Microsoft unveils Phi-3-mini, its smallest AI model yet
A few days after Meta unveiled its Llama 3 Large Language Model (LLM), Microsoft unveiled the latest version of its ‘lightweight’ AI model – the Phi-3-Mini. Microsoft has described the Phi-3 as a family of open AI models that are the most capable and cost-effective small language models (SLMs) available. Phi-3-mini is believed to be first among the three small models that Microsoft is planning to release. It has reportedly outperformed models of the same size and the next size up across a variety of benchmarks, in areas like language, reasoning, coding, and maths. Essentially, language models are the backbone of AI applications like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc. These models are trained on existing data to solve common language problems such as text classification, answering questions, text generation, document summarisation, etc. The latest model from Microsoft expands the selection of high-quality language models available to customers, offering more practical choices as they build generative AI applications. Phi-3-mini, a 3.8B language model, is available on AI development platforms such as Microsoft Azure AI Studio, HuggingFace, and Ollama. The amount of conversation that an AI can read and write at any given time is called the context window, and is measured in something called tokens. According to Microsoft, Phi-3-mini is available in two variants, one with 4K context-length, and another with 128K tokens.
Swiggy launches Smart Links to boost orders for restaurants
On-demand service platform, Swiggy, has launched ‘Smart Links’, a tool designed for restaurants to enhance their online presence and drive growth. Smart Links are free, customized links that restaurants can share on their social media profiles on platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook to direct customers straight to their menu page on Swiggy. They also help restaurants access customer behaviour by tracking their actions after clicking on an ad, whether they have placed an order, what they have ordered and when. Swiggy has introduced Smart Links to help restaurants convert social media footfall to business. According to a statement by the company, “The restaurant industry typically spends anywhere between 3% to 6 % of its revenue on advertising, including online platforms like Meta, Google and traditional media such as TV, print and radio. While advertising on online platforms is a great channel to reach consumers, many restaurants struggle to translate engagement into actual business.”
Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and others may be maybe swiping left on your privacy
Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge have completely changed the way we find new people, and sometimes, even love. A recent report, however, suggested these companies may be selling personal information of users to advertisers. According to researchers at the Mozilla Foundation, 22 out of 25 dating apps they reviewed failed at protecting user privacy, with some even having a track record of data breaches. The report labelled popular dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and OkCupid as ‘Privacy Not Included’, the lowest rating in the research. While the dating apps mentioned state providing personal information is optional, it is often not the case. Certain apps like Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge seek users’ consent to access their precise geolocation, and if they do not consent to it, the app does not work. Another red flag is that these apps seem to track the user’s location even when they are not actively using the app. The report states that around 25% of these apps collect metadata like information about the pictures you click and upload, your sexual preferences, the conversations you have with others, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic origins, religion and even video chats.
Indian musicians are drawing followers to the metaverse
Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, David Guetta, and even Daler Mehndi all have performed in the Metaverse as avataars in recent years. Percussionist Bickram Ghosh and Sitarist Purbayan Chatterjee are among many Indian artists who have taken the virtual plunge. The future of music in Web3 and the Metaverse was much talked about during COVID-19. And now the Generative AI has taken over our lives. Exciting Web3 startups in the music tech space are keeping the conversations alive around NFTs, virtual concerts and much more. Web3 not only gives them the chance to be independent but also allows them a certain level of autonomy. Artisteverse, an immersive platform, aims to leverage immersive tech and Web3 innovations to bridge the gaps in traditional entertainment platforms. Imagined as a ‘Direct to Fan’ platform to help artistes better engage and monetise their core fan base. Artisteverse combines audio streaming, e-commerce, fan engagement and the metaverse to give artists a custom-made virtual stage. Bickram Ghosh and singer-songwriter Manasi Scott unveiled their custom-designed virtual space. Sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee launched ‘classicool.in’ this year, a fully immersive and interactive 3D metaverse platform. He says ‘it’s almost like welcoming a fan to your home’.
Elon Musk’s X set to take on YouTube with new TV video app
X, formerly known as Twitter, is coming to the big screen near you with a dedicated TV app for videos. X CEO Linda Yaccarino in her post on the social media platform announced the launch of the X TV app. Yaccarino said that the new TV app for X will be “your go-to companion for a high-quality, immersive entertainment experience on a larger screen.”Alongside, X CEO revealed some of the features on the upcoming app. She said that the app will have a similar trending algorithm as X, but for videos. This will allow users to tailored content based on their preference. The app will also get AI-powered topics for organizing videos by subject for a more personalized experience, said Yaccarino.
