Tech News Weekly #1

May 26, 2024

We had a lot of innovations this month, here are almost all of them that you might have missed.

AI-Powered Doctor's Office

Inside the CarePod. Source- Courtesy of Forward

Forward Health has unveiled its new "CarePod" product, an AI-powered doctor's office designed to provide automated primary care through an immersive in-pod experience.


  • CarePod Features: These self-contained units offer advanced diagnostics, personalized health plans, biometric body scans, blood testing, and more.

  • Health Apps Integration: Users can access a variety of Health Apps for conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and mental health, with plans for more apps covering prenatal care and advanced cancer screening.

  • Deployment: CarePods will be available in locations like malls, gyms, and offices, starting in major cities including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

  • Cost: Memberships start at $99 per month, providing affordable and accessible healthcare options.


Why this is important: Forward's CarePods aims to revolutionize healthcare delivery by making advanced medical services more accessible and affordable, potentially transforming how we approach primary care (YouTube)

Learn More

🚨 Scarlett Johansson vs. ChatGPT: "Her"


OpenAI’s latest text-to-speech voice for ChatGPT, named Sky, got into hot water when Scarlett Johansson claimed it sounded just like her.


  • Apparently, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, had asked Johansson to voice ChatGPT, but she turned it down.

  • She was "shocked and angered" when she heard the Sky voice, thinking it was too similar to her own.

  • OpenAI has put Sky on pause and apologized for the mix-up.

  • This incident sparked debates about the ethics of AI-generated voices and copyright issues.


Why it matters: This kerfuffle highlights the fine line AI developers must walk to avoid stepping on celebrities’ toes. The resolution might set new standards for AI voice tech and copyright protection.


OpenAI’s AI Safety Team Has Disbanded


OpenAI’s team dedicated to preventing superintelligent AI from taking over the world has been disbanded. Cue the dramatic music.


  • The "superalignment team" was working on ways to keep super-smart AI in check.

  • After the team's leaders resigned and a co-founder left, the project lost steam.

  • Rumor has it, the team’s work was sidelined for shiny new products like GPT-4o.

  • Critics argue that safety should be as much a priority as shiny new features.


Why it matters: Disbanding the safety team raises eyebrows about whether we're ready for the AI we're creating. This could have big implications for how safely AI evolves.

Learn more.

💻 Microsoft Unveils AI-Powered PCs

Source- Microsoft Event

Microsoft just dropped some major news about their new AI-infused PCs and updates to their Surface lineup.


  • Copilot+ PCs: These new machines boast crazy performance with 40+ TOPS, all-day battery life, and cool features like Recall and Cocreator, starting at $999 from June 18.

  • Recall Feature: It logs everything you do on the PC, so finding old conversations or documents is a breeze.

  • Windows 11 Updates: The AI assistant Copilot will now help with settings, editing files, and replying to notifications.

  • Surface Pro and Laptop: The new Surface Pro is 90% faster with an OLED display option, and the Surface Laptop 6 promises 22 hours of video playback.


Why it matters: Microsoft is pushing the envelope with AI in personal computing, making our devices faster and smarter. Get ready for tech that keeps up with you.


How to Get the New ChatGPT Desktop App for Mac


The ChatGPT-4o desktop app is here, bringing AI right to your desktop.

Step-by-step:


  1. Download the App: Head to chatgpt.com, login, and download the desktop app.

  2. Install the App: Drag the ChatGPT icon to your Applications folder and launch the installer.

  3. Sign In: Open the app and sign in with your ChatGPT account.

  4. Access Features: Press Option + Spacebar to summon ChatGPT from any screen.

  5. Test and Use: Explore features like model switching, voice conversations, and screenshot sharing.



✍️ GPT-4o Prompts That You Should Try


  1. Lean Startup Methodology: "ChatGPT, how can I quickly test and validate my [Business Idea/Product] using the Lean Startup Methodology?"

  2. Code Review: "Review this code and recommend improvements for performance, efficiency, clarity, and best practices."

  3. Plagiarism Checker: "Check these sentences for plagiarism. Reply with 'plagiarized' or 'not plagiarized' only."

  4. Custom Excel Functions: "Help me write a formula for a specific calculation on my Excel data set."

  5. Memorize Key Info: "What are the most important facts, dates, or formulas related to [topic]? Create a memorization technique for me."

  6. Generate Prompts: "You are GPT-4, OpenAI’s advanced language model. Generate the best prompts for [desired outcome]."



More Insider News

Google introduces SynthID, an advanced AI watermarking tool, now capable of identifying AI-generated text and video, addressing concerns of misinformation and content misuse.

IBM has unveiled new open-source AI models and collaborations at its THINK conference to enhance AI's accessibility and flexibility for businesses.

Intel announced that its new Lunar Lake chips, scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2024, will deliver significantly enhanced AI capabilities, featuring a neural processing unit capable of over 40 tera operations per second.

MIT Researchers are using game theory to improve large language models, making them more accurate and consistent by having the models play a "consensus game" against themselves.

Scale AI has secured a $1B financing round, led by Accel, bringing its valuation to $13.8B, marking a significant step in its journey to become the leading data foundry for AI.

Suno has raised $125 million to advance its mission of enabling anyone to make music, focusing on product development and growing its talented team.


Innovation Insider Roundup


  • Creative AI: In a test of creativity, ChatGPT-4 outshined 151 humans, showing it's more creative than 99% of us. Maybe we should start calling it ChatGPT-Van Gogh?

  • Brain Tumor Classification: Researchers in Australia introduced DEPLOY, an AI tool that classifies brain tumors into 10 subtypes with 95% accuracy, making diagnosis quicker and easier.

  • New Materials Discovery: MIT and the University of Basel created an AI model to identify phases in physical systems, aiding the study of new materials.

  • Empathy in Medicine: A study in JAMA Oncology found AI chatbots outperform doctors in empathy, readability, and response quality, with top bots scoring higher in all metrics.


These AI breakthroughs promise a future filled with more intuitive, efficient, and empathetic tools. Stay tuned as we continue to explore AI's transformative potential.


Keep It Real and Innovate,