Hello fellow AI followers!

This week we look into Apple’s attempts to boost falling phone sales with its new iPhone 16e, a more affordable alternative to its flagship models that incorporates advanced AI features similar to its flagship model and ‘spy’ on the reports of a sophisticated Chinese-linked surveillance system utilising cutting-edge technology to monitor citizens!

This Week’s Edition:

• Apple's New iPhone 16e: AI Features at a Lower Cost

• OpenAI Uncovers AI-Powered Chinese Surveillance Tool

• Your 5-Min AI Learning: Translate text within images across 70 languages with ImageTranslate.AI

• More AI News

• AI Image of the Week

Read time: 8 minutes

LATEST NEWS

APPLE’S iPHONE 16e

Apple's New iPhone 16e: AI Features at a Lower Cost

What You Need to Know 

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 16e, a more affordable model that brings artificial intelligence features to a wider audience. Priced at £599 in the UK, it's £200 cheaper than the iPhone 16 but still packs the same A18 chip, enabling it to run Apple Intelligence features and high-end applications.

The Finer Details

• Powered by the A18 chip, the same as the more expensive iPhone 16 models

• Features Apple's first in-house designed C1 cellular modem

• 48MP Fusion camera with integrated 2x Telephoto capability

• Facial recognition (Face ID) replaces home button and Touch ID

• Available for pre-order from February 21, 2025, in 59 countries

• Runs Apple Intelligence, offering features like photo clean-up and natural language image search

So What?

The iPhone 16e represents Apple's strategic move to reinvigorate iPhone sales, which have recently declined. By offering AI capabilities at a lower price point, Apple aims to accelerate the adoption of its Apple Intelligence features and attract more price-conscious consumers into its ecosystem. However, some analysts remain cautious about the sales boost these AI tools might bring, questioning the value consumers place on such features. The success of the iPhone 16e could be crucial for Apple's future in the competitive smartphone market and its position in the AI race.

AI CHINESE SURVEILLANCE TOOL

OpenAI Uncovers AI-Powered Chinese Surveillance Tool

What You Need to Know

OpenAI has discovered evidence of a Chinese security operation that developed an AI-driven surveillance tool called "Peer Review." This tool is designed to collect real-time information about anti-China content on Western social media platforms. The discovery was made after individuals involved in the project used OpenAI's technologies to troubleshoot the underlying code.

The Finer Details

• OpenAI researchers identified the operation after detecting unusual usage patterns of their AI models.

• The surveillance tool is believed to be based on Meta's Llama AI framework.

• Ben Nimmo, a lead investigator at OpenAI, stated this is the first AI-enhanced surveillance system of this kind they have detected.

• OpenAI also uncovered another Chinese initiative called "Sponsored Discontent," which used their technologies to produce English-language posts criticising Chinese dissidents.

• The company has banned multiple accounts linked to these activities.

• The banned accounts were primarily active during Chinese business hours and used Chinese language prompts.

So What?

This discovery highlights the growing concerns about the potential misuse of AI for surveillance, cyber intrusions, and disinformation campaigns. It demonstrates how authoritarian regimes might leverage AI technologies developed in democratic countries for non-democratic purposes. The incident also showcases the dual nature of AI – while it can be used for harmful activities, it also plays a crucial role in identifying and mitigating such actions. This case puts the US on high alert and emphasises the need for AI companies to remain vigilant and proactive in policing the use of their technologies.

YOUR 5 MIN AI LEARNING

Translate Text Within Images Across 70 Languages with ImageTranslate.AI

ImageTranslate.AI is an advanced AI tool that translates text within images across over 70 languages while preserving the original layout and style. This allows for instant translation with a single click, making it efficient for various applications.

The tool has diverse uses, including business document translation, global content localisation for marketers, and creation of multilingual educational resources. It also helps travellers translate signs and menus in real-time - very useful!

Beyond these uses, ImageTranslate.AI supports academic research by facilitating comprehension of foreign materials. It aids businesses expanding globally by translating product labels or instructions accurately. Additionally, it can be used to generate synthetic data for AI model training or map design transformations.

We’ve tried it, and it works well, but if you use it for marketing materials or business, you would have to edit it to sort out the font size, style, etc.

Try it out and let us know what you think!

LATEST AI TOOLS

TopK

A tool to identify and keep track of the most recurrent items in large, streaming datasets in real-time (Free)

“Vector search on dense or sparse vectors with native scalar/binary quantization support. Index text documents and find the most relevant ones using BM25 scoring. Hybrid multi-vector + text retrieval to get the most relevant results for your users. Efficient and flexible filtering to only get the results that matter.”

Presentations.ai 

A tool to help formulate presentations from your ideas (Paid)

“Use AI to create PPTs, infographics, charts, timelines, project plans, reports, product roadmaps and more - effortless, engaging, and free to try. Employ templates that effortlessly adapt to your content changes, preserving design integrity.”

Touchbase

A relationship management tool that tracks interactions and reminds you to reconnect with your contacts (Paid)

“Personalised suggestions to make every conversation meaningful. Personalised suggestions to make every conversation meaningful. Track important interactions with your loved ones in one place.”

AI HIGHLIGHTS

Chinese Universities Incorporate DeepSeek AI into Curriculum

Several Chinese universities are introducing AI courses based on the DeepSeek model, which rivals ChatGPT in power but at a lower cost, to boost technological innovation and address challenges like security and privacy. This move reflects the Chinese government's push to advance its tech sector and compete with the US in the field of artificial intelligence.

AI Accelerates DNA Data Decoding

A new AI-based method can accurately recover digital data from DNA strands nearly 90 times faster than older techniques, decoding information in minutes instead of days. This breakthrough could significantly advance DNA data storage technology, making it a more viable option for long-term data preservation.

AI to Propel China's Deep Space Exploration

China plans to leverage artificial intelligence to enhance its upcoming deep space missions, including the Tianwen-4 mission to Jupiter and beyond. The use of AI is expected to enable autonomous decision-making, improve data analysis, and optimise spacecraft operations, potentially revolutionising China's approach to exploring the outer reaches of the solar system.

AI Reveals Evolution of Biases in Literature

An AI model trained on over 100,000 English-language novels published between 1900 and 2020 has tracked changes in racist and sexist biases over time. The study found that while explicit biases have decreased, implicit biases persist, with the AI detecting subtle shifts in language use that reflect evolving societal attitudes towards race and gender.

AI IMAGE OF THE WEEK

This and the past few weeks there has been a lot of focus on the escalating trade disputes between the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China which presents a complex and dynamic backdrop for an image idea.

The prompt used to generate this image on Microsoft Designer: 

“A symbolic visualisation of tariffs, such as goods crossing borders with barriers or scales balancing trade items. An artistic representation of strained diplomatic ties, perhaps using flags or maps intertwined with economic symbols like tariffs or trade routes.”

Send us your AI generated art for a chance to be featured.

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