ActAnywhere by Adobe: AI-driven video background creation

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1. ActAnywhere by Adobe: AI-driven video background creation

ActAnywhere is a generative model developed by Stanford University and Adobe Research to create subject-aware video backgrounds. The model automates the process of creating video backgrounds that align with the motion and appearance of the foreground subject while preserving the artist's creative intention. 

The model uses a sequence of foreground subject segmentation and an image describing the desired scene as a condition frame. The model outperforms baselines and can be applied to diverse out-of-distribution samples, including non-human subjects. The model's performance is demonstrated through extensive evaluations.

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2. Nvidia RTX Remix beta is bringing modern graphics to old games

Nvidia's RTX Remix beta is now available for modders to upgrade textures and lighting in older games. The game remastering tool, currently in open beta, allows modders to give older games a makeover with AI-powered texture tools, ray tracing, and Nvidia DLSS 3. The tool was used to give Portal a visual boost with upgraded textures, models, and lighting.

It is also used by a community of modders to remaster Half-Life 2 with realistic-looking headcrabs and better textures. RTX Remix works best with DirectX 8 and 9 games with fixed function pipelines, including Call of Duty 2, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Garry’s Mod, Freedom Fighters, Need for Speed: Underground 2, and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. It allows modders to incorporate ray-tracing, DLSS 3, and Nvidia Reflex for an overhauled gaming experience.

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3. Officials investigating AI-powered Joe Biden calling people in New Hampshire

New Hampshire Attorney General's Office is investigating a series of robocalls using a Biden-like voice to dissuade people from voting in the state's presidential primaries. The messages, sent on January 21, appeared to be artificially generated based on initial indications, and officials are concerned that these robocalls may be an unlawful attempt to disrupt the New Hampshire Presidential Primary Election and suppress New Hampshire voters.

The primary ballots do not include the incumbent president's name, and there is a write-in campaign to get people to vote for Biden as the Democratic candidate. The robocalls have been criticized by would-be Biden challenger Dean Phillips, who calls it an "affront to democracy." Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said the campaign is actively discussing additional actions to take immediately.

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4. Using AI and satellites, University of Minnesota helps farmers detect aphid infestations

The University of Minnesota is using AI and satellites to help farmers detect aphid infestations. These tiny, sap-sucking insects can be devastating when thousands of soybean aphids attack a field, reducing the plant's yield and making it smaller.

The satellite-based remote sensing takes pictures from space, measuring wavelengths of light. The data is collected during the summer months and then analyzed in winter. The goal is to eventually have a website or an app that farmers can use, saving time and money. While aphid infestations have decreased in some parts of the country, they remain significant in Minnesota.

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5. DPD AI Chatbot swears, calls itself ‘useless’ and criticises delivery firm

Qdrant, the open source vector database startup, has raised $28 million in a Series A round led by Spark Capital. The Berlin-based startup aims to capitalize on the AI revolution by targeting developers with an open source vector search engine and database. Unstructured data makes up around 90% of all new enterprise data and is growing three times faster than structured data.

Qdrant raised $7.5 million last April, highlighting the insatiable appetite investors have for vector databases. The company has launched binary quantization, a super-efficient compression technology focused on low-latency, high-throughput indexing, which can reduce memory consumption by up to 32 times and enhance retrieval speeds by around 40 times. Qdrant is also releasing its managed "on-premise" edition, which allows enterprises to host everything internally but tap into premium features and support.

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