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Jack Dorsey quits X alternative Bluesky, company seeks new board member

Jack Dorsey quits X alternative Bluesky, company seeks new board member

by | May 6, 2024 | Technology


3 min read Last Updated : May 06 2024 | 4:49 PM IST


Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter (now referred to as X), stepped down from the board of Bluesky on Monday, a decentralised social media platform he co-founded. The company announced in a statement that it is actively seeking a replacement for Dorsey.


“With Jack’s departure, we are searching for a new board member for the Bluesky public benefit company who shares our commitment to building a social network that puts people in control of their experience,” Bluesky stated on its platform.


Bluesky, which received backing from Dorsey as an alternative to Twitter/X, reached a user base of two million in November of last year. The company expressed gratitude to Dorsey for his contributions in funding and launching the project.


“Today, Bluesky is thriving as an open source social network running on ‘atproto’, the decentralised protocol we have built,” the company announced.


Confirmation of Dorsey’s departure came after a query from a user of X, to which Dorsey responded with a “no.”


Bluesky gained momentum from 2019 onwards with Dorsey’s support and rose in prominence following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter for $44 billion. Initially utilising an invite-based system for user growth, Bluesky now boasts over 1.5 million users, albeit fewer than the tens of millions on X.


While decentralised platforms are hailed as a solution to censorship, concerns persist regarding the moderation of harmful content and user accountability for cybercrimes.


Earlier, the former CEO of X had also closed his Bluesky account, as reported by tech outlet The Verge.


What is Bluesky- the alternative to X/Twitter?


Bluesky is led by CEO Jay Graber, who has promoted the platform as a less toxic alternative to X, where users can curate their content and moderation settings.


The microblogging platform is a decentralised, text-based, invite-only social network created by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. Users can share text-based posts of up to 300 characters, similar to Twitter in its early days. 


Bluesky operates on independent servers, is open-source, and aims to provide users with more control over content moderation and platform operation. Users need an invite code to join, and the platform is currently available on desktop and iPhone, with Android access in progress. 


Bluesky has gained popularity as an alternative to Twitter, attracting notable users like Chrissy Teigen and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.


The social media platform has introduced various features such as mobile push notifications, user lists, email verification, and advanced feed and thread preferences. 


Last year, it raised $8 million, following a $13 million funding round in 2022, during which Dorsey had joined its board.

First Published: May 06 2024 | 4:48 PM IST



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Samsung power banks with up to 20,000 mAh battery, 45W charging launched

Samsung power banks with up to 20,000 mAh battery, 45W charging launched

by | May 6, 2024 | Technology


2 min read Last Updated : May 06 2024 | 4:28 PM IST


Expanding its portfolio in India, South Korean electronics maker Samsung on May 6 launched power banks of 20,000 mAh and 10,000 mAh battery capacities. The 20,000 mAh and 10,000 mAh power banks from Samsung supports 45W wired charging and 25W wired charging, respectively. The latter, however, also offers the option of wireless charging based on Qi standard (7.5W). Below are the details:


Samsung Power Banks: Price and availability


  • 20000mAh: Rs 4,299


  • 10000mAh: Rs 3,499


The Samsung power banks are available in Beige colour on Samsung’s official website, e-commerce platform Amazon India, and at select retail outlets.


Samsung Power Bank: Details


The 20,000 mAh power bank supports up to 45W super-fast 2.0 charging. It has three USB-C ports, which can be used to charge up to three devices simultaneously. Important to note, the power bank supports up to 45W wired charging. It essentially means the power bank can charge only one device at peak output of 45W. The output gets distributed if the power bank is used to charge three devices concurrently.


Samsung said that apart from the smartphones, the power bank can charge headphones, gaming consoles, cameras, and select laptops. The company said that the 20,000 mAh power bank supports low-current charging using high-quality lithium ion batteries.


The 10000 mAh power bank, on the other hand, supports up to 25W wired charging option and has dual-port charging capability. It essentially means the power bank can charge up to two devices at a time. Samsung said that the power bank supports a wide range of devices, including smartphones, watches, buds and digital devices. The 10000mAh Samsung power bank supports Qi-certified wireless charging. The power bank can wirelessly charge with up to 7.5W.

