Apple users who are tired of that "ducking" autocorrect issue can now rejoice! The tech company announced Monday at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference that iOS 17 will ensure that autocorrected words are temporarily underlined so users know what has been changed and can quickly change the word back to what they originally meant to type. "Autocorrect is powered by on-device machine learning and over the years, we've continued to advance these models," said Craig Federighi, the company's software chief. "The keyboard now leverages a transformer language model, which is state of the art for word prediction, making autocorrect more accurate than ever." The autocorrect feature has been the subject of tweets, memes and other social media posts for years, often annoying already irritated people trying to drop a popular expletive by changing the word to "ducking."

To say that Apple's WWDC 2023 keynote was packed would be an understatement. The company introduced the Vision Pro, its first foray into mixed reality headsets, as well as a 15-inch MacBook Air. There was also an updated Mac Studio and Mac Pro, both of which use the equally new M2 Ultra chip. As you'd expect Apple announced significant upgrades to all its software platforms. It's safe to say the Vision Pro was Apple's marquee device at WWDC.

Daiwa Securities Group employees are widely using an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot in Japan as the nation's second-largest brokerage follows global banks in exploring the potential of rapidly evolving technologies. Chief Executive Officer Seiji Nakata said the Tokyo-based firm started an experiment in April that gave around 9,000 workers in Japan the go-ahead to "freely use" ChatGPT. Daiwa has also been strengthening the recruitment of science graduates to develop high-tech experts in house, he said in an interview. The move comes as an AI revolution unfolds on Wall Street in response to widening interest in the technology and its likely business impact. Deutsche Bank is using it to scan wealthy client portfolios, while JPMorgan Chase & Co. is advertising for more AI roles than any of its rivals.

During the 2020 pandemic, members of the reddit & discord r/robotics community rallied to organize an online showcase for members of our community. What was originally envisioned as a small, intimate afternoon video call turned out to be a two day event of participants from across the world. All times are recorded in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), UTC-4. Check out the full program in our website for more details.

TikTok could soon have a new way for users to discover content. The company is in the "early stages" of testing an AI-powered chatbot, called Tako, which will be able to recommend videos and respond to queries about what users are watching. The bot, which was first reported by TechCrunch, is currently being tested in the Philippines, TikTok said in a statement. "Tako is powered by a third-party chat assistant and is designed to help make it easier to discover entertaining and inspiring content on TikTok," the company said. Despite being in an early phase of testing, TikTok is apparently featuring Tako fairly prominently in the app. A shortcut to the assistant sits in the main right-hand menu alongside shortcuts for bookmarks, and likes, according to TechCrunch, which got a peek at the feature.

Universal Music Group (UMG) is partnering with Endel, an "AI sound wellness company" specializing in personalized algorithmic soundscapes, the companies announced today. The partnership aims to let UMG artists create machine-learning-generated sounds for activities like sleep, relaxation and focus. The record label "will use Endel's proprietary AI technology to enable UMG artists to create science-backed soundscapes," the companies said. The soundscapes can contain new music and updated versions of back-catalog tracks. The companies emphasize that the project "will always respect creators' rights and put artists at the center of the creative process," adding that musicians and their teams have the final say on the results.

As Microsoft unveiled more of its plans for AI domination at its Build developer conference today, no aspect of its business will be left untouched by AI. In addition to bringing its "Copilot" to Windows 11 and Edge, the company also shared details on how it will be infusing the Store with AI, beginning with the new AI Hub. This is a "new curated section in the Microsoft Store where we will promote the best AI experiences built by the developer community and Microsoft," the company said in a press release. It will use this area to "educate customers on how to start and expand their AI journey, inspiring them to use AI in everyday ways to boost productivity, spark creativity and more." Kickresume, Play.ht and other services that let users tap AI to help them create content.

OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said part of the reason for his current tour of European cities is to discover a suitable location for a new office. "Poland would be an interesting place," Altman said in an interview Tuesday when asked about European offices. "We want to do a research and engineering office in Europe, not a regulatory one. We are trying to figure it out. This is part of the goal of this trip."

As generative AI has taken the tech world by storm, it was only a matter of time before Photoshop got in on the action. Adobe announced today that a new Generative Fill feature is coming to its ubiquitous photo-editing software later this year. The company promises "a magical new way to work" as the Firefly-powered feature lets you add, remove and extend visual content based on natural-language text prompts. "Generative Fill combines the speed and ease of generative AI with the power and precision of Photoshop, empowering customers to bring their visions to life at the speed of their imaginations," said Ashley Still, Adobe's senior VP of Digital Media. Adobe's Generative Fill is equivalent to DALL-E 2's inpainting (generating AI content within a section of an image) and outpainting (AI-generated content extending beyond the image's borders).

With Global Accessibility Awareness Day just days away, Apple is previewing a raft of new iOS features for cognitive accessibility, along with Live Speech, Personal Voice and more. The company said it worked in "deep collaboration" with community groups representing users with disabilities, and drew on "advances in hardware and software, including on-device machine learning" to make them work. The biggest update is "Assistive Access" designed to support users with cognitive disabilities. Essentially, it provides a custom, simplified experience for the phone, FaceTime, Messages, Camera, Photos, and Music apps. That includes a "distinct interface with high contrast buttons and large text labels" along with tools that can be customized by trusted supporters for each individual.