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Microsoft plans to introduce the 'Smart Media Search' feature in Windows 11, allowing users to search for indexed local video or audio files using voice commands. This feature requires user consent to scan media files on the device and will download and install AI models in the background for transcription and indexing. The feature is still in development, and the AI models may require dedicated neural processing units for calculations. It remains unclear whether users can select specific files for search, raising privacy concerns due to the AI's comprehensive scanning of media content. If selective processing is allowed for users, this feature...

Gartner's latest research indicates that by the end of 2025, approximately 30% of generative AI businesses currently under testing will be abandoned by companies due to cost issues. The high deployment costs, ranging from $5 million to $20 million, along with an annual maintenance fee of $11,000, pose major challenges for AI projects. Gartner analyst Rita Sallam states that despite the long return on investment period for AI, 15.8% of companies have seen increases in revenue and 15.2% have experienced reductions in costs after adopting AI.

TikTok pays Microsoft nearly $20 million monthly to access OpenAI's artificial intelligence models via Microsoft's cloud services, bringing approximately $1 billion in annual revenue to Microsoft's cloud division and highlighting the value of AI services in the tech industry. Should TikTok develop its own large language model, it may reduce its reliance on Microsoft's services. OpenAI previously suspended ByteDance's account to investigate whether it violated developer agreements. As OpenAI's exclusive cloud service provider, Microsoft has invested significant resources to support its models, such as ChatGPT.

Microsoft has established the GenAI team with the goal of developing smaller and cheaper artificial intelligence models. The GenAI team will focus on language models similar to OpenAI's GPT-4 but using fewer computing resources. Led by Microsoft Vice President Misha Bilenko, the team will be part of the Azure cloud division. The objective is to enhance the scalability and cost-effectiveness of AI models, reducing operational costs on supercomputers. This initiative is significant for companies providing cloud-based AI services, enabling them to operate on a wider range of hardware.

Stability AI has officially launched a commercial membership plan to charge for the commercial use of AI models. The membership plan includes three tiers: free, $20 per month, and enterprise version. Stability AI aims to support future research and development through the paid membership plan. Users have expressed confusion about the concept of commercial use, while the company emphasizes its commitment to releasing open-source models.

Google Gemini has garnered widespread attention but is met with some skepticism. In certain tests, Gemini surpassed GPT-4, but the testing standards and effect videos are under scrutiny. The technical report of Gemini has stirred controversy, including prompting techniques and selection of trial attempts. The release video raises questions about chart scale and authenticity, attracting concern. The launch of Gemini instills confidence in other teams, believing that the future trend is to distill smaller, dense models from large teacher models.

In the current shortage of AI chips, Microsoft has announced it will provide select privileged startups with free access to its Azure cloud's 'supercomputing' resources for developing AI models. The initiative initially targets startups like Y Combinator and M12, offering Nvidia GPU virtual machine clusters to train and run generative models. Microsoft aims to lower the barriers for startups to train and run AI models through this initiative.

HiddenLayer, based in Austin, Texas, has secured $50 million in Series A funding, led by Microsoft’s venture capital fund M12 and Moore Strategic Ventures. HiddenLayer's MLSec platform offers security defense tools for enterprise AI models. The company plans to expand its workforce and continue supporting digital transformation efforts. HiddenLayer is committed to ensuring the security of enterprise AI/ML models.