philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Here’s what I made of Snap’s new augmented-reality Spectacles

... These fifth-generation Spectacles can display visual information and applications directly on their see-through lenses, making objects appear as if they are in the real world. The interface is powered by the company’s new operating system, Snap OS.  ...

In my demo, I was able to stack Lego pieces on a table, smack an AR golf ball into a hole across the room (at least a triple bogey), paint flowers and vines across the ceilings and walls using my hands, and ask questions about the objects I was looking at and receive answers from Snap’s virtual AI chatbot. There was even a little purple virtual doglike creature from Niantic, a Peridot, that followed me around the room and outside onto a balcony. 

But look up from the table and you see a normal room. The golf ball is on the floor, not a virtual golf course. The Peridot perches on a real balcony railing. Crucially, this means you can maintain contact—including eye contact—with the people around you in the room. ...

To accomplish all this, Snap packed a lot of tech into the frames. There are two processors embedded inside, so all the compute happens in the glasses themselves. Cooling chambers in the sides did an effective job of dissipating heat in my demo. Four cameras capture the world around you, as well as the movement of your hands for gesture tracking. The images are displayed via micro-projectors, similar to those found in pico projectors, that do a nice job of presenting those three-dimensional images right in front of your eyes without requiring a lot of initial setup. ...

Snap isn’t selling the glasses directly to consumers but requires you to agree to at least one year of paying $99 per month for a Spectacles Developer Program account that gives you access to them. ...

Having said that, it all worked together impressively well. The three-dimensional objects maintained a sense of permanence in the spaces where you placed them—meaning you can move around and they stay put. The AI assistant correctly identified everything I asked it to. There were some glitches here and there ...

See the full story here: https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/09/17/1104025/snap-spectacles-ar-glasses/

Lionsgate signs deal to train AI model on its movies and shows

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Today, Lionsgate — the studio behind films like the John Wick and Hunger Games franchises — announced that it is partnering with Runway to create a new customized video generation model intended to help “filmmakers, directors and other creative talent augment their work.”

In a statement about the deal, Lionsgate vice chair Michael Burns described it as a path toward creating “capital-efficient content creation opportunities” for the studio, which sees the technology as “a great tool for augmenting, enhancing and supplementing our current operations.” Burns also insisted that “several of our filmmakers are already excited about its potential applications to their pre-production and post-production process.” ...

See the full story here: https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/18/24248115/lionsgate-runway-ai-deal

California’s 5 AI-related bills

Do California's legislative efforts to regulate AI reflect a growing concern for digital ethics, personal rights, and democratic integrity, or are they legislative overreach that will stifle innovation? There are five key bills ready to be signed into law that address issues ranging from the use of digital replicas in contracts and posthumous rights of deceased personalities to the transparency and safety of AI platforms. I've read them. You should, too. The links and short descriptions are below.

AB 2602: Contracts: digital replicas - This bill mandates that contracts for personal or professional services involving digital replicas must clearly specify the intended uses of the replica. It also requires that individuals involved have access to legal counsel or labor union representation during contract negotiations in order to protect performers' rights in the digital age.

SB 1047: Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act - This bill establishes safety regulations for "covered AI models," defined by computational power and training costs. Developers of these models must implement safety measures, conduct regular audits, and report significant incidents to the California Department of Technology.

AB 2013: Artificial intelligence: transparency - This bill requires businesses that use generative AI systems to disclose any use of copyrighted materials in the training data. It also mandates that clear information about the AI system's capabilities and limitations be provided to users.

AB 1836: Deceased personalities: digital replicas - This bill prohibits the use of digital replicas of deceased personalities in audiovisual works without prior consent from their estate. It extends protections to ensure that digital replicas are not used posthumously without authorization, addressing concerns of exploitation.

AB 2655: Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024 - This bill requires clear disclosure of AI-generated content in political advertisements and campaign materials. It also prohibits the distribution of deceptive audio or visual media of candidates that could mislead voters, aiming to protect electoral integrity.

See the full story here: https://shellypalmer.com/2024/09/california-vs-ai-a-battle-for-democracy-or-a-war-on-progress/

CONSORTIUM SECURES £1.04M FUNDING TO EXPLORE AI-DRIVEN STORYTELLING FOR TV & FILM INDUSTRIES 

... A key element of the consortium’s work is to develop business models that enable creators to be remunerated for their ideas, and specifically to support creators disadvantaged through lack of access to funds or the industry to compete with better funded organisations. Charismatic will also be used by established, larger producers to prototype and previsualise their productions more easily and efficiently. ...

