ChatGPT can access the web (again)
ChatGPT is making like a North Korean defector and can finally browse the web (again), OpenAI announced over on X last night. The aim here is for the massively popular large language model (LLM) to provide users with “current and authoritative information, complete with direct links to sources.” Better yet, it’ll no longer be restricted to data posted before September 2021.
This isn’t the first time the LLM has had access to the web. Until recently, ChatGPT featured a ‘Browse with Bing’ feature that was removed a few months back, due to the model’s ability to circumvent paywalls and access certain content without a subscription. We’re guessing OpenAI has fixed those issues, having rolled out the Browse with Bing feature again.
Not just anyone can get hold of ChatGPT’s new web-browsing capabilities. It’s currently limited to Plus and Enterprise users, though the company said it would “expand to all users soon.”
It’s worth remembering that, even with the web, ChatGPT isn’t the be-all when it comes to providing correct information. It can still hallucinate – and cite its sources confidently – even when it’s wrong.
Spotify’s AI has new powers
If you thought you’d had your fill of AI news, think again. Earlier this week, Spotify began piloting a program that would see AI translate podcasts into various languages – helped by OpenAI’s voice synthesis tech – to best preserve the original podcaster’s voice.
The idea is to provide a more authentic experience, rather than listening to something that’s been dubbed traditionally. Initially, Spotify will roll out the feature in Spanish, though plans are in motion to expand that to German and French sometime soon.
“By matching the creator’s own voice, Voice Translation gives listeners around the world the power to discover and be inspired by new podcasters in a more authentic way than ever before,” says Ziad Sultan, Spotify VP of Personalization. “We believe that a thoughtful approach to AI can help build deeper connections between listeners and creators, a key component of Spotify’s mission to unlock the potential of human creativity.”
Early testers of the feature include podcasters such as Dax Shepard, Monica Padman, Lex Fridman, Bill Simmons, and Steven Bartlett, all of whom have been helping Spotify translate old and incoming episodes of their podcasts. Spotify plans to roll the program out to Trevor Noah’s podcast set to launch later in the year.
Voice Translation is available to Premium and Free users globally, with users being able to try out the feature on this podcast by clicking ‘Show more’ on desktop and ‘See more’ on mobile to hear what Kristen Bell sounds like in Spanish.
Pokémon teams up with the… Van Gogh Museum?
If you had a Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum collab pinned on your 2023 Bingo card, well done. We… don’t believe you, but that’s just how it is. The bizarre combination was dreamed up in honour of the museum’s 50th anniversary, designed to lure the younger generation to the museum and teach them about Van Gogh’s work and show just how inspired the artist was by Japanese art.
“This collaboration will allow the next generation to get to know Vincent van Gogh’s art and life story in a refreshing way,” the Van Gogh Museum’s general director Emilie Gordenker said in a press release (via The Verge). “The Van Gogh Museum and The Pokémon Company International have drawn on many years of educational expertise to create a special experience for children, their supervisors, and we hope many others at the Van Gogh Museum.”
The feature is set to run from 28 September until 7 January 2024, and tickets are limited. If you can’t up and leave for a trip to Amsterdam, the Museum is hosting an online lesson delving into the artist’s fascination with Japanese art here.
A Tomb Raider series?
Now that the writer’s strike is securely out of the way, Netflix finally felt comfortable enough to show off a host of new trailers, all animated, during its DROP 01 virtual event yesterday. Amongst the slew of new trailers, the coolest of them have to be the new Lara Croft series, something called Captain Laserhawk (seriously), and a new entry for Devil May Cry.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is an animated series that’s being developed by Powerhouse Animation – known for their work on the Castlevania series and that terrible (but still pretty) He-Man reboot. Other than a vague 2024 release window and a first-look trailer, not much else is known about the series.
A little more is known about Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, which is based on that weird [you mean awesome — Ed] Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon spin-off set in the Far Cry universe. It’s currently slated to hit the small screen on 19 October, though a full-fledged trailer is already available with a plot summary found here. Oh, and Rayman is in it too because… Ubisoft?
As for the Devil May Cry series, this is the second time the popular videogame IP has been reimagined as an anime. That first happened in 2007, though it was met with a mixed reception. Here’s hoping that Netflix can turn the public opinion around on this one. The trailer, while short, appears to be the anime DMC fans have been waiting for, though we won’t get the chance to judge for ourselves until it lands on Netflix. When that’ll be though, the streamer hasn’t said.