News from the AI & ML world
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@Talkback Resources
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Microsoft is making strategic shifts to bolster its AI capabilities, while addressing the financial demands of AI infrastructure. In a move to offset the high costs of running AI data centers, the company is implementing layoffs. This decision, viewed as a "double whammy" for tech workers, comes as Microsoft doubles down on its AI investments, suggesting further workforce adjustments may be on the horizon as AI technologies mature and become more efficient. The company is concurrently rolling out tools and features designed to streamline data interaction and enhance AI application development.
Microsoft has previewed the MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool for SQL Server, aiming to simplify data access for AI agents. Implemented in both Node.js and .NET, this open-source tool allows AI agents like GitHub Copilot or Claude Code to interact with databases using natural language, potentially revolutionizing how developers work with data. The MCP server, once set up locally, offers commands such as listing tables, describing tables, and creating or dropping tables. However, initial user experiences have been mixed, with some finding the tool limited and sometimes frustrating, citing slow operation speeds and the need for further refinement. In addition to database enhancements, Microsoft is also focused on leveraging AI to improve accessibility and documentation. The MCP server for Microsoft Learn is now in public preview, offering real-time AI agent access to Microsoft's vast documentation library. Furthermore, a new C# script leveraging .NET 10 and local AI models enables the generation of AltText for images, making online content more accessible to visually impaired users. Microsoft is unifying security operations by transitioning Microsoft Sentinel into the Microsoft Defender portal. This consolidation offers a single, comprehensive view of incidents, streamlines response, and integrates AI-driven features like Security Copilot and exposure management to enhance security posture. The Azure portal for Microsoft Sentinel is slated for retirement by July 1, 2026, encouraging customers to transition to the unified Defender portal for an improved security operations experience. Recommended read:
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Alexey Shabanov@TestingCatalog
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Perplexity AI is rapidly expanding its presence in the AI market through strategic integrations and innovative features. The company has launched Perplexity Labs, a new tool for Pro subscribers designed to automate tasks such as creating reports, spreadsheets, and mini web apps. This feature leverages AI research, code execution, and content generation, positioning Perplexity as a versatile platform for both information retrieval and content creation. Labs can generate and execute code for data structuring, create interactive web apps, and produce various file types, making it well-suited for diverse projects from marketing campaigns to business analysis.
The startup is also making strides in device integration. Samsung is reportedly nearing a wide-ranging deal with Perplexity that includes investment and deep integration into devices, the Bixby assistant, and the web browser. This partnership could see Perplexity pre-installed on upcoming Galaxy S26 series phones, potentially replacing Google Gemini as the default AI assistant. The integration might also extend to Samsung Internet, offering users more advanced and personalized AI experiences directly within their web browsing. Furthermore, Perplexity is enhancing its AI-driven search capabilities within the Comet Browser. Users can now observe Perplexity AI controlling pages in the Comet Browser, with visual indicators showing actions like clicking and filling forms. This new feature allows for more interactive and transparent AI-driven automation, benefiting users who automate repetitive workflows such as data entry and testing. This positions Perplexity as a pioneer in bringing interactive and transparent AI-driven automation to the browser. Recommended read:
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James Peckham@PCMag Middle East ai
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Data Phoenix
, Mark Gurman
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Samsung is reportedly in the final stages of negotiating a wide-ranging deal with Perplexity to deeply integrate the AI company's technology into its devices. This move could potentially see Perplexity AI becoming the default AI chatbot on the Galaxy S26 series, possibly replacing Google Gemini. The integration may also extend to Samsung's Bixby assistant and its web browser, aiming to enhance these features with more powerful AI-driven capabilities. This strategic shift indicates Samsung's interest in exploring alternatives to Google's AI offerings and potentially supercharging its own services with Perplexity's search functionality.
