September 12, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

🤖 Meta reported to be working on a powerful new AI system

⭕️ The Oura smart ring could see a fierce competitor next year

😎 Get ready for a spectacular 'ring of fire' solar eclipse

UP FIRST

Meta believed to be working on a powerful GPT-4 rival

The Facebook owner is keen to compete more strongly with Microsoft-backed OpenAI in the field of generative AI

Meta is building up its data centers and buying advanced Nvidia chips as part of efforts to create an artificial intelligence (AI) system to compete with GPT-4, the powerful large language model behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Meta wants to launch its new AI model in 2024, the Journal said, and aims for it to be “several times more powerful” than Llama 2, an AI tool unveiled by the company in July.

The new AI model will likely help companies build services that produce sophisticated text, analysis, and other output.

If the Facebook parent succeeds in its quest, it could turbocharge competition in the world of generative AI chatbots – but the effort may also create some potential problems and even dangers.

For example, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg reportedly wants the new AI model to be open source, but some experts fear that this could put a very powerful tool into the wrong hands, leading to an increase in viral disinformation, among other issues ...

SMART RINGS

The Oura Ring may see a fierce competitor early next year

The smart ring market could be about to really take off

Smart rings like the Oura Ring (above) are a great alternative for those who don’t want to wrap a watch or other device around their wrist to track their fitness levels.

The latest news is that Samsung may be planning to launch its own smart ring as early as January when it announces the next iteration of its flagship smartphone at its Galaxy Unpacked event, according to a usually reliable tipster.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard that Samsung is planning a fitness ring, but it is the first time a release date has been mentioned.

When it comes to sales, smart rings remain way behind smartwatches and fitness bands, but a recent forecast suggested the smart ring market will balloon to $747 million by the end of this decade, up from $126 million in 2022.

Certainly, if a major force like Samsung enters the market in just a few months from now, it’s easy to imagine many more people taking a closer look at the technology ...

ON THE HORIZON

Get ready for a spectacular 'ring of fire' solar eclipse

The upcoming annular solar eclipse will be viewable from eight states across the U.S.

In just a month from now, those living in parts of the Americas will have the chance to marvel at a “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse.

The breathtaking celestial event takes place on Saturday, October 14, and will be visible along a narrow path passing through eight U.S. states from Oregon to Texas, and onward through Central and South America.

Spots within the viewing zone include places like Monument Valley in Arizona, Bryce Canyon in Utah, and Mesa Verde in Colorado, but a quick look at a map will reveal plenty of other interesting places (and probably a lot quieter) from where you can witness the unforgettable spectacle.

An "annular" event such as this one refers to an eclipse where the moon passes between the sun and Earth at a distance where, when viewed from Earth, it doesn’t completely cover the sun. The result is a large, bright ring in the sky, commonly called the "ring of fire” ...

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