In today’s newsletter:

• News - 🎧✨ Nvidia’s New AI Makes Trumpets Bark & Voices Sing!

• Culture - 🎥🌍 IMAX's Bold AI Move: Global Content, No Barriers!

🎧✨ Nvidia’s New AI Makes Trumpets Bark & Voices Sing!

Nvidia has unveiled Fugatto, a cutting-edge AI model designed to generate and transform audio, opening up exciting possibilities for creators in music, film, and gaming. This innovative tool can produce music and sound effects from text prompts, like making a trumpet "bark," while also transforming existing audio—turning piano notes into vocal melodies or changing speech accents and moods. While the tech showcases immense potential, Nvidia is taking a cautious approach, holding off on public release to address concerns about misuse, such as generating copyrighted material or misinformation.

Generative AI audio tools are on the rise, with players like Meta and OpenAI also developing similar technologies, but none have publicly released their models yet. Nvidia’s Fugatto, trained on open-source data, stands out for its ability to preserve emotional nuance and authenticity in audio transformations, offering powerful tools for creative professionals. As Nvidia explores safe release options, its AI innovation hints at a future where creating original, dynamic audio becomes more accessible than ever.

🗞️ In Other News…

• President-elect Trump is considering appointing an AI czar to coordinate federal AI policy and government use, with input from Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy through their Department of Government Efficiency group.

• Orange is collaborating with OpenAI and Meta to develop AI models for underrepresented West African languages like Wolof and Pulaar, aiming to enhance cultural inclusivity, localize data processing, and responsibly use AI for customer service, education, and network optimization.

• UC Riverside researchers developed an AI model to optimize hog farming decisions, improving long-term profits by 22% through better timing and inventory management, with applications extending to other industries managing perishable commodities and dynamic inventory.

• The TRAIN Act, introduced by Sen. Peter Welch, aims to increase transparency in AI development by allowing copyright holders to subpoena AI training records to determine if their work was used without permission, with support from creative organizations and major music labels.

🎥🌍 IMAX's Bold AI Move: Global Content, No Barriers!

IMAX is diving into the world of AI-powered localization to meet the growing global demand for non-English content, partnering with Dubai-based startup Camb.ai to translate its original programming like documentaries. With the entertainment industry booming at $2.8 trillion in 2023 and non-English viewership skyrocketing—even in traditionally English-dominant markets—IMAX is leveraging Camb.ai’s cutting-edge speech-to-text and speech-emulation models to make its content accessible to more audiences worldwide. Camb.ai’s DubStudio platform supports translations in 140 languages, including lesser-known ones, ensuring IMAX can captivate viewers far and wide without losing the emotional essence of its immersive experiences.

Camb.ai, led by former Apple engineer Akshat Prakash, takes a refreshingly focused approach to AI, building specialized models like Boli and Mars to translate and dub speech seamlessly. These models go beyond basic translations, retaining nuances like background sound and vocal performance for a more authentic experience. Already tested in high-profile events like the Australian Open and Eurovision Sport, Camb.ai’s tech will roll out with IMAX’s content in phases, starting with widely spoken languages. The partnership not only cuts translation costs but also highlights IMAX’s commitment to staying ahead in the rapidly evolving global entertainment landscape.

VC Fundraising Rounds

• Boosted.ai has raised $15 million to expand Alfa, its agentic AI platform that serves as a customizable co-worker for investment managers, monitoring and updating portfolios. (11/25/24)

• AI SPERA, a Korean cybersecurity company, has raised an additional 12 billion won (USD 8.5 million), bringing its total funding to 23 billion won (USD 16 million). (11/25/24)

• Biolevate, a French health-tech startup, has secured €6 million in seed funding, to advance the development of its AI-powered medical writing platform. (11/25/24)

• Lightning AI, a New York City-based developer of the PyTorch Lightning framework, secured $50 million in funding. (11/21/24)

• Wordware, a San Francisco-based startup aiming to simplify programming AI agents by enabling users to write in plain English, has announced securing $30 million in seed funding. (11/21/24)

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