Perplexity has recently launched Labs, a new AI tool designed to help users create reports, dashboards, and web applications. This innovative tool is available for Pro subscribers and automates time-consuming tasks using AI research and code execution. Labs is equipped with capabilities such as web browsing, code execution, and chart and image creation, enabling it to handle diverse projects and transform ideas into finished deliverables. The new Labs feature includes a suite of tools specifically designed to turn ideas and to-dos into completed work, with the ability to perform sustained automated research for 10 minutes or more, accomplishing tasks that previously took days. Perplexity Labs stands out for its ability to execute code to structure datasets, apply formulas, and create various file types, including charts, images, and spreadsheets. It can also build and deploy simple interactive websites directly within the interface. The mini web apps feature is particularly ambitious, offering users the ability to create basic dashboards, slideshows, or data visualization tools without needing coding skills. The tool is designed to be self-supervised, working in the background to perform tasks ranging from marketing campaigns to business analysis. Recommended read:
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Alexey Shabanov@TestingCatalog
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Perplexity has unveiled Perplexity Labs, a new AI-powered tool designed for Pro subscribers, aiming to revolutionize the creation of work deliverables. Labs automates tasks like generating reports, spreadsheets, dashboards, and even mini web apps, leveraging AI research and code execution to bring projects from ideation to completion. It functions as an AI-driven team, providing users with a comprehensive suite of tools to transform their ideas into tangible results, marking a significant move beyond traditional search functionalities.
Labs stands out by investing a minimum of 10 minutes in self-supervised work, conducting web browsing, writing and executing code, and organizing data to achieve its objectives. This extended timeframe allows the AI to crunch numbers, apply formulas, generate visuals, and construct interactive web apps, all without requiring the user to lift a finger. The technology combines various AI capabilities Perplexity has developed, packaging the output into an "Assets" tab for easy access and download. Available on web, iOS, and Android, with Mac and Windows apps on the horizon, Perplexity Labs is accessible for Pro subscribers at $20 per month. With the mini web apps feature being particularly ambitious, Labs can build and deploy simple interactive websites directly within the interface, such as dashboards, slideshows, or data visualization tools, without the user needing any coding knowledge. This move aims to shift Perplexity's positioning from a "better Google" to a "personal research assistant and worker," providing training wheels for building AI agents and automating time-consuming tasks. Recommended read:
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Matthias Bastian@THE DECODER
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Black Forest Labs, known for its contributions to the popular Stable Diffusion model, has recently launched FLUX 1 Kontext and Playground API. This new image editing model lets users combine text and images as prompts to edit existing images, generate new scenes in the style of a reference image, or maintain character consistency across different outputs. The company also announced the BFL Playground, where users can test and explore the models before integrating them into enterprise applications. The release includes two versions of the model: FLUX.1 Kontext [pro] and the experimental FLUX.1 Kontext [max], with a third version, FLUX.1 Kontext [dev], entering private beta soon.
FLUX.1 Kontext is unique because it merges text-to-image generation with step-by-step image editing capabilities. It understands both text and images as input, enabling true in-context generation and editing, and allows for local editing that targets specific parts of an image without affecting the rest. According to Black Forest Labs, the Kontext [pro] model operates "up to an order of magnitude faster than previous state-of-the-art models." This speed allows enterprises creative teams and other developers to edit images with precision and at a faster pace. The pro version allows users to generate an image and refine it through multiple “turns,” all while preserving the characters and styles in the images, allowing enterprises can use it for fast and iterative editing. The company claims Kontext [pro] led the field in internal tests using an in-house benchmark called KontextBench, showing strong performance in text editing and character retention, and outperforming competitors in speed and adherence to user prompts. The models are now available on platforms such as KreaAI, Freepik, Lightricks, OpenArt and LeonardoAI. Recommended read:
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@cyberalerts.io
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A new malware campaign is exploiting the hype surrounding artificial intelligence to distribute the Noodlophile Stealer, an information-stealing malware. Morphisec researcher Shmuel Uzan discovered that attackers are enticing victims with fake AI video generation tools advertised on social media platforms, particularly Facebook. These platforms masquerade as legitimate AI services for creating videos, logos, images, and even websites, attracting users eager to leverage AI for content creation.