Flipkart’s Blockchain-based Fire Drops Seeks Use Cases
Ecommerce major Flipkart, which has been exploring Web3 and blockchain technologies since last year via Flipkart Labs, is now looking to test new use cases beyond metaverse and non-fungible tokens. Flipkart is working with Polygon for its Web3 initiatives and aims to strengthen this collaboration throughout the year. This partnership is believed to have the potential to transform the way Indians shop and engage with brands online. “While there are a bunch of experiments that get conducted through Flipkart Labs around augmented reality, virtual shopping and the likes, the initial experiments on converting rewards into NFTs have shown good results. The idea is to now scale the product over the next phase,” a senior executive said. “There are already around 3.6 Mn user wallets that were created as of the end of last year by Flipkart on the blockchain. The target now is to multiply the efforts and bring more users on the chain by the end of this year,” said Aishwary Gupta, ecosystem head, business development at Polygon Labs. By betting on gamification, Flipkart offers users an engagement platform where brands create various quests. Users solve these quests to win NFTs, which are redeemable as discounts during ecommerce purchases and can also be traded among users. The early experiments have shown that brands have experienced a higher return on investment through the NFT programme, with gamification leading to increased engagement levels. By utilizing blockchain technology, Flipkart aims to enhance its brand engagements and track promotional content, monitoring their conversion into sales.
AI Connecting More Indians
Artificial intelligence (AI) has seamlessly integrated into everyday life, becoming a ubiquitous presence across the globe—and India is no exception. A recent study by Kantar has revealed a dramatic surge in AI adoption, showcasing how Indians are increasingly turning to smart technologies to simplify tasks, from home automation to virtual assistance. An impressive 724 MN Indians are already integrated into the AI ecosystem, a number expected to grow by 6% annually. These users engage with AI through a variety of features, including image filters, personalized recommendations, and smart devices, making AI a prevalent force among nearly every internet user in the country. The adoption is particularly notable among the youth, with the 19-24 age group leading the charge. According to the study, fitness and social media applications are major drivers of AI integration, boasting an average of 2.3 AI-led features per app. Entertainment applications follow closely with an average of two features, underscoring the widespread penetration of AI across diverse digital platforms. However, the expansion of AI is not uniform across all sectors. While digital commerce and entertainment apps continue to embrace AI, adoption is notably slower in the banking, financial services, and recruitment sectors, as well as in short video apps. Data shows that AI is already touching the lives of nine in 10 internet users in India, powered by the enormous computing capabilities on their phones, connectivity, and cloud infrastructure,”
WhatsApp says it will exit India if asked to break encryption
WhatsApp may exit India if forced to break its end-to-end encryption. The company argues that breaking encryption would undermine user privacy and trust. The Indian government defends the rules as necessary. Indian Government’s Information Technology Rules 2021 might force WhatsApp to break end-to-end encryption. As per recent reports, WhatsApp told the High Court during a hearing that it would exit India if it had to break end-to-end encryption. In February 2021, the government of India announced the new Information Technology Rules 2021, which included intermediary guidelines and a digital media ethics code.The government had put forward a firm stand to identify a message’s originators. This meant that platforms like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and others that use end-to-end encryption for messages would have to break it to comply with the government’s new rule. During a recent session at the Delhi High Court, WhatsApp, along with its parent company Meta (formerly Facebook Inc), was contesting the 2021 Information Technology (IT) rules. WhatsApp’s legal representative expressed significant concerns, saying that the company might consider exiting the Indian market if compelled to compromise the encryption that protects users’ messages. The platform’s commitment to user privacy, underscored by its end-to-end encryption, forms the core of its user trust and appeal. Representing WhatsApp, attorney Tejas Karia argued before a bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora. Karia said that forcing WhatsApp to decrypt messages would fundamentally alter the platform’s privacy guarantees, potentially affecting millions of messages and user privacy. He highlighted the logistical and ethical challenges of such a requirement, noting that it would involve retaining and potentially decrypting vast volumes of private communications.
Govt Push to Help ONDC get Shopfront on Ecomm Sites
The Centre has asked Amazon and Flipkart to set up Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) storefronts on their home pages to help the government-backed network scale up operations and assist with deliveries, said executives aware of the development. The aim is to boost operations and order efficiencies as well as iron out glitches and delays on ONDC, they said. ONDC managing director T Koshy told that the network is “in active discussion with Amazon and Flipkart for a phased participation and that results could be expected soon.” The development is significant as ONDC, which started operations in January last year, was pitched as an effort to counter the dominance of Amazon and Flipkart. Amazon has over 1.1 MN sellers in India with more than 50% in tier 2 towns and cities. In February last year, Amazon had announced plans to integrate its logistics network — from pickup to delivery — and SmartCommerce services with ONDC. SmartCommerce is Amazon’s software offering that enables small and medium-sized businesses in India to build and scale their operations across digital platforms. These small businesses will now be able to use it to join the ONDC network, Amazon had said. This was when Flipkart’s logistics subsidiary Ekart was in advanced stages of integration with ONDC. The logistics arm of Flipkart had already joined the network.