AI Pioneer Enters the AGI Race 💥

Welcome to another edition of Horizon AI,

The race for AGI just got more exciting as François Chollet, one of AI's most influential voices, has co-founded a research lab with a new approach to building AGI.

Let’s get to it!

Read Time: 4.5 min

Here's what's new today in the Horizon AI

• François Chollet Launches Ndea: A New AI Lab Focused on AGI 💥

• Luma Labs Launches Ray2 AI Video Model

• AI Tutorial: 5 Meta AI hacks to get the most out of WhatsApp

• AI Tools to check out

• The Latest in AI and Tech 💡

• AI Findings/Resources

AI News

NDEA

François Chollet Launches Ndea: A New AI Lab Focused on AGI 💥

François Chollet, the mind behind Keras and a well-known figure in AI research, has announced the launch of Ndea, a new AI lab solely dedicated to building AGI.

Details:

• François Chollet, who recently left Google after nearly a decade, co-founded Ndea with Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier.

• Ndea is focused on creating AGI “capable of true invention, adaptation, and innovation” by using innovative techniques like program synthesis, which enables AI to generalize from limited examples.

• Chollet believes program synthesis could overcome current AI challenges and accelerate scientific progress, despite being computing-intensive.

• The lab is currently recruiting top talent for remote research positions but has yet to disclose whether it has raised any capital from outside investors.

Chollet joins a growing trend of prominent AI researchers pursuing independent initiatives, with other notable examples including Ilya Sutskever’s Safe Superintelligence and Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs.

Source

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LUMA LABS

Luma Labs Launches Ray2 AI Video Model

Luma AI has launched its latest generative video model, Ray2, now available on its Dream Machine website and mobile apps.

Details:

• The new model generates dynamic 5-10 second videos with faster, more natural motion. It was trained with 10x more compute than its predecessor, Ray1.

• Early tests showcase impressive results, including fluid animations of complex prompts like a ballerina on an ice floe or a giraffe surfing.The model’s realism, cinematography, and lighting have improved significantly.

• Luma AI plans to add image-to-video, video-to-video, and editing capabilities to Ray2 in the future.

Users can try the new model on Luma’s Dream Machine web platform, but access is currently limited to paying users. It will also be available via the Luma API soon.

Source

AI Tutorial

5 Meta AI hacks to get the most out of WhatsApp

1. Get Real-Time Information

Meta has access to the web and can answer questions or provide updates on current events, weather, and more. I will also provide source links for the information shared.

2. Ask About Photos, Generate, and Edit Images

Meta AI can generate images directly within your chat. You can also use Meta AI to edit a photo you upload, such as adding or removing objects or even animating the image. Additionally, you can ask Meta AI questions about an image you share in a chat—for example, showing a picture of a cake and asking for the recipe, or inquiring about the meaning of symbols or icons.

3. Language Translation

Simply ask Meta AI to translate a phrase from your native language into your desired language. It will provide an accurate translation in seconds and suggest alternative phrasing for formal or casual tones.

4. Get Recommendations

Instead of browsing the internet and forums, simply ask Meta AI for book suggestions, travel destinations, movies to watch, and more. By providing details about your preferences and what you're looking for, Meta AI will offer personalized recommendations for you to consider.

5. Add Meta AI to Your Group Chats

Type @MetaAI to add the assistant to your group chats, helping you and your friends generate ideas, provide information for the discussion, and more.

AI Tools to check out

🔥 ChatLLM Teams - Abacus.AI: One AI assistant for you or your team, offering access to state-of-the-art LLMs and features such as web search, video generation, and more.

⭐ AI Name Genius: Discover unique, memorable, and available domain names in seconds

🔭 Supascout: Analyze App Store reviews to gain actionable insights.

🔍 FactSnap: A reliable fact-checking companion.

💪 Master of Pushups: Transform your iPhone into an AI-powered push-up trainer.

AI Findings/Resources

💡 What companies succeeding with AI do differently

🔮 What to expect from AI in 2025: hybrid workers, robotics, expert models

✍ The best ChatGPT Prompt I've ever created - I spent 2 months curating this prompt to write prompts

🌐 7 advanced AI projects for beginners

The latest in AI and Tech

OpenAI partners with Axios for local news expansion

Axios is bringing local news to four new cities through a deal with OpenAI, which includes three years of funding. ChatGPT will also feature Axios journalism in relevant queries.

Google teams up with AP for real-time news

Google’s Gemini AI chatbot will now feature real-time news from The Associated Press. This marks Google’s first news partnership for Gemini.

Scammers use fake AI Brad Pitt to steal €830,000

A 53-year-old French woman was conned out of €830,000 by scammers posing as Brad Pitt during a fake 18-month relationship.

UK authors slam AI plan as "Theft" of creative work

Richard Osman and Kate Mosse oppose Labour’s plan to let AI firms mine copyrighted works for data, warning it could harm creative industries.

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Gina 👩🏻‍💻