Meta unveils AI tools to give robots a human touch in physical world

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1. Meta unveils AI tools to give robots a human touch in physical world

Meta has released three research artifacts focusing on touch perception, robot dexterity, and human-robot interaction. Sparsh, created in collaboration with the University of Washington and Carnegie Mellon University, is a family of encoder models for vision-based tactile sensing, providing robots with touch perception capabilities.

Digit 360, an artificial finger-shaped tactile sensor with over 18 sensing features, captures various sensing modalities for a richer understanding of the environment and object interactions. Meta is also releasing Digit Plexus, a hardware-software platform that aims to facilitate the development of robotic applications.

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2. Disney forms dedicated AI and XR group to coordinate company-wide use and adoption

Disney has formed the Office of Technology Enablement to coordinate the company's exploration, adoption, and use of AI, AR, and VR tech. Jamie Voris, former CTO of its Studios Technology division, will oversee the effort. The Office of Technology Enablement will support Disney's other teams working on products involving these technologies to ensure their work fits into the company's broader strategic goals.

Disney has navigated the last two decades of technological change better than most of Hollywood, and extended reality and AI are expected to significantly impact consumer experiences and creative endeavors.

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3. Runway goes 3D with new AI video camera controls for Gen-3 Alpha Turbo

Runway, a New York-based startup funded by Google and Nvidia, has launched advanced AI camera controls for its Gen-3 Alpha Turbo video generation model. These controls allow users to control the AI generated effects and scenes more granularly, allowing them to zoom in and out of their scenes and subjects, creating a 3D world.

The new features include horizontal movements, speed ramps, and slow trucking movements, transforming the way users think about digital camera work. Runway aims to continue being the AI provider and toolmaker of choice for filmmakers of all levels.

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4. Perplexity debuts an AI-powered election information hub

Perplexity has launched an Election Information Hub to test the use of AI in providing voting information. The hub offers AI-generated answers to voting questions and summaries of candidates, and will track vote counts live on Election Day. 

The hub is based on data from Democracy Works and a curated set of trustworthy sources. However, the hub has faced criticism for its accuracy and lack of transparency.

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5. Google and Meta could face defamation risks over AI-generated responses, Australian experts warn

Meta and Google's use of AI to generate user comments or reviews could introduce new defamation risks, according to experts. In Australia, when a user makes a defamatory post or review on Google or Facebook, the user faces legal action.

A landmark 2021 high court ruling in Dylan Voller's case against news outlets has also held that the page hosting a defamatory comment, such as news pages on Facebook, can also be held liable. Experts warn that some cases may reach court as AI is rolled out into these platforms.

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