See Charismatic demo here https://vimeo.com/1007038791?&login=true#

The best way to regulate AI might be not to specifically regulate AI. This is why

... But, as a specialist in competition and consumer protection, I have formed the view that calls for new AI-specific regulationsare largely misguided. ...

Here’s my thinking: most of the potential uses of AI are already covered by existing rules and regulations designed to do things such as protect consumers, protect privacy and outlaw discrimination. 

These laws are far from perfect, but where they are not perfect the best approach is to fix or extend them rather than introduce special extra rules for AI. ...

The best approach is to make existing rules work

One of Australia’s great advantages is the strength and expertise of its regulators, among them the Competition and Consumer Commission, the Communications and Media Authority, the Australian Information Commissioner, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and the Australian Energy Regulator.

Their job ought to be to show where AI is covered by the existing rules, to evaluate the ways in which AI might fall foul of those rules, and to run test cases that make the applicability of the rules clear. ...

Last mover advantage

Finally, there’s a lot to be said for becoming an international “regulation taker”. Other jurisdictions such as the European Union are leading the way in designing AI-specific regulations.

Product developers worldwide, including those in Australia, will need to meet those new rules if they want to access the EU and those other big markets. ...

See the full story here: https://theconversation.com/the-best-way-to-regulate-ai-might-be-not-to-specifically-regulate-ai-this-is-why-238788

OpenAI’s mission to develop AI that ‘benefits all of humanity’ is at risk as investors flood the company with cash

• OpenAI may be planning a corporate restructuring within the year.
• Once a nonprofit that "benefits all of humanity," OpenAI shifted to a "capped-profit" model in 2019.
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is now considering lifting that cap, prioritizing investors over humanity.

See the full story here: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/openais-mission-develop-ai-benefits-192336227.html

MEDIA CTOS REFLECT ON THE DISRUPTION CURVE AND AI

Phil Wiser, EVP and Global CTO, Paramount  ...

“In less than 10 years, most of music consumption was shifted to the new model,” said Wiser.

Print with its ad-based model had been “stickier”, he said, while in the case of video, the legacy model had been protected by the fact that it generated good revenue streams tied to physical infrastructure.

“We are just at a point where the erosion of that has really started,” he said, predicting an acceleration in the decline of the traditional pay TV model, from now on. ...

To support the economics of the business, broadcast and streaming need to be converged, said Wiser. ...

One part of the transformation was to partner aggressively with big scale players like AWS, which invested alongside Paramount in its cloud infrastructure. Paramount alone could not have invested the “hundreds of millions of dollars required”, said Wiser, adding that this lesson now applies even more to investment in AI. ...

Investment in AI

Nevertheless, investment in AI shows signs of paying off. With AI, he said, there is “no need to overinvest in data science or data teams”, even if it was important to have data capability.

“My data science team is probably going to shoot me [for that comment],” he said.

Wiser said media companies spend most time creating content and then marketing it. Production takes longer and it is hard to effect change in this area, he said. Now with AI, it is possible to create some change. However, it is unlikely to replace large parts of the creative process. ...

Girish Bajaj, VP, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios Technology ...

Amazon has been using AI for over 20 years in video and is now extending that to tap into the potential of Generative AI. “We are definitely leaning into it. The important part is everyone is trying to find the chatbot that is going to work.”

Generative AI is now being used for personalisation.

However, using AI for practical use cases meant reskilling and retooling the entire Prime Video team. He said the technology could be used for customer facing features but also on the back end to help process media files and create cover art, for example. ...

See the full story here: https://www.ibc.org/features/media-ctos-reflect-on-the-disruption-curve-and-ai/12015.article

Trump’s Crypto Gamble Threatens Bitcoin Policy Progress

... The project, which ties Trump’s name to a crypto initiative rather than bitcoin, threatens to confuse and alienate his supporters — both bitcoiners and his conservative base. Worse yet, this misguided foray into the world of DeFi could reinforce dangerous misconceptions, leading his most ardent backers to miss out on the opportunity that bitcoin presents as a hedge against inflation and a pathway to long-term, generational wealth.

Bitcoin Is Not Crypto

The first and most critical point to understand here is that bitcoin is not crypto. This is a distinction that has become increasingly clear to those who study the space, yet it’s one that many still fail to grasp. Bitcoin stands alone as a decentralized, deflationary, and censorship-resistant store of value. It is not reliant on centralized governance, nor does it need constant tinkering with its monetary policy to maintain its integrity. Bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million coins and its decentralized infrastructure make it sound money, fundamentally different from the speculative and often risky projects seen throughout the broader cryptocurrency space, especially in the world of DeFi.

