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ShareChat expands its convertible debentures round to million

ShareChat expands its convertible debentures round to $65 million

by | Aug 3, 2024 | Technology


2 min read Last Updated : Aug 03 2024 | 5:50 PM IST


ShareChat (Mohalla Tech Pvt Ltd), India’s largest homegrown social media company, said it has expanded its convertible debentures round to $65 million, to accommodate new investment from EDBI, a leading Singapore-based global investor. 


These additional funds will be utilised to invest further in the company’s advertising tech stack and expand the consumer transactions businesses with investment in newer monetisation features for the creator ecosystem. 


Currently, the ShareChat app is operationally profitable for the past several months, while the Moj app is close to operating break-even.


In April this year, ShareChat raised $49 million via convertible debentures in the funding round led by existing investors Lightspeed, Temasek, Alkeon Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures and HarbourVest, amongst others.


According to media reports, Sharechat is closing a $16 million fundraise, while laying off about 5 per cent of its workforce (around 30-40 employees) after a bi-annual performance review.


“The fact that ShareChat could attract new investment from a sovereign fund like EDBI is a significant positive sign,” said a person familiar with the matter.  


“Attracting new investors of this calibre in today’s cautious private investment environment reflects that the market is taking note of the company’s progress towards building a profitable business,” the person said.


ShareChat  runs India’s largest short video platform, Moj in addition to the ShareChat app, which collectively cater to over 325 million users. ShareChat said it has democratised social media in India by offering content in over 15 Indian languages. 


Through its multilingual approach and diverse ad formats, the company has worked for more than 200 advertisers in the country including HUL, Maruti, P&G, Hero and Samsung. 


Over the past couple of years, ShareChat said it has rapidly grown its monetising avenues, including virtual gifting where it stands as the market leader by a huge margin.

First Published: Aug 03 2024 | 5:50 PM IST



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Most chatbots inherently left-leaning but with ability to learn bias: Study

Most chatbots inherently left-leaning but with ability to learn bias: Study

by | Aug 3, 2024 | Technology


The study looked at the potential to teach as well as reduce political bias in conversational LLMs. (Representational)

3 min read Last Updated : Aug 03 2024 | 2:41 PM IST


When chatbots were tested for their political inclination, most of them revealed a left-of-centre stance, a study has revealed.


However, when the chatbots, including ChatGPT and Gemini, were tested after being “taught” a certain political inclination — left, right or centre — they produced responses in alignment with their “training,” or “fine tuning,” David Rozado, a researcher from Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand, found.


This shows that chatbots can be “steered” towards desired locations on the political spectrum, using modest amounts of politically aligned data, the author said in the study published in the journal PLoS ONE.


Chatbots are AI-based large language models (LLMs), which are trained on massive amounts of textual data and are, therefore, capable of responding to requests framed in the natural language (prompts).


Multiple studies have analysed the political orientation of chatbots available in the public domain and found them to occupy varied locations on the political spectrum.


In this study, Rozado looked at the potential to “teach” as well as reduce political bias in these conversational LLMs.


On 24 different open- and closed-source chatbots, the author performed political orientation tests such as the Political Compass Test and Eysenck’s Political Test.


Along with ChatGPT and Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, Twitter’s Grok, Llama 2, among others, were also tested.


He found that most of these chatbots generated “left-of-centre” responses, as adjudged by the majority of the political tests.


Further, using published text, Rozado also induced a political bias by fine-tuning GPT-3.5, a type of machine learning algorithm developed to adapt LLMs to specific tasks.


Thus, a “LeftWingGPT” was created training the model on snippets of text from publications such as The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and from books written by authors with similar political persuasions.


Likewise, for creating “RightWingGPT,” Rozado used text from publications such as The American Conservative and books by similarly aligned writers.


Finally, “DepolarizingGPT” was created by training GPT-3.5 using content from the Institute for Cultural Evolution, a US-based think tank, and the book Developmental Politics, written by the institute’s president, Steve McIntosh.


“As a result of the political alignment fine-tuning, RightWingGPT has gravitated towards right-leaning regions of the political landscape in the four tests. A (similar) effect is observed for LeftWingGPT.


“DepolarizingGPT is on average closer to political neutrality and away from the poles of the political spectrum,” the author wrote.


He, however, clarified that the results were not evidence that the inherent political preferences of the chatbots are “deliberately instilled” by the organisations creating them.

First Published: Aug 03 2024 | 2:41 PM IST



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Meta offering Hollywood stars millions of dollars for AI voice projects

Meta offering Hollywood stars millions of dollars for AI voice projects

by | Aug 3, 2024 | Technology


Negotiations between Meta and some talent representatives have stopped and started many times because the parties can’t agree on terms for use of the actors’ voices. (Photo: Reuters)

2 min read Last Updated : Aug 03 2024 | 7:48 AM IST


By Lucas Shaw

Meta Platforms Inc. is offering Hollywood celebrities millions of dollars for the right to record and use their voices for artificial intelligence projects, according to several people familiar with the negotiations.

