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Posts tagged "sooner"

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AI-generated movies will be here sooner than you think – and this new Google DeepMind tool proves it
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AI video generators like OpenAI's Sora, Luma AI's Dream Machine, and Runway Gen-3 Alpha have been stealing the headlines lately, but a new Google DeepMind tool could fix the one weakness they all share – a lack of accompanying audio.

A new Google DeepMind post has revealed a new video-to-audio (or 'V2A') tool that uses a combination of pixels and text prompts to automatically generate soundtracks and soundscapes for AI-generated videos. In short, it's another big step toward the creation of fully-automated movie scenes.

As you can see in the videos below, this V2A tech can combine with AI video generators (including Google's Veo) to create an atmospheric score, timely sound effects, or even dialogue that Google DeepMind says “matches the characters and tone of a video”.

Creators aren't just stuck with one audio option either – DeepMind's new V2A tool can apparently generate an “unlimited number of soundtracks for any video input” for any scene, which means you can nudge it towards your desired outcome with a few simple text prompts.

Google says its tool stands out from rival tech thanks to its ability to generate audio purely based on pixels – giving it a guiding text prompt is apparently purely optional. But DeepMind is also very aware of the major potential for misuses and deepfakes, which is why this V2A tool is being ringfenced as a research project – for now.

DeepMind says that “before we consider opening access to it to the wider public, our V2A technology will undergo rigorous safety assessments and testing”. It will certainly need to be rigorous, because the ten short video examples show that the tech has explosive potential, for both good and bad.

The potential for amateur filmmaking and animation is huge, as shown by the 'horror' clip below and one for a cartoon baby dinosaur. A Blade Runner-esque scene (below) showing cars skidding through a city with an electronic music soundtrack also shows how it could drastically reduce budgets for sci-fi movies. 

Concerned creators will at least take some comfort from the obvious dialogue limitations shown in the 'Claymation family' video. But if the last year has taught us anything, it's that DeepMind's V2A tech will only improve drastically from here.

Where we're going, we won't need voice actors

The combination of AI-generated videos with AI-created soundtracks and sound effects is a game-changer on many levels – and adds another dimension to an arms race that was already white hot.

OpenAI has already said that it has plans to add audio to its Sora video generator, which is due to launch later this year. But DeepMind's new V2A tool shows that the tech is already at an advanced stage and can create audio based purely on videos alone, rather than needing endless prompting.

DeepMind's tool works using a diffusion model that combines information taken from the video's pixels and the user's text prompts then spits out compressed audio that's then decoded into an audio waveform. It was apparently trained on a combination of video, audio, and AI-generated annotations.

Exactly what content this V2A tool was trained on isn't clear, but Google clearly has a potentially huge advantage in owning the world's biggest video-sharing platform, YouTube. Neither YouTube nor its terms of service are completely clear on how its videos might be used to train AI, but YouTube's CEO Neal Mohan recently told Bloomberg that some creators have contracts that allow their content to be used for training AI models.

Clearly, the tech still has some limitations with dialogue and it's still a long way from producing a Hollywood-ready finished article. But it's already a potentially powerful tool for storyboarding and amateur filmmakers, and hot competition with the likes of OpenAI means it's only going to improve rapidly from here.

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Windows 10 might get Copilot sooner than you think
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Windows 10 should get Microsoft’s Copilot AI – a feature that was previously exclusive to Windows 11 – in the near future, and some users might benefit from the desktop-based assistant quicker than you think.

As you may have noticed, Copilot came to Windows 10 last week, but only in testing for consumers (Windows 10 Home, and non-business Pro editions). And we’ve just had a clarification about how Copilot will be deployed to Windows 10 users.

As Windows Latest spotted, in a blog post penned earlier this week, Microsoft tells us: “Copilot will begin rolling out to devices running Home and unmanaged [consumer] Pro editions of Windows 10, version 22H2 in the near term. We will roll out this experience in phases using Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) technology over several months.”

Notice that the full rollout will begin in the ‘near term’ so that certainly suggests we’ll be seeing Copilot in Windows 10 soon enough.

However, it won’t be for everyone. As noted, Copilot will be pushed out in stages, so only some users will get it, and then its reach will gradually be expanded.

In short, a lucky few – presuming you want Copilot, mind – could be getting the AI assistant quite soon indeed.

The deployment of Copilot in Windows 10 will mirror that of Windows 11, we’re also told, meaning that it’ll only come to the US and North America first, as well as parts of Asia and South America. Other regions will be covered down the line.