DeFi platforms like World Liberty Financial are fueled by a completely different set of values and starting assumptions. These projects, which tend to be short lived and risky, have a track record of coding errors, hacks, and governance failures. The fact that Dough Finance, the precursor to World Liberty Financial, was hacked for almost $2 million in July further illustrates the risks inherent to this sector. Unlike bitcoin, which has proven its security and resilience over the past 15 years, DeFi projects often stumble, leaving investors exposed to catastrophic losses. ...

Confusing His Base and Losing Bitcoiners

Bitcoin is not just another asset; it represents a separation of money from state — a principle that aligns deeply with conservative values of individual liberty, limited government, and economic sovereignty. ...

In aligning himself with World Liberty Financial, Trump risks undermining not only his credibility with bitcoiners but also the long-term financial well-being of his supporters. Bitcoin is not crypto, and any attempt to conflate the two only serves to mislead those who are just beginning to understand the profound opportunity bitcoin offers. Trump’s venture into DeFi is a step in the wrong direction, one that could cause lasting damage to both the MAGA movement and the broader push for sound money. The hope among conservative bitcoiners now is that Trump will see the error of this path and, like others before him, come to fully understand that bitcoin — not crypto — is the future of finance. ..

See the full story here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbirnbaum/2024/09/13/trumps-crypto-gamble-threatens-bitcoin-policy-progress/

Boston Consulting Group unveils comprehensive evaluation of Artificial General Intelligence at Global AI Summit 2024

... The new report, “Artificial General Intelligence: Demystifying AI’s Next Frontier,” explores AGI's key concepts and future potential and examines how it differs from current AI technologies. The report provides an overview of AGI’s applications across industries, its technological and ethical challenges in development, and the governance frameworks necessary for its responsible implementation. It also highlights the need for stakeholder collaboration to guide AGI’s progress and ensure its benefits are realized safely and equitably. ...

Eight Focus Areas Shaping AI's Future

The Global AI Summit's program revolved around eight key focus areas that encompass the cutting edge of AI innovation and its far-reaching implications. These areas include AI Nation, addressing government roles in AI; Generative Times, exploring AI's path to AGI; Human – Is That Still a Thing?, examining human-AI interaction; Ethics that Work, investigating AI governance; Business Leaders, On Your Marks, guiding AI strategy; Silicon Matters, evaluating AI infrastructure; Data-Application Nexus, exploring practical AI uses; and AI in the City, considering AI's urban impact. Collectively, these focus areas represent the pivotal conversations and transformative forces shaping the field of artificial intelligence today, fostering discussions on everything from governance and ethics to practical applications and societal effects. ...

Read the whitepaper here: https://media-publications.bcg.com/BCG-Artificial-General-Intelligence-Whitepaper.pdf

See the full post here: https://media-publications.bcg.com/BCG-Artificial-General-Intelligence-Whitepaper.pdf

As quantum computing threats loom, Microsoft updates its core crypto library

Microsoft has updated a key cryptographic library with two new encryption algorithms designed to withstand attacks from quantum computers.

The updates were made last week to SymCrypt, a core cryptographic code library for handing cryptographic functions in Windows and Linux. The library, started in 2006, provides operations and algorithms developers can use to safely implement secure encryption, decryption, signing, verification, hashing, and key exchange in the apps they create. The library supports federal certification requirements for cryptographic modules used in some governmental environments. ...

The updates are the first steps in implementing a massive overhaul of encryption protocols that incorporate a new set of algorithms that aren’t vulnerable to attacks from quantum computers. 

In Monday's post, Microsoft Principal Product Manager Lead Aabha Thipsay wrote: "PQC algorithms offer a promising solution for the future of cryptography, but they also come with some trade-offs. For example, these typically require larger key sizes, longer computation times, and more bandwidth than classical algorithms. Therefore, implementing PQC in real-world applications requires careful optimization and integration with existing systems and standards."

Algorithms known to be vulnerable to quantum computing attacks include RSA, Elliptic Curve, and Diffie-Hellman. These algorithms have been widely used for decades and are believed to be virtually uncrackable with classical computers when implemented correctly. ...

Quantum computing makes a new approach to cracking keys possible based on these vulnerable algorithms. The approach, known as Shor’s algorithm, relies on properties of quantum physics, such as superposition and entanglement, that are impossible with today’s classical computers. The inability to implement Shor’s algorithm today means that this approach is still theoretical, but most, if not all, cryptography experts believe that it will be practical with sufficient quantum computing resources. ...

See the full story https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/09/microsoft-adds-quantum-resistant-algorithms-to-its-core-crypto-library/