SpaceX Rocket Catch and Adobe's AI Revolution: Weekly Tech Roundup

SpaceX Achieves Incredible Rocket Catch

In an astonishing feat of engineering, SpaceX successfully caught their rocket booster out of mid-air using what they call their "Little Chopsticks". The video footage shows the booster descending at high speed before being grasped by the launch tower arms. This marks a significant milestone in SpaceX's efforts to make rockets fully reusable, potentially revolutionizing space travel.

Adobe Max Showcases AI Innovations

Adobe's annual Max conference was dominated by AI announcements this year, with several exciting new tools and features unveiled:

Firefly Video Generation

Adobe introduced Firefly generative video, allowing users to create videos from text prompts. While still in beta, early demos show impressive results. Adobe claims their model is trained ethically on licensed content, addressing concerns about AI training data.

Generative Extend in Premiere Pro

A new feature in Premiere Pro uses AI to extend video clips, filling gaps seamlessly. This could be extremely useful for video editors needing to stretch footage.

Photoshop AI Upgrades

New AI-powered tools in Photoshop include:

• Distraction removal (wires, people, etc.)
• Generative fill improvements
• New generative workspace
• Generate similar/background features

Lightroom AI Features

Lightroom received AI enhancements like:

• Quick actions for sky/skin touchups
• Generative remove tool

Project Sneaks

Adobe previewed several experimental AI projects:

Perfect Blend

This tool harmonizes lighting and shadows when compositing images, creating realistic scenes from disparate elements.

Clean Machine

AI-powered cleanup for timelapse videos, removing unwanted flashes and artifacts.

Project Hi-Fi

Similar to Nvidia Canvas, this allows generating realistic images from simple drawings.

Project Scenic

Creates 3D environments from text prompts, allowing camera angle adjustments before rendering final images.

Project Remix

Designed for Adobe Illustrator, this AI assists in creating and resizing marketing materials while maintaining design consistency.

Project Supersonic

Generates synchronized audio for videos based on text prompts or voice input.

Project Turntable

Perhaps the most impressive demo, this tool can rotate 2D vector illustrations to any angle, potentially revolutionizing character animation workflows.

Kaiber Super Studio Launch

Kaiber unveiled their new Super Studio, integrating multiple AI video and image generation models into a node-based creative workspace. The tool combines:

• Luma Labs Dream Machine
• Blackforce Labs Flux
• Kaiber's own image and video models

Users can create visual workflows on an infinite canvas, connecting different AI modules to generate and manipulate content.

Crea AI Video Model Integration

Crea AI now offers access to multiple leading AI video generation models in one platform:

• Minimax
• Luma Labs
• Runway
• P Labs
• Cling

This integration allows users to experiment with different video AI models from a single interface.

Suno's AI Music from Images

Suno introduced a new feature allowing users to generate unique songs from photos or videos. The mobile app analyzes visual content to create custom music and lyrics.

Pika AI's Interactive Avatar

Pika launched an interactive avatar feature, aiming to allow users to attend multiple meetings simultaneously. The AI avatar is trained on a user's face, voice, and knowledge to represent them in video calls.

Meta's COD Tracker 3

Meta released a new AI model for improved object tracking in videos. This research could enhance video editing capabilities, making it easier to track and manipulate elements within footage.

Blumhouse and Meta Partner on AI Short Films

Production company Blumhouse is collaborating with Meta to create short films using AI technology, including Meta's MovieGen. This partnership signals growing interest in AI tools from established filmmakers.

Nvidia's Llama 3.1 Neotron 70B Instruct

Nvidia quietly released a new open-source language model that outperforms many leading closed-source models in benchmarks. This development highlights the rapid progress in open-source AI.

Mistral AI's Laptop and Phone Optimized Models

Mistral AI introduced smaller language models designed to run efficiently on laptops and phones, potentially enabling on-device AI processing without cloud dependence.

OpenAI's ChatGPT Desktop App for Windows

OpenAI expanded their desktop app offerings, launching a Windows version of the ChatGPT application.

Perplexity AI Updates

Perplexity introduced "Spaces," allowing users to create custom AI assistants with added context from uploaded files. This combines the power of tools like Claude and GPTs with Perplexity's web search capabilities.

NotebookLM Customization Features

Google's NotebookLM added new customization options for its AI-generated podcasts, allowing users to tailor the content and style of audio summaries.

Dropbox Dash AI Search

Dropbox launched Dash, an AI-powered universal search tool for teams, improving document discovery within Dropbox accounts.

Amazon Ads AI Tool

Amazon introduced an AI tool for advertisers, capable of generating enhanced product images and short animations for listings.

Apple's New iPad Mini

Apple released a new iPad Mini with a chip optimized for future AI features, though the full extent of these capabilities is yet to be revealed.

Mtech Labs Emotion Tracking Smart Glasses

Mtech Labs unveiled smart glasses with sensors to track facial expressions, aimed at applications in mental health monitoring and diet tracking.

FTC "Click to Cancel" Rule

The Federal Trade Commission announced a new rule requiring companies to make subscription cancellations as easy as sign-ups, potentially impacting many AI service providers.

Conclusion

This week's developments showcase the rapid pace of AI innovation across various sectors. From content creation tools to hardware advancements, AI continues to reshape how we interact with technology. As these tools become more accessible and powerful, we can expect to see even more transformative applications in the near future.

Article created from: https://youtu.be/ttArvDjUgzg?feature=shared