Tech Tok: This AI assistant may replace smartphones

Humane is a wearable device that can take phone calls, translate languages, show up emails and messages, and basically keep tabs on everything you need

Hyderabad: You know how characters in sci-fi movies pull up 3D maps in the air without any visible gadget? Yes, that. It is anticipated that it is not long from now that this technology will be available for everyone to use.

Humane, a company founded by a couple – Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno – who are also former employees of Apple, is making headlines in the tech industry for this futuristic concepts.

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Chaudhri demonstrated a projector-based wearable AI assistant through which he answered a call during a TED Talk. It was the first time the company showcased their patent tech. So what is this device, you wonder?

According to reports, it is a wearable AI device that can take phone calls, translate languages, show up emails and messages, and basically keep tabs on everything you need. The best part, you do not need to have a smartphone or pair it with another device. And it also does not have a touch screen, you just need to talk to it.

The tiny device, which is more like an AI-backed personal assistant, seemed to have impressed tech enthusiasts as many expected it to potentially replace all smartphones. While there is no announcement regarding when this device will be made public, it is expected to be released in the near future.

Godfather of AI warns of tech’s dangers:

Often called the ‘Godfather of AI’, cognitive psychologist and computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton quit his job at Google to speak about the dangers of artificial intelligence, reported several US-based media outlets on Monday. The British-Canadian tech expert created the foundation technology for AI systems and is a well-known engineer in Silicon Valley.

He told The New York Times that advancements made in the field posed “profound risks to society and humanity”. Hinton also said that competition between tech giants to catch up on the AI wave was pushing them to release new AI technologies at dangerous speeds, risking jobs and spreading misinformation.

Microsoft’s Designer to rival Canva:

Canva, widely used app for creating social media posts and presentations, is now facing some serious competition from Designer, a similar tool unveiled by Microsoft. Although this was announced back in 2022, its public purview with extended features was made available only last week.

Designer is powered by artificial intelligence and has the capability to harness OpenAI’s text-to-image model. Simply put, you can enter a prompt of what you need, and this tech will automatically create that for you. In addition to that, it also offers a wide range of designs for each category with the option to customize.

Tinder to use video selfies for verification:

Online dating app Tinder is tweaking its verification process, in a bid to stay up to date with the use of AI technology. Users will now have to take a selfie video, instead of just uploading a selfie picture to get verified on the platform. The move came in as faking a picture has become easier with the use of artificial intelligence. Taking a video will help their own AI model to authenticate profiles. Verified Tinder users will soon be able to choose if they want to receive messages from other verified members and ask their matches to complete the verification process before they send a message.

— Epsita Gunti with agency inputs