Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S25 lineup may include a free subscription to Google's Gemini Advanced AI as a promotional offer, according to a recent APK teardown by Android Authority. The code suggests users could receive up to a year of free access, valued at over $200, to Google's enhanced AI service, which offers powerful tools for image generation, complex queries, custom AI experts, and many more experimental features. This potential perk follows a similar offer made for Pixel 9 buyers, but it may not include additional Google One benefits.
At a time when OpenAI's models seem to only be getting more expensive, Alibaba is cutting prices on its LLMs by up to 85%, targeting enterprise users with its Qwen-VL visual AI model that integrates text and image understanding. Growing competition among Chinese tech giants like Tencent, Baidu, and Huawei is likely behind the move. Alibaba has previously offered similar discounts, with its Qwen models already deployed by over 90,000 enterprise users. The price reductions aim to accelerate adoption even further in a crowded and competitive Chinese AI market.
The US Treasury recently imposed sanctions on two groups linked to Russian and Iranian efforts to spread disinformation by leveraging AI to target American voters ahead of the 2024 election. The Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise, accused of creating deepfake videos and fake news sites, worked closely with Russian military intelligence. Meanwhile, Iran's Cognitive Design Production Center, tied to the Revolutionary Guard, incited political tensions and targeted US officials. Both governments allegedly aimed to undermine trust in US democracy, with Russia supporting Trump and Iran opposing him, though both reject the allegations.
AI-based voice recognition company SoundHound has partnered with EV maker Lucid to power its latest hands-free voice assistant, Lucid Assistant, available to Lucid Air owners. The assistant allows for more natural conversations with SoundHound's technology and is meant to handle tasks like navigation, vehicle functionality, and real-time questions about weather or sports. SoundHound's tech also helps the assistant distinguish between GenAI responses and real-time data, depending on the needs of the question, with live demonstrations planned for CES 2025.
Chinese tech giant and parent of TikTok, ByteDance, is planning to spend $7 billion on Nvidia chips in 2025, potentially becoming one of the largest owners of these AI chips, according to The Information. Despite US export restrictions on powerful and advanced Nvididia AI chips to China, ByteDance is reportedly circumventing the rules by storing chips in data centers outside of China, such as in Southeast Asia. However, ByteDance says it is maintaining the status quo by asserting compliance with US export control rules.
California-based startup KoBold Metals recently raised $527 million in equity funding off the backs of T Rowe Price and Durable Capital Partners. Many easy-to-find deposits in the world have already been discovered, which means only the harder-to-find ones remain - that's where KoBold brings in AI. The startup combines AI with traditional ML algorithms to assist with exploring historical geophysical data sources to uncover new deposits. KoBold made the rounds in February with a $2 billion deposit discovery in Zambia. Of the 40% of the $527 million going towards developing existing projects into mining sites, the Zambia one will get a "lion's share" of it.