Hasta La Gadget!

Google has yet another AI tool to add to the pile. Whisk is a Google Labs image generator that lets you use an existing image as your prompt. But its output only captures your starter image’s “essence” rather than recreating it with new details. So, it’s better for brainstorming and rapid-fire visualizations than edits of the source image.

The company describes Whisk as “a new type of creative tool.” The input screen starts with a bare-bones interface with inputs for style and subject. This simple introductory interface only lets you choose from three predefined styles: sticker, enamel pin and plushie. I suspect Google found those three allowed for the kind of rough-outline outputs the experimental tool is most ideal for in its current form.

As you can see in the image above, it produced a solid image of a Wilford Brimley plushie. (Google’s terms likely forbid pictures of celebrities, but Wilford slipped through the gates, Quaker Oats in tow, without alerting the guards.)

Whisk also includes a more advanced editor (found by clicking “Start from scratch” from the main screen). In this mode, you can use text or a source image in three categories: subject, scene and style. There’s also an input bar to add more text for finishing touches. However, in its current form, the advanced controls didn’t produce results that looked anything like my queries.

For example, check out my attempt to generate the late Mr. Brimley in a lightbox scene in the style of a walrus plushie image I found online:

Google / Screenshot by Will Shanklin for Engadget

Whisk spit out what looks like a vaguely Wilford Brimley-esque actor eating oatmeal inside a lightbox frame. As far as I can tell, that dude is not a plushie. So, it’s clear why Google recommends using the tool more for “rapid visual exploration” and less for production-ready content.

Google acknowledges that Whisk will only draw from “a few key characteristics” of your source image. “For example, the generated subject might have a different height, weight, hairstyle or skin tone,” the company warns.

To understand why, look no further than Google’s description of how Whisk works under the hood. It uses the Gemini language model to write a detailed caption of the source image you upload. It then feeds that description into the Imagen 3 image generator. So, the result is an image based on Gemini’s words about your image — not the source image itself.

Whisk is only available in the US, at least for now. You can try it at the project’s Google Labs site.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-new-ai-tool-whisk-uses-images-as-prompts-210105371.html?src=rss

If you’ve been waiting patiently to try ChatGPT Search, you won’t have to wait much longer. After rolling out to paid subscribers this fall, OpenAI announced Monday it would make the tool available to everyone, no Plus or Pro membership necessary, “over the coming months.” 

At that point, all you need before you can start using ChatGPT Search is an OpenAI account. Once you’re logged in, and if your query calls for it, ChatGPT will automatically search the web for the latest information to answer your question. You can also force it to search the web, thanks to a handy new icon located right in the prompt bar. OpenAI has also added the option to make ChatGPT Search your browser’s default search engine.    

At the same time, OpenAI is integrating ChatGPT Search and Advanced Voice mode together. As you might have guessed, the former allows ChatGPT’s audio persona to search the web for answers to your questions and answer them in a natural, conversational way. For example, say you’re traveling to a different city for vacation. You could ask ChatGPT what the weather will be like once you arrive, with the Search functionality built-in, the chatbot can answer that question with the most up-to-date information. 

To facilitate this functionality, OpenAI says it has partnered with leading news and data providers. As a result, you’ll also see widgets for stocks, sports scores, the weather and more. Basically, ChatGPT Search is becoming a full-fledged Google competitor before our eyes.     

OpenAI announced the expanded availability during its most recent “12 Days of OpenAI” livestream. In previous live streams, the company announced the general availability of Sora and ChatGPT Pro, a new $200 subscription for its chatbot. With four more days to go, it’s hard to see the company topping that announcement, but at this point, OpenAI likely has a surprise or two up its sleeve.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/chatgpt-is-getting-ready-to-roll-its-search-tool-out-to-everyone-184442971.html?src=rss

Google may have only recently begun rolling out its Veo generative AI to enterprise customers, but the company is not wasting any time getting a new version of the video tool out to early testers. On Monday, Google announced a preview of Veo 2. According to the company, Veo 2 “understands the language of cinematography.” In practice, that means you can reference a specific genre of film, cinematic effect or lens when prompting the model.

Additionally, Google says the new model has a better understanding of real-world physics and human movement. Correctly modeling humans in motion is something all generative models struggle to do. So the company’s claim that Veo 2 is better when it comes to both of those trouble points is notable. Of course, the samples the company provided aren’t enough to know for sure; the true test of Veo 2’s capabilities will come when someone prompts it to generate a video of a gymnast’s routine. Oh, and speaking of things video models struggle with, Google says Veo will produce artifacts like extra fingers “less frequently.”