Posts promoting these fake AI tools have garnered significant attention, with some reaching over 62,000 views. Users who click on the advertised links are directed to bogus websites, such as one impersonating CapCut AI, where they are prompted to upload images or videos. Instead of receiving the promised AI-generated content, users are tricked into downloading a malicious ZIP archive named "VideoDreamAI.zip," which contains an executable file designed to initiate the infection chain. The "Video Dream MachineAI.mp4.exe" file within the archive launches a legitimate binary associated with ByteDance's CapCut video editor, which is then used to execute a .NET-based loader. This loader, in turn, retrieves a Python payload from a remote server, ultimately leading to the deployment of the Noodlophile Stealer. This malware is capable of harvesting browser credentials, cryptocurrency wallet information, and other sensitive data. In some instances, the stealer is bundled with a remote access trojan like XWorm, enabling attackers to gain entrenched access to infected systems. Recommended read:
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Carl Franzen@AI News | VentureBeat
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OpenAI is reportedly finalizing an agreement to acquire Windsurf, an AI-powered developer platform formerly known as Codeium, for approximately $3 billion. This marks OpenAI's largest acquisition to date, signaling a significant move to strengthen its position in the competitive AI tools market for software developers. The deal, which has been rumored for weeks, is anticipated to enhance OpenAI's coding AI capabilities and reflects the increasing importance of AI-powered tools in the software development industry. Windsurf's CEO Varun Mohan hinted at the deal on X, stating, "Big announcement tomorrow!".
This acquisition allows OpenAI to better understand how developers utilize various AI models, including those from competitors such as Meta and Anthropic. By gaining insights into developer preferences and the types of AI models used for coding tasks, OpenAI can refine its own offerings and better cater to the developer community's needs. Windsurf, founded in 2021 by MIT graduates Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen, launched the Windsurf Integrated Development Environment (IDE) in November 2024. The IDE, based on Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code, has attracted over 800,000 developer users and 1,000 enterprise customers. The acquisition highlights OpenAI's ambition to dominate the AI coding space, pitting it against competitors such as Microsoft's GitHub Copilot and Anthropic's Claude Code. While Windsurf supports multiple large language models (LLMs), including its own custom model based on Meta’s Llama 3, questions arise regarding the future of this model-agnostic approach under OpenAI's ownership. The deal comes shortly after OpenAI announced it would maintain its non-profit-backed structure instead of switching to a traditional for-profit model, further emphasizing its commitment to its core mission of broadly benefiting humanity. Recommended read:
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Alexey Shabanov@TestingCatalog
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OpenAI is now providing access to its Deep Research tool to all ChatGPT users, including those with free accounts. The company is introducing a "lightweight" version of Deep Research, powered by the o4-mini model, designed to be nearly as intelligent as the original while significantly cheaper to serve. This move aims to democratize access to sophisticated AI reasoning capabilities, allowing a broader audience to benefit from the tool's in-depth analytical capabilities.
The Deep Research feature offers users detailed insights on various topics, from consumer decision-making to educational guidance. The lightweight version available to free users enables in-depth, topic-specific breakdowns without requiring a premium subscription. This expansion means free ChatGPT users will have access to Deep Research, albeit with a limitation of five tasks per month. The tool allows ChatGPT to autonomously browse the web, read, synthesize, and output structured reports, similar to tasks conducted by policy analysts and researchers. Existing ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Pro users will also see changes. While still having access to the more advanced version of Deep Research, they will now switch to the lightweight version after reaching their initial usage limits. This approach effectively increases monthly usage for paid users by offering additional tasks via the o4-mini-powered tool. The lightweight version preserves core functionalities like multi-step reasoning, real-time browsing, and document parsing, though responses may be slightly shorter while retaining citations and structured logic. Recommended read:
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Chris McKay@Maginative
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OpenAI has released its latest AI models, o3 and o4-mini, designed to enhance reasoning and tool use within ChatGPT. These models aim to provide users with smarter and faster AI experiences by leveraging web search, Python programming, visual analysis, and image generation. The models are designed to solve complex problems and perform tasks more efficiently, positioning OpenAI competitively in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Greg Brockman from OpenAI noted the models "feel incredibly smart" and have the potential to positively impact daily life and solve challenging problems.
The o3 model stands out due to its ability to use tools independently, which enables more practical applications. The model determines when and how to utilize tools such as web search, file analysis, and image generation, thus reducing the need for users to specify tool usage with each query. The o3 model sets new standards for reasoning, particularly in coding, mathematics, and visual perception, and has achieved state-of-the-art performance on several competition benchmarks. The model excels in programming, business, consulting, and creative ideation. Usage limits for these models vary, with o3 at 50 queries per week, and o4-mini at 150 queries per day, and o4-mini-high at 50 queries per day for Plus users, alongside 10 Deep Research queries per month. The o3 model is available to ChatGPT Pro and Team subscribers, while the o4-mini models are used across ChatGPT Plus. OpenAI says o3 is also beneficial in generating and critically evaluating novel hypotheses, especially in biology, mathematics, and engineering contexts. Recommended read:
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