TREND REPORTS
(Paper) Microsoft’s New AI Needs Just 3 Seconds of Audio to Clone a Voice
[Tech]
2024/02/22 09:05
VALL-E can even mimic a speaker’s emotions and acoustic environment.Microsoft’s new voice-cloning AI can simulate a speaker’s voice with remarkable accuracy — and all it needs to get started is a three-second sample of them talking.Voice cloning 101: Voice cloning isn’t new. Google the term, and you’ll get a long list of links to websites and apps offering to train an AI to produce audio...
Nature-Inspired Inks for Painting Planes and More
[Product]
2024/02/22 09:04
The nanomaterial-based ink delivers permanent colours at a fraction of the weight of conventional paint.In traditional materials science, colour comes from molecules absorbing specific colours from white light. Over time, the molecules degrade and the colour fades. However, colour in some natural materials, such as butterfly wings or bird feathers, occurs when light is reflected from nanostruct...
The Out-of-Home Advertising Recovery Has Not Been Equal
[Business]
2024/02/22 09:03
OOH has surpassed pre-pandemic highs, recovering from a 30% dip.Announcing! Brandweek is headed to Phoenix, Arizona this September 23–26. Join us there to explore the future of marketing, discover cutting-edge strategies and network with the best in the business.Nearly four years ago, a significant number of people went inside and stayed there. They relied on DoorDash for food, Peloton for exe...
(PDF) Mckinsey - Top M&A Trends in 2024 Report
[Business]
2024/02/21 09:10
Will 2024 launch a bright new era for M&A? Anticipating what could be an inflection point, many dealmakers are preparing for a surge—and new market requirements—in the year ahead.M&A dealmakers have been on a wild ride. From the pandemic-fueled rout in 2020 to 2021’s record-breaking recovery, followed by a steep decline in 2023, the global M&A market has offered something of a ma...
Amazon-Backed Startup, Hippo Harvest Raises $21M for Greenhouse Robots
[Investing]
2024/02/21 09:09
Lettuce isn’t the world’s most challenging crop, but as any farmer knows, there are plenty of problems that pop up between planting and harvest. The gamut runs from pests to pathogens and rain — both too little and too much.To shield the tender greens from the cruel world, many growers have taken their crops indoors — sprawling greenhouses or humming warehouses have become the new homes for...
(Patent) Apple Aims to Advance Certain Fitness+ Workouts Using Advanced Face and Motion Tracking Data Technology
[Tech]
2024/02/21 09:08
Apple has placed a tremendous amount time and technology into health matters including exercising using Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Apple TV that supports Apple Fitness+ which covers a series of unique workout that include workouts for the treadmill, cycling, rowing and so much more. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a patent application from Apple that relates primari...
Young People More Likely to Buy Brands Backed by Famous People
[Consumer]
2024/02/21 09:07
Celebrities and influencers create a "coolness" halo effect with Gen Z and millennial consumers, according to a recent survey by YPulse, a youth research organization.Why it matters: 69% of 13 to 39-year-olds say they are more likely to purchase brands that are considered cool, which is especially true in the age of the social media marketplace.Brands affiliated with celebrities stand out more...
(Video) OpenAI's Eve Humanoids Make Impressive Progress in Autonomous Work
[Product]
2024/02/21 09:06
1X robots might be physically undergunned compared to the competition, but they're doing useful work fully autonomously."The video contains no teleoperation," says Norwegian humanoid robot maker 1X. "No computer graphics, no cuts, no video speedups, no scripted trajectory playback. It's all controlled via neural networks, all autonomous, all 1X speed."This is the humanoid manufacturer that Open...
BCG - These 9 Forces Are Reshaping the Global Business Landscape
[Business]
2024/02/21 09:05
As leaders gather in Davos, companies need to ensure geopolitics is front of mind for decision makers. Public and private sector leaders are gathering at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos against a backdrop of geopolitical fractures. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are front of mind alongside climate change, macroeconomics and the advance of AI.To navigate this increa...