Analysis: Driving adoption of Copilot

It makes sense that Microsoft would want to get Copilot live in Windows 10 as soon as possible.

After all, witness the remarkable turnaround from the previous announcement that Windows 10 would get no major new features, to suddenly adding the biggest new feature of all from Windows 11. This is presumably the result of Microsoft wanting to drive up the numbers of those using its AI – and Windows 10 users are a billion strong, of course. That’s a very big number indeed.

If this is true, and Microsoft is looking to tap into the Windows 10 user base to this end, then the company will likely want to move sooner rather than later.

More broadly, it seems that Microsoft wants to jam Copilot into pretty much everything it can. As an example, Windows Latest also flagged up the addition of Copilot to the command line in Windows 11 (and presumably Windows 10 eventually).

The theory is that Copilot in Windows 10 will be pretty much equivalent to the Windows 11 version, but as we stand at the beginning of the porting process to the older OS, that isn’t yet true, and the initial incarnation is more limited. Mind you, it’s still a barebones affair in Windows 11, truth be told, and Microsoft has a lot of work to do to fulfill its vision of an AI that can manipulate all manner of settings at the user’s request.

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Windows 11’s next big update could arrive sooner than expected
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Windows 11’s next big update, known as 23H2, could be coming sooner rather than later this year.

Or at least that’s the suggestion based off clues Windows Latest picked up on with the July cumulative update for Windows 11.

In that patch, the tech site notes that it has found references to several packages relating to ‘Moment 4’.

As you may be aware, the last feature drop for Windows 11 was Moment 3, so it follows that this is the next feature update – except this is a full upgrade for the OS. In short, Moment 4 is the 23H2 update.

Windows Latest further observes: “We found that Microsoft is testing an enablement package named Microsoft-Windows-23H2Enablement-Package.”

This lines up with what we know about 23H2, as Microsoft has already confirmed that it will be an enablement package. This means that the files for the upgrade will be preloaded to Windows 11 PCs, and can be sent live with a simple flick of an ‘enablement’ switch – a small download that’s easily applied at launch time.

Analysis: Early groundwork is a good sign

These clues being in place in Windows 11 now shows the groundwork for 23H2 is well underway, and this suggests we could see the annual update for the OS soon enough, maybe. Is there a chance it could keep pace with 22H2 and arrive in September? Maybe, though the rumor mill has been pointing to Q4 for 23H2, so October may still be a more realistic release date.

We shall see, but the Beta channel for Windows 11 just got a bunch of new stuff – including a File Explorer revamp, and RGB lighting hub – and again that suggests progress is ticking along nicely with the 23H2 update.

What could work against the ‘sooner rather than later’ theory is that Microsoft’s Copilot AI is still in a very barebones state, and it’s supposed to be included with 23H2. Our personal theory here, though, is this won’t make the cut for the 23H2 update – well, either that, or it’ll be a very limited version of Windows Copilot that’s released. And we don’t think the latter would be a very clever move for Microsoft in terms of making a good first impression with the AI (as we discussed recently in more depth).

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Microsoft’s cloud ambitions for Windows could kill off desktop PCs – and sooner than we expected
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The rumor mill believes Windows 365 is coming in consumer flavors, one of which will be a ‘family’ bundle, and we’ve also heard some chatter on potential pricing for this subscription.

Windows 365 is a cloud-based installation of Windows 11, meaning it’s streamed to you, rather than being installed on your local PC, and it’s currently available to businesses in three different plans (and there are separate products for the enterprise world, too, all with Office apps bundled).

So the rumor, as Windows Latest has heard from its sources, is that there will be Windows 365 consumer plans aimed at everyday users, with the theory proposed that one will be an individual subscription, and the other a family bundle (for multiple users which will work out cheaper than the single-person plan, naturally).

There’s nothing firm on pricing yet, unsurprisingly, but the rumored internal chatter is that Microsoft has been mulling charging at least $ 10 per month for the cheapest Windows 365 consumer product, or perhaps more like $ 20 for that entry-level subscription.

Take all of this, and especially that nugget on pricing, with a whole heap of salt. We’re told that pricing is very much up in the air at this stage, anyway, but we can expect that consumer plans will likely be cheaper than business subscriptions (and we’d hope that’d be the case).

What timeline are we looking at for the launch of consumer Windows 365? Windows Latest reckons that the cloudy spin on Windows 11 will arrive in the fall, so in theory, it could be just a few short months away.