Separately, Google is rolling out improvements to Imagen 3. Of its text-to-image model, the company says the latest version generates brighter and better-composed images. Additionally, it can render more diverse art styles with greater accuracy. At the same time, it’s also better at following prompts more faithfully. Prompt adherence was an issue I highlighted when the company made Imagen 3 available to Google Cloud customers earlier this month, so if nothing else, Google is aware of the areas where its AI models need work.

Veo 2 will gradually roll out to Google Labs users in the US. For now, Google will limit testers to generating up to eight seconds of footage at 720p. For context, Sora can generate up to 20 seconds of 1080p footage, though doing so requires a $200 per month ChatGPT Pro subscription. As for the latest enhancements to Imagen 3, those are available to Google Labs users in more than 100 countries through ImageFX.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-new-ai-video-model-sucks-less-at-physics-170041204.html?src=rss

For years, reporting has claimed employees and contractors at Amazon’s warehouses are injured at unusually high rates, often attributed to a high pace of work. On Sunday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions published an investigation that claims Amazon’s own internal research reached similar conclusions — and then ignored them, The New York Times reported.

The Senate Committee, chaired by Senator Bernie Sanders, published its 160-page report, which among other things, details the results of two internal Amazon initiatives meant to study worker injuries: Project Elderwand and Project Soteria. The former identified an upper bound of repetitive motions workers could perform before substantial risk of injury would occur, and noted that current quotes were above that rate. The latter indicated a link between work speed and injury. Both studies recommended relaxing the pace of work, but executives chose not to do so.

Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said that Sanders’ report used what she called “out-of-date documents” (the studies were conducted in 2020 and 2021). She continued saying that Amazon’s work environment has improved recently, and that a Washington State judge had rejected allegations that Amazon required its employees to work in an unsafe environment.

Amazon was cited last year by OSHA at half a dozen warehouses for “failing to keep workers safe.” An investigation by the Washington Post in 2021 found Amazon warehouse workers are seriously injured at a rate nearly twice that of the warehousing industry at large; it echoed similar findings by Reveal from 2019.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-ignored-internal-studies-on-injuries-senate-investigation-claims-144611988.html?src=rss

Social media platforms and other online services operating in the UK are facing new regulations. Ofcom, the UK’s communication services regulator, has released over 40 safety measures that applicable organizations must carry out by mid-March 2025. The new guidance follows last year’s passage of the Online Safety Act, which implements new protections for children and adults online. Ofcom’s role includes providing compliance codes and guidance for relevant companies. 

Ofcom introduced new measures tackling areas such as fraud, moderation and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Online services must take steps like nominating a senior person who is accountable for complying to its duties for illegal content, complaints and reporting. Moderating teams must be “appropriately” trained and have enough resources to quickly remove illegal content. Plus, relevant companies, such as social media platforms, should improve their algorithms to limit the spread of illegal content. 

The regulator’s required anti-CSAM safety practices include hiding children’s profiles and locations, not allowing random accounts to message children and using hash-matching and URL detection to quickly find and shut down CSAM. 

Ofcom consulted with the tech industry, charities and parents, among other entities. It also heard from children about their horrifying experiences of receiving predatory messages online and opinions on new regulations. “As an evidence-based regulator, every response has been carefully considered, alongside cutting-edge research and analysis, and we have strengthened some areas of the codes since our initial consultation,” Ofcom stated in its release. “The result is a set of measures — many of which are not currently being used by the largest and riskiest platforms — that will significantly improve safety for all users, especially children.”

The Online Safety Act includes “organizations big and small, from large and well-resourced companies to very small ‘micro-businesses.’ They also apply to individuals who run an online service,” Ofcom states. It gets a bit vague, though, with Ofcom adding the business must have a “significant number” of UK users or have the UK as a target market. The Act covers “user-to-user services,” such as social media, online gaming and dating sites. It also impacts “search services” and online businesses that show pornographic content. 

Ofcom has the power to fine non-compliant sites £18 million ($22.7 million) or 10 percent of their qualifying global revenue, if a higher number. In “very serious cases” Ofcom can seek a court order to block a site’s UK presence. Ofcom plans to release further guidance across the first half of 2025. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-internet-watchdog-gives-social-media-companies-three-months-to-improve-safety-or-face-huge-fines-130018908.html?src=rss