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If youre wondering what happened to Amazons new and improved version of its Alexa voice assistant, youre not alone. Bloomberg reports that the new Alexa is still stuck in its developmental phase and Amazon has cut off access to its beta phase including its new Lets Chat phase. As a result, a planned late 2024 launch has been pushed back to next year. The problem seems to be with its large language models (LLMs). The new Alexa is designed to understand more complicated questions from users but its also more likely to fail doing some of the most basic things the old version could do quite easily like create a timer or operate smart lights, according to a follow up report from The Verge. Amazon originally planned to unveil its new version of Alexa AI in October but now the timeline has been extended into next year. (As you might have noticed, October has come and gone.) The original timeline planned to premiere the next evolutionary step in Alexas advancement on October 17 but Amazon decided to pivot and used the date to show off its new line of Kindle ereaders. Then in August, news surfaced that the new Alexa would be powered by Anthropics Claude AI and come with a monthly subscription fee. As ChatGPT began to rise in popularity in the summer of 2023, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wanted to see if Alexa could compete if it had an AI upgrade. Jassy reportedly started peppering Alexa with sports questions like an ESPN reporter at a playoff press conference and its answers were nowhere near perfect. It even made up a recent game score for Jassy. Despite this, Alexa passed the good enough stage and Jassy and his fellow executives felt their engineers could build a beta version by the early part of 2024. Unfortunately, Amazon wasnt able to meet its deadline. Even with the new deadline, the new Alexa still has a long way to go to fix its problems. Some employees told Bloomberg that the problem outside of Alexas innerworkings is with Amazons overstuffed management and a lack of a compelling vision for an AI-powered Alexa. .This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/amazon-reportedly-bumped-back-its-ai-powered-alexa-to-next-year-215041138.html?src=rss
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Disney is adding another layer to its AI and extended reality strategies. As first reported by Reuters, the company recently formed a dedicated emerging technologies unit. Dubbed the Office of Technology Enablement, the group will coordinate the companys exploration, adoption and use of artificial intelligence, AR and VR tech. It has tapped Jamie Voris, previously the CTO of its Studios Technology division, to oversee the effort. Before joining Disney in 2010, Voris was the chief technology officer at the National Football League. More recently, he led the development of the companys Apple Vision Pro app. Voris will report to Alan Bergman, the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. Reuters reports the company eventually plans to grow the group to about 100 employees. The pace and scope of advances in AI and XR are profound and will continue to impact consumer experiences, creative endeavors, and our business for years to come making it critical that Disney explore the exciting opportunities and navigate the potential risks, Bergman wrote in an email Disney shared with Engadget. The creation of this new group underscores our dedication to doing that and to being a positive force in shaping responsible use and best practices. A Disney spokesperson told Engadget the Office of Technology Enablement wont take over any existing AI and XR projects at the company. Instead, it will support Disneys other teams, many of which are already working on products that involve those technologies, to ensure their work fits into the companys broader strategic goals. It is about bringing added focus, alignment, and velocity to those efforts, and about reinforcing our commitment being a positive force in shaping responsible use and best practices, the spokesperson said. Its safe to say Disney has probably navigated the last two decades of technological change better than most of Hollywood. For instance, the companys use of the Unreal Engine in conjunction with a digital set known as The Volume has streamlined the production of VFX-heavy shows like The Mandalorian. With extended reality and AI in particular promising tidal changes to how humans work and play, it makes sense to add some additional oversight to how those technologies are used at the company.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/disney-forms-dedicated-ai-and-xr-group-to-coordinate-company-wide-use-and-adoption-205011787.html?src=rss
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One of fantasy and sci-fis all-time greats has passed away. Artist Greg Hildebrandt, known for his iconic work on Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Marvel and Magic: The Gathering, died on Thursday at 85. He and his twin brother Tim, who died in 2006, were a powerhouse duo the Brothers Hildebrandt until they decided to pursue solo careers in 1981. The duo was perhaps best known for their Style B poster (above) for the original Star Wars in 1977. Released in the UK (Tom Jungs Style A was the original US poster), the art shows Luke Skywalker heroically hoisting his lightsaber high above his head like King Arthur wielded Excalibur. Hes flanked by a blaster-toting Princess Leia, with C-3PO and R2-D2 looking on from behind. Darth Vaders imposing mask peers down on them in the background among a sea of stars, the Death Star and starfighters. As for Luke and Leias noteworthy lack of resemblance to Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, neither the Brothers Hildebrandt nor Jung had access to the actors photos. So, they made do with generic hero images that could have been ripped from 1970s fantasy book covers. (Still rad, if not screen-accurate.) The Hildebrandt poster was used in the UK until January 1978, when it was replaced by Tom Chantrells Style C poster, which depicted the actual cast. Greg Hildebrandt / X The brothers were also strongly associated with a series of The Lord of the Rings calendars. Decades before Peter Jackson brought the films to live action (and even before the 1978 animated version), their art which drew on their influence from classic Disney films was the most prominent visualization of Tolkiens epic for many a 1970s fantasy reader. Among Hildebrandts many other projects were comics for Marvel and DC, illustrations for Wizards of the Coast (Magic: The Gathering and Harry Potter), magazines Omni, Heavy Metal and Amazing Stories, album art for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Black Sabbath and a long list of book covers. Hildebrandt also fought for freedom with his artistic gifts. After Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he contributed illustrations for Operation USAs benefit anthology comic book series. Profits were donated to Ukrainian refugee relief efforts. Explaining his decision, he wrote, Any project that I can lend my art to that will thwart Putin is a project I will join with all my heart, soul and mind.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/greg-hildebrandt-iconic-star-wars-and-lord-of-the-rings-artist-has-died-at-85-193026772.html?src=rss
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