev for non-commercial use, and schnell for local development.

AI-POWERED PHOTO LOCATION PREDICTION

Geospy is an AI-powered geo-location public demo that uncovers the origin of photos, revealing their exact capture locations.

CREATE HOW-TO VIDEOS AND GUIDES IN MINUTES (CHROME EXTENSION)

Kroto is a Chrome extension that simplifies the creation of professional how-to videos and guides with AI voiceover, easy editing, and instant sharing.

IMMERSY: CRAFTING A BRAND IDENTITY FOR AN ENGLISH SCHOOL

Immersy, an English school in Brazil founded by teacher Giovanna, hired Revelatio Studio to create its branding and visual identity. The resulting design features a playful typogram logo with a vibrant, youthful color palette and dynamic typography that reflects the school's immersive learning approach.

THE DAILY HELLER: TINA TOULI'S EXPLOSIVELY TWIRLING TYPOGRAPHY

Tina Tulis is known for her creative approach to typography, which seamlessly merges traditional type design with contemporary styles to produce distinctive and visually compelling fonts. Her work illustrates how modern typefaces can be both practical and artistically innovative, expanding the possibilities of conventional design.

NEW REPORTING AND GENAI TOOLS TO BOOST CREATIVE RESULTS

Google Ads has enhanced its creative tools with new features, including asset-level conversion reporting and AI-powered image editing. These updates will help advertisers maximize creative variety, optimize asset performance, and ensure brand suitability. Expanded capabilities like generative AI for image editing and partnerships with innovative platforms such as Typeface aim to streamline workflows and drive better campaign results across various campaign types.

WARM UP LIKE AN OLYMPIAN WITH THESE ART PROMPTS BEFORE YOU DIVE INTO A BIGGER PROJECT

Before starting a big art project, warm up with exercises to loosen up your gestures, spark creativity, and prepare your mind and hands for more complex work.

WHAT MAKES DESIGN AT ARC SO UNIQUE

Arc's design approach emphasizes individual creativity over strict consistency, allowing each designer's unique style to shine.

KREATIVES UNITES 11 ILLUSTRATORS TO ANIMATE THE PARALYMPIC GAMES 2024

Eleven global illustrators collaborated with Kreatives to create animated explainers for the 2024 Paralympic Games, highlighting the unique aspects of each sport while celebrating diversity and creativity.

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TECH SELL-OFF LEADS US STOCKS LOWER AND 10-YEAR YIELD SINKS

Wall Street took a rollercoaster nosedive, with tech stocks bearing the brunt. However, it's not just about numbers. This article weaves together economic data, investor psychology, and geopolitical tensions to paint a complex picture of market dynamics. The very factors driving stocks down are simultaneously boosting bonds, creating a "double-edged sword" for investors.