Analysis: The inevitably cloudy future for consumers

We’re not sure that a release is that near on the horizon, in all honesty – we’re pretty skeptical Microsoft is going to move quite that quickly here.

That said, this route definitely seems to be in the cards, as evidenced by materials that have come to light recently due to the FTC vs Microsoft hearing, which make the software giant’s cloud ambitions very clear.

Namely that Microsoft very much sees the future of the consumer space as shifting Windows 11 to the cloud, and an installation of the OS being managed on a remote server, and streamed to any device, anywhere, rather than sitting on your local PC. And these fresh rumors are certainly a weighty hint that this could happen more quickly than we anticipated.

However, before going all-in with the cloud PC, and ruling out local installations completely, Microsoft might first visit some sort of compromise on Windows 11 users, involving a dual-boot system that can either be used locally or as a cloud PC.

The best of both worlds, if you will, and a slightly easier pill to swallow for those who have concerns about going fully to the cloud with their PC. (Worries that may be numerous around security and data privacy, to pick a couple of obvious issues with Microsoft having all your apps and data on its servers).

Indeed, there’s already work underway in testing with Windows 365 Boot for Windows 11, which allows for logging into either a cloud PC instance or the local installation of Windows on the desktop PC in front of you.

We really don’t know exactly how Microsoft will approach the idea of the cloud PC in the consumer space, but we’ve got a feeling it’s going to have to be pretty cautious and tentative, because this is such a big change. What we do know is the cloud PC concept is almost definitely coming to consumers at some point, and expect to hear more on the rumor mill before too long, no doubt.

Another idea Microsoft may be exploring is the idea of cheap subscription-based and cloud-connected PCs subsidized by adverts.

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Chatbots could be teaching in elementary schools a lot sooner than expected
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Artificial intelligence has come out swinging over the past year, and many sectors of our lives are rapidly adapting to this ever-changing, ever-advancing technology. Now, AI is likely to make its way into our classrooms and – hopefully – increase the impact teachers have on students by introducing new ways to teach and learn.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has already predicted that AI chatbots will help teach children to read in 18 months rather than the years it can currently take. Statements like that make it easy to jump into a frenzy and start biting our nails at the thought of what artificial intelligence could do to future generations of impressionable young minds.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that younger generations are already surrounded by digital tools to the extent that navigating technology is second nature for them. With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense that we’ll eventually see AI make its way into classrooms.

From the moment the now-ubiquitous AI chatbot ChatGPT exploded onto the digital scene, it became inevitable that young people would learn to use and navigate the tech – so implementing it in safe, controlled education environments isn’t necessarily a bad idea.

Of course, there are risks to incorporating enhanced AI tools into the classroom, including the increased likelihood of cheating – we’re already this in higher education with the flood of ChatGPT-written assignments –  and very possible job disruption for teachers.

What could AI education look like? 

We’ve already seen many students take to ChatGPT to do more – or perhaps less – with their assignments, and in all honesty, I do believe chatbots can be incredibly helpful. AI tools can proofread your work, summarise long and boring text, or de-jargonize complex topics.

Aside from getting feedback on your writing and getting rid of confusing jargon, chatbots can also give you a quick boost to get the creative juices flowing. As a creative writer in my spare time, I’ve personally used ChatGPT to help me draft a short story. I used it to research my chosen subject matter, and then once I had a plot outline I used the bot to find any holes in my logic or understanding, collect research links, and help me come up with names and locations that fit the vibe of what I was writing about.

According to Danny King, CEO and co-founder of Accredible – a digital credentialing platform – many students don't really have a personalized learning experience to fit their needs, and there simply aren't enough teachers to fill that gap. This is where AI is supposed to step in.

AI can supposedly fill this gap by removing repetitive routines or learning plans and instead allowing children to learn with a bit more freedom. “A lot of rote teaching can be taken away and delegated to technology”, says King, adding that “teachers won’t need to be distributors of knowledge, because AI can automate that.”

It's perhaps a bit presumptuous to simply assume all these issues and more can be quickly fixed by the wave of a robotic hand, but there are some genuine benefits to AI in the classroom we could look forward to.

As chatbots become more sophisticated, we could see young students have their own personal chatbot in their school laptops, acting as a chattier version of Google, which could lift some of the weight off teachers from having to answer a drove of questions that could easily be solved by the AI.

Alternatively, we could see AI be used in sophisticated testing, meaning that no two papers are the same and really testing comprehension and knowledge bases. Or maybe by the time we get the AI chatbots into schools, our current societal obsession will have faded, and it’ll just simply act as a fun classroom pastime.

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