Drake Revives Tupac with AI, US Fighter Pilots vs. AI Dogfight, Discover Your Inner Musician, & More Inside!

Make your music

In September last year, the US military executed the first-ever dogfight between a human pilot and an AI-controlled jet at California's Edwards Air Force Base. This historic event involved two F-16 jets—the AI-operated jet being a specially modified version named X-62A VISTA. They engaged in various combat scenarios at speeds up to 1,200 mph, demonstrating both defensive and offensive maneuvers within close range of each other. DARPA released footage showing the intense aerial maneuvers. The AI jet, developed with advanced machine learning capabilities, has completed over 21 test flights since its inception in December 2022. This event marks a significant milestone in utilizing AI in combat aviation, reflecting years of development under DARPA's Air Combat Evolution program. This initiative aims to integrate machine learning safely into real-world military operations, ensuring AI algorithms are reliable and safe for combat scenarios.

On Tuesday, Microsoft Research Asia introduced VASA-1, an AI model capable of generating synchronized animated videos from a single photo and an audio track. This technology, showcased in real-time, could eventually empower virtual avatars without needing actual video feeds, and also presents risks such as enabling deepfakes. VASA-1 operates by analyzing a static image and accompanying audio to create realistic videos with accurate facial expressions and lip-syncing. Notably, it doesn't generate voices but animates faces to pre-recorded sounds. Tested on a vast dataset, it outperforms previous models in realism and expressiveness, and is fast enough for real-time applications like video conferencing. However, Microsoft has stated there are no plans for a public release, highlighting the model’s potential misuse while also exploring positive applications like enhancing educational accessibility and offering virtual companionship.

Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD, critically reviewed Humane's AI Pin in a 25-minute video, detailing numerous issues with the device. Despite the backlash from some quarters, including a viral post on X accusing him of unethical behavior for potentially harming the project, Brownlee's critiques were acknowledged as fair by a Humane executive. His review emphasizes the influencer's significant impact, as seen with a previous review of Fisker's Ocean SUV. This incident underscores the delicate balance reviewers maintain between honest consumer guidance and the potential impact on innovation, especially when products are launched prematurely and may not fully meet consumer expectations.