 


The company is talking with Judi Dench, Awkwafina and Keegan-Michael Key, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project is confidential. Representatives for Meta declined to comment.


Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, is racing to close deals so it has time to develop a suite of AI tools for unveiling at its Connect 2024 event in September. While it’s not entirely clear how Meta will be using the voices, it has discussed a chatbot that could serve as a digital assistant, à la Apple’s Siri, or a friend, the people said. Users could speak with a chatbot that has the voice of Awkwafina, for example.


Negotiations between Meta and some talent representatives have stopped and started many times because the parties can’t agree on terms for use of the actors’ voices. Meta would like to secure rights to voices for many uses over a fixed term on a single project. Representatives for the actors are seeking stricter limits. 


The use of artificial intelligence has spooked many in the Hollywood creative community who fear losing work as a result of the technology. Screenwriters and actors fought for protections against the use of AI during labor stoppages last year. Yet SAG-AFTRA, the primary unions for actors, has reached an agreement with Meta on terms, according to the people.


Meta has experimented with creating text-based chatbots inspired by celebrities like Dwyane Wade and Paris Hilton. The company has already ended that program. It has also unveiled an AI studio that allows content creators to make chatbots of themselves.

First Published: Aug 03 2024 | 7:48 AM IST



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Tech wrap Aug 2: Honor Magic6 Pro, Sony PS Portal, Chrome AI features, more

Tech wrap Aug 2: Honor Magic6 Pro, Sony PS Portal, Chrome AI features, more

by | Aug 2, 2024 | Technology


5 min read Last Updated : Aug 02 2024 | 8:03 PM IST


Chinese smartphone brand Honor’s India importer HTech on August 2 launched the Magic 6 Pro smartphone in the country. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 system-on-chip, the premium flagship smartphone is based on MagicOS 8.0, powered by Android 14, that comes packed with several artificial intelligence features and tools for content generation, image editing and enhancements, and text summarisation. Offered in 12GB RAM and 512GB on-board storage configuration at Rs 89,999, the Honor Magic 6 Pro will be available on e-commerce platform Amazon India and at select retail stores from August 15.


Japanese electronics major Sony on August 2 announced the launch of PlayStation Portal in India. Dubbed as a remote player for the PlayStation 5 gaming console, the PlayStation Portal supports wireless connectivity and console quality controls. Moreover, there is support for Sony’s acclaimed gaming controller, DualSense, like features such as haptic feedback and adaptive triggers in supported games. Sony said the PlayStation Portal Remote Player lets users play compatible games that they have installed on their consoles without necessitating a TV.


US-based software giant Google’s Chrome browser for desktop is set to get three new features, powered by artificial intelligence using its AI and Gemini models. Among the new additions are Lens integration to make search easier, product comparison from multiple tabs, and smart search through history using text prompts.


OnePlus to debut OnePlus Open Apex Edition in new Crimson Shadow colourway on August 7, announced the Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus. Launched in 2023, the OnePlus Open is a foldable smartphone based on Android and powered by OxygenOS. The smartphone is set to get new features together with the new colour variant to be up to speed with other foldable devices in 2024.


Google Photos app for Android and iOS is set to get artificial intelligence tools that has been exclusive to select devices at launch. The US-based software giant has announced that Google Photos’ AI editing tools – Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur and Portrait Light – are coming to all Google Photos users. These will not require a subscription, confirmed Google.


Apple has revised its App Store guidelines with regard to rules related to emulator apps to clearly express allowance for game downloads for PC emulators. Apple has updated the guidelines for app notarization effective for third-party apps that are submitted for distribution outside of the App Store in the European Union. After this, App Store guidelines 4.7, 4.7.2, and 4.7.3 have now become part of the EU notarisation review process. The new guidelines will simplify the approval process for PC emulator apps.


OnePlus Nord 4 is now available on open sale in India. Launched in July, the midrange smartphone from the Chinese brand boasts an aluminium unibody design, reminiscent of the OnePlus 3 series. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5x RAM. The OnePlus Nord 4 features media editing tools such as “AI Best Face”, “AI Eraser”, and more. Apart from media editing features both the OnePlus Nord 4 and the Pad 2 will feature productivity-related AI features such as AI Speak, AI summarise, AI Writer, and more.