First Published: May 06 2024 | 4:28 PM IST



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Acer TravelLite laptops with up to 13th Gen Intel Core i7 launched in India

Acer TravelLite laptops with up to 13th Gen Intel Core i7 launched in India

by | May 6, 2024 | Technology


2 min read Last Updated : May 06 2024 | 3:49 PM IST


Taiwanese electronics maker Acer has launched the TravelLite laptop in India. Offered in 12th Gen and 13th Gen Intel Core processor configurations, the laptops are designed with portability in mind. Weighing 1.34 kg, the company said, the TraveLite series comprises lightweight but sturdy laptops engineered for mobility, catering perfectly to professionals who are always on the go. Priced at Rs 34,990 onwards, the Acer TravelLite laptops are now available at select online and offline platforms.


Acer TravelLite: Details


The Acer TravelLite laptops sport a 14-inch fullHD TFT LCD display with 180-degree hinge. The laptops boast a slim profile and an aluminium body, which Acer said has been certified based on US military standard certification (MIL-STD 810H) for protection in harsh environmental conditions. Furthermore, the laptops feature a spill-resistant keyboard, which is offered in backlit as an optional feature.


The laptop features a FHD resolution camera with a built-in privacy camera shutter. Other privacy features of the TravelLite laptops include Kensington lock slot and an optional fingerprint reader.


The Acer TravelLite is offered in multiple storage options, including 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD storage. The laptops come with a variety of ports, including USB 3.2 Gen 2 and USB Type-C port. There are options on the battery capacity too, including a 36Whr 3-cell Li-ion pack and an optional 49Whr 4-cell Li-ion pack that Acer said can offer up to 10 hours of battery life. Similarly, the customer has the option to choose between charging alternatives, such as a 45W and 65W power adapter.


  • Display: 14-inch fullHD TFT LCD display, 250 nits peak brightness


  • Processor: up to Intel Core i7 1335U


  • GPU: Integrated graphics


  • Storage: up to 1TB Gen 4 NVMe


  • RAM: Dual channel DDR4, expandable up to 64GB


  • Webcam: up to FHD webcam with 1920 x 1080 resolution


  • Weight: from 1.34Kg


  • Battery: 36 Whr 3-cell Li-ion / 49 Whr 4-cell Li-ion


  • Charging: 45W / 65W

First Published: May 06 2024 | 3:49 PM IST



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Apple researchers show how the company plans on running AI models on-device

Apple researchers show how the company plans on running AI models on-device

by | May 6, 2024 | Technology


3 min read Last Updated : May 06 2024 | 3:27 PM IST


Apple will be a late entrant into the artificial intelligence space when it reveals its next generation operating systems for iPhones, iPads and Macs at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 10. Bloomberg has reported that Apple is developing its own large language model (LLM) to power on-device generative AI features. But is it possible to run an entire AI model without any cloud based processing? Apple researchers think it is.


Apple’s on-device AI


In a research paper titled “LLM in a flash: Efficient Large Language Model Inference with Limited Memory”, researchers from Apple noted how the company plans to run big AI models on the iPhones, iPads, Macbooks, and more. In the paper, researchers at Apple have detailed how they plan to store the AI model’s data on to the device’s flash memory, instead of RAM where it is usually stored. According to a report by The Verge, researchers at Apple were able to run the AI models much faster and efficiently using this method. Additionally, this method also allowed them to run LLMs up to twice the size of available DRAM.

Last month, Researchers at Apple released new OpenELM AI-models on the Hugging Face model library. OpenELM, which stands for “Open-source Efficient Language Models” is a series of four small language models that are capable of running on devices such as phones and PCs. These new AI-models can take up text-related tasks such as text generation, summary writing, email writing, and more.


Siri with AI


Apple is also reportedly planning to improve its virtual assistant Siri with AI backing. According to The Verge, Apple researchers have been working on a way to use Siri without needing to use a wake word. Instead of answering to voice commands that start with “Hey Siri ” or “Siri,” the virtual assistant could inherit a new ability to know whether the user is talking to it or not.


In a research paper titled “MULTICHANNEL VOICE TRIGGER DETECTION BASED ON TRANSFORM-AVERAGE-CONCATENATE”, researchers at Apple found that with the device not discarding unnecessary sounds, rather feeding it to the AI model for processing the AI model can become capable of understanding what matters and what does not.


Once Siri is activated, Apple is working on more ways to make the conversation more interactive. In another research paper, Apple researchers have developed a model called STEER, which stands for Semantic Turn Extension-Expansion Recognition. The system uses LLM to understand ambiguous queries. The system uses AI to ask questions to the user to get a better understanding of their requirements. Additionally, the system is said to be much better at understanding if a query is a follow-up question by the user or an entirely new prompt. 

