Powered by Data - July 15, 2024

Last Week in Conversational AI

• Amazon has unveiled its AI-powered shopping assistant, Rufus, to all U.S. customers just before Prime Day on July 16-17. Initially introduced to a limited user base in February, Rufus is designed to streamline the shopping experience within the Amazon Shopping app by answering product-related questions and offering recommendations. Rufus can handle complex queries about product details, compare merchandise, and track orders. Uniquely, it also answers broader questions, positioning itself as a potential competitor to Google and ChatGPT. Amazon plans to refine Rufus based on user feedback. Read More
• The Washington Post has introduced an "experimental" AI-powered chatbot designed to answer readers' questions about climate change. Based on a large language model (LLM), this new tool uses the publication’s extensive climate reporting from the past eight years to provide responses. The chatbot encourages users to verify its answers by linking relevant articles from the Post's archives. This initiative reflects a broader trend in newsrooms, where generative AI is integrated to enhance journalistic processes and reader interaction, as seen in similar collaborations between major publications and AI companies like OpenAI. Read More
• The European Union’s AI Act, a pioneering regulation designed to address the risks associated with artificial intelligence, has been officially published in the bloc's Official Journal. The legislation will come into force on August 1, 2024, with its full provisions set to be applicable by mid-2026, following a phased implementation approach. The AI Act introduces a risk-based framework, categorizing AI applications into different tiers of regulation. Low-risk AI uses remain largely unregulated, while high-risk applications, such as those involving biometrics or law enforcement, face stringent data quality and bias prevention obligations. Some AI use cases, including social credit scoring and indiscriminate facial recognition, are outright banned. Read More
• QIYI, a leading online entertainment service in China, announced the launch of AI-powered chatbots on its app and Weibo, a central social media platform in China. These chatbots allow viewers to engage in conversations with fictional characters from iQIYI's popular shows, showcasing the company's dedication to leveraging technology to enhance content interaction and amplify the influence of its premium intellectual properties (IPs). This new feature builds upon iQIYI's ongoing efforts to foster deeper connections between viewers and content. It joins a lineup of other interactive features, including the recently launched 3D emojis for bullet comments in its Apple Vision Pro app and the Karaoke Mode in its music variety shows. Read More