Good morning. It’s the first day of autumn and we’ve got five things to get you up to speed on in the world of tech. It’s an AI-heavy one today.
1. Windows 11 gets AI Bing built-in, iPhone PC messages and more
Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 11 that brings its ChatGPT-powered Bing AI to the desktop search bar, in case you’ve always wanted an AI built into Windows and Cortana wasn’t enough. But the AI isn’t the only thing coming — from today, users will be able to sync Windows Phone Link to their iPhone, allowing them to send and receive messages via the Windows app (this was previously limited to Android phones). Snipping Tool is also getting an upgrade to all for screen recording (previously limited to the Xbox Game Bar).
2. Australian banks to explore AI
Back home, itNews is reporting that the Commonwealth Bank and ANZ are actively looking into how they can deploy AI in useful ways. Banks typically already use AI in the form of chatbots, virtual assistants or voice recognition, but the latest wave of AI development has CBA and ANZ rethinking how they can deploy the technology.
3. Musk wants in on AI
Hopefully not already bored of his multi-billion-dollar new toy Twitter, which reportedly just saw 200 more layoffs, Elon Musk is working on an alternative to ChatGPT, as per reporting from The Information. According to the report, Musk is reaching out to researchers to found a new lab. Back in 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, but he’s no longer involved with it.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2023
4. Russia hits Wikipedia with a fine for war ‘misinformation’
Overnight, Russia issued a $RUB2 million fine ($AU39,619.32) to Wikipedia, claiming the site refused to remove “misinformation” about the country’s military involvement in the Ukraine War. The Kremlin issued a series of laws last year restricting reports that contradict Russia’s official message. Wikipedia’s parent company, Wikimedia, has reportedly refused to remove the negative personification of Russia’s military and has not decided if it will appeal the two million ruble fine.
5. ‘AI personas’ are coming to Meta apps
Meta’s WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram will eventually feature ‘AI personas’, according to Mark Zuckerberg. The tech CEO has announced the creation of a new team that’ll focus on AI innovations across the brands. This, of course, comes as other big tech companies, such as Microsoft and Google, are getting deep into the AI space. Zuckerberg wants AI personas to “help people in a variety of ways”, which just makes me think Meta will eventually have its own Clippy.
BONUS ITEM: In case you feel like tuning in, Tesla’s ‘Master Plan 3’ Investor Day will take place overnight. It’ll be streamed to YouTube and Twitter.
Tesla Investor Day streaming live on Twitter & YouTube at 3pm CT tomorrow
— Tesla (@Tesla) February 28, 2023
Have a great day.