First Published: May 06 2024 | 3:27 PM IST



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X introduces Grok AI-powered 'Stories' features to premium users: Details

X introduces Grok AI-powered 'Stories' features to premium users: Details

by | May 6, 2024 | Technology


2 min read Last Updated : May 06 2024 | 5:22 PM IST


Social media platform X (formerly twitter) has launched a new Grok AI-powered feature called ‘Stories’, which allows users to read summaries of a trending post on the social media platform. The feature is currently only available to X premium subscribers on the iOS and web versions, and is not available for Android users yet.


The official X Engineering account announced in a post, which reads: “Now available: Stories on X, powered by Grok AI. See what the world is talking about with Stories on X, curated by Grok. Now available for Premium subscribers in the Explore tab. Web & iOS only for now – let us know your feedback.”


What are X Stories


Grok AI offers the essence of top news stories, to inform the users. This feature is available in the ‘For You’ tab of the ‘Explore’ section of the X app for iOS and website. In addition to other suggested items, the “For You” page now shows the popular news stories being shared across X. When you tap on a story, instead of using text from the article or news itself, the summary is now generated based on what people are saying about it. This summary generation feature is powered by Grok AI.


What is Grok AI


Elon Musk had introduced Grok AI, an AI chatbot, last December. Like other AI-powered chatbots, X acknowledged Grok chatbot is prone to hallucination and, as a result, a warning will be provided at the end of the stories that says: “Grok can make mistakes, verify its outputs.”


Earlier, X had a feature called Moments which depended on human moderators to create news summaries. The feature was shut down after Musk took over in late 2022. The new Stories feature is a step in a similar direction but with AI-powered output. It is said that the feature could help X attract more premium members and also increase engagement on the platform.

First Published: May 06 2024 | 3:12 PM IST



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India has fewer than 2,000 senior engineers for developing core AI products

India has fewer than 2,000 senior engineers for developing core AI products

by | May 6, 2024 | Technology


Tata Consultancy Services trained 350,000 employees in AI skills, and Infosys trained eight out of its ten employees for AI tasks

3 min read Last Updated : May 06 2024 | 2:37 PM IST

The active pool of senior artificial intelligence (AI) engineers, who can build core AI products and services in India, is less than 2,000, showed data from specialist staffing firm Xpheno.


This stands in stark contrast to the 650,000-700,000 individuals that the tech industry body National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) said have received training in AI within leading tech companies.




Indian firms are at the forefront of adopting AI, and are making significant investments in enhancing the skills of their workforce, with Tata Consultancy Services training 350,000 employees in AI skills, and Infosys training eight out of its ten employees for AI tasks.


But the number of active senior AI engineers capable of working on core AI products and services such as AI-based apps and platforms is less than 2,000, Moneycontrol reported while cutting the report.


The report also revealed that the total active individuals with the necessary minimum skills, experience, and exposure to core AI amounts is under 21,000, specifically referring to the emerging segment of AI engineers.


Mass market AI training


Moneycontrol quoted Jagdish Mitra, a board member of the non-profit National Skill Development Corporation, as saying, “The (AI) training that people are doing is more mass market. And that’s not what will be valuable. What will be valuable is process-specific, application-specific and industry-specific skills that will make a difference to how the skills are being used. It has to be more specific, otherwise it’s like a man walking around with a hammer trying to find a nail.”


Sangeeta Gupta, senior vice president at Nasscom, said the demand for AI talent is projected to increase by 15 per cent annually, with an existing demand-supply gap of approximately 51 per cent for specialised skills crucial for advancing core AI capabilities.


Adoption of GenAI and AI


Prasadh MS, head of workforce research at Xpheno, India is anticipating the surge in widespread adoption of GenAI and AI overall.


“Core engineering of and for AI remains concentrated with high niche micro-talent pools operating outside India. The core engineering of AI has minor footprints in India. Global AI products looking for service and support skills in India are the first major wave the tech sector will ride in the AI domain.”


The report quoted Krishna Vij, business head-IT staffing at TeamLease Digital, as saying that IT companies are investing heavily in AI training. “Also, even if companies are looking at reducing their budget towards employee cost, they’ve kept a specific budget and are okay to shell out 25-30 per cent more to identify the right talent for the AI kind of role.”

First Published: May 06 2024 | 2:37 PM IST



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