The Redmi Pad Pro Android tablet, powered by Xiaomi HyperOS, is now available for purchase. Offered in Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity options, the Redmi Pad Pro 5G boasts a 12.1-inch 2.5K LCD display of 120Hz, quad-speakers with support for Dolby Atmos, 3.5mm port with support for hi-res audio out, 10,000 mAh battery, and Android 14-based Xiaomi HyperOS. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, the Redmi Pad Pro is offered in up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB on-board storage. Alongside, the supported accessories for the Redmi Pad Pro such as Redmi Smart Pen, Keyboard, and Cover are also available for purchase.


The OPPO K12x 5G is now available for purchase in India. Touted by the Chinese smartphone maker as the toughest 5G smartphone in its segment, the OPPO K12x 5G boasts MIL-STD-810H military-grade certification and IP54 rating for dust and water resistance. The smartphone boasts “Splash Touch” technology so users can operate its touchscreen even with wet fingers – said OPPO.


The HP EliteBook Ultra G1q is an enterprise-oriented laptop focusing on artificial intelligence (AI) features, performance, design, and battery life. It is among the first wave of AI laptops in India powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite chip. This Windows 11 ARM-based laptop introduces Microsoft’s inaugural AI PC features, dubbed Copilot+, exclusively available on Qualcomm platforms, alongside a software suite from HP for a tailored user experience.


Smartphone sales in India exceeded $10 billion in the April-June period of this year, marking the highest figure recorded for the slow April-June period, The Economic Times reported, citing market trackers.

First Published: Aug 02 2024 | 8:03 PM IST



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Turkey blocks access to Instagram over 'censorship', mentions no duration

Turkey blocks access to Instagram over 'censorship', mentions no duration

by | Aug 2, 2024 | Technology


Meta Inc has, so far, not issued any statement on the Instagram ban in Turkey. (Representational)

2 min read Last Updated : Aug 02 2024 | 5:57 PM IST


In a surprise move, Turkey (Türkiye) blocked access to Instagram for its citizens. The development follows censorship accusations against the US social media platform by a high-ranking Turkish official.


The BTK communications authority, the country’s infotech regulator, announced the ban, leaving the platform’s mobile app inaccessible. BTK published the August 2 decision on its website without stating any reason (or duration) for the ban.  


Earlier, on Wednesday, Turkish communications official Fahrettin Altun, had slammed the Meta-owned platform for “blocking condolence posts on the killing of Ismail Haniyeh”, a key official of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. “This is censorship, pure and simple,” he alleged.


Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of the armed Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday in an attack blamed on Israel. Erdogan even declared Friday (August 2) as a day of national mourning over the killing of Haniyeh.


Since the ban, many users living in Turkey have been complaining on the X platform that they are not able to refresh their Instagram feed.


So far, Meta Inc has not issued any statement on the ban in Turkey.


According to Turkish media, there are more than 50 million users signed up to Instagram in Turkey, out of a population of 85 million.


Notably, this is not the first time Turkish authorities have blocked access to social media sites. Between April 2017 and January 2020, Wikipedia was blocked in the country over two articles on extremism. 

First Published: Aug 02 2024 | 5:57 PM IST



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Google Photos: Soon, these AI tools will be available on Android, iOS app

Google Photos: Soon, these AI tools will be available on Android, iOS app

by | Aug 2, 2024 | Technology


2 min read Last Updated : Aug 02 2024 | 3:57 PM IST


Google Photos app for Android and iOS is set to get artificial intelligence tools that has been exclusive to select devices at launch. The US-based software giant has announced that Google Photos’ AI editing tools – Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur and Portrait Light – are coming to all Google Photos users. These will not require a subscription, confirmed Google.


These tools were initially available only for Pixel phones and required a Google One subscription. After becoming available for all, users will not be required to pay any fee or subscription to access these features.


Layer edits with AI


Google Photos will soon allow layer edits with AI. It essentially means users will be able to edit images using the full range of AI tools offered in one go. For example, you can apply the Portrait preset within Magic Editor, clean up additional distractions after that using Magic Editor, and finally adjust the overall tone and brightness of the photo in the regular editor.


Magic Editor and Magic Erase


Magic Editor’s Erase feature and Magic Erase will let users remove unwanted items from an image, but in different ways. Google said Magic Eraser in Photos works better for fixing a small area of a photo and the Erase tool of the Magic Editor will help when editing a complex and larger area.


Google said there are three different ways users would be able to select items that they want to adjust using Magic Editor: tapping, brushing or circling. According to Google, objects with clear boundaries, like a water bottle in the foreground, are usually easier to tap. However, for objects with less distinct edges, like the leaves that make up a tree, it may be simpler to select them by circling or brushing.


Strength Slider


Google said that using AI editing tools users would soon be able to fine-tune the editing with the help of the strength slider. The AI editing tools are accompanied by a strength slider to let users adjust the intensity of the edit effect.

First Published: Aug 02 2024 | 3:57 PM IST



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